QuickTake:

The Legislature’s end-of-session “Christmas tree” bill has money tucked into it for behavioral health, economic development and housing in Lane County. Local officials say the funding will help the projects get off the ground.

Oregon lawmakers tucked more than $20 million into a bill for projects in Lane County that are intended to tackle the behavioral health crisis, spur economic development in Eugene and increase the housing supply. 

The proposed funding is in an end-of-session proposal – called the “Christmas tree” bill – where lawmakers can put money into state and local programs and projects. The 95-page House Bill 5006 allocates a total of about $1 billion for projects throughout the state, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. 

Here are Lane County projects slated to get funding:

Stabilization center 

The planned Lane Stabilization Center would get $14.6 million. Lane County officials are planning the center as a regional emergency room for people facing a mental health or addiction crisis. 

Open 24 hours a day every day, the center will be able to help people who arrive with no appointment. In some cases, law enforcement can refer people there for mental health care instead of a jail. 

“This certainly advances the project significantly and allows us to move forward in a way we weren’t previously able to,” said Jason Davis, a spokesperson for Lane County Health and Human Services. 

The bill’s funding will help the county go slightly beyond the $30 million needed for the facility. The county’s planned land purchase, not yet finalized, is separate from that and will come from the county’s general fund. In October 2024, Lane County commissioners voted to do due diligence to complete a purchase of land along International Way near PeaceHealth’s RiverBend hospital in Springfield. 

The county is coordinating its plans for the center with PeaceHealth, which is planning a separate psychiatric hospital at the same location in Springfield near its Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. 

After closing on the land, the county will need to design and build the project. At the earliest, it could open in late 2027.

Eugene economic development 

The bill also has $6 million for infrastructure development at Eugene’s Clear Lake Road economic development project. 

The goal is to get the Clear Lake Industrial Area set up with infrastructure so it has “shovel-ready” sites ready for industry economic development. The 650-acre industrial area has 11 different sites in northwest Eugene between the Eugene Airport and Highway 99. 

The goal is to get infrastructure — including a wastewater system — to help attract manufacturing projects. The first phase includes a wastewater collection system, including a pump station, wastewater pipe on Enid Road and Airport Road, and electrical, water, stormwater, and transportation facilities. 

Eugene’s pitch sought $10.5 million, with city funding matching $4.5 million. With less funding, city officials will scale down the project to most likely include the pump station and a smaller wastewater pipe system. 

“Once the city finds out, for certain, the final amount we will be awarded for this project, we will work to strategize next steps on how to right-size the project for the budget we have,” Lindsay Selser, a spokesperson for Eugene’s planning and development department, said in an email.

Rural community projects 

Rural communities in Lane County are included, with a pair of projects.

The bill allocates $600,000 for the city of Oakridge for its Oakridge Community Health and Medical Services Center at the Willamette Activity Center. The money will help rehab the center, which needs a new roof. The center, after it’s renovated, will have a food bank, health clinic and other social services. 

There’s also $90,000 for a project to improve access for people with disabilities at the Cottage Grove Armory. 

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.