Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities 

Advancing Eugene's climate action, housing production, and transportation goals

In March of 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order directing state agencies to take actions to reduce and regulate greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change while also centering the needs of Oregon’s most vulnerable communities.

In response, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission developed new requirements, the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules, for cities to help meet these goals through changes to local transportation and housing planning systems.

Eugene and Springfield, among other metropolitan areas across the state, are required to change development standards to encourage more climate-friendly development and reduce emissions. This page outlines Eugene's efforts to implement the CFEC requirements.

CFEC Cityscape Blue Badge

Project Goals

Through CFEC implementation, the City of Eugene will accomplish the following goals:

  • Comply with the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities requirements
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and housing
  • Provide more climate-friendly housing and transportation options
  • Center the voices of historically marginalized community groups in decision-making

Implementation

To implement the new requirements, the City of Eugene will advance a few key strategies through 2026, including:

  • Plan for more housing and jobs in Climate-Friendly Areas such as in downtown, in commercial centers, and along key corridors designed so people can live, work, and play without having to drive 
  • Reduce parking requirements for certain types of development and in certain areas, such as along frequent bus routes, to free up land for housing and other services, support pedestrian-friendly design, and reduce housing costs
  • Prepare for a future with more electric vehicles by ensuring new mixed-use and multi-family housing development provides charging infrastructure 
  • Plan for more climate-friendly transportation options so that people can walk, bike, roll, and take the bus safely and easily
  • Plan for more pedestrian-friendly and compact development across the city so neighborhoods are more connected
  • Throughout the process, center the voices of historically marginalized community groups and improve equitable transportation and housing outcomes, particularly for those who have been harmed by past planning, climate, and transportation decisions
  • Track progress towards achieving more equitable outcomes in transportation and housing, increasing housing production, and supporting areas where people can bike and walk more easily across the city

Luckily, these are projects that residents and Eugene City Council have already supported through other community projects such as the Climate Action Plan 2.0, Envision Eugene, the Housing Implementation Pipeline, continued investments in downtown, affordable housing, and active transportation infrastructure, as well as other sustainability, housing, and transportation projects.

CFEC will result in updates to the Eugene Land Use Code, revisions to the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan and 2035 Transportation System Plan, as well as revised requirements for development permits.

Stay Connected and Updated

This page will be regularly updated as CFEC evolves. Make sure to follow CFEC on Engage Eugene to find opportunities for public participation. For project-specific information, see the project tabs below. As new implementation projects begin, tabs will be added.

CFEC Public Meetings: Implementation Overview

For project-specific meetings, see the project tabs below.

  1. Parking Reform
  2. Climate-Friendly Areas

Parking Reform

Eugene will follow a state-required approach to reduce or remove minimum parking requirements for certain types of development, such as smaller housing types, childcare facilities, affordable housing, and shelters. The City must completely remove minimum parking requirements within one-half mile walking distance of frequent transit corridors and certain areas where parking demand is lower. Eugene will also select one of three options to reform parking requirements city-wide.Parking Reform Logo. City-scape with car and electric vehicle charging station. Opens in new window

Additionally, the State of Oregon has an adopted goal that 90% of new vehicles sold will be electric by 2035. To help meet that goal, the City needs to ensure people can charge their vehicles. The most convenient place to do so is at home. As a part of CFEC parking reform, new multi-unit housing and mixed-use development (with multi-unit housing) will be required to include electrical conduit (pipes) to 40% of their parking spots, ready for adding wiring and charging stations to support electric vehicles as the market expands.

Read a summary of parking reform requirements and policy options here.


Draft Code Amendments

As part of the parking reform requirements, the City must either eliminate minimum off-street parking requirements citywide (Option 1) or pursue one of two parking reform approaches to reduce or eliminate minimum off-street parking requirements (Option 2A or Option 2B). The City Council directed staff to continue to evaluate all three options when they initiated a code amendment in September 2022.

On August 1, 2023, the Eugene Planning Commission recommended to City Council a set of draft land use code amendments to implement Option 1 - eliminating minimum off-street parking requirements citywide. In addition to being the most straightforward to draft and implement, most stakeholders expressed a preference for Option 1. This does not preclude the City Council from adopting a different option. 

Regardless of which option the City chooses, the CFEC requirements include the following parking regulation improvements, which are included in the draft land use code amendments:

  • Preferential placement of carpool/vanpool parking
  • Allow redevelopment of any portion of a parking lot for bike or transit uses
  • Allow and encourage redevelopment of underused parking
  • Allow and facilitate shared parking
  • New developments with parking lots more than ½ half acre in size must install 40% tree canopy OR solar panels; require street trees along driveways
  • Establish parking maximums in appropriate locations

Additionally, the draft land use code amendments include required parking reforms that have already taken effect, including new electric vehicle charging requirements.


Public Involvement

BIPOC Community EventFrom March to May 2023, the City hosted 9 individual interviews, small group conversations with 62 participants, discussions at two tabling events attended by 180+ participants, a virtual information session with 18 participants, and collected 437 online survey responses. Involvement included proactive outreach to Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, Spanish speaking residents, people experiencing disabilities, neighborhood groups, and groups affiliated with affordable housing, transportation, environment, development, and more.  

Read the full Public Involvement Summary here.


Public Meetings & Testimony

CFEC Parking Reform began the formal adoption process in June. After a work session, public hearing, and deliberations, the Eugene Planning Commission made their recommendation to City Council to implement Option 1 - eliminating minimum off-street parking requirements citywide. Review previous meeting agendas and webcasts below.

To provide written testimony or ask questions, please email CFECParking@eugene-or.gov or mail comments to: c/o Reid Verner, Land Use Supervisor, 99 W. 10th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401.  

Any public testimony received will be uploaded in periodic batches and shared with the Eugene City Council.

Key Dates

  • January 1, 2023: Reduced or Removed Parking MinimumsCFEC Parking Reform Walking Distance Map Revised 022123 reduced Opens in new window
    • New development applications may include a minimum off-street parking requirement of no more than 1 parking space per dwelling for residential developments with more than 1 dwelling
    • No minimum off-street parking requirements for:
      • Properties located within 1/2 mile walking distance of frequent transit corridors (map at right or using link)
      • Specific desired types of development like day care, facilities for people with disabilities, shelters, affordable housing, and dwellings less than 750 square feet
  • April 1, 2023: New Electric Vehicle Charging Requirements
    • New private multi-unit residential (5 or more dwellings) or mixed-use developments must install electrical service capacity to accommodate 40% of all vehicle parking spaces.
  • January 1, 2024: Parking Reform City-wide
    • The City will adopt land use code changes implementing the elimination of or reduction to the minimum off-street parking requirements, including:
      • Selecting one of three options for city-wide parking reform
      • Implementing improved parking regulations
      • Codifying changes that have already gone into effect, including new electric vehicle charging requirements

Contact Us

Public Involvement Lead

Leah Rausch
Associate Planner
LRausch@eugene-or.gov

Parking Reform

Reid Verner
Land Use Supervisor
RVerner@Eugene-or.gov


Climate-Friendly Areas

Leah Rausch
Associate Planner
LRausch@eugene-or.gov

Climate-Friendly Transportation

Rob Inerfeld
Transportation Planning Manager
rinerfeld@eugene-or.gov