Neighbors: City infrastructure not ready for high-density housing project

Presenter: Laurel Hill Valley residents again speak out against a 40-unit development on Floral Hill Drive, saying Eugene’s current infrastructure is not up to the task.

Eugene staff: Our next speaker (is) Lisa Kaye.

Lisa Kaye: I live on Floral Hill Drive. I actually own three properties on Floral Hill Drive. I’ve been there since 2018 and I love that neighborhood.

But besides that, that neighborhood serves Hendricks Park, which is the oldest city park. And it’s also the oldest neighborhood association. The Laurel Hill Valley Association is the oldest, the first neighborhood association in Eugene.

We are very frustrated because we seem to have lost our voice. Well, all neighborhood associations seem to not be listened to, and just ignored as the process of what happens to their neighborhoods just goes through processes that just don’t have space for logical input from the people who are most impacted.

First of all, I’d like to thank the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for taking so much time to take a look at these applications that were in front of them. Our neighborhood had quite a few application feedback letters to them. We also had public comments during the 2025 session.

And we were very happy when the Affordable Housing (Trust Fund) said, ‘No, deny this. There are better options for supporting.’ We were very surprised that somehow $200,000 got sent to those funds anyway. 

This year the scenario kind of repeated. We had a lot of neighborhood input again. This is not the first time we’ve spoken up about this community project.

So we basically have tried to explain what the problems are with it, and I want to thank you as the City Council for listening to those, like the Affordable Housing Trust Fund did. 

Rebecca Kassan: Rebecca Kassan, I’m here to talk about the Eugene Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which I really appreciate. I definitely support the creation and preservation of affordable homes, low- and middle-income housing.

And I just wanted for the record to state that I don’t support funding DevNW Floral Hill (CLT) Community Land Trust, that the scope and complexity of this development I think need more time.

And I am a resident of Floral Hill and I just, I appreciate the City Council meeting minutes documented the concerns of the neighborhood. We have some concerns related to the location, the density, the car dependency, the emergency response.

The road is very narrow. LTD, it’s not possible for LTD to come up Summit (Avenue) and Floral Hill Drive.

The narrow road has no shoulder. There are hazards with passing in cars, neighborhood walks, biking, walking dogs on this road daily. We also have U of O joggers and gear bike riders that come almost every day.

And the impact of that development—80 to 100 cars is what we estimate—would have a tremendous impact on access and impact on access to the park as well. I think that the number of cars are going to go up and down Summit (Avenue) and it’s going to create a lot more traffic going in and out of Hendricks Park.

And so I’m just, I want to ask that the traffic impact analysis done under the Eugene Code 9.8670 for this development, that it specifically evaluate pedestrian and bike safety on Floral Drive, given its function as a park access route.

I ask that this comment be included in the public record for both the state housing infrastructure financing grant award, and any city-related city of Eugene land use review.

Joe Young: My name’s Joe Young… The Affordable Housing Trust Fund is great. I really applaud them for the work they did. And recently remarks were made about the DevNW project that’s proposed. Those were all pretty spot-on.

You know, the fire, life, and safety problems that will occur, if this is funded and if this is built,are drastic. The City Council and leadership will have serious, serious ramifications if there is some sort of fire disaster or some sort of major car crash or some sort of pedestrian-car accident on this road.

It is incredibly narrow. The widest it is at any point between Summit (Avenue) and where it turns and goes down to the bottom is 19.89 feet.

It averages 16.8 feet. It does not even qualify as a road under the qualifications listed in the city of Eugene’s codes for what a road should be. And as it’s not, it doesn’t qualify.

So with that being said, I urge the city to look at anything regarding this specific development with an added level of scrutiny, because what’s happened is it’s been pushed through. It’s been awarded funds, and last year’s AHTF. It was awarded funds after it was denied, $200,000 came from nowhere.

Mary Gent: Mary Gent and I am here to comment on the broken public trust with your ongoing preferred status of DevNW building multiplex high-density middle housing on Floral Hill Drive. 

This was their third filing for trust fund dollars, and no dollars were awarded in 2024. And in 2025, DevNW did not meet scoring criteria, but the Council gave them $200,000 with a promise of $400,000 in 2026. 

This is public testimony from the developer. And on your website you do not show that DevNW received these dollars. 

It is not transparent, it is not honest, and it is not fair. The 2026 proposal should have been withdrawn. 

The forward progress given from a secret backdoor deal between the city and the developer has now put wheels on a middle housing subdivision serving up to 200 additional residents—strongly opposed by neighbors due to the low walkability scores, public safety concerns, fire response and evacuation, and inadequate water supply to fight a rapidly moving fire up the hillside into the urban forest of Hendricks Park.

Look no further than the 7-26-25 fire investigation report at 2680 Floral Hill Drive. 

The Laurel Hill Valley and Hendricks Park are in the wildland urban interface, a priority fire risk from the fall easterly winds. Lane County’s worst fires are from these easterly winds and the fire trajectory is not changing.

Smell the smoke. Springfield Fire Department has, and is separating from us.

Stop what you have started. We are not NIMBYs. You always had the option of building 15 affordable middle housing homes on the site. Instead, you want the big wins. Well, this is a big loss for everyone. 

Presenter: On June 23, the City Council reviewed a map of wildfire risk for Laurel Hill Valley, as part of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. On July 13, public comments expressed concern about a critical neighborhood evacuation route. 

As recorded in the Council minutes for June 9, 2025,  and during debate on HB 2001, neighbors again say the city’s infrastructure cannot handle this level of density.