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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2004)
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For a limited time only. umversiTY COMMONS apaitmcnti 88—I 111 338-4000 Open Monday - Saturday www.universitycommons.com Council to decide on future of property tax ordinance The Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption would help developers create housing around downtown Eugene By Parker Howell News Reporter The City Council will decide today the fate of an ordinance providing property tax exemptions for new hous ing projects in the downtown area. The Multiple Unit Property Tax Ex emption provides a 10-year tax exemp tion on housing construction within the city's "core area," bounded primari ly on the north by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, on the east by High Street, on the south by East 13th Av enue and on the west by Uncoln Street. Land under MUPTE projects contin ues to be taxed, while housing im provements are placed on the tax rolls at the end of the exemption. The council will decide whether to expand the exemption to include much of the West University Neighborhood and other areas located north and west of the current eligibility boundary. It also will act on proposed amendments that may add construction guidelines to the MUPTE application. Hie current ordinance requires the council to approve all applications based on whether the "public benefit" of the project surpasses the loss of rev enue incurred from the tax exemption period. Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly said the "public benefit" require ment would be replaced by specific FI Current Ml TPTKlfomdnry HH f^vpoaed MUFTE Hovndaty IQI Proposed MUFTE Amendments The Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption would provide a 10-year tax exemption on housing constructions within this area. The darker shaded area denotes the proposed expansion, while the lighter shaded area denotes the current MU PTE area. Courtesy City of Eugene standards for potential projects. Among seven potential guidelines are provisions that would require de velopers to address how they would incorporate "sustainability features," such as solar heating and natural lighting, to use "higher quality mate rials" that "contribute to longevity, durability, or enhance building de sign," and to create a prominent en try facing the public street. Members of the West University Neighborhood Association also recom mended two guidelines, which would require applicants to design buildings for home ownership and solicit com ments from relevant neighborhood as sociations before construction. If approved, the new guidelines will give potential applicants an idea of what the council will require, Kelly said. Kelly added he supports the use of the exemption to add variety and im provements to the housing market. "Overall, I think history has shown it's tough to get good new housing in the central city without some public oversight" Kelly said. Kelly pointed to Broadway Place, a 170-unit project completed under the MUPTE in 1996, as an example of how the tax exemption can foster housing development. "Ultimately, the project was a posi tive addition to downtown," Kelly said. "It wouldn't have happened without MUPTE." Kelly did express concerns about the lack of standards in the current applica tion process, saying he will need to see specific guidelines approved before he affirms the MUPTE changes. "It think the standards are pretty low hurdle to get over," Kelly said. WATCH DPS did not have the media log available for April 14 after 7:23 p.m. through April 19. This Crime Watch represents reports from April 12 through April 14. Theft and recoveries The Department of Public Safety re ceived seven found property reports, four reports of bike theft, and one re port of larceny at the Knight Library. Disorderly conduct DPS received two reports of disor derly conduct, two reports of a suspi cious condition, eight reports of a sus picious subject and one report of skateboard stunting. DPS also re ceived one report of reckless endan gering, one report of reckless burning, three reports of criminal trespass and four reports of vandalism. Monday, April 12, 7:57 p.m.: DPS received a report of a person with an air gun on University Street. Tuesday, April 13, 5:49 p.m.: DPS received a report of a person passed out at the bottom of a staircase in Willamette Hall. Alcohol and drags DPS received two reports of drug law violations. Miscellaneous DPS received two alarm reports, one report of a missing person and 11 tow requests: One from the Emerald Street parking lot two from the Friendly Hall parking lot two from the Pacific Hall parking lot one from the Alder Street parking lot, one from the University Annex parking lot one from the Car son Hail turnaround and three from the Bean Complex parking lot. He also said it was important to al low neighborhood associations to have a say in the MUPTE project ap proval process. However, not everyone agrees the exemption is a good idea. Former Eugene resident and Uni versity student Randal O'Toole, head of the Thoreau Institute, said he would tell the council to stop pro moting smart growth measures, such as the MUPTE. "I don't think we should subsidize anybody," he said. O'Toole said advocates of the ex emptions claim high-density hous ing will reduce congestion and air pollution and will increase mobility. However, O'Toole added density will not remedy these problems. He said exemptions make housing unaffordable by raising property tax es and causing rents in normal units to be higher than rents in tax-ex empt, high-density areas. Responding to opponents' concerns that the MUPTE would increase down town density, Kelly said increasing den sity would be a long process. "If the run rate is at best one proj ect every year, it's not going to trans form the density of central city overnight by any means," Kelly said. Kay Olsen, president of the Down town Neighborhood Association, said the group stands behind the ex emption. She said the downtown area lacks housing. "More housing downtown is something we're trying to strongly promote," she said. Contact the city/state politics reporter at parkerhowell@dailyemerald.com
