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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2020)
8A | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS generations. Henry didn’t respond on fiber, but later pointed out that the workforce that was already here is struggling, living on the streets due to lack of housing. But he didn’t believe homelessness was an issue for the city to address. “I think it’s more up to the private entities, the church- es and so forth, the schools, the churches,” he said. “Of course, it gets back to bud- get. The schools don’t have the budget for it.” Nor does the local school district have a mandate to do so, and church funds are limited. The situation for afford- able housing, particularly rentals, has been concern- ing for years. But since 2019, state regulations and the pandemic have wreaked havoc on the market. (See story in today’s edition on page A1). Property owners are selling at an increasing rate, diminishing the rental supply “considerably.” Renters are being kicked out, but low wages keep home ownership out of reach. Now, workers are either buying trailers to live on the street or are moving away completely. As a consequence, the population gap between older and younger residents is rapidly increasing — the repercussions of which could be felt for years, if not “There’s always two sides to a conversation” “There’s another bill that’s probably going to pass that’s going to force us to allow duplexes in every sin- gle-family neighborhood, correct?” Henry asked. Oregon House Bill 2001, which passed with bipar- tisan support in 2019, re- quires cities to allow du- plex in areas zoned for single-family homes. But the bill was written for cit- ies with populations over 10,000 — approximately 1,200 more than that of Florence’s current popula- tion. While the bill wouldn’t directly force Florence’s hand, “It’s all about Port- land, Eugene and Spring- field,” Henry said of the bill. “They’re doing all kinds of things at the state level that’s not going to benefit us one iota.” Getting help regionally is also challenging. While this series has covered how the insertion of partisanship can damage relations, there are other concerns as well. “What do you want to do that, as a city, can accom- plish what you’re looking at happening now?” asked Reynolds. “I don’t think we can commit chunks of money to do housing. I don’t think we’re in the business of do- ing housing,” Henry said. “I think we can provide guid- SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME ASSESSMENT TODAY! 877-557-1912 FREE 7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value! Off er valid March 16, 2020 - Sept 6, 2020 Special Financing Available ance and incentives and make it attractive enough.” Henry brought up vacant property owned by FURA on Quince Street, across from the Florence Events Center, which the city could devote a section to for hous- ing. “It would be nice garden apartments, or condos, which would have access to Old Town and so forth,” Henry said. “People could walk to Old Town. Fifty units that sold for $150,000 to $250,000 would sell like that. And we don’t have to give it away. We could provide them at a cost that would make it attractive for them.” The city has been court- ing developers, with FURA investing thousands of dol- lars to campaign for hous- ing projects. But there still has been no public move- ment on the property. Council members dis- cussed how, if the Quince Street property was sold at a discount, the city could attach conditions to address the needs of certain demo- graphics, or require a living space more appealing to a younger renter or owner — such as furnished apart- ments designed to make optimal use of smaller space for a single person. In return, the city could give developers incentives like discounts on hookup fees and land. “I don’t think it’s our job to draw up expectations of design,” Woodbury coun- tered. “Just give them a vehicle to get the property built. And then how they design it themselves is it up to them. They’re putting money into it.” But even if the city does attract a developer, it can take years to break ground, or even get approved. “We know we have sever- al applications in the queue right now. It’s a matter of if they pan out or not,” Reyn- olds said. Henry joked, “When you get people on the council our age, we’ve only got a few years left and we’d like to see things yesterday.” “And we’ve got a whole market of contractors who got burned really bad in the recession,” said Reynolds. “And some of them are afraid we’re going to create a housing glut and the prices will drop,” Henry responded. See PROJECT page 9A *Terms & Conditions Apply Subject to Credit Approval Blazing Fast Internet! ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY 19 . 99 $ /mo. where available 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE America’s Top 120 Package MO. 190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 for 12 Mos. 1-866-373-9175 Offer ends 1/31/21. All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. 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