6A | MARCH 25, 2021 | MUPTE from A1 on land value and any com- mercial portion of the prop- erty. It was adopted as part of the Cottage Grove Municipal Code in December 2019 in order to increase the devel- opment of new multi-family housing in Cottage Grove. Applicants must meet sev- eral requirements in order to be approved for the pro- gram, including the location be along a transit route, the development of three or more units, provision of a public benefit and an agreement to maintain residential use throughout the duration of the tax abatement. Each applicant is subject to a public hearing and must be considered by the council. The program’s core theory rests on the idea that the tax exemption will generate more tax revenue in the long run by making projects financial- ly feasible. Without financial feasibility, the projects may not be built and the city would ultimately miss out on the po- tential tax revenue. In effect, the program helps reduce the opportunity cost of a stagnating development rate. Similar programs have been implemented in Salem and Eugene with apparent success. Since 1978, Eugene’s MUPTE program has incen- tivized the creation of about 1,500 units to its housing stock in the city center. Sa- lem has seen seven residential projects since 1976, creating around 750 units in its down- town core. On Monday, the Cottage Grove City Council first con- sidered an application from SquareOne Villages, a Eu- gene-based housing nonprofit which has overseen the devel- opment of the Cottage Village housing cooperative in Cot- tage Grove. Cottage Village is a cluster of 13 tiny homes, four still un- der construction, on Madison Avenue. Another unit on the property serves as a commu- nity space. The project aims to elevate lives by offering af- fordable housing and self-gov- ernance for residents. Completion of the project is scheduled to finish by June 30. In meeting the public ben- efit qualifications, SquareOne submitted that two of the 14 units are fully ADA (Amer- icans with Disabilities Act) accessible, there is a storm- water quality detention pond COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL in the northwest corner, and the project was designed so as to keep rents low enough to serve those who are most in need. Estimates performed by city staff show that the city would be waiving approximately $45,000 to $52,000 over the 10-year period of the pro- gram. At the completion of the 10-year period, the city would receive approximately $5,871 annually on the improvement area. Due to its tax cycle and the timing of the construction process of the development, SquareOne was required to pay property taxes last year. The nonprofit applied for the MUPTE this year after re- alizing that the property taxes would cause rent to go up in the tiny homes, thus nullify- ing the mission of the project to remain affordable. “It provides a unique op- portunity for people to be in community but also to pre- vent homelessness,” testified Cottage Village Coalition Chair Bruce Kelsh at Monday’s meeting. “From a financial point of view, I would hope that the city council would also view this as an investment in affordable housing and in- vestments for people that are living at Cottage Village.” Councilors were high- ly supportive of the Cottage Village project, however con- cerns were raised about es- tablishing a precedent that MUPTE could be awarded to construction projects that had already begun. “My concern is that we’re going to get applications for developments that have al- ready been either completed or started and that we’re don’t really have a basis to say ‘no,’” said Councilor Greg Ervin. It was also proposed that a previously existing unit on the property be removed from the MUPTE application as it had already been taxable. Councilor Mike Fleck shared Ervin’s sentiments. “I am concerned about making sure that the MUPTE’s intent and integrity is intact,” he said. “And I also would not want to see a bunch of build- ers that had already been ap- proved coming forward.” Councilors instructed staff to return to the next council meeting with data which re- flects the removal of the exist- ing unit from the application. The next MUPTE applica- tion on the agenda, in con- trast, passed unanimously af- ter some discussion. The application came from Double H Investment Group, the property owner of a 40- unit apartment project cur- rently underway on Gateway Boulevard. In meeting public benefit criteria, the company has pro- posed and is in the process of completing a four-lot land as- sembly to create the necessary square footage to develop the project. One of the pieces of land contributing to this project is a remnant of a tax lot that the city declared surplus this Feb- ruary. Land assemblies are listed among public benefit qualifi- ers as part of the program. Additionally, the applicant is including ADA accessibility facilities in four of the units. Estimates performed by staff show that the city will be waiving approximately $230,000 to $250,000 over the 10-year tax exemption period. At the end of the period, the city will receive approximately $27,500 annually on the im- provement area. The project is slated to be fully completed around July 2024, at which time the MUPTE would begin and the property will be taxed only on its unimproved land for 10 years. During public comment, resident Duane Taddei ques- FITS YOUR 855-962-4793 South Lane Mental Health Grupo FUERTE PUBLIC MEETINGS, TRUSTEE NOTICES, PROBATE, AUCTION & FORECLOSURE NOTICES, AND MORE. Published weekly in the Cottage Grove Sentinel and online at cgsentinel.com S entinel C ottage G rove Contact: Meg Fringer 541-942-3325 x1200 mfringer@cgsentinel.com La pandemia de Covid-19 impacta nuestros niveles de estrés y ansiedad. Una forma de lidiar con los efectos de la pandemia es buscar y crear conexiones sociales en su comunidad. Grupo FUERTE es un grupo de apoyo para hombres hispanohablantes en el condado Lane. Únete al Grupo FUERTE para aprender de recursos locales, temas de bienestar mental y crea su propia red social. Este es un servicio gratuito patrocinado por South Lane Mental Health. Para más información o para inscrib- irse, llame a 541-942-3939 y pregunte por el Grupo FUERTE. The Covid-19 pandemic impacts our stress and anxiety levels. One way to deal with the effects of the pandemic is to seek and build social connections in your com- munity. Grupo FUERTE is a support group for Spanish speaking men in Lane County. Join Grupo FUERTE to learn about local resources, mental health topics and create your own social network. This is a free service sponsored by South Lane Mental Health. For more in- formation or to enroll, call 541-942-3939 and ask about Grupo FUERTE. Discover Something New Every Day When it comes to learning, the newspaper gives you the big picture by bringing your favorite school subjects to life! Find out what’s happening in your community and on the other side of the globe. It’s all inside your local newspaper. Brad’s Cottage Grove Chevrolet is proud Sponsor of Newspapers in Education. care facilities, open spaces, recreation facilities and ded- ication of land for public use. Only one of these must be met to satisfy the public bene- fit requirement. In initially creating the MUPTE program, council- ors opted to model Cottage Grove’s program after Salem’s, which is less restrictive com- pared to Eugene’s low-income housing focus. The council at the time reasoned that this model would attract more developers and help the city meet its housing needs target. Public Works and Devel- opment Director Faye Stew- art explained to council the inclusion of land assembly in Cottage Grove’s public benefit criteria. “This specific item was to encourage developers, if they purchase adjoining pieces of property, to make a larger one to build a larger development,” he said. Councilor Kenneth Rob- erts, too, recommended that See HOUSING 10A Winter Heating Tune-Up Only $119* We’ll make sure your system is running eff ectively and effi ciently. Call for details and an appointment today, and beat the winter rush! Complete Heating & Cooling System Service Reasonable Rates • All Work Guaranteed * Limited-time off er. Restrictions apply. Call for details. standards Book your FREE design CONSULTATION today! Public Notices The Lowest Rates in Lane County tioned the “true public bene- fits” of the apartment project. “The ultimate public ben- efit from any application of the MUPTE is housing units,” said Fleck, citing the city’s 2018 Housing Needs Analy- sis, which states that Cottage Grove must add 69 dwelling units annually to meet the projected need of 1,379 more units by 2038. Fleck added, however, that he is open to modifying the program down the road, in- cluding revising the public benefits or adding affordable housing provisions. Councilor Candace Soles- bee echoed Fleck’s take on housing. “Bottom line, we have a supply problem,” she said, “and supply and demand are what drive our prices.” Councilor Jon Stinnett said he was a bit conflicted on the point. “Obviously, our town needs these housing options, but I also think we have a MUPTE process that states that we need something from the ap- plicant beyond just the benefit that the development can pro- vide,” he said. “The benefit to the general public beyond just the housing is a bit of a stretch in this sense.” Stinnett suggested there be more discussion over how le- nient the city is willing to be regarding public benefits. The application for Cottage Grove’s MUPTE program lists 17 criteria to choose from in meeting public benefit quali- fications, which include child 541-726-7689 541-942-9635 Eugene/Springfi eld Cottage Grove Z olezzi Insurance Agency is pleased to introduce our new Personal Lines Agent, Jill Kallinger. 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