Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2021)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | APRIL 15, 2021 | 9A MUPTE from A1 The city’s MUPTE pro- gram allows new multi-unit housing developments to avoid property taxes on the value of new residential con- struction for up to 10 years, though the property contin- ues to generate taxes on land value and any commercial portion of the property. 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 several requirements in or- der to be approved for the program, including that the location be along a transit route, the development of three or more units, provi- sion of a public benefit and an agreement to maintain residential use throughout the duration of the tax abate- ment. Each applicant is subject to a public hearing and must be considered by the council. As of Monday, five proj- ects have been approved through the program. Cottage Village Monday was the second time a Cottage Village pro- posal has come before the city council, having previ- ously been discussed by the council during a March 22 meeting. The nonprofit applied for the MUPTE this year after realizing that unfore- seen property taxes would cause rent to go up in the tiny homes, thus nullifying the mission of the project to remain affordable for resi- dents. Many of the cooperative’s resident’s ability to pay rent were on the line in the face of the increase. At the time, the council directed staff to refine the presented memorandum and resolution. Consideration of the ap- proval was delayed due to councilors feeling that a pre- viously existing unit on the property should be removed from the MUPTE applica- tion as it had already been taxable. Councilors feared that ap- proving the application with the inclusion of a structure without improvements may compromise the integrity of the program. Concerns were also raised about establishing a prec- edent that MUPTE could be awarded to construction projects that had already be- gun. “My concern is that we’re going to get applications for developments that have al- ready been either completed or started and that we don’t really have a basis to say ‘no,’” said Councilor Greg Ervin at the March 22 meeting. This past Monday, staff provided council with a packet to reflect different scenarios regarding the in- clusion of the existing dwell- ing and without. Under the first resolution, the 10-year tax abatement would be granted to all im- provements on the property, based on a revision of the previous application. The revision stated that the structure in question would be converted into a studio/1-bedroom apart- ment on one end of the building and a common meeting space for Cottage Village residents on the oth- er. The nonprofit had also previously stated that its cash shortage would prevent the conversion of the struc- ture into a common meeting space, further evincing the need for MUPTE assistance. It was reasoned that the conversion would also ap- ply to public benefit criteria, specifically “development or redevelopment of underuti- lized or blighted property.” The city’s municipal code, however, does not provide for a definition of “blighted.” Oregon Revised Statute defines “blighted” as “areas that, by reason of deteriora- tion, faulty planning, inade- quate or improper facilities, deleterious land use or the existence of unsafe struc- tures, or any combination of these factors, are detrimen- tal to the safety, health or welfare of the community.” The area may be char- acterized by the existence of one or more criteria on a lengthy list including the prevalence of depreciated values and defective design. The nonprofit’s appli- cation also included other public benefits such as open space, ADA facilities, on-site stormwater treatment, pe- destrian oriented design and a common meeting space. With rent prices between $350 and $500 a month, they also serve those most in need. The second option pre- sented to council excluded the existing structure from the MUPTE tax abatement. Deliberation Before council delibera- tions, Kelsh commented in favor of the first option and, while acknowledging the definition of “blighted” may be subjective for councilors, the building in question will require improvements as it can not be rented in its cur- Worship Directory COTTAGE GROVE: 6th & Gibbs Church of Christ 195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822 10:00am Christian Education: Pre-K through 5th Tim Baker, Senior Minister www.6thandgibbs.com Calvary Baptist Church 77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290 Pastor: Riley Hendricks Sunday School: 9:45am Worship: 11:00am The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm Church of Christ 420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565 Sunday Service: 10:30am Cottage Grove Bible Church 1200 East Quincy Avenue 541-942-4771 Pastor:Bob Singer Worship 11am Sunday School:9:45am AWANA age 3-8th Grade, Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm www.cgbible.org First Presbyterian Church 3rd and Adams St 541-942-4479 Rev.: Karen Hill Worship: 10:00am Sunday School: 10:00am fpcgrove.com Hope Fellowship United Pentecostal Church 100 S. Gateway Blvd. 541-942-2061 Pastor: Dave Bragg Worship: 11:00am Sunday Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday www.hopefellowshipupc.com “FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE” ideal for affordable housing options but supported its use in the case of Cottage Village. He also accepted that the building in question should be considered blighted and mentioned the prospect of establishing a committee to look at affordable housing. Councilor Kenneth Rob- erts also supported the res- olution granting tax exemp- tion to the entire property, voicing his confidence in the nonprofit. “I have watched this since when it was just a grass lot,” he said. “These folks have raised a lot of money and have put a lot of work to get to where they are. I think they’ll take this project across the finish line with our help.” The council voted unan- imously for the first option. Estimates performed by staff with support from Lane County Assessment and Taxation based on income/ expenses to assessed value calculations showed that the city will be delaying approx- imately $6,100 to $7,959 per year over the 10-year period of the program. At the completion of the 10-year period, the city will receive approximately $8,198 annually on the im- provement area. Staff emphasized that the numbers are “just estimates” and that final values won’t be available until tax roll certifi- cation in October. Harrison Village Apartments Councilors also approved a MUPTE application from Hi-Valley Development Corporation without discus- sion on Monday night. Councilor Roberts was the sole dissenting vote. Councilor Chalice Savage recused herself from the vote as her association with the property would have con- stituted an actual conflict of interest. The Harrison property project has been the sub- ject of public scrutiny since Is your vehicle ready for the new season? 10% OFF REPAIRS OR SERVICE ON St. Andrews Episcopal Church 1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050 Rev. Lawrence Crumb “Scripture, Tradition, Reason” Worship: Sunday 10:30am All Welcome $ 100 00 OR MORE Bring your car in today and take advantage of our Autumn service special! Seventh-day Adventist Church 820 South 10th Street 541-942-5213 Pastor: James D. Boram Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40 Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00 Trinity Lutheran Church 6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373 Pastor: James L. Markus Sunday School & Adult Education Living Faith Assembly 9:15am 467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612 Worship Services Sundays: 9a & 11a Sunday Worship 10:30 am Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur Youth Worship Sundays: 11a (all 5:00pm TLC Groups ages welcome) Mondays: 5:30p (6th-12th grades) tlccg.com United Methodist Church Non-Denominational 334 Washington 541-942-3033 Church of Christ Worship 10am 1041 Pennoyer Ave umcgrove.org 541-942-8928 Preacher: Tony Martin “VICTORY” Country Church Cottage Grove Faith Center Sunday Bible Study:10:00am 33761 Row River Rd. Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm 913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913 Pastor: Barbara Dockery 541-942-4851 www.pennoyeravecoc.com Worship Service: 10:00am Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett www.cg4.tv Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Message: “WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES” Full Childrenʼs Ministry available St. Philip Benizi Services: 9:00am & 10:45am Catholic Churches CRESWELL: 1025. N. 19th St. Creswell Presbyterian Church Delight Valley 541-942-3420 75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419 Church of Christ Father John J. Boyle Rev. Seth Wheeler 33087 Saginaw Rd. East Holy Mass: Adult Sunday School 9:15am 541-942-7711 • Pastor: Bob Friend Saturday Vigil – 5:30 pm Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am Two Services: Sunday – 10:30 am 9am - Classic in the Chapel For weekday and Holy Day of website www.creswellpres.org 10:30am - Contemporary in the Obligation schedule see website Auditorium OLPHCG.net First Baptist Church 301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242 Pastor: David Chhangte Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service 10:30am Youth Wednesday 6:30pm cgfi rstbaptist.com rent state. “Cottage Village is an in- novative solution to housing, creating truly affordable safe housing for the community for those who are gravely in need,” he said. “In addition, Cottage Village creates com- munity, dignity and partic- ipation in a self-governing housing co-op.” He encouraged council to use MUPTE, but con- sider other options such as LIRHPTE, a program which is used in Eugene to pro- vide a 20-year exemption for rental properties at 60 percent of the area median income based on household size. The program focuses pri- marily on developments by nonprofits, though it is not a requirement. Aislinn Blackstone, a res- ident of Cottage Village, provided an emotional tes- timony praising the positive impact of the tiny house co- operative and its potential to serve as a model for future housing options. “It has changed my life in ways I never would have thought possible,” said Blackstone, adding that, “more than half of us will not be able to live there” if rent raises. Executive Director of SquareOne Villages Dan Bryant, too, commented and pointed to Blackstone’s testi- mony. “She is precisely why we are doing this work,” he said. He also posited that MUPTE is not the ideal tool for creating affordable housing and advised that the council consider LIRHPTE for future developments. “Simply put, communi- ties are healthier when their members are housed,” he said. “So, affordable housing, when done right … not only improves the lives of those who live in them, it adds val- ue to a community.” City councilors were sup- portive of the Cottage Vil- lage project on the whole. Councilor Mike Fleck agreed that MUPTE was not Confession: 4 PM to 5 PM Saturdays or by appointment St. Philip Benizi, Creswell 552 Holbrook Lane Sunday 8 am Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature. If your congregation would like to be a part of this directory, contact us today! S entinel C ottage G rove 541-942-3325 1498 E. Main St Suite 104 Cottage Grove, OR Free Appraisals I’ll Come to You! BUY & SELL Gold, Silver, Scrap, Men’s Jewelry, Costume Jewelry, Pieces & Parts. Even Junk! 25+ Years Experience 2001 Franklin #3 Eugene, Oregon The Jewelry Girl, LLC L ISA R USSELL (541)556-9598 its appearance in a Cottage Grove Planning Commis- sion work session in Febru- ary. Dubbed the Harrison Village Apartments, the 80- unit project is a planned apartment complex on the undeveloped southern half of the old Harrison Elemen- tary School property. The 6.84-acre parcel was recently partitioned into two lots to allow for the undeveloped portion to be used. The South Lane School District sold the property to local developer Len Black- stone in January last year af- ter the school board engaged in a lengthy back-and-forth about what to do with the old school building. Though originally intend- ed for reuse and recreational purposes, the discovery of previously unknown struc- tural issues in the building astronomically shot up the cost of salvaging it and the board ultimately decided to sell the property with con- ditions. The school board then voted to sell the property for a fixed amount of $400,000 — though it was appraised around $750,000 — under the stipulation that the de- veloper “complete abate- ment, and/or removal of as- bestos and lead paint in the building or demolition and removal of the building.” The building, however, still remains on the north- ern half of the partitioned space, a point of contention for some. Members of the public and even Cottage Grove planning commissioners have expressed displeasure with the outcome and the way in which information was made available about the property throughout the process. Blackstone addressed the city’s planning commission during its March 17 meet- ing by stating that he under- stands the disappoint sur- rounding the property, but that “this development will be good for this town.” According to the city council’s memorandum for Hi-Valley Development Corporation’s application, without the MUPTE pro- gram, the 80-unit project would “likely” not be con- structed and would result in the loss of $13.8 million of construction jobs and ser- vices. The developer has also proposed public benefits for the property including a pedestrian-oriented design, installation of new sidewalks along the frontage of par- titioned parcel with ramps and mass transit support with the installation of a bus shelter and bench. Staff estimated that ap- proximately $62,500 to $81,550 per year over the 10- year period of the program would be abated. At the completion of the 10-year period, the city will receive approximately $84,000 per year. Again, staff emphasized that the estimates will not be known for certain until Oc- tober as they are estimates based on declared values from the applicants.