Archived Project
Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas
These amendments will include changes prompted by recent state legislation and will clarify existing code language related to income-qualified housing per recent changes to ORS 197.308.
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Project Overview
Springfield City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners
At a joint public hearing on June 10, 2024, the Springfield City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners heard the staff presentation and opened the Public Hearing; no comments were received on the proposed Housing in Non-Residential Areas code amendments. Councilors and Commissioners then closed the public hearing. City Council adopted the ordinance (6482) on July 1, 2024. The Lane County Board of Commissioners adopted the ordinance (24-04) July 30, 2024. The Ordinances will take effect August 20, 2024.  

Springfield Planning Commission
The Springfield Planning Commissions held a Public Hearing on April 2, 2024.  The Commissioners unanimously passed the Order and Recommendation that was reviewed at public hearing with the Lane County Board of Commissioners on June 10, 2024.

Background

Updating the Development Code to support efficient, timely, and clear development review is part of Springfield’s Housing Strategy. This work would amend Development Code sections related to income-qualified housing.

In 2023, the Oregon Legislature made efforts to address the state’s housing crisis with new laws and $1.2 billion in additional spending on housing and homelessness. On any given night in 2022, at least 18,000 Oregonians were homeless and State analysts predict Oregon needs to build at least 500,000 homes over the next two decades to keep up with demand. The Legislature passed several bills that have prompted the following Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas Amendments to the Springfield Development Code (SDC):

House Bill 2984 – Commercial to Residential Building Conversions  (effective January 1, 2024) 
House Bill 2984 requires local governments to allow conversion of a building from commercial to residential use without requiring a zone change or conditional use permit, as long as the land is not zoned to allow for industrial uses.  
 
House Bill 3151 – Manufactured Dwelling Parks on Non-Residential Lands  (effective January 1, 2024) 
House Bill 3151’s major impact on Springfield is to allow manufactured dwelling parks serving households with incomes of 120% or less of area median income (AMI), to be added to the bill’s definition of “affordable housing”. The bill also adds property owned by a housing authority, manufactured dwelling park nonprofit cooperative, or nonprofit corporation organized as a public benefit corporation whose primary purpose is the development of affordable housing, to the list of properties where local government is required to allow “affordable housing”. This will result in changes to SDC 4.7.405, which allows for the development of income-qualified housing on non-residential lands if certain conditions are met. 
 
House Bill 3395 –Residential Use of Commercial Lands  (effective June 30, 2023) 
House Bill 3395 allows housing within commercial land use districts if it is affordable to households with incomes of 60% AMI or less, or for mixed-use structures with ground floor commercial with residential units that are affordable to moderate income (80-120% AMI) households. 

Project Purpose

The purpose of the Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas Code Amendments is to update the Springfield Development Code to comply with recent state legislation and to allow and encourage the development of income-qualified housing. These amendments to the Springfield Development Code will encourage economic development and revitalization and will promote and enhance Springfield’s hometown feel while focusing on livability.

The project objectives are to: 
  1. Ensure the City is complying with state law by amending the Springfield Development Code to:   
    • Expand opportunities for residential development in commercial areas by allowing income-qualified housing on lands zoned for commercial uses and allow conversion of a building from commercial to residential use.
    • Allow manufactured dwelling parks serving households with incomes of 120 percent AMI or less on certain non-residential lands.
  2. Change the use of the term “affordable housing” to “income-qualified housing” in the Springfield Development Code. Clarify and improve integration of income-qualified housing-related language throughout applicable code sections (e.g., within use tables and cross reference appropriately, remove redundancy, update terms and definitions).
  3. Identify opportunities to address other Springfield Development Code barriers to income-qualified housing beyond compliance with recent legislation if the code changes are consistent with current local adopted policies and Springfield’s Housing Strategy. 

(Note: More comprehensive policy and code changes related to housing may occur with upcoming work on Springfield’s Housing Capacity Analysis and Housing Production Strategies.)

Project Contact Information 

City staff welcome all questions about the project. We are here to help you. Thank you! 
 
Haley Campbell, Project Manager
541.726.3647
hcampbell@springfield-or.gov
Draft Code Workshop: Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas
Representatives
Haley Campbell
Senior Planner, Project Manager
Chelsea Hartman
Senior Planner, Project Staff
Resources
Ordinance No. 6482 Income-Qualified Housing Springfield ( 101.16 MB )
Income-Qualified Housing Handout ( 0.07 MB )
City Council Staff Report Housing in Non-Residential Areas 5-28-24 ( 0.4 MB )
City Council Legislative Code Amendments Housing in Non-Residential Areas Work Session 5-28-24 ( 1.35 MB )
City Council Key Changes to the Development Code Work Session 5-28-24 ( 0.23 MB )
City Council Public Comment CDC Management Corp 5-28-24 ( 0.11 MB )
Planning Commission Legislative Version of Code Amendments ( 1.27 MB )
Community Involvement Strategy: Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas Code Amendments ( 0.25 MB )
Timeline
 
Tue, Dec 5, 2023
Community Involvement Strategy Approved by City's Committee for Citizen Involvement
 
 
Tue, Feb 27, 2024
Draft Code Available for Review & Feedback!
 
 
Thu, Feb 29, 2024
Held Community Workshops on Draft Code
 
 
Tue, Mar 19, 2024
Springfield Planning Commission Work Session
 
Update • Tue, Apr 2, 2024
Springfield Planning Commission Public Hearing
On April 2, 2024 the Springfield Planning Commission issued a recommendation of approval to the Springfield City Council and Lane County Board of County Commissioners for the Housing in Non-Residential Areas Code Amendments. The Springfield City Council will hold a work session for the project on May 28, 2024 followed by another work session and public hearing with the Lane County Board of County Commissioners on June 10, 2024. 
Attachments
ATT4 - Springfield Planning Commission Order and Recommendation ( 0.31 MB )
 
Update • Tue, May 28, 2024
Springfield City Council Work Session
The draft code, along with a summary of the key changes, is available for review and feedback! Feedback can help inform revisions to the next iteration of draft code that will be presented to the Springfield City Council and Lane County Board of County Commissioners. 

Upcoming City Council and Board meetings:

You may attend either of these meetings via Zoom or in-person as noted for each meeting.

 
Mon, Jun 10, 2024
Springfield City Council & Lane County Board of County Commissioners Joint Public Hearing
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Commenting is open until midnight on Fri, Jan 3 2025.
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