Eugene City Council Initiates Urban Growth Strategies, Proposes Land Use Amendments

City planning staff presented a request to the Eugene City Council on November 24, 2025 to initiate land use code and plan amendments as part of the Urban Growth Strategies project. The project is embedded in Envision Eugene and the city’s comprehensive planning work, and it is intended to address housing, compact development, climate friendly areas, and related land use policy updates. The Council agenda and meeting materials were posted on the Engage Eugene Urban Growth Strategies public meetings page, which also carries webcasts and a record of prior and upcoming commission and council updates.

The Council action to initiate amendments is a procedural but consequential step. Initiation authorizes staff to convert planning concepts into specific code language and map changes for formal review. That process typically leads to commission hearings, public testimony, technical analysis and eventual Council decisions. The Engage Eugene page is serving as the central public hub for those materials and for tracking the calendar of review stages.

For Lane County residents living in Eugene, the proposed amendments have direct local implications. Changes to land use code and plan designations influence where housing is allowed, the intensity of development, and opportunities for compact, walkable neighborhoods. Those shifts affect housing availability and affordability, local traffic patterns, and the city’s ability to meet climate objectives by concentrating growth in areas suited to transit and reduced vehicle miles traveled. The Urban Growth Strategies work therefore intersects housing policy, transportation planning and environmental goals that will shape development outcomes for years.

Institutionally, the initiative highlights the role of city planning staff, advisory commissions and the City Council in translating long range goals into enforceable rules. The public records on the Engage Eugene page show an ongoing sequence of updates to commissions and the Council, which underscores the multi stage nature of land use reform. Residents who want to influence specifics will need to engage during the commission review and public hearing phases, where substantive technical and policy details are debated.

Next steps include staff preparation of draft code and plan amendment language, scheduled commission reviews and public hearings, and subsequent Council deliberations. Materials and webcasts are available on the Engage Eugene Urban Growth Strategies public meetings page, which lists the agenda for the November 24 Council action and provides the primary repository for community participation documents. The outcome of this process will determine how Eugene balances housing needs, compact development principles and climate considerations in its official land use framework.