Eugene pottery studio faces closure over zoning rules, flag lot site

Color Cocktail Factory, a low-cost pottery studio inside a Eugene garage, had about 10 days to shut down after City of Eugene Code Compliance flagged the business over its flag-lot location. For neighbors and students who used the studio for classes that started around $25, plus date-night sessions, beginner wheel throwing and private events, the order threatened one of the few affordable places in Eugene to make art outside a traditional studio.

Brittany Diaz, who co-founded the studio, built the Eugene space around the idea that creative work should be accessible and low-pressure. Diaz, a former naval aircrewman and behavioral therapist, said the concept began in Chicago 12 years ago before expanding to Eugene, where the local studio opened in December. She said the garage was meant to give people a place to step away from phones, work with their hands and learn in a supportive setting.

The disruption began on May 19, when Diaz said her landlord called to tell her that a city inspector had flagged the business. Diaz said the complaint came after a neighbor raised concerns that class traffic was creating too much neighborhood activity. She said the shutdown came as a shock because she believed a home-based business should be allowed as long as she was not hiring employees. Diaz has said she was trying to keep classes going while looking for another space.

The city code explains the problem. Eugene’s home-occupation standards say a business run from a home must be clearly incidental to the dwelling’s residential use, and the code sets a limit of one business vehicle per home occupation. Eugene’s land-use code also says residential flag lots follow the same rules as the base zone, except that home occupations are not allowed on residential flag lots smaller than 13,500 square feet. The city’s complaint process is driven by written nuisance or zoning complaints, which means a neighbor can set enforcement in motion. The code was current through Ordinance 20735, passed February 23, 2026.

Diaz has said support from neighbors on Nextdoor has helped as she searches for a way to stay open, but unless she finds another location, the closure would remove another affordable arts option from Eugene at a time when space for low-cost community creativity is already tight.