New Oregon housing law could restart Eugene island annexations

A new Oregon housing law could let Eugene stitch together the city’s jagged northwest edge, where one side of a street can sit inside city limits and the other still belongs to the county. In River Road and Santa Clara, that would change who pays taxes, which utility and emergency systems serve a house, which zoning rules apply, and which residents vote in Eugene city decisions.

Eugene, Springfield and Lane County adopted the Metro Plan in 1982, and annexation is the preferred way to serve new development inside the Eugene Urban Growth Boundary. Under current rules, annexation is voluntary, must be started by the property owner and needs Eugene City Council approval. Eugene and Lane County also have an intergovernmental agreement that gives Eugene land-use, zoning and building-permit authority inside the UGB, which is why a parcel can feel tied to Eugene without actually being inside the city.

HB 4108 would let Eugene annex noncontiguous land if all owners petitioned, the parcel sits inside the acknowledged UGB, is designated residential or mixed use, is connected to water, wastewater and stormwater service, and can be reached by public road. Eugene Chamber of Commerce and Better Housing Together helped develop the measure, and Tiffany Edwards said about 60% of the relevant parcels have room for additional housing even though they are outside the city. Rep. Lisa Fragala said Eugene is being boxed in and needs more infill opportunities.

Work began in spring 2017 with the River Road Community Organization, the Santa Clara Community Organization, Eugene staff, Lane County staff, consultants and volunteers. Eugene City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners adopted the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan on April 22 and 23, 2024, and the plan and related code amendments changed uses and development standards for some properties inside city limits. The plan reaches properties inside city limits, outside city limits and even outside the UGB.

Eugene’s annexation property-tax estimator already covers River Road, Santa Clara and the Industrial Corridor properties inside the UGB but outside city limits. Lane Fire Authority serves about 31,000 residents over more than 282 square miles and handles about 7,400 emergency calls a year, 81% of them EMS calls. Lane County’s fire-district directory lists Eugene Springfield Fire, Lane Fire Authority and the Santa Clara Rural Fire Protection District in the area.