Leaders from more than 200 cities around Oregon, including Eugene, converged on the state capitol Thursday. They were there to tell their priorities to state lawmakers during the 2019 legislative session.
The delegation included Greg Evans, who serves on the Eugene City Council. He said, like many cities around Oregon, Eugene is facing a housing crunch, which he said is reaching crisis levels. He said the city is advocating for more housing investment on the part of state lawmakers. And Evans said the legislature could also help by creating more economic incentives for companies to build multi-unit housing. “We need to expand that tool box in order to be able to give developers a way to build the kind of housing stock that we need that will allow them to have a return on their investment,” said Evans.
Evans said Eugene is also hoping lawmakers can provide additional funding for mental health services. He spoke at the state capitol as part of an annual lobbying day by the League of Oregon Cities.
