[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6388931,"mediaKeyId","2113659-61b08e7286b3779cb588c1801bbe1350","parentId",2113659,"title","State of the City: Knutson highlights housing, homelessness, shelter gains, climate funding and childcare","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2831000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2113659-61b08e7286b3779cb588c1801bbe1350&start=2831&end=2831","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2113659-61b08e7286b3779cb588c1801bbe1350/thumbnail_2831000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6388931/Eugene/Lane-County/Oregon/State-of-the-City-Knutson-highlights-housing-homelessness-shelter-gains-climate-funding-and-childcare","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6388931-4a2862980ca4ce3d4bdbb79c4e6f87f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193008&Signature=YOuh5pZOAbt86MrG4IEiLlaNQejCrBtG4BjAfsgH6qg3ybe0zmgB~T1pvT4RxXlr88Pet8N6Hgadqr0LfQxJO0zZJN0yN4uDxvGEogY0T6wmcmMoNHKp~Ur14DU5ExrPMHV6v-uasymAC-QGRgKoI5z73XqP3d1Z6W6Y-qNad5NmmIZdUH2GULXxVhGNXRfsycXHG4togyht-zlOl0RUTnBChs7LFVmckmUhfqWeNoIYyORM64Jcpd0xNUKwMOBiRKlMSFe-36bIJupgLO9EjpG9XyR8ImXW8cIStFAc1T--zEaAhm4Qh4r32Htcpz6r4nOGmsx68tiuBLFnq4z8Uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Eugene, OR","date","2025-01-15T16:34:17.487Z","article","Mayor Karen Knutson used the State of the City address to summarize the city’s 2024 accomplishments and to underscore continuing challenges on homelessness, shelter and housing.

Knudtson (sic) said Eugene supported nearly 700 shelter spaces in 2024 and highlighted partnerships that led to new affordable rental units for veterans, rehabilitated affordable apartments and Homes for Good breaking ground on two buildings after a $3,600,000 city contribution. The mayor also credited an Eugene Shelter Consortium formed by five shelter providers and the city’s homeless services team for coordinating shelter services.

Speaker Dan Bryant, executive director of Square 1 Villages, said December’s \"homeless by name\" count was the highest December on record in the five years the community has tracked that metric but noted that the year‑over‑year increase in 2024 was about 1%, compared with an 18% increase nationwide. \"It’s still an increase,\" Bryant said, \"but the fact that we have hopefully leveled off is a hopeful sign.\" He described Square 1’s work combining a community land trust with limited‑equity co‑ops and said his organization has multiple projects in development.

Knudson also highlighted climate and energy awards: the city secured roughly $10,600,000 in federal and state funding for renewable energy projects, energy efficiency upgrades in city facilities and community resilience work. She said the Climate Action Plan 2.0 is about 61% implemented and noted new public‑space and public‑safety efforts funded through the Community Safety Payroll Tax, including embedding a Lane County behavioral health professional for downtown emergency responses.

The address highlighted other local accomplishments in 2024: the launch of an online growth monitoring dashboard, 80 new childcare slots created through an Early Child Care Grant Program in partnership with Onward Eugene and Lane Community College, and public‑works investments on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Howard Avenue and High Street to improve walking and biking safety.

Knudson noted transportation and technology changes, including My PD Connect, which she said recorded about 8,000 reports in its first year. She also mentioned the riverfront housing project, the upcoming Riverfront Park Plaza opening and a $1,200,000 grant supporting mountain bike trails and a skills park in Suzanne Arly Park funded in part by the 2018 Parks and Recreation Bond.

The mayor framed homelessness as a housing problem that also requires shelter and cited Lane County’s results from state funding rounds — stabilizing roughly 1,900 people in housing, permanently housing 244 households and creating more than 300 emergency shelter beds — as evidence of broader regional efforts. Knutson said she will advocate at the state legislature for funding to stabilize shelter capacity.

Several community awards and recognitions were presented as part of the program, including the Bold Steps Awards retrospective and community service awards to Nancy Bray (Friendly Area Neighbors Equity Action Team), Dan Bryant (Square 1 Villages) and Guadalupe Quinn (immigrant and social justice advocate). Those presentations included descriptions of neighborhood mural projects, community land‑trust work and decades of organizing and advocacy.

Many of the programs the mayor described are ongoing partnerships among city departments, county agencies, nonprofit providers and state and federal funders. Knutson did not propose new ordinances during the address; she framed several priorities for the coming year and encouraged continued interagency and community collaboration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","State of the City 2025","oneSentenceSummary","In her State of the City address, Mayor Karen Knutson reviewed 2024 accomplishments — shelter expansion, housing investments, climate and renewable grants, childcare slots — and several statistics on homelessness and public‑safety and outreach programs.","taxTitle","Eugene , Lane County, Oregon","taxId",2848,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6388932,"Mayor Knutson challenges Eugene to build 1,000 downtown housing units in five years",57,4006000,4063000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2113659-61b08e7286b3779cb588c1801bbe1350&start=4006&end=4063","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2113659-61b08e7286b3779cb588c1801bbe1350/thumbnail_4006000.jpg","/articles/6388932/Eugene/Lane-County/Oregon/Mayor-Knutson-challenges-Eugene-to-build-1000-downtown-housing-units-in-five-years","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6388932-df92161ff2d2a095ca07b4b9eacccea8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193008&Signature=NSS1oiZh7pkBsRGeQNxT7TpmPRoAg8rU7GPkSVJdAS2POnbeM0LIxgGgizEuEt4hrM2qBFXRsjMYieGHwcoiYbDmxYrBCIGvw6moQSGC3MOo~MeCeEEdtGZ2tw3dGDq~08cGIjl2QAcijtRsOk9SlTThekFuMdXlIUVssOZoeFcyeavz1-93PvEqwwYYeVzgxR0PlfHF8hsKsTvRWihWQLBBKFutPA741HpX~nW07TF6zkTX6Xc-4mIdXfqMUpp3fGL808bWUYxt8WAbzHMkviFpJb7JNFr5BzPXo67DypJ1u-j6sFEqLVLmbsFfNtrsTelnzKvFk1jX5-QDUKdV4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Karen Knutson announced a goal for the City of Eugene to build 1,000 new housing units in downtown Eugene over the next five years, including at least 200 units in the downtown core, saying the target will require changes to city processes, identification of development sites and new partnerships with private and affordable housing developers.

Knoxnton said the downtown challenge is intended to double the city's current housing production rate and to re‑populate the city center to support local businesses and public life. \"We need to build a 1000 new units of housing in downtown in the next 5 years. And we need at least 200 of those units to be in the downtown core,\" Mayor Knutson said during her State of the City address.

The mayor framed the challenge as a three‑pronged strategy: identify multiple new development sites each year; reform permitting, cost and timing processes to reduce development costs; and align city resources and public‑safety support to make downtown more attractive to residents and investors. Knutson said the city will work with both market‑rate and affordable housing developers and seek to pair regulatory changes with targeted funding tools already in place, including the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Knutson cited recent middle‑housing code reforms as an example of policy change that produced more housing without direct public funding: she said the reforms are on track to spur roughly $50,000,000 in new housing investment and that recent changes are producing about 100 new housing units per year across the city. She said downtown still has lower residential density than many neighborhoods and that adding residents is the key to revitalizing the city center.

The mayor asked council and staff to pursue site identification, process reforms and resource alignment and to report back on plans to meet the target. Knutson said the work will require coordination with the city council and with developers, and that public safety enhancements downtown are part of the strategy. She described the 1,000‑unit goal as a citywide priority rather than a single funding program or ordinance passed at the meeting.

Implementation details, financing sources and timelines for specific projects were not specified during the address. Knutson said the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and other strategic resources would be part of the toolkit but did not announce new appropriations or council motions at the event.

The mayor's announcement follows earlier city actions to encourage housing production and comes alongside other local initiatives addressing homelessness, shelter and affordable housing that she highlighted in the same address.","Mayor Karen Knutson on Tuesday set a city goal to add 1,000 housing units in downtown Eugene within five years, including at least 200 in the downtown core, and outlined steps the city will pursue to speed development and support safety and financing.","actionData","errors"]

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State of the City: Knutson highlights housing, homelessness, shelter gains, climate funding and childcare

Mayor Knutson challenges Eugene to build 1,000 downtown housing units in five years