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South University neighborhood speaker warns planners of shift from owner-occupied to rentals
Summary
A South University neighborhood member told the Planning Commission that growing investor-owned and rental housing threatens owner-occupancy and said market concentration is keeping rents high; the commission acknowledged the comment and suggested contacting staff for follow-up.
A resident of the South University neighborhood told the Eugene Planning Commission during public comment on July 8 that the neighborhood is losing owner-occupancy and that investor-owned rental housing is contributing to affordability problems.
"Our general concern ... is that we will in the future not be a owner occupied neighborhood anymore," Greg Bryant said, identifying himself as from the South University neighborhood. He said his neighborhood remains largely owner-occupied except along some higher-density edges. Bryant described a pattern he said leads from owner-occupancy to investor purchases and conversion to rentals and argued the practice can harm affordability.
Bryant also referenced state-level legislative activity and market analytics. He said House Bill 2698 seeks to improve owner-occupancy and that other measures have encouraged rental conversions; he added that, in his review of RealPage data during the school year, he saw what he characterized as a scarcity strategy in which owners and firms withheld units to raise rents. The Planning Commission did not debate those claims; staff and commissioners acknowledged the public comment and invited Bryant to follow up with staff for additional information.
The commission closed public comment after Bryants remarks; no formal action resulted from the comment period.
