Veneta launches coordinated housing, economic studies with state grants and consultants

Associate Planner Daniel Findlay told the Veneta Planning Commission on March 3 that the city has secured multiple grants and will run three overlapping long-range planning efforts over roughly 12–16 months.

Findlay said the work includes an Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA) to be prepared by ECO Northwest (the current EOA is from 2015), a housing-capacity and contextualized housing needs analysis by Lane Council of Governments (the last residential inventory was completed in 2013), and a DLCD-funded housing implementation plan and development-code audit to be conducted by Cascadia Partners. Findlay said the projects have overlapping elements and emphasized the need to coordinate timelines and deliverables so they produce actionable recommendations for the city.

To gather local input, Findlay recommended forming two advisory committees—one focused on economic development and one on housing—each intended to include a Planning Commission member and to meet four to six times during the initial 6–10 months of the project timeline. Commissioner Craig Soderberg expressed interest in serving on the housing advisory committee, and Chair Len Goodwin said the studies are overdue and will help determine whether the urban growth boundary or other policies need adjustment.

The commission did not take a formal action on the presentation. Next procedural steps are expected to include formation of the advisory committees and periodic reports to the Planning Commission as consultants begin their work.