The University of Oregon is seeking to build a series of dormitories up to six stories tall on the east edge of campus where university land abuts the Fairmount neighborhood.

UO’s plans for its next generation of student housing would not comply with current city code, so officials have proposed a slate of land use changes that require the Eugene City Council’s approval.

The university’s neighbors are critical of the proposal.

The plans call for redeveloping areas that had been single-family homes along Moss Street on the southeast edge of campus into student dormitories. UO already has purchased the properties it wants to develop, but it does not own all the homes west of Villard Street, according to the UO Next Gen Housing Development Plan 2025.

UO wants Eugene to amend city code and the old land use agreement governing the area, as well as implement a zone change that will allow construction of student housing on the campus’ east side. Much of the 2003 Fairmount/University of Oregon neighborhood plan would change to “meet the needs of the growing student population.”

Proposed code changes would remove dormitories as a prohibited use within Eugene’s “East Campus overlay zone” historically meant to provide a buffer between campus and the Fairmount neighborhood and increase building heights allowed in the area.

Buildings within 75 feet of Fairmount homes would have a 45-foot maximum height, and buildings farther away would have an 85-foot max height. Those would be increases from the current caps of 30 feet and 60 feet, respectively.

The buildings planned in the 85-foot zone would be up to six stories tall, and the ones in the 45-foot zone would be up to four stories, according to the university’s development plan.

Additionally, UO has asked the city to redesignate several of the properties on the edge of campus. Former “limited institutional” properties would become “institutional” and “low density residential” would become “residential” to facilitate dorm development.

The university’s neighbors aren’t thrilled. Some argue the heights of the proposed buildings and potential traffic impacts would be incompatible with the single-family homes east of campus.

The increased traffic created by the dorms “is not expected to have a significant effect on the transportation system” and changes to city streets aren’t needed, according to a university study.

During a City Council public hearing on Jan. 20, university officials argued that allowing the new dorms fits within the city’s goals of building more housing and doing so densely.

“Building and constructing properties in the most efficient and affordable way, though still expensive, is really, really important,” said Michael Griffel, UO’s director of housing.

Griffel described the university’s proposal as a needed update to the plan (now over 20 years old) governing east campus development and said it will let the university meet the needs of its growing student body.

By gaining on-campus living opportunities, students will have a better academic experience, UO officials said. They added that they engaged neighbors with public notice and a community meeting. Fairmount residents have said the concerns they voiced there were ignored.

The clash between the proposed dense housing and adjacent neighborhood would be “devastating” to the local character, residents said.

“Freshman year, I fell in love with Fairmount,” said Kate Bryce, a UO student and Fairmont resident. “That’s how families are born and raised here. But when you plan to build such a large structure, that charm begins to fade.”

Neighbors have voiced skepticism about UO’s transportation study and said city staffers weren’t skeptical enough of the university’s proposal, bringing it to City Council before properly vetting it.

Fairmount residents said this isn’t how the 2003 process went. They said that process was collaborative, and the university put forward enough mitigation measures to earn neighborhood support.

By contrast, they said the new plan more closely resembles Matthew Knight Arena’s 2008 development; Fairmount residents successfully appealed it to the Land Use Board of Appeals.

Eugene City Council voted to extend the public comment period. UO had until Tuesday to support its application, members of the public will have until Feb. 3 to respond, and then the university will have until Feb. 10 to respond.

At a meeting after thereafter, the City Council will vote on UO’s proposal.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Register-Guard and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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