Wait, now Eben Fodor thinks Eugene Weekly should not allow the public to speak its mind in a public forum (Letters, 1/16)?
Personal attacks aside, his reasoning is flawed. If he wants to avoid “sprawling development,” he should support increased housing density instead of more single-family zoning.
The way to make housing more affordable is to have more housing density and, except for a very few neighborhoods, this doesn’t exist in Eugene. That results in the necessity of owning a car just to commute and run errands, because businesses end up in far-flung neighborhoods to make room for his “American Dream.”
There are cities across America and around the world where owning a car is not even necessary because housing density means that businesses and public transit cluster together where the residents are. Eugene is not one of those cities. HB 2011 is one way to change this.
Kelly Humphries
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!

Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519