When speaking of affordable housing, neither Eugene nor developers ever mention wages. Focusing on new, multi-bedroom apartments, rents run between $2,000 to $2,500 per month. At $2,500, a tenant pays $30,000 per year in rent. Lending standards state 30 percent of income should go to housing, meaning an adequate yearly wage is $100,000, or $52 an hour. Have developers pledged that kind of compensation in order for their workers to live in what they build? I have seen no evidence of such a promise, indicating the affordable housing mantra is an empty PR scheme.
So why should Eugene residents allow out-of-state developers to usurp our Willamette Greenway and be given property tax breaks in order to construct what few of us can afford? Extending the debate, jobs that pay at minimum $52 an hour are not being created in Lane County, nor Eugene, to the extent that warrants any of this new commercial residential real estate. Eugene doesn’t have a housing crisis; it has a jobs-living wage emergency. Time for city operatives to realize they planned for an economy that no longer exists.
Krista London
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
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