Cole Sinanian writes cogently about the benefit of co-op home ownership versus apartment rental (EW 2/3).

Sinanian, however, might have also mentioned that co-op ownership tends to nurture trees and greenery to enhance individually or mutually owned premises, while for both landlords and renters yard maintenance is neglected, seen more as merely expense or headache. 

Eugene continues to lose trees, lose the urban forest canopy that cleans air pollutants, buttresses against fire (yes, mature trees contain about 60 percent water by weight), and provides cooling shade in summer. The Eugene Climate Action Plan (CAP 2.0) calls for increased urban forest, but the ordinance lacks teeth and is up against the out-of-state developers touting construction jobs and greasing palms in city elections.

The developers, some councilors and some city staff now pitch a local implementation of HB 2001 far beyond the requirement of that state law, an implementation that for much of Eugene would destroy small affordable houses and bolster $3,000-a-month triplexes, quads and sixplexes. More affluent neighborhoods with entrenched deed restrictions (the CC&Rs) would escape the neighborhood megaliths.

Ralph McDonald

Eugene