In December 2021 and January 2022, the Eugene City Council approved six Low Income Rental Housing Property Tax Exemptions (LIRHPTEs) that will create or maintain more than 200 units (with more than 400 bedrooms) of housing affordable to people with low incomes in Eugene for the next 20 years.
The LIRHPTE program was adopted by Council in 1990 and is a partnership between the City of Eugene and the 4J and Bethel school districts to provide 20-year property tax exemptions for rental housing provided to households earning no more than 60% of area median income (approximately $42,720 for a family of four). It is a critical tool in helping address the urgent and on-going need for housing that is affordable to lower and moderate-income households in Eugene.
Each year, the City Council reviews and considers LIRHPTE applications. Since 1990, LIRHPTEs have allowed more than 1,600 rental units to maintain lower rents for individuals and families. The exemption can also be renewed, and since the program began, more than 400 of units have had their LIRHPTEs renewed to preserve their affordability for 20 more years.
The most recent projects to be approved (or renewed) for the exemption include:
Arthur Street Duplexes – an affordable housing development of three duplexes that are rented as 2-bedroom apartments to families, or per bedroom to individuals; it is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities and families with disadvantages.
Aurora Building – a 5-story mixed use building that provides 54 low-income rental housing units in downtown; it renewed its tax exemption to keep rents low and preserve the affordability of the units for the next 20 years.
Coburg Road Apartments – an affordable housing development that provides 35 low-income rental units; the exemption will allow the units to maintain their affordability.
Green Leaf Village – a housing development that renewed its tax exemption to continue providing 34 units of affordable rental housing.
Lincoln Street Apartments - a new, 59-unit affordable housing development in the downtown that will be able to offer one, two- and three-bedroom units at rents affordable to households earning at or below 60% AMI including 13 units for households earning at or below 30% AMI with the assistance of the tax exemption.
Oak Leaf Village – an existing affordable housing development that renewed its tax exemption to continue providing 14 low-income rental units affordable to individuals and families at or below 60% AMI.
For more information about the LIRHPTE and other local efforts to create stable, safe, and affordable housing opportunities in Eugene visit the city’s website.