City plans alarm preservationists.

Byline: MATT COOPER The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - A walk through the Washburne Historic District is a walk through an effort to accommodate growth.

Some of the old bungalows have been capped with extra rooms, garages have become residences and tidy apartments have crept into a neighborhood once populated exclusively with historic single-family homes.

That's the point, said Anita Russell, a Washburne resident and protector of the neighborhood's historic status: If the city wants to boost housing, "We've already done it."

City planners have proposed new rules that would allow more residences where there is the most space - that is, in traditional neighborhoods such as the Washburne district, north of downtown.

As the Eugene-Springfield area's population grows, planners hope to keep the urban growth boundary from expanding while giving homeowners the ability to rent or add rooms.

Springfield's proposed new rules would permit accessory dwelling units - commonly referred to as "granny flats" - that could include converting a garage to an apartment, turning a room in a house into an apartment, or adding an apartment.

The proposal is getting a cool reception from the Washburne Neighborhood Association, which sent a statement and a petition of opposition to the city planning commission.

Some Washburne district residents fear the add-ons will affect the neighborhood's historic character, and possibly even its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The district, 33 blocks named for Springfield banker and mill owner C.W. Washburne, includes 128 historic bungalows, mill cottages, "traditional box" and homestead-style houses. The housing dates from the 1890s through the 1940s.

"The Washburne issues are real specific to the historic character," city Planning Supervisor Mel Oberst said. "They see that low-density residential character as part of the historic context."

Some in Washburne support the add-ons as a way to earn rental income or care for a loved one. And the alleys provide access that make the neighborhood a natural fit for more units, Oberst said, a fact evidenced by numerous add-ons built prior to restrictions that came with the historic designation.

Russell and her companion, Don McCormack, pointed out some of the add-ons during a walk through the neighborhood Wednesday. Some were tasteful, others at odds with their surroundings. But all chip away at the historic character, McCormack said, adding, "Anything you do in a historic district changes the character."

The regulation of historic structures can be divisive. An effort to list Eugene's south university neighborhood on the national register stalled earlier this month after protests by some property owners in the neighborhood.

Supporters in Eugene say a listing would be an honor but others fear it would allow the city to dictate from where and how windows and doors are placed to the size, shape and location of full-scale additions.

In Springfield, City Councilor Anne Ballew, whose ward includes the Washburne district, wants the neighborhood exempted from the city's new rules.

"To maintain the historical character, it would be very difficult to incorporate auxiliary housing units," Ballew said. Besides, she said, "You look in the alleys, there's a lot of impromptu housing already."

City staff is studying whether the district's listing on the national register would be affected by the new rules. If not, planner Kay Bork said, city staff, the city's historic commission and neighbors would draft more stringent guidelines for add-ons in the Washburne district if Washburne isn't exempted from the rules. The planning commission hopes to decide whether to include such an exemption by the end of April, then make a citywide recommendation to the City Council. A public hearing on the recommendation will be held in May.

CAPTION(S):

The neighborhood association in Springfield's historic Washburne area is against a plan that would allow some building add-ons. Residents Don McCormack and Anita Russell both support differing levels of preservation in the Washburne Historic District. Russell refers to the neighborhood as a "living museum."