Oregon, and specifically Eugene's job market is terrible.  Too many regulations on businesses is partly the cause.  The city wants to pick and chose, but that repels many businesses that would have provided living wage jobs.  

Look at the old Hynix building and the latest buyer who abruptly scraped there plans.  And the story of the business man who came to Eugene with possible plans, but after seeing the conditions in the downtown, simple returned to the airport and left the area.

The other half of the equation are all the pending property tax bonds and levies.  The city wants a pools & parks bond, 4j wants a whooping levy, the country wants to renew the jail levy, and in the meantime the city wants to forfeit more general fund revenue by issuing more MUPTEs and extending the URD.  NONE of this makes housing more affordable, instead it make housing LESS affordable.

Now throw-in rent control...  Sadly, it almost makes me want to laugh.  There are options, but it's getting late...