Transportation in the Neighborhood Associations this Week

Several small transportation bits are at the neighborhood associations this week. West Salem will talk about "a transportation plan," NEN about the median on 17th and Chemeketa, and Grant about a proposed drive-through.

West Salem - Monday

This one is short and a little cryptic, but might be interesting: "West Salem Transportation Plan Update – Salem Public Works Department," as it's listed on the agenda for tomorrow, Monday the 1st.

I suspect this is the West Salem Business District Action Plan for the Second Street undercrossing and the associated projects, but maybe there's some other West Salem Transportation Plan in the works.

Two other items are of interest as well: "Stellers Eagle / Bald Eagle Concern (Hazardous Intersection due to Parked Cars)" and "Student Parking Near West Salem High School."

The West Salem Neighborhood Association meeting is 7pm at Roth’s West, Mezzanine level, at 1130 Wallace Rd NW on Monday, February 1st.

Northeast Neighbors - Tuesday

The median island prohibits a westbound left turn from 17th

NEN meets on Tuesday the 2nd, and they'll be talking about the intersection of Chemeketa and 17th.

Kevin Hottmann, City Traffic Engineer – Possibility of Removing the No Left Turn Sign on the Median Island at 17th Street NE and Chemeketa Street NE

This bears watching. Would it entail the removal of the island? If we are serious about making Chemeketa a fully family friendly bicycle boulevard, we should probably be thinking about ways to discourage even more auto traffic on it.

On the surface, this looks like a move in the wrong direction.

NEN meets Tuesday the 2nd, at 6:30pm in the Salem First Church of the Nazarene, 1550 Market Street NE.

Grant Neighborhood - Thursday

The Grant Neighborhood Association meets Thursday the 4th, and you might remember a proposal for a drive-through on High/Broadway from a year ago. It is coming back:

Broadway/High St. Retail Overlay: Proposed Code Amendment - MAPS Credit Union Drive-Thru – Jeff Tross

The parcel at Division and High: Mostly parking lot

The project for MAPS involves the parcel bounded by Liberty and High/Broadway, just to the east of the O'Brien parcel, the leading contender for a new Police Station.

It is tentatively scheduled for a Hearing at the Planning Commission for February 9th - but curiously, I don't see a formal "hearing notice" on the City site. So maybe this is in flux at the moment.

I don't know how the concept might have changed from a year ago, but at the time it seemed like a reasonable request, even in the face of tremendous doubt here about any value in drive-throughs.

The key was that the drive-through was going to operate off of the alley and Division Street rather than off of High/Broadway.

So once there is a Staff Report, this will be interesting to look at more closely.

The Grant Neighborhood Association meeting is on Thursday the 4th, at 6:15pm in the Library of Grant Community School, 725 Market St NE.