Friday, March 31, 2017

Proposed Housing on Corner of Pine and Front Looks Tricky

The City's posted a Hearing Notice for
An application for a condition use, greenway development permit, and zoning adjustment to allow single-family or duplex dwellings on 8 lots in the Industrial Commercial zone.
But it's a little bit interesting!

The lot in question is at 102 Pine Street NE.


Quickly you see the reason.


It's even listed in Appendix D, Potentially Impacted Tax Lots, of the Salem River Crossing Project Right-of-Way Technical Report Addendum

Right-of-Way Technical Report Addendum
So it will be very interesting to learn how this all works out.

The site had been a strip club, which burned down, and it is reasonable to want to build something new there.

Burned out strip club at Front and Pine (2012)
But with the uncertainty - still something of a "cloud" even - of the Salem River Crossing, what is fair to the owner and fair to potential residents of the housing as purchasers or as renters? How is the City going to handle all this?

This will be something to observe.

It will go before the Hearings Officer on April 12th.

Update, Tuesday the 11th

The Staff Report is out for tomorrow's Hearing, and it recommends approval.

On the SRC:
While the subject property is within the footprint of the preferred alternative alignment...the City has not yet purchased the applicant's property. If the preferred alternative bridge alignment receives all necessary environmental planning approvals and is funded, additional right-of-way will likely need to be acquired from the subject property, which will conflict with this housing development proposal. Staff cannot predict when the bridge will be constructed, however, and the applicant has the right to develop the property at this time.
Staff recommendation includes provision for an easement as Condition 6:
The applicant shall provide a 30-foot-wide scenic easement to the city for future development of walkways, bicycle paths, or landscaped areas within the right-of-way of Water Street indicated on the plat of Riverview Park Addition as 130 feet west of the alley.
The requirement that the easement be within the Water Street right-of-way looks a little ambiguous, however. In yellow is what appears to be the bank line. Water Street is entirely on the west side of that - so is there in fact any actual land within the Water Street right-of-way? Or does it actually extend into the river and water? Also Pine Street itself is not part of the River View Park Addition. It seems like this description of things might be ripe for legal quibbles if in a decade or two, a path actually becomes possible here.

Marion County Assessor
The Assessor's map, however, does show a clear section of right-of-way, possibly vacated, on the bank.

Finally, the discussion of "livability" is rather ironic and nonsensical given the admission that "the subject property is within the footprint of the preferred alternative alignment."

6 comments:

Jim Scheppke said...

In a way this is no different that has has happened on the other side of the river with the River Valley subdivision which is being built out. About 12 homes that are just a few years old would need to be removed and a three story apartment complex immediately adjacent to the path of the proposed bridge is nearly complete. Building residences on this parcel will just increase the cost of the acquiring right of way. Yet another reason to just pull the plug on 3rd Bridge planning.

Gary said...

Has anyone seen any plans, existing easements, platted streets, etc that might be used to someday have a multi-use trail run along the east side of the river from downtown Salem to, say, Keizer Rapids Park? Please send me an email at garyobery1@gmail.com if you have any info like this.
Gary

Gary said...

I did just notice that the Bicycle Element of the Transportation System Plan shows a proposed "shared use trail" along the east bank of the Willamette through this area. The 1984 Highland Neighborhood plan also mentions that "any new development in the Greenway should include provisions for public access along the riverbank for walking and bicycling". (Goal 46)
Gary

Salem Breakfast on Bikes said...

It's in the Year 2005 Areawide Transportation Plan for the Salem-Keizer Urban Area from 1988. There's a little more on that study here. The route appears to leave the riverbank at about River Road City Park and then joins a Rivercrest/Shoreline Drive alignment, running up to Spongs Landing on Windsor Island Road.

The 1979 Front Street Bypass FEIS seems to reference it, but the google-digitized copy is missing a few pages, like pp70-77. If you have access to a hard copy, you might find a reference to it in those pages.

There are probably others, as the concept seemed to be in the air in the 1980s. The Salem Tomorrow 1984 Plan also mentions it, but only in vague terms.

Gary said...

Thanks. I just got word today that the city staff recommendation to the Planning Commission includes an item about the applicant allowing for a 30' scenic easement along the back of the property. So, I think that will allow for a future multiuse trail, someday, along the east side of the river in this area.
Gary

Salem Breakfast on Bikes said...

Updated with clips from the Staff Report, which recommends approval and includes a proposed easement.