Two big projects immediately adjacent to I-5, one at Portland Road, the other at Kuebler Boulevard, really show how we have lost our way on climate and land use.
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| Current concept for new casino on Portland Road |
The proposal for a new casino on a parcel between I-5 and Portland Road is insulated some from criticism as a Tribal project. Legally they enjoy sovereignty and are insulated from local government planning requirements, and ethically they deserve to obtain justice and money for the dispossession, disease, and discrimination during settler colonialism and the subsequent establishment of the State of Oregon.
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| City Manager Update, May 2021 |
The Bureau of Indian Affairs published an Environmental Assessment and invite public comment. The document is over 2000 pages, however! And they have not published a separate, shorter Executive Summary. (At the point I am not going to read it, and given the way it has buried a little rather than publicized and the awkwardness of a 2000+ page document, it's not clear they are actually very interested in comment.)
More here:
- On the Tribe's own site, "Siletz Casino Project One Step Closer to Federal Approval."
- And a slightly longer article at what looks like trade publication, Casino Life, "Siletz Casino Project Salem, Oregon One Step Closer to Federal Approval."
- See also the previous note here from 2017 when the project was first announced.
- Chemawa Road NE/I-5 Southbound Ramps: Implement the existing striped second eastbound right-turn lane and construct a second on-ramp receiving lane.
- Chemawa Road NE/I-5 Northbound Ramps: Construct a westbound right-turn lane with 150 feet of storage.
- OR-99E/Chemawa Road NE-Hazelgreen Road NE: Extend the existing eastbound right-turn lane to provide 300 feet of storage.
- OR-99E/Kale Street NE: Construct a northbound right-turn lane with 150 feet of storage.
- OR-99E/Lancaster Drive NE: Install a traffic signal.
- OR-99E/Astoria Street NE-Ward Drive NE: Construct a southbound right-turn lane with 150 feet of storage and extend the existing northbound left-turn lane to provide 575 feet of storage.
If we want to reduce driving and emissions, this is not a move in the right direction.
Alas, there may not be anything to do about it.
Separately, next week at the Planning Commission, on Tuesday the 25th they look to ratify approval for another big box development on Kuebler at I-5, just east of the new Costco.
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| Policy to minimize travel |
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| Kuebler: Potemkin facilities for walking and biking |
The "Findings" are wildly incoherent, however. In one place they find that "the designation and zoning furthers the City's policies aimed at minimizing vehicle travel" and suggest that "pedestrian sidewalks and bike lanes" on Kuebler Boulevard "encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation."
But in several other places they indicate they know this is nonsense.
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| To promote regional travel |
The site will "promote Salem as a regional commercial center," and be "a commercial center for the Marion-Polk metropolitan area" with new amounts of "regional traffic."
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| More promotion of regional travel |
The way the four corners of 27th and Keubler are developing into a major regional shopping center just off of I-5 altogether will induce large amounts of new regional and local travel by car.
Over on FB there is a thread with more discussion, most of it in objection. I have not followed this closely, and probably will not try to understand the critique more specifically. I just want to note generally that if we are trying to reduce driving, we are approving projects for exactly the opposite.
Previously see, "Another Contested Development Proposal at 27th and Kuebler." Staff had originally recommended denial, but the Commission is voting otherwise. See the full agenda here.
Update, March 29th
This week the "No Casino" group is running full page ads in the paper.
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| March 8th |
7 comments:
Just as increased density has become the inevitable result of demand and limited space, limitations on intracity traffic flow has predictably resulted in the growing distinctiveness of the area known as South Salem.
Because South Salem enjoys the advantages of relative wealth and a relatively early stage of development, now is the time to plan wisely. Car dependency will continue in that area but there is no good reason why safe and complete bike and pedestrian systems should not be implemented as development moves forward.
South Salem residents should be expected to support such a program because of the demographics, which includes many who enjoy leisure time and see non autoist opportunities as a welcome opportunity to get outdoors and improve or maintain their health.
As is generally the case, it will be a matter of political will and overcoming the objections of individuals that might benefit financially from opposing those who are willing to sacrifice developable square footage for the cause of livability.
In the latest update from the City Manager, he writes:
"The City has requested a 120-day extension from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to review the draft Environmental Assessment for the casino planned in Salem by the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians. An extension of the comment period is necessary to allow for an adequate review of the EA and to provide meaningful comments on this project. Salem, as the host city for this project, will be directly affected by the development in a variety of ways and needs additional time to provide comment. City departments that would be impacted by the proposed casino are reviewing the EA. City Attorney Atchison will combine the staff comments into a single submittal; a copy will be provided to the mayor and councilors."
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised about the tribal owned casino. People are people. There are tribal members in oil and coal country who support fossil fuel extraction. But tribal casinos are generally very ugly and auto-centric, just like non-tribal casinos. I guess I expect more considering all of the stories about how we should listen to indigenous peoples on how to care for the Earth.
Even the development across from Keizer Station is ugly, auto centric and on tribally owned land. But I guess it’s ok because they used a tribal design motif in the sign.
Lucky you! Salem Reporter has a good piece on it with comment from a city councilor, reps from Grand Ronde, and others.
https://www.salemreporter.com/posts/5906/salem-grand-ronde-seek-delay-as-feds-weigh-moving-siletz-casino-forward
Thanks. That is helpful! A couple of details especially:
"The assessment said the casino would consume about 125 million gallons of water annually and lead to more than 7,800 vehicles daily entering or exiting the site....
Dorsay, the Siletz attorney, said the casino is seeking an exception through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which prohibits gaming on lands acquired in trust after 1988. The proposed casino is on land held in federal trust for the Siletz since 2000."
Also that Grand Ronde is asking for an EIS instead of an EA - rather like advocates are pressing for on the I-5 Rose Quarter project, for which ODOT has only completed an EA.
(Of course, as we saw on the SRC, an EIS is no guarantee of truthfulness or accuracy. There were several rather truthy or misleading moments in its analysis of the SRC.)
Added the ad opponents are running in the paper this week.
Salem Reporter has a further update, and note in it that the Bureau of Indian Affairs hasn't published any final action, "Kotek says no to Salem tribal casino."
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