City Council, May 22nd - Apartments near Doaks Ferry and Orchard Heights

At Council on Monday is an information item on approvals for 436 apartments in a complex near the intersection of Doaks Ferry and Orchard Heights in West Salem. Part of the new development was a slice of a parcel that a decade ago had been designated for "neighborhood center mixed use," but which recently was rezoned as MU-II

City of Salem zoning map

The north half of the parcel was rezoned a couple years ago for apartments with RM2 zoning (including that slice of NCMU), and these approvals are its fruition.

Site plan for apartments

Interesting is a reversion to the original plan for Landaggard.

Landaggard was in 2011 proposed as a "local street"

In the original concept Landaggard would be a local street, but then it was enlarged to collector status, and now it is proposed to revert it back to a local street. This will be in a separate TSP amendment.

Also interesting is the rejection of a request for parking to exceed the maximum. The decision says "applicant has not demonstrated how providing more parking than allowed will equally or better meet the intent of a maximum parking requirement."

Parking overage not granted

There are some other interesting allowances for Willark Brook, and the whole has 63 conditions of approval. It seems very possible that some party or another will appeal one or more elements. Council might also call it up. There could me more to say later.

The former NCMU and now MU-II parcel has not yet redeveloped, and this again is a place where the city might be more explicit about why any hub or mixed use has been slow to develop.

See previously here:

• "City Proposes new draft Neighborhood Center Zoning" (2010)
• "West Salem's Bone Property and Colorado Drive Extension at Planning Commission" (2011)
• "Airport Expansion and Mixed Use Bone Parcel" (2012)
• "Apartments may be Needed to Support Hubs: New Activity at the Bone Parcel" (2021)

The City can't exclude middle housing

There is also a smaller approval for four lots on a golf course. It is a little interesting for a discussion of middle housing and HOAs.

The HOA might still be able to exclude those forms, but the City can't impose any conditions for that.

Burned out strip club at Front and Pine (2012)

The site of the former strip club on Front and Pine may show movement on being redeveloped. This hasn't been the first stirrings there, so there is a ways to go yet before redevelopment is sure. There are two proposed lots, separated by the alley. (One and two.)

• See "Proposed Housing on Corner of Pine and Front Looks Tricky" (2017)
  

Previously houses on individual lots had been proposed. Now those lots look to be consolidated in two replats, perhaps for apartments. The applicant represents an LLC named "Riverfront Apartments," but no plans have been submitted for site approval, which will be a later step.

Bullets for the rest:

• A Second Reading for enactment of a new vagrancy "sit-lie" ordinance to regulate camping. See "Policing the Hobo Element" on the First Reading.
  
• An application for a grant to work on tree canopy expansion and health. Tree advocates are sure to have more to say on it.
  
• And an omnibus update to City fees, mostly indexed to inflation. The devil's in the details, and there might be more to say later on some of them. Others will likely comment also.