Rezoning the Former Reform School and Prison Annex Area: At the Planning Commission

You might recall an odd story a year ago about some land being auctioned by the State. There were claims of native burials and both the lots lines and the line between family lore and verifiable historical fact seemed rather fuzzy.

State Reform School for Boys, c.1900
(State Library of Oregon)

That land has apparently been sold, and the City's published a Hearing Notice for zoning changes requested by the new owners.

New zoning proposed

As with the former north campus of the State Hospital and with the former Fairview, this proposal for redevelopment of an abandoned state institution is fascinating. The concept here places any project at the intersection of a lot of interesting and important debates we are having right now.

Much of the land is in the flood plain for Mill Creek. These areas are proposed for IG (General Industrial), IC (Industrial Commercial), and MU-III (the most commercial Mixed-use category) zoning.

The low land is in a flood plain

Development in flood plains (excerpt)

Here's an older view that appears to show standing water in the lower fields (anachronistically captioned "Maclaren"). Our recent draft flood plan contains language about development in floodplains, and it will be interesting to see how that plan language might affect development here.

The hills and valley, 1925 USGS Stayton Quad

A wedge, called "Hog Hill," between Turner and Gath Roads is elevated on a hill and proposed for RS (low density residential) zoning.

Hog Hill area (2021 appraisal)

August 18th, 1952

Unless the MU-III area contains a hub with neighborhood scaled commercial business, which seems unlikely, the housing will be car-dependent. It is theoretically possible to bike to Costco and the surrounding business district, or to Turner, but these require a trip on very zoomy and uncomfortable streets. Walkscore gives it a straight-up zero! People will drive.

Turner Road and Kuebler are zoomy

On the biking route illustration above, it was convenient to use the cemetery as an end point. While any Native burials have not turned up, and there would be an "inadvertent discovery plan" for any archeologically significant findings, there are a couple of small known cemeteries, one associated with the Herren (Herrin and Herron appear also, but the preferred second vowel seems to be "e") family, the other with the training school and prison grounds.

Herren Cemetery (2021 appraisal)

Developing housing on this wedge will need to work around any cemetery and also the trees.

January 3rd, 1898

While John C. Herren is buried in the IOOF Pioneer Cemetery, his father John D. Herren and several other family members are buried on Hog Hill.

And there are costs to furnish basic infrastructure, and this area, on the edge and distant from Salem's core, looks like an obvious instance of the Strong Towns ponzi.

Cost to service (via our Strong Towns group)

Though it was not included in the published meeting packet, at the Council Work Session on the budget and revenue problem City Staff presented a graphic illustrating the way new development drains City resources, costing more to service than the property taxes return to the City. Its focus was on police and fire rather than sewer and street, so it had a certain ideological slant. It also elided that the "12 housing units" are certain to be single detached housing. 

Particularly in light of yesterday's results, the more interesting question is "what value/acre is the break-even point to service a lot?" What should the target intensity of development be in order to fully fund city services assuming the current tax rate? What if this idealized example was for 12 duplexes? 12 triplexes? etc. When does development work out for City finances? Shouldn't we know that?

Apart from the mere physical existence of cemeteries, there is of course also history with those buried there and with the state institutions. It is fascinating too!

When the State was planning the Reform School, the name Warner was frequently mentioned. The State had purchased the "Warner tract" in 1889. In this piece a year later on the contract to build the facility, it mentioned "the old Warner place."

July 25th, 1890

Conrad Warner had been murdered nearby in 1874, and it was a sensation. (See later, also, the Bitsman on "who killed old man Warner"!)

June 27th, 1874

The most prominent name was William Rector, though.

1929 Metsker Map (property outlined in yellow)

Rector built the first Capitol and helped with the first woolen mill.

April 26th, 1935

March 29th, 1951

Rector moved to California within a decade or so, seemed not to like Salem, and died in Sonoma in 1890. The property changed hands several times. That Bitsman piece says Rector deeded half of the land to Thomas Cross and half to a son in 1865. The son in turn sold his half to Warner. And then after Warner's death and some further time in the family, it passed to Governor Z. F. Moody, who in something that looks a little grafty sold it to the State in 1892. (Some of these dates might be a little off, but the general shape is probably accurate.)

Around 1890, you may recall, Leo Willis was part of a group seeking to sell off lots in  the proposed Rector Meadow and Fruit Farm development.

June 24th, 1890

That development didn't take off, but the Reform School did. A few years later William C. Knighton designed a grand building for it. The photo corresponds reasonably closely to the drawing!

January 1st, 1894 and July 30th, 1911

It burned down in 1929 and precipitated the total transfer of operations to Woodburn and Maclaren. The prison took over the site shortly after.

February 22nd, 1929

When the Staff Report and more from the applicant are published there will surely be more to say! The Planning Commission will consider it on November 21st.

Addendum, March 19th, 2024

Huh. It turns out there was a start to the building in 1890. So maybe the 1894 Knighton bit was an expansion, or perhaps a completion.

January 1st, 1891

This first part was designed by C. S. McNally, in whose offices Knighton did work a little later, but not apparently right at this time.

January 1st, 1891