City Council, October 24th - Zoning on Commercial, Deceptive Airport Estimates

You will recall the request from SCAN for a group of blocks along middle Commercial to be zoned MU-II instead of MU-III. 

The car dealerships south of McGilchrist had already been zoned MU-III in the Our Salem project. 

Automotive businesses on Commercial at Judson

Just north of it are two more blocks, nearly all of which are related to the dealership businesses, which were part of the longer extent SCAN had requested to be zoned MU-II. At the last Council meeting the owners and the Chamber objected, and Council obliged with a request to Staff for a carve-out.

At Council on Monday Staff now propose about one and two-thirds blocks for MU-III zoning.

Proposed MU-II with MU-III carve out
(base map pre-Our Salem)

MU-III carve out from MU-II proposal

Since blocks to the south with the car businesses had already been zoned MU-III, and the blocks in question are mainly parking lot already, this is not a very big change, seems likely to be an acceptable compromise, and not something to fuss over.

Newest Iteration for Kuebler Village at Planning Commission Tuesday

On a remand from City Council, tomorrow, Tuesday the 4th, the Planning Commission will consider revisions to the Kuebler Village concept and plan. This is immediately to the east of the new Costco, and west of I-5.

From the Staff Report:

[Council] voted to remand the decision to the Planning Commission for further consideration on the Mixed-Use proposal, with instructions to incorporate all new evidence that was presented to the City Council, including the public hearing recording, in their reconsideration of the application...[Recently] the applicant revised their proposal to eliminate their request for CR and CO zoning and instead are proposing a zoning designation of MU-II (Mixed Use-II) for 8.06 acres, and MU-III (Mixed Use-III) for 16.58 acres

Old (top) and new concept plans

At the general level of zoning, the neighborhood association now has close what they have asked for, and in the revised application the developer indicated they can move forward with that. This looks, then, like it could be an acceptable compromise. It would also be a legitimate test case for what our new mixed use zoning can accomplish. 

Losing our Way on Climate: Casino and Kuebler Village Move Forward

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.

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.

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.
  

The Tribe also proposes to complete or make a "fair share contribution" to these traffic mitigation measures:

• 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.

Another Contested Development Proposal at 27th and Kuebler

The proposal to change zoning in preparation for a new complex at Kuebler and I-5, across 27th from the new Costco site, is at the Planning Commission tomorrow, Tuesday the 21st, and it's turned into a bit of a rhubarb.

A large new project proposed (Costco label added)

It was first at the Commission in November, and the debate has not yet been resolved with a decision.

The first Staff Recommendation was for denial. The heart of the on-going disagreement is the magnitude of retail traffic induced:

The largest difference between the applicant’s proposal of CR (Retail Commercial) and the Our Salem proposed CO (Commercial Office), is the amount of retail sales allowed....The zone proposed by ‘Our Salem’ generally allows office and professional services, along with a mix of housing and limited retail and personal services, where the applicant’s proposal allows a wide array of retail sales and office uses....Staff does not agree that the CO Zone would provide the same amount of automobile generation as CR, that the peak of the businesses would be similar to the CR zone or that the market would support 24-acres of eight story office buildings.

The neighborhood associations are generally opposed. South Gateway would like the whole site zoned for mixed use, and Morningside would simply like denial.

The current Staff Recommendation still tends towards denial, and proposes to close the hearing but to keep the record open for further documents and comment, aiming for a decision at the January 11th meeting.

New Project by new Costco, First Look at new Project for old Nordstrom, West Salem Study - Bits

There are several interesting matters that slipped under the radar and which deserve more interest and attention.

The biggest is a new project concept proposed for the large site sandwiched between the forthcoming Costco and I-5.

A large new project proposed (Costco label added)

Tomorrow the Planning Commission will hear an application to rezone the site.

Staff Recommends denial

Staff recommends denial. I was not able to read the full analysis and recommendation, and there might be more to say later. This is the sort of proceeding that seems unlikely to be decided after just one meeting.

WSRAB

At the West Salem Redevelopment Advisory Board, last month they got a sneak peek of the concept for the former Nordstrom site.

Elevation from Liberty side (street labels added)

That will be so much more lively than the bricked up blankness of the Nordstrom and the mall buildings!