MARCH 9, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE D1
10 years in, Keizer’s 2029
vision progress is middling
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Ten years ago this November,
the city of Keizer embarked upon
a 20-year visioning plan for the Iris
Capital of the world.
The city hired consultants and
formed a citizens advisory commit-
tee that steered the process as ideas
and hopes for the future of Keiz-
er were collected. Since this year
marks the mid-way point, Keizertimes
thought we would take a look at
how far we’ve come in living up
to the expectations set forth in the
study.
The final Keizer Compass Vi-
sion for 2029 report doesn’t include
specific benchmarks for anyone
to measure progress by. Instead,
it identifies seven themes that, by
most measures, feel fairly generic.
They are as follows:
• A proud and engaged commu-
nity
This was described as a place
that celebrates unique accomplish-
ments, traditions and history; active
citizens with pride and a spirit of
volunteerism; opportunities for all
ages; and easy access to informa-
tion about and participation in local
government.
• A thriving local economy
This theme was defined as a va-
riety of clean, green, living-wage
jobs; a diversified economic base;
industries invested in the commu-
nity that connect to regional and
global economies; a range of goods
and services, a highly-qualified
workforce; and becoming a desti-
nation spot for visitors.
• A clean, green environment
Sufficient land for outdoor rec-
reation; an abundance of trees and
greenery; clean water systems of all
types and programs; and policies
that encourage recycling, reducing
and reusing waste were all men-
tioned.
• Responsible growth and devel-
opment
This theme includes having an
adequate land supply for residential
and commercial growth; develop-
ment that preserves Keizer’s small-
town feel; and adequate infrastruc-
ture for current and future needs.
Please see VISION, Page D7
The Goal:
A proud, engaged community
• Many new faces on city committees.
• But some of them are now on mul-
tiple committees at the same time.
• The Chamber took over the Festival
of Lights parade.
• There have been major shortages of
volunteers on big projects.
• Keizer city councilors are more en-
gaged than ever.
• We now have community superhe-
roes calling Keizer home.
• Only 18 percent of respondents to a
recent resident survey said they vol-
unteer in Keizer.
• Making Keizer Better and RIVERfair
went the way of the dodo.
• Keizer Homegrown Theater joined
the Keizer Heritage Center rounding
out the cultural offerings outside of
Keizer schools.
The Goal: Responsible growth and development
• The urban growth boundary remains unchanged, forcing more infill development and limiting
the supply of job-creating areas in the city. For example, a single neighborhood pool was shut-
tered and replaced with three houses.
• There are two efforts underway to create a new vision for development on River Road North
and Cherry Avenue Northeast.
• The City of Keizer pulled the plug on the one committee tasked with economic development
and turned the task over to the Keizer Chamber of Commerce.
• Most of the new commercial development has been in the form of food service and health-
care. A few unique retailers have added to the mix, but few of those were new additions to the
Salem-Keizer area.
• The city could finally have a cinema again by the end of this year.
The Goal: A thriving, local economy
• The healthcare industry is still expanding in Keizer.
• Aside from healthcare, most of the job creation has been on the lower end of the spectrum.
• The city remains constrained by available land for job creation.
• River Road is mostly unchanged from the time of the study, the result of an economic down-
turn and slow recovery.
• Keizer lost three grocery stores in the past 10 years and gained only one.
• While still the land of sub sandwiches and tacos, culinary options in Keizer are expanding.
• A new hotel in Keizer Station will provide additional funding for tourism/recreation efforts.
The Goal:
A clean, green environment
• Numerous improvements have
been made at Keizer Rapids Park
(KRP).
• The Claggett Creek Watershed
Council is more involved than ever
in preserving a major watershed.
• Rotary Club of Keizer recently
completed planting a new arbore-
tum at KRP.
• A major orchard in west Keizer
was recently razed (but it was on its
deathbed by all accounts).
• Keizer continues to reinvest in its
water systems keeping quality wa-
ter flowing and sewers from back-
ing up.
• Insufficient available land means
some of the city’s largest green
spaces have been or will be – in the
case of the cow pasture – eaten up
by development.
The Goal: Balanced transportation
• Keizer now has its own transit center.
• Two bike repair stations offering tools for quick
fixes and free air for filling tires are in city limits.
• The addition of the roundabout at Chemawa
Road North and Verda Lane Northeast has eased
congestion and resulted in very few crashes.
• The Dearborn Avenue bridge is scheduled for re-
placement this year.
• The city’s network of sidewalks remains incom-
plete with few options for funding aside from state
and federal grants.
• Improving Wheatland Road North will be the fo-
cus of work by the Mid-Willamette Council of Gov-
ernments’ transportation efforts.
• Sidewalks were extended on Chemawa Road
North to Keizer Rapids Park.
• Keizer roads, generally, are of a high quality.
The Goal:
Excellent public services
• New fees for police and pub-
lic services are expanding op-
portunities for the city to bol-
ster each deptartment.
• After getting put through
the wringer in an effort to
pave the way for a Keizer
Walmart, the Keizer City
Council’s efforts to engage
different parts of the commu-
nity are broader.
• Crime in Keizer is generally
below average for a city of its
size.
• The city development code
has kept pace with emerging
trends like food carts and ac-
cessory dwellings.
• Keizer schools remain at-
tractive and attentive to stu-
dent needs making a Keizer
address a sought-after asset.