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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2018)
PAGE A6, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 GROWTH, continued from Page A1 example in the area between Shady Lane Northeast and Candlewood Drive North- east on Cherry Avenue, the space is currently zoned for industrial uses, but a mixed use designation could add more residential capacity and possibly revive the space with entertainment and shopping options. “Trading off might mean something you don’t want to see, but right now the option isn’t even on the table,” Bo- len said. Aside from market head- winds like rental rates and existing regulatory con- straints, Rogers said there are geographic elements inhibit- ing growth. “The proximity to resi- dential areas creates a greater need for buffering,” she said. Coaxing specifi c types of growth would require im- plementing some tools that Keizer has only begun dab- bling in. “Parking behind or beside buildings, ground fl oor win- dows and architectural de- tailing are the types of tools that create the spaces people want to be. It requires build- ings to be oriented to the street and entrances oriented to the sidewalk with allow- ances for plazas and gather- ing places,” she said. Bolen added that the new building in the Schoolhouse Square – minus the omni- present window-cling adver- tising – is an example of that type of development City reps grill consultants on growth costs, benefi ts By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Representatives of several city council and city commit- tees took part in a question- and-answer session after con- sultants took a deep dive into the costs of growth at a work session Monday, Aug. 27. (See related story Growth livability costs on Page A1.) Garry Whalen, a mem- ber of the Keizer Planning Commission, asked about the quality of the jobs associated with three growth scenarios. All three projected some job growth, but Whalen asked whether it was full-time, ben- efi tted positions or more part- time jobs. Glen Bolen, a consultant with OTAK, Inc., said the market will decide what goes in where, but Keizer could stack the deck in favor of bet- ter jobs. “In the city of Redmond, [on city-owned property,] the more family-wage jobs a business offered, the lower the rent or sale price was,” Bolen said. Kathy Lincoln, a member of the Keizer Traffi c Safety, Pedestrian and Bikeways (TPB) Committee, asked what the options might be for businesses already planning on leaving River Road North. Lincoln mentioned the an- nounced closing of Keizer Nursery as one candidate. “We could do some small- area design vignettes. We should take a look at that site – at how it could turn out – and that might get the ideas fl owing,” Bolen said. Matt Lawyer, a member of the Keizer Planning Com- mission and Parks Advisory Board, cautioned against overloading the three of the main intersections of River Road at Lockhaven, Chema- wa and Mandrin. If people are suddenly priced out of living in that area, Lawyer said, you are going to need to add traf- fi c controls and parking. Bolen responded that trans- portation modelers would be tasked with calculating traffi c impacts once Keizer narrows down the direction it hopes to head. He added that asso- ciated problems can even defy expectations and take care of themselves. SIDEWALK, lems, ODOT occasionally comes up with other grants,” Dempster said. “I think there is a better chance of getting that money than the Safe Routes for School grant.” Dempster also advocated appealing for monetary sup- port from the city when the 2019-2020 budgeting cycle begins next spring. continued from Page A1 Committee Member David Dempster was a proponent of having a back-up plan. “We have a Safe Routes grant opportunity coming up, but if we have several prob- “Sometimes, as places in- tensify and become more walkable, the speed slows down,” Bolen said. Another component of more intense development will be a need for greater pub- lic transit capacity and sched- uling that doesn’t hinder liv- ability, he added. City Councilor Bruce An- derson asked how the city might link properties behind River Road frontages and reduce stress on or eliminate access directly from River Road. Bolen said the opportuni- ties for such linkages would most likely come as property redevelops, but with so many small parcels and different owners it could take a while. Mike DeBlasi, a member of the TPB Committee and for- mer member of the Planning Commission, asked about the possibilities for different park- ing types, like roof-level park- ing or parking decks. Bolen said that the cost to create a parking spot on the ground is about $3,000 per space, but the cost skyrockets once it moves upward – to about $25,000 per space. “Tuck-under parking is another option that is some- where between the two,” Bo- len said. When the question regard- ing affordable living spaces arose, Mayor Cathy Clark rose to the defense of a manufac- tured home park on the cor- ner of River Road and Lock- haven Drive. Clark said that space remained some of the most affordable in Keizer and needed to be preserved. When Clark asked Bolen what Keizerites should be thinking about when plan- ning for the next generation of residents, Bolen said public spaces would be key. “Public spaces and parks were identifi ed as goals, but there are opportunities for public spaces. The stream near crossword Waremart should be a place for people to gather. When you intensify development, you need to look at ways to use the public spaces because the demand is higher,” Bolen said.
