SEPTEMBER 20, 2019, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
Opinion
Setting the table for success
The Keizer Revitalization Plan,
that is before the city council after
more than a year of public meet-
ings and forums, is not change for
change’s sake.
The comprehensive plan—all
450 pages of it—targets River
Road and Cherry Avenue and sets
the table for future success of the
commercial zones from the south
end of Keizer, through
the city’s core and up
to the Wheatland Road
junction.
Keizer won’t look
different tomorrow, but
in the coming years, we
can expect to see the
marketplace respond to
more business-friendly zoning
and codes. The city has been fairly
rigid with its comprehensive code
giving some pause about investing
in new development.
When the revitalization plan
is adopted the hope is that busi-
nesses will give Keizer a serious
look rather than head for south
Salem or Lancaster. Growth is im-
portant to the city because every
new development that gets added
to the city’s tax roll adds money
to the general fund. It is the from
the general fund that the city uses
to maintain and expand on the
amenities Keizer residents want—
more sidewalks in neighborhoods,
funding for parks and police.
How should the concerns of
those who want Keizer to re-
main the quaint, small town be
addressed? Does the revitalization
plan destroy any semblance of
Small Town, USA? No, it does not,
and for one very good reason.
More than infra-
structure or pace of
traffi c, a quaint com-
munity is made up
by the people who
live there. Regardless
of how many extra
square feet of devel-
opment is added to
River Road or Cherry Avenue,
it is the spirit and the comraderie
of our residents that make Keizer
livable.
Enhanced commecial districts
will take nothing away from the
live Keizerites are making for
themselves. It will do good. New
development will mean more
business entities which means jobs
right here where people live. That
is the wave of the future, create
cities where people can not only
live, but have jobs to go to without
having to commute in a vehicle
The city cannot demand that a
our
opinion
business hire Keizer residents fi rst,
but it is better to have the oppor-
tunity for those who want to work
close to home.
The revitalization plan was not
conceived in a vacuum. The pro-
cess has been reported on, there
have been meetings, hearings and
forums to allow anyone to com-
ment.
The city is poised on the edge
of its future. The voters have elect-
ed a mayor and a city council to
address and plan for that future.
Everyone has the opportunity and
the right to make their opinion
heard about how their city should
look tomorrow and 20 years from
now.
The city and its leaders should
always be mindful to explain what
the revitalization plan is and how
it will affect the average resident.
People will want to know, for ex-
ample, how the plan will alter
their daily commute in and out
of the city, especially during rush
hour.
Keizer has been a desired ad-
dress for years—we built a com-
munity people want to join.
When we set the table for success
we have the community we all
seek.
—LAZ
Plenty of candidates, but no stars
By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS
When you consider how much
the Democratic establishment
loathes President Donald Trump,
it’s just plain sad to watch a Dem-
ocratic primary that has yet to
offer up a front-runner
who has Democrats truly
jazzed about the election.
Insiders are waiting for
former Veep Joe Biden,
76, not so much to stum-
ble, as to stumble and not
be able to get up after-
ward.
At 73, Trump is no
spring chicken, but he ex-
udes a vitality Biden lacks.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders,
78, is a lovable scold to his die-
hard supporters, and he’s genuine.
So why aren’t Democrats more
enthusiastic about him?
Elizabeth Warren, 70, is a great
campaigner who gained strength
during the long slog that she be-
gan as the Democrat with a dubi-
ous claim to being Native Amer-
ican. And still, the party apparatus
has not coalesced behind her.
And below that top-tier of
Nestors are a pack of middle-aged
opportunists who stand out for
their willingness to say anything
to generate buzz.
“Hell, yes, we’re going to take
away your AR-15, your AK-47,”
former Texas congressman Beto
O’Rourke crowed in response to
a question.
An August Fox News poll
shows that two-thirds of Amer-
icans support an assault weapons
ban. No doubt many Democrats
see such polls and hence see no
problem with a candidate calling
for such a ban.
So they don’t realize that
O’Rourke’s comment probably
prompted countless gun own-
ers to run out and buy the guns
they hate. And they
certainly don’t think
about the carnage
that would ensue if
the government ac-
tually tried to take
those weapons from
otherwise law-abid-
ing owners’ cold, live
hands.
“I frankly think
that clip will be played for years at
Second Amendment rallies with
organizations that try to scare
people by saying Democrats are
coming for your guns,” said Sen.
Chris Coons, D-Del., to CNN.
The ABC-led team of debate
moderators didn’t help. There was
no pointed follow up. No mention
of the fact that a year ago after the
host told O’Rourke he owned an
AR-15, O’Rourke told The Chad
Hasty Show: “If you own a gun,
keep that gun. Nobody wants to
take it away from you.”
“The Democrats and the me-
dia, it’s as if they’re one,” Trump
observed during a speech at a
House policy retreat in Baltimore
delivered in the same time slot.
Univision anchor Jorge Ramos
challenged Biden: “Are you pre-
pared to say tonight that you and
President Obama made a mistake
about deportations? Why should
Latinos trust you?”
Ramos offered no recognition
that Obama was enforcing federal
other
voices
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law—which is part of the job de-
scription. His question was based
on the assumption that it was
wrong to enforce the law. And he
presumed to talk for all Latinos.
Biden should have defended
Obama for doing his job—and
rightly discouraging Central
American migrants who would
not qualify for asylum from cross-
ing the border. In a different elec-
tion year, Biden probably would
have defended enforcing immi-
gration law instinctively.
Instead, Biden denied that the
Obama administration put mi-
grants in cages or separated fam-
ilies.
Politifact rated Biden’s claim as
“false.” The fact-checking orga-
nization noted that while Trump
has a tougher approach to family
separation, the Obama adminis-
tration did put children in chain-
linked enclosures. That is, Biden
was gutless and wrong.
In the words of former Secre-
tary of State Hillary Clinton in
2014: “We have to send a clear
message: Just because your child
gets across the border, that doesn’t
mean your child gets to stay. We
don’t want to send a message
that’s contrary to our laws or (it)
will encourage more children to
make that dangerous journey.”
That sort of commonsense
thinking went out the window
during a 2016 presidential debate
when, under Ramos’ questioning,
Clinton changed her position and
pledged not to deport undocu-
mented immigrants who don’t
have a criminal record. The tail
wagged the dog. That’s how the
Democrats’ got a fi eld with no
clear star.
Over and over again, I hear
Democrats say that Trump’s ten-
ure in the White House is un-
tenable, that they’ll do whatever
it takes to win back the White
House. Well, anything but stand
up for positions they held fi ve
years ago. Anything but try to un-
derstand what the middle thinks.
Anything but allow a debate on
Fox News.
(Creators Syndicate)
COUNCIL,
continued from Page A1
redevelopment along the commercial
corridors. To do so, it proposes
relaxing some standards, like off-
street parking requirements, and
tightening others, such as higher
quality landscaping.
The largest point of contention
in the report was when the
new standards would kick in for
redeveloped properties. The study
suggested
implementing
new
development standards whenever a
remodel/redevelopment amounted
to 25 percent or more of the assessed
value of the property in question.
“You don't want to go too high
or no change will happen, but we
might be able to tweak and redefi ne
the threshold,” said Matt Hastie of
Angelo Planning Group, a consultant
on the project.
Speaking as a business owner and
president of the Keizer Chamber
of Commerce, Jonathan Thompson
said a higher threshold would be
preferable because some businesses
might replace equipment inside a
building that blows through the 25
percent threshold.
In the end, councilors requested
that the 25 percent fi gure include
both buildings and the land
underneath them. Exemptions are
also planned for replacing equipment,
major maintenance (roofi ng, HVAC
systems, repaving, etc.), and interior
remodels without a change in the use
of the building.
Thompson applauded the creation
of three “centers” within the overlay
district that he said Keizer Chamber
members felt they would contribute
to creating a downtown. Design and
development standards ratchet up
slightly in the centers around the
Lockhaven Drive intersection, the
Chemawa Road intersection and the
Cherry Avenue/River Road triangle.
Jonathan Eggert, owner of
Creekside Veterinary Clinic with
his wife, expressed concern over the
reduction in off-street parking.
“We are fairly constrained on
parking now and any reduction has
the potential to affect us,” Eggert said.
In response to Eggert and others’
requests, the council asked that
the current parking maximums be
kept in place, but that any new or
redevelopment applicants would
be given the opportunity to pursue
reduced standards.
Other major components to
receive heightened attention related
to transportation, specifi cally what
to do about accommodating travel
other than cars.
The
study
recommends
narrowing the lanes on River Road
to install a multiuse path for cyclists
and pedestrians on one side, but one
resident felt that isn’t enough.
“That leaves a substandard
sidewalk on the other side of the
road and it’s only solving half of
the problem,” said Kathy Lincoln. “I
encourage you to look at something
that solves it on both sides.”
Lincoln is also a member of the
Keizer Traffi c Safety, Bikeways and
Pedestrian (TBP) Committee.
Several councilors seemed reticent
to reduce lane widths, but didn’t
offer other solutions. Instead, they
wanted to leave the recommendation
more vague. That didn’t sit well with
Brown.
“We need to emphasize that it is a
pressing issue to address the mobility
issues in our corridors. We’re putting
it off, but we can’t put it off all
together,” Brown said.
The council also requested that
the fi nal report include language
directing the city to study the need
and appropriateness of additional
pedestrian crossings along River
Road and Cherry Avenue Northeast,
a nod to concerns voiced by the
Keizer Planning Commission and
TBP Committee (See related story
Committee suggests below).
The council kept the public record
open at the end of the meeting. That
means written testimony on the
report’s recommendations can still
be submitted to the city until 5 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 30.
Committee suggests a
dozen new crosswalks
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Throughout
the
Keizer
Revitalization Study, members of
the Keizer Traffi c Safety, Bikeways
and Pedestrian have carried the
torch pushing for inclusion of
cyclists and pedestrians.
At
the
group’s
meeting,
September 12, it took the effort to
a whole new level. Two members
of the committee, Pat Fisher and
Mike DeBlasi, presented proposals
for multiple new River Road
crosswalks from the south border
of the city to intersection of River
Road North and Oakwood Street
Northeast. DeBlasi has his sight set
on 16 new crosswalks, Fisher put
forth 10 potential sites.
“Pedestrian crossings are barely
touched on in [the revitalization]
plan,” said Fisher. “Allowing for
pedestrian access are going to be
very important.”
The TBP committee have allies
on the Keizer Planning Commission
who also called for consideration of
pedestrian crosswalks as it forwarded
a recommendation to approve the
report to the Keizer City Council.
Community
Development
Director Nate Brown was impressed
enough with the two lists that he
forwarded them to the transportation
engineer participating in the study,
Susan Wright. Wright said the sites
on both lists were well-thought-out,
but that engineering studies would
be needed at each proposed location.
Hersch Sangster, a member of
the committee, endorsed the sites
proposed as “perfectly logical. If we
want more density, we are going
to have to allow for crossings. The
south section of River Road is what
I would want to prioritize.”
Brown said rather than listing
specifi c sites in the fi nal report, he
would rather see a recommendation
that the investigation of potential
crosswalks be engaged as the
revitalization plan is implemented.
“The last thing that I want is that
the process get ground to a halt,”
Brown said.
Members of the committee
agreed to the broader approach.
Regardless of how the city
chooses to begin the process, it will
come with a cost. Estimates to install
crosswalks on a fi ve-lane road range
from $80,000 to $240,000 each.
Sgt. David LeDay cautioned
against creating a “false sense of
security” by installing mid-block
crosswalks and noted that most of
the injuries and fatalities involving
pedestrians in Keizer have taken
place within 200 feet of signalized
intersections.
“It’s not outside of the crosswalks
where we have the issues, it’s
inattentive drivers,” LeDay said.
At a city council meeting Monday,
Sept. 16, Wright said the crosswalk
frequencies suggested by the
committee were in line with what is
found in urban mix planning, with
each about 550 apart from the next.
That is the direction Keizer will be
heading if redevelopment happens.
However, it isn’t simply a matter of
build-it-and-they-will-cross.
“Just implementing a crossing in
and of itself doesn’t increase safety
if the environment isn’t right,” she
said.
traffi c court
NO INSURANCE
Juan Daniel Cabrera-Hernandez, $642;
Alicyn Jasmin Ramirez, $600; Enrique
Antonio Ramirez, $600.
NO PROOF OF INSURANCE
Joseph Daniel Moralez, $642; Simone
Casara Jensen, $600.
DRIVING WHILE SUSPENDED
Amy Rae Ogbin, $1,258; Jerry Dulany
Haley, $1,258; Heather Brooke Wright,
$1,258; John Luke Manitsas, $1,258; En-
rique Antonio Ramirez, $1,258; Simone
Casara Jensen, $1,258; Woodward Sean
Chen, $440; Jesus Figueroa Smith, $415.
Rivera Caballero, $342; Gail Ann Young,
$145.
OTHER
Matthew Lee Mehlhoff, $125, misuse of
special left turn lane; Marcus Ray, $192,
failure to use safety belt; Dwayne L Mer-
cer II, $115; Kiana Marie Crofoot, $192,
failure to use safety belt; Benicio Fuen-
tes Camacho, $245; Alfonso James Soto,
$115, failure to use safety belt; Robert
James Branch, $265, careless driving;
Shane Mitchell Baldwin, $115, failure
to use safety belt; Woodward Sean Chen,
$115, failure to use safety belt; Hakam
Singh Nagra, $115; Carrie Kathleen
Strong, $115.
USE OF MOBILE DEVICE
Miguel Angel Rangel-Zapien, $642; Ali-
cyn Jasmin Ramirez, $642; Olivia Marie
Stuckart, $235; Noah Austin, $235; Whit-
ney Nicole Beyer, $235.
SPEEDING
Jordan Keahi Uu-Bernard, $342; Xavier
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