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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 2019)
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE D7 Commission: Reluctant endorsement on housing needs report By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Keizer Planning Commission provided feedback on the fi nal report of the Keizer Hous- ing Needs Analysis at its meeting Sept. 11. The housing needs report is one of three doc- uments that will help the city chart the path for future growth. Planning commissioners could not change the fi ndings of the report, but of- fered their insights on the recommendations it contains. The group decided to table discussion on the big question, whether Keizer should attempt to expand its Urban Growth Boundary, for a future meeting. The rest of the recommendations were covered in the meeting. Aside from the UGB question, the report in- cludes the following recommendations: • Encouraging a broader mix of housing types • Supporting affordable housing • Find and evaluate funding tools for support- ing residential development On the topic of encouraging a broader mix of housing types, Senior Planner Shane Witham asked whether the city should take part in poten- tial “early adopter” programs offered by the state in relation to House Bill 2001. The bill effectively ditched single-family zoning in any community with a population of 10,000 or more. Depending on the size of the community, it means allowing duplexes in sin- gle-family zones. In Keizer, which has a popula- tion of about 39,000, it means three- and four- unit homes will be permitted. Keizer was already moving in that direction with recent zoning changes, but might benefi t from state assistance in covering the costs associated with the changes. “I think we are at the threshold for a lot of our systems right now. Looking at the early-adopter might benefi t from opportunities to invest, but we need to be aware of any strings attached and the effect on city staff,” said Commissioner Matt Lawyer. Commissioner Mark Caillier echoed the con- cerns. “I support diverse housing, but it’s market driven. I’ve worked for employers who love grants and had them blow up in our face while others had great outcomes,” Caillier said. On the issue of supporting affordable housing, the main concern was what to do about parking, which seemed like an odd starting point. Witham soon cleared it up. “The eye is toward multifamily housing and how we will handle transportation issues if we are promoting that type of development,” he said. In other words, multifamily housing will re- quire a different type of parking and would re- quire the city to change existing parking require- ments as they pertain to residential, single-family zones. Commissioner Jeffrey Watson offered support with a caution. “The easier it is to get around without cars, the fewer cars there will be as the population in- creases, but reducing parking in one area means you are increasing it in another area,” Watson said. Funding for new development or redevelop- ment is likely to be the major obstacle. Keizer has some of the lowest costs in the area when tit comes to fees collected by the city, but that means there is little left over to create incentive programs to attract development. One opportunity to create additional revenue and direct it toward subsidizing affordable hous- ing is implementing a construction excise tax. It would increase the overall cost of a development by up to 1 percent. That notion did not fi nd immediate favor among commissioners. “I know we need affordable housing, but I don’t know what kind of welcome mat that is,” Watson said. “My concern is that an excise tax can be placed on everything from new construction to remodeling,” added Caillier. Other options include establishing an urban renewal district and local improvement districts that would collect money from property within a specifi c area and reinvest them in the same. While the commission punted on the UGB question, two members, Kyle Juran and Mike DeBlasi, were taking part in their fi nal meeting and offered input for the day when the commis- sion tackles the issue. The committee that over- saw the housing needs analysis recommended ab- sorbing the projected growth within the existing UGB, but Juran felt expansion is needed. “If Keizer increases density, Keizer will change. I’m a little afraid that if we don’t increase the ur- ban growth boundary it will affect livability, it will change the function and feel of Keizer,” he said. DeBlasi said he wanted to see what sort of re- turn Keizer would get on the large investment required to expand the boundary. “ The tax base is increased, but will we get [the investment] back?” he said. Post will run for 4th term The Perfect Setting for Your Wedding & Reception Four Acres of Landscaped Gardens • Ample Parking • Private Dressing Rooms Rep. Bill Post fi led to run for his fourth term as the State Representative from House District 25, which includes Keizer, St. Paul, and Newberg. Post was fi rst elected in 2014. “I truly enjoy representing Marion and Yamhill counties. It’s been a privilege to serve this constituency,” said Post. Although in a super minori- ty, Post was involved in passing legislation to make roads safer, promote affordable housing, strengthen public indecency laws, and establish permanent Daylight Savings Time. In a fourth term, Post said he would focus on be- hind-the-counter Sudafed purchases, the death penalty, address Measure 11 concerns and expose “hidden sales tax- es.” For more information on Post and his efforts, visit www. billpost.com. call today to see our difference P ROVIDING THE S TUCTURE FOR O UTSTANDING P ERFORMANCE Specializing In Commercial Construction 5655 W INDSOR I SLAND R OAD N - K EIZER •(503) 393- 0732 WWW . LOGHOUSEGARDEN . COM CCB #15833 | 503-390-4999 WWW .R ICH D UNCAN C ONSTRUCTION . COM creative help wanted Part-Time Graphic Designer — Keizer On behalf of our sister newspaper (Malheur Enterprise), Keizertimes is seeking an entry-level graphic designer to join the team in our Keizer offi ce. This position will be responsible for creating ads which will appear in the weekly Malheur newspaper as well as various special sections. Other roles will include designing publication covers, feature layouts, charts, tables, and infographics in support of news content. This person will also occasionally design web advertising and content for Facebook. Your portfolio should demonstrate: Preferred qualities: • Typography (expressive and normative) • Technical / troubleshooting • Color theory • Print production skills • Composition • Knowledge of 4-color printing process • Client focused creative problem solving • Strong organization • Attention to detail • Excellent skills in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator Compensation and schedule: 20-24 hours/week (Monday, Thursday, Friday) • Web content management Competitive hourly wage TO APPLY : Email resume, cover letter and portfolio (pdf or link) to publisher @ keizertimes.com WA #RICHDDC928DE
