TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Krishna Namburi, Acting City Manager
FROM: Scott Archer, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of the Fairview Park Development and Management Plan.
Ward(s): Ward 3
Councilor(s): Matthews
Neighborhood(s): Morningside
Result Area(s): Welcome and Livable Community
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SUMMARY:
summary
The Fairview Park Development and Management Plan is a proposed update to the 2016 Fairview Park Master Plan. This update is the result of a year-long planning process. It presents the overall community vision for the park, describes the proposed amenities and uses of the park, and provides specific direction for its future development. The Development and Management Plan has been created with consideration of diverse community input and the unique characteristics of the site.
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ISSUE:
Shall City Council approve the Fairview Park Development and Management Plan?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Approve the Fairview Park Development and Management Plan.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
In late 2023, the City of Salem initiated a process to revisit and refine the Fairview Park Master Plan to address the time that had passed since the community’s initial involvement in developing the original plan in 2016. The goal of this project is to enhance residents' quality of life by providing an updated, cohesive vision for the park's future.
A project team from Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning has collaborated closely with City Parks Planning staff to gather and integrate community feedback throughout the process. The proposed update and refinement of the Fairview Park Master Plan (the “Fairview Park Development and Management Plan”) (Attachment 1) reflects the community's vision for park development and design, considering both public input and the site's unique characteristics. It further outlines details of future facilities and intended uses and provides management recommendations.
The Fairview Park Development and Management Plan identifies the following elements for the park:
• Interpretive Space, which may include art, history, and educational features
• Amphitheater Gathering Space, with capacity for approximately 250 people
• Natural Play Area, consisting of nature play and one picnic shelter
• Central Play Areas, consisting of accessible play, two picnic shelters, and one restroom
• Pickleball Courts (8), with court lighting, one restroom, and one picnic shelter
• Fenced Dog Park (i.e., Off-leash Dog Area), with small and large dog areas, two shelters, and one restroom
• Market Space, consisting of a community hall, plaza, and food cart space
• Basketball Court
• Multipurpose Lawn
• Community Garden
• Naturalized Drainage Swale
• Rain Garden
• Art and/or Play Pod
• Maintenance Yard
The Development and Management Plan has been created through a robust public process facilitated by Cameron-McCarthy and City Parks Planning staff. Public involvement methods included community events, stakeholder interviews, and online surveys. Specific engagements included the following:
• Community Events
o Neighbors and park visitors at Fairview Park (60 participants)
o Latino youth at Willamette Academy’s Saturday Workshop (20 participants)
o Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Shangri-La’s Accessible Spring Festival (200 or more participants)
o Neighbors and park visitors at Painters Hall (56 participants)
• Stakeholder Interviews
o Winter and Spring (14 interviews total)
o Older adults, IDD community, local residents, former Fairview Training Center residents
• Online Survey
o Fall/Winter and Spring (390 and 568 responses, respectively)
Key findings from the public involvement process are outlined as follows:
• Preserve and Restore Natural Areas: Emphasize the protection of mature trees, maintaining open spaces, and creating quiet areas.
• Universal Accessibility: Ensure accessible paths, parking near amenities, restrooms with larger stalls, sheltered areas, interactive elements for inclusive play, and accommodations for users with mobility limitations.
• Passive Recreation: Expand walking trails and add seating throughout the park.
• Community Programming: Provide facilities for community events, gathering spaces, and flexible areas for spontaneous use.
• Informational and Wayfinding Signage: Install signs to guide visitors, share historical context, and display important safety information.
These findings have been integrated into the Development and Management Plan through proposed site features and guiding design principles:
• Site Features:
o Paths and key amenities are universally accessible.
o Significant Oregon white oak, Douglas fir, and giant sequoias, and Western red cedar trees are preserved.
o Establish native prairie natural area to support habitat.
• Guiding Design Principles:
o Prioritize inclusive recreation through universal design.
o Recognize the site history and former residents.
o Minimize disturbance of site topography and existing native trees.
o Serve active and passive recreation needs.
o Design for year-round community events.
The Development and Management Plan marks a departure from the existing Fairview Park Master Plan, approved by City Council in 2016. Along with the elements previously mentioned, it incorporates donated parkland at the corner of Lindburg Road and Strong Road, acquired by the City in 2021. Notably, the allowed uses and development standards for this property differ from the rest of Fairview Park. Consequently, the plan introduces specific transportation infrastructure and the Market Space, featuring a community hall, plaza, and food cart area. Implementing the Market Space will still require adjustments to several development standards. However, discussions with the City of Salem Planning Division have taken place, and they are supportive of the proposed development and uses.
On October 10, 2024, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board was presented the draft Development and Management Plan. The Board endorsed the Plan and forwarded a recommendation to Council for approval.
Fairview Park will be developed in phases, with an estimated minimum of approximately $4.5 million anticipated for the initial phase. Funding will come from a combination of sources, including system development charges, development district fees, and bond proceeds from the 2022 Safety and Livability Bond, specifically allocated for the dog park. Additionally, the City may seek state and federal grants to further leverage local funding.
Construction of the initial phase is tentatively scheduled for 2027. A detailed phasing plan, outlined on page 36 of the Development and Management Plan, identifies proposed improvements for this phase, which will be prioritized based on available funding and the logical sequencing of park infrastructure necessary to support the improvements.
To facilitate implementation, a professional cost estimate report has been prepared for all improvements outlined in the phasing plan, including several potential additive alternates. This report, included in the Development and Management Plan Appendices (Attachment 2), estimates the total project cost at nearly $19 million.
As a first step in designing the initial phase of park development, the project team will validate this cost estimate, identify value engineering opportunities, and refine the project scope to align with the anticipated project budget of approximately $4.5 million to $6.5 million.
BACKGROUND:
Fairview Park is an approximately 28-acre underdeveloped community park located in southeast Salem. The park is positioned at the eastern edge of the Salem Hills, at the transition zone between the hills and the valley floor and features rolling topography. It sits to the southwest of Salem-Willamette Valley Airport and is bordered by Lindburg Road, Strong Road, Reed Road, and includes the Old Strong Road public right of way. This location provides convenient access with recently improved collector streets featuring multi-use paths along most of the park’s perimeter. The park is part of a larger zoning designation known as Fairview Mixed Use (FMU), designed to accommodate park, residential, and mixed-use developments.
The historical context of the area is significant. Prior to Euro-American settlement, the land was home to the Kalapuya people. Euro-American settlers arrived in the mid-1800s, and the land was claimed under the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850. For much of the 20th century, the park site hosted the Fairview Training Center, a state-run facility for individuals with developmental disabilities. The center, which opened in 1908, became one of Oregon's largest and most notorious institutions, housing over 1,300 patients by the 1980s. It was ultimately closed in 2000 following lawsuits related to human rights violations. The facility was seen as a symbol of the marginalization and systematic abuse of those with developmental disabilities. Most of the Fairview Training Center’s buildings were demolished between 2010 and 2016, with the last structures removed in 2019, leaving only two remaining buildings outside the park’s boundary: an administrative building now used by the Heritage School and a laundry facility in the process of being designated as a local landmark.
Fairview Park is now part of a larger redevelopment effort to transform the entire 275-acre former Fairview Training Center campus. The surrounding subdivisions, including Pringle Creek Community, Fairview Hills, and Fairview Addition, are being developed with a mix of residential and commercial uses. The City of Salem acquired the park property in 2016 as part of this broader redevelopment plan, with the goal of creating a public space-a community park-that honors both the natural landscape and the site’s complex history.
The park’s existing conditions reflect its previous uses. Mature ornamental and native trees, such as Oregon white oak, Douglas fir, and giant sequoias, are scattered across the site, some planted as part of the Fairview Training Center’s landscaping. Significant groves of Douglas fir and Oregon white oak are present, particularly in the northern portions of the park. The park also features remnants of the former training center, including roads, sidewalks, curbs, and remnants of demolished buildings. The landscape slopes downward from Strong and Lindburg Roads toward Pringle Creek, and the site’s vegetation includes a mix of riparian species near the creek, as well as invasive blackberry and ivy in some areas.
Rob Romanek
Parks Planning Manager
Attachments:
1. Fairview Park Development and Management Plan
2. Fairview Park Development and Management Plan Appendices