TO: Urban Renewal Agency Board
THROUGH: Krishna Namburi, Executive Director
FROM: Kristin Retherford, Community Planning and Development Director
SUBJECT:
title
Amend the West Salem Urban Renewal Area grant program guidelines for increased flexibility and to be consistent with other urban renewal grant programs.
Ward(s): Ward 1
Board Member(s): Member Tigan
Neighborhood(s): WSNA
Result Area(s): Strong and Diverse Economy; Welcoming and Livable Community.
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SUMMARY:
summary
The Urban Renewal Agency (Agency) established the West Salem Urban Renewal Area (WSURA) grant program in 2014, around the same time that other Salem urban renewal area grant programs were created. All the programs have been amended over the years to increase efficacy. The proposed changes to the WSURA grant program are intended to align the program with other Salem grant programs and improve grant utilization.
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ISSUE:
Shall the Urban Renewal Agency adopt amendments to the WSURA grant program to encourage grant activity in private investment and improve consistency with other Salem urban renewal grant programs?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Adopt amendments to the WSURA grant program to encourage grant activity in private investment and improve consistency with other Salem urban renewal grant programs.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
At the November 5, 2025, West Salem Redevelopment Advisory Board (WSRAB) meeting, WSRAB recommended that the Agency approve changes to the WSURA grant guidelines. The guidelines have text strikethrough where text is removed, and text underlined where text is added (Attachment 1). The WSURA grant program has been amended in 2017 and 2019.
The proposed changes for February 23, 2026, include:
Section I. changes the name of the program to the WSURA capital improvement grant program to be like the popular Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area (RDURA) capital improvement grant program.
Section II.(9) removes the match from the investment definition. The proposed match will be a scaled approach similar to the RDURA capital improvement grant based on the total project costs described in section III.(3)B.
Section II.(10) public benefit definition includes business retention, business expansion, business relocation that adds new jobs.
Section III.(1)B.viii. removes the appraisal from the submittal requirements.
Section III.(1)C. lists the Director rather than the Agency as the party to notify the applicant of grant application completeness.
Section III.(3)B. adds a grant match scale that ranges from 50% to 20% based on the total project costs.
Section III.(3)F. changes the maintenance of the Eligible Project in the WSURA from ten years to five so it is the same as the RDURA capital improvement grant program.
BACKGROUND:
The WSURA was created in 2001 to eliminate blight and depreciating property values and attract aesthetically pleasing, job producing private investments, and improvements to public infrastructure. There have been 18 WSURA grants over the years with an average grant amount of $131,000; $2.3 million total that has been matched by over $26 million in private investment and the creation of over 260 jobs.
Grant activity has dropped over the last few years. The proposed changes will hopefully open it up to a broader range of projects that result in new investment, products, and services that benefit the community. The City of Salem actively promotes the WSURA grant program. Activity is reported to the Agency and City Council through quarterly economic development reports.
Tory Banford
Project Manager
Attachments:
1. Amended WSURA grant guidelines