TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Kristin Retherford, Interim City Manager
FROM: Norman Wright, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
title
Our Salem Project - Amending the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Environment Stewardship; Safe Community; Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure; Strong and Diverse Economy; Welcoming and Livable Community.
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SUMMARY:
summary
Engrossed Ordinance Bill No. 10-22 amends the Comprehensive Plan Map and zoning map to guide future growth and development in Salem.
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ISSUE:
Shall City Council engross Ordinance Bill No. 10-22 and pass Engrossed Ordinance Bill No. 10-22?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Engross Ordinance Bill No. 10-22 and pass Engrossed Ordinance Bill No. 10-22.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
Engrossed Ordinance Bill No. 10-22 (Attachment 1) amends the Comprehensive Plan Map, neighborhood plan maps, and zoning map to guide future growth and development in Salem.
The proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan Map designations are included as Exhibit A of the engrossed ordinance, and the proposed changes to the zoning map are included as Exhibit B of the engrossed ordinance.
The proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan Map, zoning map, and the generalized land use maps in 10 neighborhood plans - CANDO, ELNA, Faye Wright, Grant, Highland, NESCA-Lansing, Morningside, NEN-SESNA, Sunnyslope, and West Salem Neighborhood Plans - aim to advance the goals and policies in the Comprehensive Plan.
The proposed map changes reflect four big ideas about where the community wants to see different types of land uses and development in the future. These big ideas are incorporated into several policies in the Comprehensive Plan.
1. Mixed use: Encourage a mix of uses in the downtown area and along major corridors with frequent transit service
2. Housing: Encourage a broader range of housing types and distribute multifamily housing across Salem, particularly near jobs, services, and amenities
3. Neighborhood hubs: Allow pockets of small-scale businesses in single-family areas
4. Employment: Create flexibility in where commercial uses are allowed, while maintaining existing industrial areas
The generalized land use maps in 10 neighborhood plans are carbon copies of the existing Comprehensive Plan Map and are therefore being amended to reflect the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan Map. This proposed amendment would not impact any vision maps or opportunity maps in the neighborhood plans.
Mixed Use
The proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and zoning map changes significantly expand mixed-use areas in Salem, particularly along major corridors with frequent transit service as well as in and around downtown. Specifically, the proposed Comprehensive Plan Map increases the amount of land designated as Mixed Use in the Salem area by roughly fourfold.
The Mixed Use (MU) and River Oriented Mixed Use (ROM) Comprehensive Plan Map designations would be implemented by existing and new mixed-use zones, including the Mixed Use-I (MU-I), Mixed Use-II (MU-II), proposed Mixed Use-III (MU-III), and proposed Mixed Use-Riverfront (MU-R) zones. All of those zones would allow but not require a broad range of residential, commercial, and other uses. Establishing more mixed-use areas in Salem would promote walkability, increase access to jobs and services, and create more flexibility in how properties can be used. Creating more walkable, complete neighborhoods - particularly near transit service - would help move Salem closer to its greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals.
Much of the added Mixed Use-designated and mixed-use zoned land is along Cherriots’ Core Network. For example, land along Commercial Street SE, Liberty Lancaster Drive NE, and Portland Road NE is proposed to be redesignated as Mixed Use and rezoned to MU-I, MU-II, or MU-III. Other proposed mixed-use areas include currently vacant or underutilized property in largely residential neighborhoods. This includes vacant land in West Salem and South Salem. While areas like these are not currently served by transit, they offer opportunities to incorporate commercial services, shops, and jobs into otherwise residential areas. Redesignating and rezoning these areas to allow for a mix of uses would help create more complete neighborhoods as Salem continues to grow.
Housing
The proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and zoning map changes provide more opportunities for a mix of housing types to be developed across Salem’s neighborhoods. Specifically, the proposed maps add land designated as Multi-Family Residential (MF) and zoned Multiple Family Residential-I (RM-I) or Multiple Family Residential-II (RM-II) throughout the Salem area, as opposed to concentrating it in one neighborhood. The proposed maps also encourage more housing near transit service by adding mixed use areas along Cherriots’ Core Network, as mentioned earlier.
This addition of MF-designated land and MU-designated land is critical to Salem meeting its future housing needs, as described in the Salem Housing Needs Analysis (HNA). The HNA, completed in December 2014, projected a 207-acre deficit of multifamily land (or 2,897 units) in Salem’s portion of our urban growth boundary (UGB) by 2035. This is based on an overall projected need for 7,299 multifamily housing units on Multifamily land between 2015 and 2035.
Staff has analyzed the proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and determined that if adopted, it could accommodate Salem’s projected multifamily housing need through 2035. Staff made this determination after analyzing recent building permit data and the amount of vacant and partially vacant land that exists today if the proposed Comprehensive Plan Map changes were adopted. Meeting Salem’s projected housing needs through Comprehensive Plan Map changes allows the City to adopt the HNA, along with the map changes. Adoption of the HNA (Ordinance Bill No. 12-22) is being concurrently adopted by the City Council.
Neighborhood Hubs
The proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and zoning map changes allow for the creation of neighborhoods hubs. A newer idea in Salem, neighborhood hubs are intended to be small clusters of businesses in residential neighborhoods. They would provide neighbors with safe, convenient access to shops and services to help meet their daily needs, and they would help create more complete neighborhoods.
Neighborhood hubs are designated as Mixed Use on the proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and zoned Neighborhood Hub (NH), which would be a new zone in Salem. The new zone would allow but not mandate a broader range of uses, such as small-scale retail shops, cafes, personal services, and recreational and cultural services. (Some specific types of businesses such as liquor stores, tobacco stores, tattoo parlors, night clubs, and medical laboratories would be prohibited.) Single-family homes would continue to be allowed. Standards would be established to limit hours of operation, promote pedestrian-oriented development, and help ensure new structures that are scaled and designed to be sensitive to the neighborhood context.
The proposed zoning map changes include 13 neighborhood hubs across Salem. The proposed hubs are generally located at intersections or on collector streets near parks, schools, or other community gathering places. They are also largely in areas with transit service, sidewalks, and in some cases, bike lanes.
Employment
The proposed Comprehensive Plan Map and zoning map changes expand existing employment areas in Salem. Specifically, the proposed maps expand the amount of Industrial Commercial (IC) land in Salem. This Comprehensive Plan designation - and corresponding IC zone - allows for a mix of commercial and industrial uses. For example, land in and around the Fairview Industrial area has been redesignated and rezoned to IC.
The proposed maps also maintain existing industrial land throughout Salem, including areas along Portland Road, Salem Parkway, McGilchrist Street, Sunnyview Road around 16th Street, and the Mill Creek Corporate Center. The industrial area in inner West Salem is proposed to be redesignated and rezoned to allow for a mix of uses, but the proposed zoning there includes a provision that would allow existing industrial businesses to continue and new industrial businesses to move into existing industrial buildings. This creates flexibility in when that industrial area transitions to a mixed-use area.
Other changes
The proposed changes to the zoning map eliminate 18 overlay zones. Many of those overlay zones are no longer necessary because the underlying zone is proposed to change to a mixed-use zone; the overlays had previously promoted mixed-use development when the underlying zone was, for example, a commercial zone. Eliminating overlay zones has been a priority of the City over the years, as the community and City Council has asked for zoning to be streamlined and simplified. Historic districts will remain as will several overlay zones along portions of Commercial Street SE and Portland Road NE.
In addition, the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan Map and zoning maps fix inconsistencies between the two maps on roughly 700 properties throughout Salem. Inconsistencies between Comprehensive Plan Map designations and zones create challenges when property owners want to develop or redevelop their land.
Engrossment of ordinance to reflect City Council revisions
The City Council voted on July 11, 2022, to approve the proposed map amendments with the following revisions to the Comprehensive Plan Map and/or Zoning Map:
a. Remove from Ordinance No. 10-22 the property at 2390 Brown Road NE that is proposed to be redesignated to Mixed Use on Map 26 and rezoned to Neighborhood Hub on Map 33
b. Remove from Ordinance No. 10-22 the properties north of Orchard Heights Road NW that are proposed to be redesignated to Multiple Family Residential on Map 159
c. Rezone and redesignate the properties south of Orchard Heights Road NW that are proposed to be rezoned to Mixed Use-II on Map 190 and redesignated to Mixed Use on Map 160 to reflect staff’s original proposal to rezone and redesignate only the northern portions of the impacted properties
d. Rezone and redesignate the property at 255 College Drive NW that is proposed to be rezoned to Multiple Family-I on Map 170 and redesignated to Multi-Family Residential on Map 142 to the Single Family Residential zone and designation
e. Remove the properties on both sides of Commercial Street SE from Superior Street S to Jerris Avenue and properties on only the east side of Commercial Street SE between Jerris Avenue and McGilchrist Street that are proposed to be rezoned to MU-III on Proposed Zone Change Map 124 from Ordinance No. 10-22 and to direct staff create a new ordinance and schedule a separate public hearing to consider rezoning those properties to MU-II
f. Direct staff to address traffic issues on Wallace Road NW-including the Congestion Relief Task Force recommendations-in the upcoming update to the Salem Transportation System Plan
Staff recommends engrossing the ordinance to reflect these revisions. Findings demonstrating the proposal’s conformance with the applicable approval criteria are included in Exhibits C and D to the engrossed ordinance.
BACKGROUND:
The City Council funded the Our Salem project in 2017. The funding followed the strategic planning process when the community identified the need to develop a vision for growth and development. Salem’s portion of the urban growth boundary is projected to continue adding residents and jobs through 2035, and the Our Salem project provided the community with an opportunity to guide how and where that growth occurs.
The City started the Our Salem project in the fall of 2018, working with a consultant team led by Fregonese Associates. The multi-year project has resulted in a proposed update to the Comprehensive Plan as well as proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan Map, zoning map, and zoning code.
Eunice Kim
Long Range Planning Manager
Attachments:
1. Engrossed Ordinance Bill No. 10-22