The City Council accepted the Our Salem Vision Monday, marking a major milestone in the multi-year project to update the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan. It is the culmination of more than a year and a half of community engagement.

The Vision includes broad goals and a land use map that depict how the community wants the Salem area to grow. It sets the high-level framework for all of the detailed work ahead - the development of policies, zoning map changes, and zoning code updates. Nothing is final until it goes through the formal adoption process, which is expected at the end of this year.

The Council also voted to form a subcommittee of councilors and Planning Commission members to make recommendations on six possible zoning code changes intended to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You can see those zoning options in the

City Council presentation on the Our Salem project website. We will share more about the subcommittee meetings as we work out the details.

Get involved and learn more 

More opportunities to give input

There's a lot more work to do, and we want your input. We plan to hold weekly virtual meetings on different topics starting at the end of March. Your input will help us revise and add to the draft policies that we are developing. Stay tuned for more details on how to participate!

We plan to launch a new online survey and interactive map this spring to get your input on policies as well as zoning map ideas. In addition, we will also attend meetings of community organizations to gather more input.

If your neighborhood or organization is meeting virtually in April or May, and you would like us attend to talk about the Our Salem project, please contact Eunice Kim, project manager, at ekim@cityofsalem.net or 503-540-2308.

We will use your input to continue our work on the Our Salem project, including shaping the policies, maps, and regulations necessary to update the Comprehensive Plan in line with the Our Salem Vision. That work will continue throughout this year.

We plan to bring all of this work through an adoption process by the end of this year. That adoption process will include public hearings. 

Background 

The Our Salem project is a multi-year project to update the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan, which guides future development in the Salem area. The Comprehensive Plan includes broad goals, policies, and land use maps to guide future growth.

Salem is expected to add 60,000 people by 2035. With this growth comes the chance to better plan for how and where we want to grow.

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