The Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend approval of proposed code changes resulting from the Multifamily Housing Design project.
The commission's recommendation included seven changes to the proposed code amendment:
- Continue to allow garages to count toward required multifamily parking requirements
- Do not prohibit balconies on multifamily buildings facades that face single family-zoned properties
- Do not require private open space in multifamily housing projects
- Further reduce the parking requirement for multifamily housing near bus stops with frequent service or within Cherriot's Core Network
- Apply the proposed reduction in parking requirements for affordable housing to units that are affordable to households earning 80 percent of median family income or less (where 60 percent or less was proposed)
- Change the proposed reduction in parking requirements for small projects to 1 space per studio or 1-bedroom unit and 1.5 spaces per 2- or more bedroom unit (where 1 space per unit was proposed)
- Allow parking in smaller projects to be located between buildings and the street
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed amendments at a date to be determined and will make the final decision.
Background
The proposed code changes update Salem's design and other standards for multifamily housing, which is development with three or more dwelling units. They do not change where multifamily housing is allowed in Salem.
The proposed changes aim to help meet our community's housing needs by removing barriers to the development of multifamily housing and ensuring that new development is compatible with Salem's neighborhoods.
They are a result of the Multifamily Housing Design project that started last year.
The proposed code changes implement recommendations in the Salem Housing Needs Analysis (HNA). The HNA found that Salem's portion of the urban growth boundary has a projected 207-acre deficit of land designated for multifamily housing (2,897 units) based on a 20-year population forecast.
