Walkable, Mixed-Use Areas
The City has completed a study of potential Walkable, Mixed-Use Areas (WaMUAs) in Salem. This work builds upon the Our Salem project, which rezoned many areas for mixed-use development. The Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments helped conduct the study, which was funded by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). You can read the study below:
Background
The CFEC rules require the City to facilitate the development of walkable, mixed-use areas - referred to as Climate-Friendly Areas by the State - in Salem. Specifically, the City must adopt regulations in these areas to promote compact, walkable, mixed-use development and to support access by people who walk, bike, or take transit.
Learn about new State rules that aim to promote walkable, mixed-use areas in Salem and Keizer by watching a recording of the February 23, 2023, virtual public meeting. Staff from DLCD explained the new Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules and described what walkable, mixed-use areas are. Planners from the cities of Salem and Keizer discuss how the rules will be implemented in our communities.
Equity Roundtable
As part of Salem's work to implement the CFEC rules, the City formed an Equity Roundtable, which included representatives from traditionally underserved communities in Salem. This includes communities of color, lower-income residents, people with disabilities, youth, tribal governments, refugees, and others. The Equity Roundtable, which began as a pilot project, met in the spring of 2023 to discuss issues related to land use, housing, and displacement. Input from the roundtable informed the City's work related to walkable, mixed-use areas. Summaries of these meetings are below.
Following the completion of the pilot project, participants of the Equity Roundtable decided to continue as a permanent group and asked that a City Councilor be appointed as a liaison to the roundtable. Councilor Virginia Stapleton has been appointed as the City Council liaison. Learn more about the Equity Roundtable here.
What other land use changes are required?
The CFEC rules require the City to update how it regulates development. For example, the rules call for pedestrian-oriented design standards and pedestrian access standards in commercial and mixed-use areas. The rules also require neighborhoods to be designed with connected networks of streets, paths, and accessways. The City has many such regulations already in place, but staff will evaluate and implement any additional code and Comprehensive Plan changes that are required.
