Plans to Build On Largest Plot of Underdeveloped Land in West Salem Take Shape
By Jennifer Halley, for the Westside Newspaper
Plans to develop one of the largest plots of undeveloped land in West Salem into a multifamily housing unit were met with dissent at the August West Neighborhood Association meeting.
Held on August 6 in the event space at Roth’s Fresh Markets on Wallace Road, residents showed up to voice their opinions over the proposal, referred to in the site plan as Cherry Hill. If plans go through, the development would be built on 127 acres north of Orchard Heights Road. Sixty-three of those acres are zoned for mixed-use, and 64 are zoned for single-family residential. As it stands now, the plan is to develop nearly 1,000 units, although the property could house up to 2,000.
This conversation isn’t the first about the property. Bought in 2022 for $38 million, it is owned by the Wyants, longtime Salem residents, property and retail store owners. Ryan O’Brien, a consultant with Planning & Land Design LLC, is representing the family and helping them navigate the complexities of development. Also involved is real estate agent and project manager Craig Evans.
Increased traffic concerns were the main focus during the meeting, with residents talking over one another and O’Brien during the presentation as they fought to ensure their voices were heard. The meeting went well over its allotted time.
Evans agreed with the collective concerns, but said that there’s nothing to be done about the fact that the property will get developed.
“When I came onto this,” he said, “the initial idea was to sell it in bulk to the biggest developers in the state, and let them do anything they want. Well, I don't want that for our community. [Dave] Wyant doesn't really want that for our community, and we're hoping that if we get some cooperation from the city and the support of the community, that we can do something creative and much more attractive. Our hope is to make this a really nice, high end development.”
Plans are still in the beginning stages, and much of what O’Brien and Evans presented to the meeting is preliminary. Traffic studies need to be conducted, among other details.
On the City’s side of things, due to land use protocol, only when a Notice of Decision has been issued can the public start to comment and offer feedback. There are multiple steps that need to be taken before that will happen, so the earliest the association would be able to discuss more detailed plans would be late this year or early into next year.
“There’s not much we can do between there and here,” he said.
O’Brien said they’ll be able to give West Salem residents a better idea of when the apartments might be built as the project gains traction.
Oregon is suffering a housing shortage by the tens of thousands, according to local and state officials. Because of this, they are encouraging construction of new units. Following Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s goal of building 36,000 new homes each year, the city has revised zoning codes to address development barriers, and to fill empty lots within city limits, like the lot on Cherry Hill, with housing.
This story is ongoing.