Or…Portland, Eugene, Ashland, Corvallis – any number of Oregon towns with that special something that Salem so sorely lacks.
Laurel and I cruised around Bend one day last week. Our first stop was the NorthWest Crossing development. We were charmed.
We were involved with the effort to convert Salem's Fairview Training Center property into a sustainable mixed use development. So far it hasn't come to much, aside from the admirable progress of Pringle Creek Community on a small portion of the site.
NorthWest Crossing reminded us of what Salem lacks, because it incorporates many of the elements of the Sustainable Fairview master plan.
Homes are unique, not fashioned from an architectural cookie cutter. They all have a, well, homey feel to them. Porches encourage residents to face outward toward their neighbors.
Cars and garages are relegated to alleys. It's amazing how much better a street looks when it's people-focused rather than automobile focused. The alleys are the least attractive aspect of NorthWest Crossing.
These townhouses have a similar appearance to the detached homes.
This part of the development faces a large open area, left largely natural. As a laudatory description of NorthWest Crossing notes, most subdivisions plat the lots and leave whatever is left over as open space. Here, by contrast:
"The plan, developed by Walker Macy's Doug Macy, Mike Zilis, and David Aulwes, is organized around a large central circular park with mature pines ringed with higher-density homes, creating a distinctive heart to the community and a memorable identity. The plan begins with these placemaking elements, which contrasts with the conventional model of blanketing a parcel of land with lots then trying to carve out open space from the unbuildable remainder."
Family pet in tow, we walked to a commercial area of NorthWest Crossing.
A dog boutique featured a convenient hitching post. We got some lattes at a coffeehouse, sat outside, and enjoyed hearing "cute dog" as a girl and her mother drove by in an open-air Jeep.
Later we drove to the Old Mill District. Shopped at REI (don't have one in Salem). Watched my wife browse at a Chico's (don't have one in Salem). Ate at the yummy Café Yumm! (don't have one in Salem). Then went across town to the Whole Foods Market (don't have one in Salem).
See the pattern? There's a lot that Salem doesn't have, and Bend does, along with Eugene and the other cities I mentioned.
Poor us.
But we have no trouble finding a parking space in downtown Salem. Not much of a silver lining, but Salemites take whatever solace they can get after visiting a town like Bend that makes us realize what we're missing.
How expensive is Northwest Crossing for housing? I also love how Black Butte is set up but have you seen the prices to live there? If Northwest Crossing is for the average home buyer in Bend-- not a low income market for sure-- then it's more commendable. We certainly need more that think creatively for quality living without paying a fortune.
There have been a few such interesting housing projects in Tucson, sustainable, community oriented, unique and attractive that were laudable but eventually didn't make enough money and ended up being turned into ordinary housing developments probably to the disappointment of early purchasers.
Posted by: Rain | June 10, 2008 at 08:01 AM
I had high hopes for the fairview project as well, and I'm hoping some of the downtown projects give the downtown some sorely needed energy.
We seem to be headed in the right direction, just not there yet.
Posted by: Melina Tomson | June 11, 2008 at 10:47 AM
How about the Bend Bulletin as compared to our Salem rag? The Bulletin usually has four or five sections with actual local as well as national news stories and about half the junk advertising inserts but stil appears to be making enough money to stay in business. Can it be because it's an independnet rather than part of the Gannett empire
Posted by: Mike Hughes | June 14, 2008 at 11:27 AM
How about the Bend Bulletin as compared to our Salem rag? The Bulletin usually has four or five sections with actual local as well as national news stories and about half the junk advertising inserts but stil appears to be making enough money to stay in business. Can it be because it's an independnet rather than part of the Gannett empire?
Posted by: Mike Hughes | June 14, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Mike, excellent observation. We always buy the Bulletin when we're in Camp Sherman. Last visit, the Bulletin had a lengthy second page story about dark energy and what it means for our understanding of the universe.
Good luck even seeing a mention of this in the Statesman Journal. Like you said, it's part of the Gannett chain -- which is noted for its sleazy business practices and inattention to local needs (focus is on the bottom line of Gannett and S-J advertisers).
Posted by: Brian | June 14, 2008 at 11:49 AM
I have been in Salem for a little over two months now. I am not impressed so far. I moved from Cincinnati, which is about twice the size of Portland. So the size of the city is one of the factors.
My wife works for Salem Hospital. The hospital moved us out here. There are more things than I care to list that are wrong with this town. But the number one thing I would list is:
Salem's leaders' big economic plan is high end condominiums?! The idea is to attract buyers from Portland and Eugene to live here since it's cheaper. Great! No, it's not. Oregon doesn't have sales tax, so besides property tax the city doesn't gain anything, but folks who will buy their groceries locally and get their art and furniture from contemporary galleries in PDX or Eugene.
The Salem Commerce Department says the largest private employer in town is Salem Hospital at 2800 employees. Out of 150,000 people that's not a good number. If you look at their statistics they cannot account for 28% of the adult working population (i.e., those folks are out of work).
So how do you solve the problem?
A. Build a train line from Eugene to Salem to PDX (it's a straight shot if you build it along I-5). The project will employ a lot of skilled laborers. Did you know that there are 600,000 jobs coming open in the next ten years in PDX due to Baby Boomers retiring?
B. The city planners need to fight hard for manufacturing to come to Salem. There are so many empty shopping centers that could be reclaimed for manufacturing it's not even funny.
C. The city needs to give good incentives to small business owners to open up shop in Salem. In Covington Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, they gave $20k business loans (20 years zero interest) to folks who bought buildings to set up their businesses.
As I have been looking to open my own art gallery in Salem, I have found realtors want to lock you into a five year contract. They want to overcharge you for the spaces. In Cincinnati our rent was under $500 per month for 1000 sq ft and we were on a yearly lease. So far I'm finding the opposite. Business does not seem to be encouraged if you want to stay out of hock.
Posted by: Jonathan | June 23, 2008 at 02:22 AM
I love Black Butte Ranch having stayed at a friends home there. Very tranquil atmosphere. It is a bit of a double-edged sword tho in terms of sprawl as these types of communities are not compatible with long-term growth and minimizing the impact on wildness in the area. I live at the Touchmark at Mt Bachelor village retirement community myself. Another amazing development with stunning architecture. They have homes as well but I choose to live in the lodge style apartments - higher density being more nature friendly. As a side benefit I get to enjoy more of a sense of community and the hotel like services available as well. Nice post!
Posted by: Oregon Retirement Guy | June 29, 2008 at 03:19 PM
It is helpful to see such concrete analysis of Salem and how it might improve by taking a few clues from around Oregon. Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts and photos online. Salem is at a good point for implementing a widescale improvement plan. The comment by Brian from Cincinatti is particularly interesting and I really like the idea of a train from Eugene to Portland.
Posted by: Michael | July 23, 2008 at 03:11 PM