Oh, man... just what I didn't need so early in the new year -- another reason to be depressed about the prospects of Salem, Oregon being able to ditch it's well-deserved nickname, So-Lame.
Today the Statesman Journal newspaper revealed what the Tokarski clan at Mountain West Development are planning for the 13 acre downtown riverfront site which used to house a Boise Cascade paper converting plant and now is to become Pringle Square.
Download Pringle Square story PDF
Rental apartments. Unbeautifully stacked in what reminds me and my wife of (1) North Korean housing, (2) Chicago "projects," or (3) a poorly designed airline terminal. The development doesn't look any better from closer up.
Garish. Flat roofs. Seemingly no attention paid to sustainability. (The newspaper story says "Salem staffers have recommended approval with a number of conditions, such as improvements to pedestrian access and the addition of bicycle parking.")
A shell of the paper plant still uglifies the view from Commercial Street. Some Pollyannish commenters on the newspaper story say that us critics of Pringle Square should shut up, because anything would be better than what is there now.
Wow. That's a reflection of Salem's disturbing acceptance of mediocrity.
While our much more vibrant neighbors to the north and south, Portland and Corvallis, press ahead with 21st century developments, we here in So-Lame are supposed to accept an oh-so-blah barely-mixed use plan for a highly important riverfront area that deserves a hell of lot better than a design which might have looked trendy in 1960.
I understand that the real estate market is in a downturn at the moment. But Salem shouldn't allow temporary financial conditions to dictate how the southern portion of the downtown riverfront will look for decades into the future.
Only a few years ago, Mountain West Development had quite different plans for Pringle Square. The plans above are from a 2008 Statesman Journal story.
At a Thursday open house where a developer unveiled its plans for the Boise Cascade site, a small crowd of Salem residents looked over drawings showing the dormant industrial site replaced with a mixed-use development.
Most seemed to have an optimistic outlook for the transformation planned for the 13-acre property.
"I think it's a great idea and a great opportunity," said James Kohn, whose home is a 10- minute walk from the Boise property. Many critics think Salem can't pull together a showcase downtown development, Kohn said, but in his view, the mixed-use project is "pretty much on the mark."
"I want to live here. I want to be right at the top," Salem resident Hazel Patton said as she looked over plans for town houses. The property is a perfect location for a mixed-use development, and it will provide "a strong anchor" for the downtown area, she said.
...Where the old mill building now stands on Commercial Street SE, developers want to build a hotel, a restaurant and office space.
Meanwhile, a large share of the building's southern portion of the site would be spared and remodeled for new uses. The first construction work on the site likely will be converting the warehouse on the south block into a parking garage with as many as 550 spaces, Gerling said.
In addition, about 80 town house-style apartments would be built on top of the warehouse.
Site plans also call for a full-service gymnasium with a swimming pool to be built alongside the former warehouse. Several local gym operators have expressed an interest in the location, but no deals have been struck, Gerling said.
Now, no talk of condos, restaurant, or hotel. The "mixed use" side of Pringle Square reportedly is to be such wildly unexciting businesses as insurance and medical offices. This isn't what people in Salem envisioned when the city worked out a deal with the developers back in 2007.
Like I said last year in "Salem's riverfront development looks like a loser":
So my wife and I pictured being able to walk to the development from downtown, strolling along the river to restaurants, shopping, night spots. We could enjoy a taste of Paris, or at least San Antonio, sipping our lattes with a view of Minto Brown Island and pleasantly people-watching.
What a waste of prime riverfront property. Nobody is going to want to visit Pringle Square to peer through the window of an insurance office, dreaming of how cool it would be to walk in and talk about a multi-car premium discount.
Last year a fellow griper, John Craig Nielson, wrote a letter to the editor about the Mountain West riverfront development. He nailed it then; given the recently revealed Pringle Square plan, he's still right-on now.
After years of talk, studies, proposals, etc., we finally get an idea of what the new owners of the Boise Cascade site are planning for this critical riverfront property.
What a joke! One hundred apartments and a huge parking structure, all based on rehabbing an old industrial warehouse?
Downtown Salem does not need 100 apartments and a mega-parking structure. To construct that amount of apartments obviously means they will likely be low-income units because Salem can't fill any of the "upscale" units that already exist.
I can't imagine too many professional, medical or retail companies that would want to locate in that environment.
The developers are taking the "cheapest" way to maximize their investment. What happened to the multi-use, park-like setting with shops, restaurants, open spaces, etc., that was originally touted?
This plan is a big mistake and would turn the property into another eyesore and waste of potential. But it would complement Courthouse Square and provide a view of the storage units that border Wallace Marine Park and enhance the beauty of our West Salem Riverfront.
Come on Salem, wake up to this "fiasco." Don't allow this waste of prime downtown riverfront. Make it something that all of us can enjoy and take pride in.
If this is accurate, it's a huge mistake by the developers. The Meridian and the River Front are prime examples. It has nothing to do with the real estate market. 295 Church St is completely sold out & full of people, condos, designed well, marketed well. The correct mix use, designed well, backed by good infrastructure will bring in ALOT of revenue, be pleasant to look at and be a buzz of activity.
Posted by: Chris Stewart | January 08, 2012 at 01:30 PM
Chris, I agree. Today I talked with some friends who are knowledgeable about real estate and know quite a bit about local developers.
They said what's happening with Pringle Square is typical of how Mountain West does things: on the cheap, looking for the highest short term return.
We spoke about how Pringle Creek does involve a lot of "sunk" costs. The land cost a bundle. Clearing out the old Boise Cascade buildings is costing a lot. So the development is going to be more expensive than if it was starting from scratch on bare land.
One option, which was the initial commitment of Mountain West, was a high quality mixed-use development which would be a big asset to downtown Salem and the riverfront. It would cost more, but also offer a lot more to the public and potential owners/lessees of the property.
Unfortunately, it looks like Mountain West has shifted directions toward a lower cost, lower benefits model. Get by on the cheap. Attempt to make a profit by lowering costs and offering a mediocre product, rather than building a premium development that would command higher prices.
Like I said, this is sad. Salem is going to be stuck with a riverfront dominated by a cheap-o clunky apartment complex for decades to come.
Posted by: Brian Hines | January 08, 2012 at 09:38 PM
HEY...I got an idea, How about we build a brand new PAPER MILL there and employ some people !
Posted by: Wayne White | January 09, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Yesterday the Statesman Journal had a story about Pringle Square plans being approved by the city. I wanted to capture comments left on this story, before it disappears into the S-J archives, because most make good points about the mediocre design of the development. Story currently is at:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120111/NEWS/201110437/Pringle-Square-plan-approved
Here's the comments:
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Anthony Riecke-Gonzales · Haiku, Hawaii
The proposed apartments have a characterless appearance for such a high profile site. Come on guys, you can do better than this. Downtown salem has several buildings with character, just walk around down town. No reason these buildings can't enhance the sense of a unique place for downtown salem rather than urban anywhere.
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Stu Templeman
Nice idea but not real appealing looking. You would think that the designers could create a building that reflects downtown and once was a wildlife refuge called Minto Brown Island until a bridge was built which increased the number of people and eliminated the wildlife.
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Rob Miles · Top commenter · University of Oregon
Assuming they will be "recycling" the old Boise warehouse, I understand the limitations with the design (the somewhat boxy, monolithic look). I think some tweaking of the exterior amendments and staggering of the unit balconies would break up the lines.
Additionally, I agree - the name Pringle Square is square! Eagle View, Heron Crest, or hey...didn't the native Americans used to have a settlement on that site called Chemeketa (you know, our city's namesake, except we preferred a more Christian name like Salem instead of their pagan word)? Call it Chemeketa Crest or Chemeketa Landing.
One thumb up on the design; two thumbs DOWN on the name. The planners might want to talk to the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Rhonde about coming up with a name. Perhaps they'd kick in some $$$ on the project and we could have an interpretive center added to that project for locals and tourists to learn about our history.
Nah, never mind..it might remind people that we outright stole all that land in the first place before we wrecked it with an industrial site.
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Lori Lucas · Central High
In the 70's (or somewhere around that time) Salem had a sort of prison looking phase with City Hall, Library and Pringle Park Plaza. Now it looks like it's going to go through the cheap modular building with off set roofs! Why can't we mix it up a bit. I am sure there is more than one architect around here. Unless the one being used has some in that the rest of us don't know about! I also agree with the other postings regarding the character of Salem's buildings. Maybe do a mix of old/modern. One other thing... What's with this stupid height restriction!?!
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David Rehm · Gazing Out the Window at Many places, USA
Pretty ugly stuff there. I don't think adding primary colors to each pod does anything. Seven hundred a month for less than 700 square feet? This will be a tough sell. Stu T. has a good point: Why not build something that reflects the character of the area? Let's see, we'll be overlooking a slough and please, give up on the name Dove Cove. There are no doves. There are Herons, at least there are until the walking bridge is built and everyone's dog takes care of the Heron rookeries and eagle nesting sites. Salem, you are a really weird town.
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Whatson Theare
Congrats to Kirk Sund with CB|Two Architects for the approval. Lets hope the design maintains as time continues. Depending on the const. industry that estimate can go up or down. Lets hope down, so that more trees can be added in the courtyard and maybe some consideration for sunlight for the apartments interior spaces.
Posted by: Brian Hines | January 12, 2012 at 11:36 AM
If you do not like Salem you can certainly leave.
Posted by: Dan | May 21, 2015 at 12:05 PM
Dan, true. But I both like and dislike Salem. So I'm staying.
Posted by: Brian Hines | May 21, 2015 at 01:00 PM