Keizer’s city complex on Northeast Chemawa Road is growing with the acquisition of nearly an acre of home property made possible in part by a homeowner’s long-ago friendship with a police chief.
The Keizer City Council recently agreed to a deal to pay $799,000 for a home and shop building at 4860 Bailey Road. The property is directly south of the Keizer Civic Center.
City Manager Adam Brown said Utah Crowson lived in the home until he died about a year ago. He had earlier deeded the property to relatives, hoping it would be sold to the city at some point. Crowson was good friends with John Teague, a longtime Keizer police officer who served as chief for 10 years before retiring in 2023.
A staff report to councilors said the property “will fill an immediate need for an evidence storage building for vehicles required to be retained for long periods of time.”
The city had budgeted $600,000 to erect such a building, but that money went to purchase the Bailey Road property. It comes with a building that can be used for storage, Brown said.
Brown said the city paid a bit over the value set by an independent appraisal.
He said plans for the house aren’t set. He said the city could rent the home to a tenant for somewhere around $2,000 a month – but upgrades would be needed first.

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