City leaders are mapping a future for Keizer they hope will bring more people and jobs to town while keeping a “small-town feel.”
That won’t be easy, according to findings in the draft of the Keizer Strategic Plan.

The community doesn’t have enough land for needed housing.

Too many workers still leave town for jobs.

And River Road’s congested traffic will only worsen.

The 20-page draft will be the topic of the next session of the Strategic Plan Work Group. That includes Councilor Lore Christopher, a former mayor, and Councilors Kyle Juran and Shaney Starr, the council president.

The work group’s public meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at the Keizer Civic Center.

The purpose of the plan is to match the collective desires of Keizer residents about their community with city government tasks.

The draft maps out the result and what could happen in the next five years.

“This is not a plan that will sit on the shelf,” City Manager Adam Brown recently told the work group.

The draft, expected to head soon to the Keizer City Council, results from months of work. Brown said an estimated 900 people submitted comments. Every city committee got a chance to chime in.

That resulted in key findings assessing the current state of Keizer. They include:

“Housing availability challenges affecting a growing population.”

“High community concern regarding traffic congestion, lack of north-south access.”

“High community satisfaction with public safety and recreational spaces.”

“Opportunities to enhance arts and culture programs to strengthen community

engagement.”

Underlying the plan is the long-standing tension between those who want Keizer as it was with what it could be.

The plan urges balance.

The city should plan investments that “foster sustainable growth that preserves Keizer’s small-town feel,” the plan says.

“Expanding services and infrastructure must be done carefully to support new businesses and housing without losing the closeknit, small-town feel that makes Keizer special,” according to the plan.

That theme emerged in city-run town halls and other public meetings, according to Mayor Cathy Clark.

“We heard it loud and clear,” she said. “That very conflict came through.”

She said the city isn’t focusing simply on more residents and more employers.

“Growth for growth’s sake is not the goal,” she said. “Growth that moves the Keizer community forward is.”

READ IT: Keizer strategic plan

One reality is that Keizer is girdled by the urban growth boundary – an invisible wall around the city that allows homes on one side and only agriculture on the other.

“Expansion limitations may slow economic growth and development without innovative planning solutions,” the plan said. “A growing demand for diverse housing presents challenges for long-term residents.”

Developers now are using revised state laws to build housing complexes of up to four homes on ground once saved for one family home. Keizer also is seeing more apartments going in – and up.

The mayor said she sees such changes in her Cummings neighborhood. The key, she said, is for the city to meet state building requirements while ensuring new housing is as compatible as possible with existing neighborhoods.

The strategic plan sees that as a community opportunity.

“Expanding mixed-use housing ensures sustainable development without losing Keizer’s small-town feel,” the plan said.

The plan also captures an ambition to create more local jobs.

“Economic growth is slower” in Keizer compared to larger cities, the plan says. “Keizer relies on surrounding cities for employment rather than fostering large-scale job creation locally.”

Clark said Keizer is likely to see more retail operations bringing jobs to Keizer. She said the city hopes to lure more services, such as medical clinics, and “industries that don’t take a lot of land.”

Such development is about more than jobs, she said.

“We are predominantly residential,” she said. “That balance is not healthy for a community.”

She said bringing in more business helps spread the cost of funding city services.

The plan calls for the city to finish an economic analysis and more heavily promote venues such as the Keizer Civic Center and Keizer Rapids Park.

It also urges “a report to explore alternative north-south routes” to address congested traffic on River Road.

The plan doesn’t identify any such route but one is apparent: Verda Lane. The city is currently improving the street from the Salem Parkway to Chemawa Road. One vision is that Verda Lane would one day extend north to connect to River Road in the McNary Estates area.

Clark noted that Verda Lane courses through a long-established neighborhood between Chemawa Road and Lockhaven Drive. 

She said without some new route to handle traffic through town, River Road will grow more congested. That means drivers would need more time to move from one end of Keizer to the other.

She said Keizer residents will have more chances to address the strategic plan. One will be when the city council considers adopting the plan. No date has been set for such action.

The plan itself notes the need for citizens to be involved in city affairs.

“Without continued transparency and inclusivity, resident involvement in decision-making may decline,” the plan said. For now, “Thanks to Keizer’s engaged and supportive community, the town is well-equipped for a promising future.”

READ IT: Keizer strategic plan

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