On the Agenda: Salem to vote on affordable housing development agreement

Before the regular Salem City Council meeting Monday, the Salem Housing Authority Commission will vote on whether to authorize a memorandum of understanding between the city and Northwest Human Services for new multi-family housing Evergreen Apartments to serve low and moderate-income households.

Evergreen Apartments currently has one house and six small cottages on land which would eventually be demolished and replaced with a new 26- to 28-unit affordable housing building.

Existing tenants would have the first right to return once the building is completed.

The land, located at 1797 Evergreen Ave. NE in northeast Salem, would be received by the city as an in-kind donation from Northwest Human Services. The Salem Housing Authority would become the owner and manager of the site once the development is completed.

In return, Northwest Human Services would provide supportive services on-site with a preference for those who would benefit directly from them, according to a city staff report.

"Affordable housing in Salem is a community need," Salem Housing Authority Administrator Nicole Utz said in a report to the commission. "SHA is working on several new affordable housing projects. Approval of this MOU would continue furthering the Housing Authority’s commitment to finding ways to expand on public/private/nonprofit partnerships and increase affordable housing supply in Salem."

Other Salem City Council agenda items

• A vote on whether to apply for a grant for in-pipe hydroelectric turbine energy generation.
• A public hearing on the Utilities and Stormwater sections of Salem Revised Code.
• A proposed work plan and budget for initial steps to understand the community’s priorities for city services. At a recent work session, city leaders said they first wanted to reach out to the community through polls before putting a recommended property tax on the ballot. The work plan will be a critical step in starting the polling process.

How to participate in the Salem City Council meeting

The meeting is at 6 p.m. It will be held in person in the City Council Chambers at the Salem Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. SE, and can be watched on Comcast Cable CCTV Channel 21 or on the Salem YouTube channel in English/American Sign Language and Spanish .

Those wishing to comment in person can sign up on the rosters at the chamber entrance before the start of the meeting.

Written public comments on agenda items can be emailed by 5 p.m. Monday to cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net . Or preregister between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday at cityofsalem.net/Pages/Public-Comment-at-Salem-City-Council-Meeting.aspx to speak during the meeting via Zoom.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com , call 503-910-6616 or follow on X at @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: On the Agenda: Salem to vote on affordable housing development agreement