Councilors on Feb. 24 instructed staff to pursue options for the Willow Lake settlement‑agreement area and to continue efforts to update key planning studies that would inform any urban growth boundary (UGB) decisions.

Councilor Christopher asked the council to consider a limited‑duration planner but staff and other councilors recommended first defining the objective — specifically, exploring options related to the Willow Lake settlement agreement and assessing what legal, planning or data support would be needed. Staff said that the settlement agreement is a legal instrument originally drafted by attorneys and that revisiting it will likely require coordination with other jurisdictions that are party to the agreement.

City staff reported they have discussed the matter with Salem legal staff and that Salem is gathering data (rather than drawing an arbitrary radius) to inform any changes tied to the settlement agreement. Staff said that work will produce more to review, but that Salem has competing priorities and timing is uncertain.

Councilors also discussed the housing‑capacity analysis (formerly known as a housing needs analysis) and the economic opportunity analysis (EOA). Staff noted the state has changed requirements and terminology, and that Keizer's current EOA dates from about 2013 and needs updating. Staff said they previously applied for grant funding for an updated EOA and were unsuccessful but will continue to seek funding; these studies are commonly used to justify UGB amendments and to plan for employment lands and housing capacity.

The council directed staff to: (1) treat a Willow Lake settlement‑agreement review as a two‑year short‑term topic to explore options and coordinate with other jurisdictions, and (2) continue seeking funding and timing to update the housing capacity and economic opportunity analyses and return with a scope and cost estimate.