Keizer city manager outlines limits, costs and options tied to Salem shared urban growth boundary

The Keizer city manager told residents at an online town hall that Keizer shares an urban growth boundary with Salem and that the two cities’ growth fates are therefore tied unless the cities and counties agree to change that arrangement.

The briefing focused on how state land-use rules limit where cities can grow, what would be required to separate Keizer from Salem, and estimated public costs for extending services. “Oregon’s land use laws were meant to protect farmland and forest land,” the city manager said, adding that the state expects cities to use the least desirable land first and to use existing land as efficiently as possible.

City officials said Keizer’s municipal boundaries are largely built out and that remaining land inside the shared urban growth boundary is adjacent to Salem. The manager described two formal paths to change that: a cooperative exchange among the City of Keizer, the City of Salem, Marion County and Polk County, or a legislative change enacted by the state. The manager said both paths carry uncertainty about the outcome.

The city manager summarized a 2018 study that examined two growth scenarios and their estimated infrastructure costs. One scenario, relying on densification along River Road plus job-centered growth north of town, was estimated to require about $17 million in public infrastructure costs. A second scenario that added more residential and job development north of town was estimated at about $36 million. The manager said that, in practice, development fees would not cover all costs and that multiple public bodies would likely share the remainder.

The manager also described “exception lands” — properties outside the urban growth boundary already identified as candidates for future inclusion — located generally between River Road, Clear Lake Road and Quimby. Areas outside the boundary are designated EFU (exclusive farm use), the manager said, meaning state goals to preserve farmland constrain where cities may expand.

Finally, the manager noted a recent executive opportunity the city could consider: a governor’s allowance opened last year permitting cities with populations over 25,000 to expand by up to 100 net acres. The manager encouraged residents to comment through the city’s online survey, saying the Keizer City Council wants residents’ feedback on whether Keizer should intentionally seek growth.

Details from the briefing — including the study year, the two cost estimates, the exception-lands locations, and the need for county or legislative approval to separate from Salem — were presented as background for future council discussion and potential policy choices.