Keizer council repeals 1993 barricade resolution, directs traffic-calming studies

The Keizer City Council voted unanimously Jan. 5 to repeal a 1993 resolution that had closed 4th Place, a change prompted by a fire-district request and a recent development application that revealed the neighborhood now exceeds modern fire-code limits for single-access areas.

Chief Russell of the Keizer Fire District told the council the action is rooted in public safety: “The size of the neighborhood, as it currently stands without further development is almost 3 times the allowable size to only have 1 ingress and egress road,” he said, citing the risk to evacuation and emergency response if the neighborhood remains with a single access point.

Council staff described the history of the barricade, which was installed in the early 1990s to address school-related cut-through traffic and later discussed again in 2005. Staff and the fire district said changes to local connectivity and a pending three-lot partition on Kestrel revealed the neighborhood’s footprint now approaches nearly 90 residences — well above the 30-dwelling threshold referenced in the Oregon fire code for single-access subdivisions.

Several neighborhood residents urged the council to keep the barricade, warning reopening would invite cut-through traffic and speeders. “Removing the gate creates a stretch of road, and it’s proven facts that reckless drivers drive very fast when there’s a straight stretch,” said resident Shabri Veneri. Engineer Mark Grens, who said his firm is working on the project that triggered the review, pointed councilors to the fire-code section that limits the number of dwelling units served by a single access and noted exceptions require sprinklering for many homes.

Councilors debated intermediate options — from an automated gate with emergency access hardware to traffic-calming design changes — and unanimously approved the repeal motion. By consensus the council also directed staff to develop traffic-calming design options and place counters/data in the field, and to return with cost estimates and a recommended timetable; council requested first information within 90 days so the body and neighborhood can assess impacts and budget needs.

What happens next: staff will work with the fire district, public works and the city attorney to outline a practical reopening plan that complies with the fire code while minimizing neighborhood traffic impacts. Any final physical change would follow additional design work, traffic monitoring and public engagement.