Salem City Council on Monday approved the first major step toward new housing on nearly 19 acres along Walker Road NE, voting 7-1 to annex the land and allow denser multifamily development on six acres despite objections from nearby residents and the North Lancaster Neighborhood Association over traffic safety near Chavez Elementary School.
The vote does not approve a final apartment project yet. But it does move the property into city limits and opens the door to substantially more housing on the site at 2170 Walker Road NE and 4893 Sunnyview Road NE.
City staff said the six-acre multifamily portion on the south end of the property could support roughly 90 to 186 units under the new zoning. The rest of the site would remain lower density for now and is expected to move first through a subdivision process that could include single-family homes and middle housing…