Salem is growing rapidly, and with that growth comes the need for more housing. By 2035, nearly 60,000 more people are expected to live in Salem’s portion of the urban growth boundary, according to the Salem Housing Needs Analysis. This population growth, along with changing demographics, will require additional housing and more diverse housing types.

How the City is Addressing Housing Needs

The City of Salem is taking several steps to meet the community’s housing needs:

• Housing Production Strategy:
  
  • Salem’s first Housing Production Strategy outlines 17 actions to encourage housing development and promote equitable housing outcomes.
  • These actions include regulatory changes and financial incentives to support housing production.
• Our Salem Project:
  
  • The City rezoned and redesignated land throughout Saleacm to meet projected housing needs.
  • This effort focused on ensuring there is enough land for multifamily housing.
• Previous Work:
  
  • The City implemented a multi-year work plan to address the projected deficit of land for multifamily housing.
  • Changes included:
    
    • Allowing accessory dwelling units in Salem.
    • Revising regulations to make it easier to develop multifamily housing.

Summary of the Housing Needs Analysis

In 2014, the City conducted the Housing Needs Analysis along with the Salem Economic Opportunities Analysis. The HNA was designed to:

• Identify strategies to ensure enough land is available to meet Salem’s housing needs through 2035.
• Guide policy decisions related to residential land use.

Key Findings from the HNA

• Surplus of Land for Single-Family Housing:
  
  • Salem has a projected 1,975-acre surplus of land for single-family detached housing (enough for 9,131 homes).
• Deficit of Land for Multifamily Housing:
  
  • Salem has a projected 207-acre deficit of land for multifamily housing (enough for 2,897 homes).
• Urban Growth Boundary:
  
  • The HNA and EOA confirmed that the existing UGB does not need to be expanded.

Recent Actions to Address Housing Needs

In 2022, as part of the Our Salem Project, the City redesignated land to accommodate the projected need for multifamily housing. This action allowed the City to officially adopt the HNA and continue working toward meeting Salem’s housing needs.

Project Documents

• ECONorthwest Housing Needs Analysis and Economic Opportunities Analysis 2015-2035 Summary
• ECONorthwest Housing Needs Analysis 2015-2035
• ECONorthwest Economic Opportunities Analysis 2015-2035
• Salem Employment Implementation Strategy for Council
• Salem Residential Implementation Strategy for Council
• Housing Needs Analysis Work Plan