From pub crawls, to walking tours to open streets entertainment, Salem Creative Network guided thousands of pedestrians around downtown Salem. Walking around and talking about art, culture and history, we found that people value public space more when they were able to leisurely stroll around the alleys, protected from car traffic. Taking time to observe and learn about buildings, sculptures and murals creates a bond and better sense of community ownership. After a decade of research, Salem may be ready for pedestrian zones, which aim to enhance the volume of shopping and other business activities and improving our quality of life.
Portland, Oregon created a pedestrian zone in 2013, the Central Precinct Entertainment Zone in Old Town. Every Friday and Saturday night, six blocks are open to pedestrians only from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Patrons feel safer and crime decreased significantly. Is it time for Salem to consider an entertainment zone with a pedestrian zone?
Entertainment District Ordinance (Portland, OR 2013)
Pedestrian zones in Laguna Beach.
Do you want to help?
Sign the petition.
Take the bus survey. Here’s some background.
Attend a Salem Entertainment District meeting – Sunday, November 19 5:00 p.m. at Taproot.
Attend City Council work session (TOT fund) 6:00 p.m. Monday, November 20, 2017 Council Chambers 555 Liberty St NE. Take notes and provide testimony (if allowed).
- Support public funding for local artists.
- Support funding for cultural events.
- Support gain/loss reserve balance for cultural infrastructure.
Attend presentation at CAN-DO neighborhood meeting 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 21, 2017 First Christian Church 685 Marion St NE.
Ask CAN-DO to support extending daytime decibel limits of 70 decibels from 10:00 p.m. until midnight in commercial and industrial zones. Current the limit is 65 decibels between 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
Attend City of Salem Streetscape Plan kickoff 6:00 p.m. Thursday, November 30, 2017, 555 Court St NE. Possible items for discussion:
- Parklets
- Streetside dining
- Alley improvements
- Pedestrian zone
Attend Downtown Advisory Board meeting 12:00 p.m., Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 350 Commercial St NE.
Noisevember genesis 7pm Sunday, November 19 at ƒ/Stop
Comments from online petition:
Residents
Music is the food of the soul and salem needs it.
Please turn it up! The musicians bring in tourists, patrons and new families which give the city a sense of culture thereby creating revenue, artistic history and a reason to call Salem a place we all take interest in and can be proud of. Downtown is the only place for music to thrive, as many venues participate and harness the MULTI-person capacity that only a downtown CAPITAL city can offer. I support this small step in sound ordinance as it were the lifeline for any existing and future reason to call our wonderful city home.
I like pizza parties.
I have enjoyed myself very much at Capital City Theater yet feel the show ends to early. I frequent the down town are and believe that a later noise ordinance would benefit the city and the customers.
This change has been necessary for at least 15 years now.
Artists
One thing keeping salem from thriving like portland in the music and art community is the noise level.
Fully supportive of the entertainment district! Salem has wanted and needed this! Keep moving forward!
This is imperative for Salem’s cultural success.
Salem deserves an entertainment district. The people don’t want fancy government buildings and high priced hotels. We deserve entertainment and fun!
I live in Portland and would visit Salem more if there was actually anything to do there. I may move to Salem and commute to OSU for grad school, but the lack of entertainment is a major deterent.
Promoters
70 db is a quiet conversation. Cars on our roads that make more than 85 db. Heck, city council meetings usually get over 85 db. These noise limits are impractical and unenforceable as written, so they’re enforced capriciously. Let’s set some reasonable standards.
One thing keeping salem from thriving like portland in the music and art community is the noise level.
Fully supportive of the entertainment district! Salem has wanted and needed this! Keep moving forward!
This is imperative for Salem’s cultural success.
Salem deserves an entertainment district. The people don’t want fancy government buildings and high priced hotels. We deserve entertainment and fun!
As the owner of TKO Media Productions, it would help get my business up and off the ground if there was more accessibility in terms of venues and locations that allow for late night music.
Patrons
Make Salem wake up from being a sleepy little town to a thriving , vital place to live!
Downtown should be allowed to be noisy from people having fun at night, not nighttime construction, garbage pick up, or train whistles!
I lived in Salem for 19+ years of my life and fully support this. Salem needs downtown, and downtowns needs more noise! (At least until midnight). Even punks have to sleep sometime.
C’mon, Salem!
Native Keizer-ite returning to live in Salem after living and promoting the music scene in Sacramento since 2001. Looking forward to moving the nightlife scene forward in Salem!
We got the funk, let’s sound it out!
Let’s make this town less dreadful
Excited for this! Turn it up!
Salem needs more activities for things to do at night. Salem is boring, and it’s needing to change and stop being so restrictive with telling everyone to be quiet after 10pm.