City plans transformation of Fairview Park starting in 2027
Mar 18, 2025
A new city plan would bring an amphitheater, pickleball courts and a dog park to the Morningside neighborhood in south Salem.
The city has spent the last year preparing an updated development plan for Fairview Park, a small underdeveloped park south of the Salem Airport. The park currently has se
veral paths through it but no other features like play structures or gardens.
The new plan is a revised version of an original draft the city made for the park in 2016.
Made by a team of city staff and landscape designers, the plan proposes a list of changes to the park that include an amphitheater, a fenced dog park, market space and gardens.
The Salem City Council unanimously approved the plan at a council meeting March 10.
Construction is expected to start in 2027 but the plan does not include an estimate on how long the project will take.
READ IT: Development plan
The proposed upgrades to Fairview Park in the city’s updated development. (City of Salem)
Background
The city in 2016 acquired the park, located at 2220 Strong Road S.E. It was the newest addition to the city’s parks since Geer Park in 2004.
For most of the last century, the park housed the Fairview Training Center, a state facility for people with developmental disabilities. After opening in 1908, the center housed thousands of Oregonians with disabilities, many of whom said the facility felt like a prison, according to reporting by OPB.
The center closed in 2000 after a federal civil rights lawsuit accused the facility of human rights violations.
By 2016 when the city acquired the park, most of the center’s buildings had been removed.
Today, the park is surrounded by new housing developments and is mostly bordered by new sidewalks.
Some trees planted during the training center’s time still stand throughout the park, such as Oregon white oaks and large sequoias.
The city since 2023 has surveyed nearby residents on the park’s design through interviews and public events. Those surveyed wanted the city to prioritize Based on community feedback, the city prioritized creating natural areas and providing places to play games and sports.
Next steps
Phase one of construction would include creating parking space, landscaping, a play area and a dog park. The plan did not identify what would be built in additional phases or how many the city expects there will be.
The first construction phase is estimated to cost around $4.5 million, but the planned budget is around $6.5 million, according to a city memo from Deputy City Manager Scott Archer.
The project’s total cost is expected to be close to $19 million. Funding will come from a combination of development fees and the city’s 2022 Safety and Livability Bond. The city may seek additional state and federal funding for the park transformation, Archer said in the memo.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: madeleine@salemreporter.com.
A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.
The post City plans transformation of Fairview Park starting in 2027 appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less
