Downtown Boise site set to become mixed-use center

Salem mayor announces major new downtown mixed-use redevelopment project.

December 27, 2007

Salem mayor Janet Taylor announced today the sale of the Boise waterfront site in downtown Salem to Larry Tokarski and Dan Berrey.

“We are lucky to have two local investors who believe in Salem enough to take risks and tackle big challenges.

The Boise site will be developed in a mixed-use center, including new housing, retail, commercial spaces and public areas on the water front, Taylor said.

“The plans the development team are revealing closely reflect the concepts developed last year by the urban Lands Institute for the best use of the Boise site,” Taylor said.

Pringle Creek will be a focal point for the development, according to Berrey.

“Plans for the site include day-lighting the portion of Pringle Creek that has been underground on the site for over 90 years,” Berrey said.

“We plan to provide public access pedestrian paths and plazas along the creek. Pringle Creek pathways are a vital link to connect Bush Park, Salem Hospital and Willamette University to Riverfront Park, and ultimately to Minto-Brown Park and Wallace Marine Park,” he said.

These paths, linking the parks and the river, will become a valued asset for Salem,” Berrey said.

Besides Tokarski and Berrey, members of the development team include Tim Gerling, retired city public works director, who will coordinate the team’s activities with city, and state agencies and Kris Gorsuch, of the Saalfeld Griggs law firm, who will manage zoning, contracts and land use issues.

“It’s going to require collaboration among the developers, the city, the Portland and Wester Railroad, and a host of state and federal regulatory agencies,” Berrey said.