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Salem is not Portland.

鈥淧ortland is hip. We’re more like hip replacement,鈥� said Rebecca Maitland, who manages the Reed Opera House mall in downtown Salem. 鈥淎t least that’s our reputation.鈥�

Given that, she said, the developers who built upscale condominiums in and near downtown Salem some 10 years ago may have overestimated the number of urban hipsters who wanted to settle in Salem and turn downtown into a miniature Pearl District.

A lot of the condos sit vacant, said Jim Lewis, the executive director of the Salem Association of Realtors.

鈥淭here were a couple of projects that started in 2005 at the time when there was the sense that Salem was moving into that type of environment and that kind of development would be attractive,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淭hen the bottom fell out. I don’t know if Salem has changed its mind about those sorts of developments, or it’s a matter of the economy.鈥�

However, Maitland said plenty of people are eager to live downtown 鈥� just not at ownership prices. The rental market is strong, she said.
鈥淎rtists, musicians and poets are drawn to the core area,鈥� said Maitland, who lived downtown until recently. 鈥淚t’s a caf茅 lifestyle where you can bring everyone from your grandma to little kids to come and listen to live music in the caf茅s.鈥�

Maitland said she is a big supporter of downtown living.

鈥淚t’s really a great alternative to mindlessly walking through Walmart and being depressed about what’s on in the news,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are really great places downtown.鈥�

Developers at Killian Pacific in Vancouver, Wash., recognized an opportunity along the southern edge of downtown. In June, the firm bought the Meridian condominiums at 777 Commercial St. S.E.; it’s converting the seven-story building’s 85 units into apartments.

Noel Johnson, the vice president of Killian Pacific, said First Citizens Bank had previously taken possession of the building.

鈥淲e are busy finishing significant construction as well as completing extensive remodeling to common areas to fully realize the tremendous potential for this marquee project,鈥� Johnson said.
The building is co-owned by four pre-existing condo residents and one commercial business.

Ankrom Moisan, known for its work in Portland’s Pearl District, is redesigning the building’s interior. Johnson said work will wrap up in two months.

鈥淔ortunately, it has a happy ending for the Salem community,鈥� he said.

Lewis said he is glad to see the project and that downtown seems to be ready for residential developments.

鈥淚t may just be timing,鈥� he said.

Second- and third-story apartments downtown have virtually no vacancies, Lewis noted. Slightly north of downtown, on Broadway, a high-end apartment complex attracts tenants with incorporated amenities such as Salem Cinema (an art theater) and a Subway restaurant.

鈥淭hose units filled up relatively quickly,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淪alem is moving toward that appreciation of downtown living, but I don’t think it’s there yet. That may be because of the economy. If things hadn’t gone sideways seven or eight years ago, it might be a different story.鈥�

He added that it helps that the units on Broadway are less expensive than buildings like the River, a mostly vacant condominium complex overlooking the Willamette.
Maitland said downtown’s time has come.

鈥淭hese condos were overbuilt at a time when people weren’t ready for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese things go through cycles in terms of livability. Now people are ready to live downtown. Everyone down here is working hard. They’re thinking why not have fun at the same time?鈥�