The former host of “Rehab Addict,” a show that HGTV canceled earlier this year, is clapping back more than a week after the city of Detroit filed a lawsuit against her and her company, Detroit Renovations LLC, alleging they failed to renovate a blighted house.

On Sunday, Nicole Curtis shared a lengthy — and, at times, grammatically challenged — Facebook post capturing the essence of her work, while pointing out that crews would be in action by 7 a.m. on Monday, to “save historic homes” in the city. Her statement comes after a nuisance abatement lawsuit was filed July 22 in Wayne County Circuit Court alleging that a home her company owns at 451 E. Grand Blvd. in Detroit has remained a public nuisance, despite a 2021 court order requiring renovations.

Detroit Renovations obtained ownership of the property in 2021 after litigation with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, according to the lawsuit. In granting ownership to Curtis’ company, Wayne County Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny ruled that the house was a nuisance and danger to the community and ordered it to be renovated.

Inspectors found issues that included missing permits and compliance certifications, failure to register the building as vacant, trash and overgrown vegetation, and deteriorating structural features such as the roof, gutters, exterior walls, windows, fences, porches and stairways. Detroit’s Buildings Safety Engineering and Environmental Department also issued correction orders in September 2022, November 2023 and April 2026 after finding code violations. The owners faced 25 violation tickets after failing to comply.

“I got 2 full crews starting at 7 am tomorrow (8/3) in Detroit. Not out to make a buck, not out to make a name for myself, not out to rob and pillage (as some say about me), just out to save historic homes from being demolished and/or ruined by flippers,” Curtis stated on Facebook.

The city claims the owner owes $4,200 in blight-related fines and $1,331 in inspection and registration fees, and asked a judge to declare the property a public nuisance, order repairs and payments, and place the property under the control of a court-appointed receiver if the owners fail to fix the violations.

Curtis began by sharing that she saves “old houses” as a passion, on top of being a mother “wearing the same darn outfit you’ve seen me in for 20 years and just doing my best to ensure that my legacy is being great mom that loved rather than” that chick who had that show” (sic) when I die.”

She added that she earned the money to buy her first house by cleaning homes in Detroit.

“I didn’t use bank loans, no one would finance me. I saved it all, I sold garbage finds on Craigslist. I wasn’t an ‘influencer’ (there was no social media),” Curtis stated, adding that she took a small opportunity to build “Rehab Addict: Detroit” at 35 years old.

“Over the years, my stamina and determination built a solid foundation, a hit show, global recognition and enough money to breathe and then some, but it, also, built me a list of enemies. I’ve been sued, blackmailed, extorted, betrayed, you name it and not just by the usual suspects, but by ‘friends’ and loved ones that I trusted with my soul. It’s a grief that is hard to explain if you haven’t gone through it, but, also, one that does the opposite of what your enemies intentions were …. it builds you right back up,” Curtis stated.

She continued by thanking those who stood by her.

“So, I’m just continuing being me unapologetically Nicole Curtis — the mom that prefers under the radar, hiding in plain sight, working on an old house,” she added.

Curtis also took her thoughts to social media nearly a week prior on Tuesday, July 28, with a photo of her in Greece, stating that she thought she would “feel the urge to be back at work” but instead felt otherwise.

“You may have ran across more headlines about me — allegedly the Detroit Land Bank is suing me, again. (I went 3 years in litigation before and was the victor) The only comment I have is the media is running a fabulous photo of me 9 proud months pregnant with the story so it brings a feeling of happiness when I read things like ‘EX HGTV STAR IN MORE TROUBLE’,” Curtis stated. “The truth is ‘Nicole Curtis is enjoying her life and just checked Greece of her list’ is the accurate headline.”

Editor’s notes: Detroit Free Press reporter Nour Rahal contributed to this story.

This article first appeared in the Detroit Free Press and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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Hundreds of thousands of people have passed through the gates of the Polk County Fairgrounds since it opened in 1953. Many of the fairgrounds’ buildings in Rickreall are 75 years old and need electric and water system maintenance as well as significant seismic upgrades that would cost millions of dollars.

Polk County is out of ways to pay for that maintenance, and this year’s fair could be the last. It’s a common situation among fairgrounds in Oregon because county governments typically subsidize those facilities with general fund dollars.

Polk County will ask voters in the Nov. 3 election to raise residents’ property taxes to pay for repairs and other fairgrounds expenses. If voters decline to approve the levy, the fairgrounds will close, according to officials.

“If fairs were a private business, all would go bankrupt,” Polk County Administrative Officer Greg Hansen said.

As Oregon county governments feel the squeeze in their budgets, their fairgrounds are often left to suffer.

“I’ve heard very clearly that Polk County is probably the canary in the coal mine, that there will be others that will sort of follow suit,” Oregon Fairs Association lobbyist JL Wilson said. “I know that there’s a lot of eyes on this particular election because it will have implications for other counties.”

Tim Ray, the dean of the agriculture science and technology department at Chemeketa Community College, has been involved with the Polk County Fair since 2004 and is the fair board president. Over the past few decades, he’s seen how the fairgrounds has attracted people of all walks of life and financial means.

“There’s a cultural aspect to county fairs as well too, right?” Ray said. “It’s a way of life and not having that social aspect is scary, right?”

But Polk County officials say financial losses have been mounting at the fairgrounds in Rickreall. The facility operated at a $348,000 deficit last year and that number is growing.

Most of the buildings at the Polk County Fairgrounds were built in the 1950s. All need significant improvements. In some instances, there’s no way to source the parts necessary to repair older equipment.

Polk County officials say they can no longer subsidize the facility from the general fund.

“There is a breaking point for anybody,” Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope said.

Polk County’s November operations levy proposes to use $3.4 million for overdue building improvements, including floors, heating and cooling systems, electrical infrastructure and roofs.

The county says the levy is the last opportunity to save the fairgrounds, which hosts 700 events each year.

“Almost every fair in Oregon generates several hundred thousand dollars, if not millions of dollars, for youth through the livestock auction that occurs at the fairgrounds,” Ray said. “The fairgrounds gets zero from that.”

Polk County has invested $1.7 million in the fairgrounds in the past five or six years but would need to do much more to keep the facility operational.

“I think we can close the gap,” Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst said. “It takes a building that we can attract RV shows and sports shows. Those are bigger dollars. Those will close that gap some.”

Many fairgrounds in Oregon are in similar fiscal circumstances as Polk County, but none is in such a dire situation.

Property tax revenue has not kept pace with increasing expenses and most general fund dollars go to public safety, so fairgrounds budgets are often the easiest to trim.

“I happen to believe at this point until we fix our fundamental problems with taxation, we’re basically all trying to figure out ways to kick the can down the curb,” said state Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth.

For years, counties have received some state money via an Oregon law that allocates 1 percent of lottery funds. That law, however, caps support at $1.53 million. Last year, each county received about $53,000 for its fairgrounds from that fund, Wilson said.

The fund is expected to have an additional $12.9 million in the 2027-2029 biennium. That means that starting in 2027, counties could receive about $200,000 more per year for their fairgrounds’ operations.

“But again, we’ve had that promise before and they’ve taken that away in the next session,” Hansen said. “It’s always supposed to have been 1 percent.”

Wilson said some counties such as Washington, Jackson and Deschutes are better off financially than others because they have invested significantly in their buildings.

But Yamhill County officials are among those closely watching what happens in Polk County, Wilson said. Yamhill County commissioners have discussed selling the current fairgrounds in McMinnville and moving to another location. That’s because maintaining the facility’s aged buildings is difficult and expensive.

Most counties, like Polk and Yamhill, don’t have the money or a way to raise the money to pay for those kinds of improvements.

“Unfortunately, I’m fearful if we’re the first, we won’t be the last,” Ray said.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Thursday directed the Department of Administrative Services to terminate the state’s contract for the sale of about 32 acres at the Mill Creek Corporate Center campus in southeast Salem for a proposed data center, putting the controversial project’s future in jeopardy.

The land accounts for half of the 75-acre plot where tech company Verrus hopes to build the $5.1 billion Oakline at Mill Creek project.

Kotek’s announcement comes days after hundreds of people turned up on July 27 to rally against the proposed data center.

Salem City Council is slated to hold a special meeting on Aug. 3 to consider initiating a moratorium on AI data centers and amending zoning codes to regulate such developments.

Salem City Manager Krishna Namburi stressed previously that the project is “not a done deal” and city leaders want residents to voice their concerns and be included in the public process.

Kotek said she made the decision regarding the sale upon learning of the proposed development. Her office said it reflects her commitment to ensuring state assets are managed in a manner that advances Oregon’s long-term interests, supports local communities, and aligns with the state’s priorities around affordability, responsible economic development and stewardship of public resources.

“This decision is about my responsibility to make sure state actions reflect Oregon’s values and serve the public interest,” Kotek said. “I believe in growing Oregon’s economy and welcoming new investment, including in the technology sector. But growth has to make sense for the community, for our infrastructure, and for our natural resources. Oregonians have made it clear they expect thoughtful, responsible decisions about projects of this scale, and I agree.”

Her office said the governor supports economic development that creates family-wage jobs, strengthens regional economies, and helps Oregon compete for future investment while balancing impacts on housing, energy, water, transportation, and quality of life.

The state will continue working with local governments, businesses and communities to advance these economic development opportunities, Kotek said.

Kotek, in January, formed a Statewide Data Center Advisory Committee to develop policy recommendations. Committee members are scheduled to meet July 31 and on Aug. 4 will discuss and deliberate a draft report.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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Jerry Rust deserves much of the credit for Lane County still possessing 20 covered bridges.

In fact, Lane has the most covered bridges (all built between the 1920s and 1980s) of any county west of the Mississippi River. The main reason so many were built in the county, according to Rust, a former Lane County commissioner, is geography. The county has several headwaters that converge into the Willamette River, and these smaller rivers are ideal for covered bridges.

Rust is fond of these bridges. He compares them to the temples of ancient India, a country he visited with the Peace Corps.

“In India, there’s a lake that has a temple with arches,” he said. “It spans across, and that temple looks like it’s floating on the water. I came home and I was struck by how that Lowell Covered Bridge out there on Dexter looked so special.”

In retirement Rust wrote a novel about the bridges. “The Covered Bridge Murders” is a historical fiction mystery where the modern-day protagonists solve a pioneer-era murder connected to a covered bridge. Early in the book, there’s a passage where a character explains his fascination with covered bridges; it mirrors Rust’s.

“People who live in a plastic, steel, concrete, and electronics world, trapped in traffic jams and pollution, are looking for fresh air and authenticity,” the character said. “That’s what covered bridges are, authentic. Every beam, every board, every plank, and every truss.”

Today, Lane County’s covered bridges are recognized as tourist attractions. But when Rust joined the Lane County Board of Commissioners in 1977, not everyone shared his enthusiasm for the bridges. He often butted heads with county road staff who preferred the comparatively low maintenance of more typical cement and steel bridges and wanted to replace them.

Both today and back then, Lane County maintained most of the covered bridges with gas-tax funds. But if a bridge is “off-system,” it’s not eligible for those dollars. This is somewhat of a catch-22, because the county will take a bridge off-system because it’s in poor condition.

Rust shared several anecdotes for how he circumvented that challenge to save most of Lane County’s covered bridges.

One example was the Dorena Covered Bridge, approximately 12 miles east of Cottage Grove. Rust said he was visiting the bridge when a group of seniors approached him looking for a public bathroom, and there was none nearby. After that encounter, Rust got the county to add a restroom at Dorena, making it a rest stop eligible to receive road funds.

Another example was the Goodpasture Bridge 25 miles east of Springfield. According to Rust, staff told the commissioners the bridge was in danger, but he didn’t believe them.

“I went up there and went underneath the bridge and looked (as a) log truck (passed),” Rust said. “That bridge didn’t twitch, didn’t move an inch.”

Rust drove another county commissioner up to the bridge and showed him the same thing. He was ultimately able to convince the rest of the board to preserve the covered bridge rather than replace it.

Rust successfully convinced the state legislature to set aside a share of lottery funds for covered bridge preservation. That bill also established the Oregon State Covered Bridge Committee, which Rust was the first chair of for “about 15 minutes” before stepping aside for famous former state Sen. Mae Yih, who was late to the meeting.

Today, Rust continues to serve as a covered bridge expert. He’s visited Qingyuan Covered Bridge Museum in China, and spoken in Indiana at the annual National Conference on Covered Bridges, which typically draws around 300,000 attendees.

In February, Lane County commissioners voted 3-2 to spend $500,000 in tourism funds to stabilize two off-system covered bridges. Rust actually disagreed with the decision. He said the county should convert the bridges into rest stops, like it did with Dorena in the past, and then spend road funds to restore the bridges and save tourism dollars to market the bridges.

However, according to Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge, for the county to establish a rest stop, formally called a wayside, it must be “on a road with a lot of through traffic,” and the rural roads adjacent to the two bridges don’t meet that threshold.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Register-Guard and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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The deal to create a $150 million mixed-use hub at the former home of Truitt Bros. Cannery fell through, but the developer helming the project said his company hopes to revisit the contract if Salem can prove its worth as an investment.

Aaron Stickney, co-founder and managing member of SilverSphere Capital, previously told the Statesman Journal that the purchase was under contract and expected to close this summer, with demolition following shortly thereafter.

Stickney and SilverSphere stepped in after the plan to transform the former cannery north of downtown stalled under previous leadership. The deal fizzled because the seller wasn’t willing to extend the contract, Stickney said.

Almost 800 apartments, a grocery store, an automatic parking garage, a wine bar, and restaurants were planned for the site.

Jordan Truitt, who acted as the property’s listing broker along with Josh Kay of First Commercial Real Estate, confirmed that the purchase and sale agreement had expired.

“The buyer and seller have been unable to reach reasonable terms for any further extensions of the agreement,” he said. “The Truitt family has been a thoughtful and patient steward of this property for generations and remains fully committed to the redevelopment of the cannery site.”

Stickney said he was hopeful they could return to the table and close the deal, but he expressed serious concerns about investing in Salem.

“Several things are stalling any progress in Salem: the growing homeless situation that no one seems willing to address, ongoing City Council infighting, and no real support at the city level for changing anything,” he said.

Stickney recently crafted a white paper �پ��ٱ������“Economic Development & Growth Plan” for Salem City Council and City Manager Krishna Namburi. The proposal calls for introduction of a “Prosper Portland”-style model to spur economic development in the city that could generate $13 million to $34 million in revenue over the next five years.

The proposal also could bring in more than $100 million in private investment and up to 2,600 new jobs without new taxes or bonds, he added.

Stickney told the Statesman Journal in June that a private-public partnership between city leadership and businesses like his could turn Salem around.

“We’re at the point economically that Salem could be the next emerging market,” he said at the time.

He said city leaders showed little interest in his proposals, and he’s yet to see action on any of them.

“I’m surprised that Mr. Stickney is saying that a lack of public-private partnership is his reason for not moving forward with the project,” Community Planning and Development Department Director Kristin Retherford said. “We have had two very productive meetings with Mr. Stickney since he stepped into the lead development role this spring.”

The cannery is a very complex site, Retherford said, with river and creek frontage, potential historic and archaeological impacts, and a rail line running down Front Street. Salem is moving forward with creation of an urban renewal area to pay for infrastructure needed to support the project, and the city has obtained a federal grant to design the long-term improvements to Front Street for redevelopment in the area.

“We have been very excited about Mr. Stickney’s ideas and development experience and the opportunity to collaborate with him on the project,” Retherford said.

When talking to residents and business owners, Stickney said he hears that people want change. They want to clean up encampments, fill vacant storefronts and attract commerce. He said he doesn’t see that same desire to change among city leaders.

“If nothing changes, we may just take out money and go to Portland,” he said. “It’s been really disappointing. We had high hopes for Salem.”

Portions of the cannery were first constructed in 1914 and owned by various food processors until the Truitt Bros. Cannery began operating there in 1973. The business started by brothers Peter and David Truitt canned local pears, green beans and cherries. In peak season, the cannery would employ 800 people.

When the property went up for sale with a $13 million price tag in 2021, Peter Truitt said he had high hopes for the site. He wanted a seller who would honor its history while investing in the community and revitalizing the area north of downtown, he said.

“The lasting legacy of the Truitt family is to leave the property better than when they found it,” he said.

The city, neighbors and the Grant Neighborhood Association have been very supportive during the process, Jordan Truitt said.

“The site carries approved land use entitlements, strong interest from the development community and the continued support of city leadership and the community at large,” he said.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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An Amazon contractor has seemingly begun work on the site where the online retailer wants to place its Eugene distribution center despite a pending appeal of the company’s wetland permit.

Work trucks were visible from Oregon Route 99 on July 24; operators were seen raking and watering the property.

The Oregon Department of State Lands received a complaint of work being performed on the site two days prior, spokesperson Katrina Scotto di Carlo confirmed.

“We’re currently looking into the legal interpretation of the regulations to determine next steps,” she said.

Three Eugene women, including an environmental consultant, in May appealed the permit that would give Amazon permission to pave over wetlands. They argue the state government erred when it tentatively granted approval.

On May 1, the Department of State Lands, which has jurisdiction over wetlands in Oregon, gave Amazon contractor TC Pursuit Services — a subsidiary of Trammell Crow, which began work on the site — a notice that it intended to award a “Removal-Fill Permit” for the site where the warehouse is planned.

That notice was one of the factors the city of Eugene considered when it last month gave Amazon permits to build.

Trammell Crow has declined to comment on the Amazon project, citing a nondisclosure agreement.

Liz Porter, a Eugene resident, environmental consultant and former stormwater regulator, is the lead complainant in the formal appeal of DSL’s decision. She alleged the agency did not properly vet Trammell Crow’s findings, and that Trammell Crow and Amazon didn’t meet their obligations under the permit requirements.

DSL has jurisdiction over “waters of the state,” including rivers, lakes, wetlands and more. To award a permit that allows Amazon to reduce those waters — including paving over the wetland — state officials consider nine factors, including whether there’s a public need for the development, whether the companies considered alternatives to the project, and whether they “provided all practicable mitigation” from construction and development.

State officials determined the project met the “public need” test as part of Eugene’s vision for light-industrial jobs in the Clear Lake area; that Amazon met its obligations to consider alternatives by looking at seven alternate sites and four alternate layouts and determining those options were either impractical or disturbed more wetlands; and that Amazon met its obligation to mitigate by buying wetland credits.

Porter, in her appeal, wrote Amazon fails the “public need” test because the company has not provided a concrete number of jobs it will provide, their pay, or U.S. Postal Service job losses. She also contended that the company hasn’t sufficiently studied the alternate sites and that Amazon hasn’t considered the impact it will have outside the property.

“It’s not in the public interest of the people of Oregon to cut out a third-party contractor from Amazon and make Amazon more profitable so they can run their own fleet,” Porter told the Register-Guard.

Porter described herself as more pro-wetland than “anti-Bezos,” and said she would have similar concerns if another business wanted to put this much pavement on the lot where Amazon plans to locate.

“The whole premise of the law is: Don’t touch what you don’t have to,” she said. “If a client came to me and said, ‘I want to build an 80-acre complex’ and mapped on that land was a huge amount of wetlands, I’d say, ‘You need to seam it together with some other parcels before you start building there or go back to square one and find a new piece of land.’”

Porter speculated that the distribution center’s estimated average of 2,600 daily trips will have a negative environmental impact on the Willamette River and harm the “public health and safety” of Eugene residents, by clogging the Beltline Highway route to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield.

While Porter lodged her formal complaint with the state, she also was frustrated with the city of Eugene for designating the Clear Lake area for industrial development in the first place. In her view, the wetland-heavy area isn’t suited for such development.

In 2017, Eugene expanded its urban growth boundary around the airport by 969 acres. City officials concluded Eugene did not have enough economic opportunity and the solution was to add 11 large industrial parcels. Nine years later, Amazon was the first company to latch onto one of those parcels.

Amazon’s permits, as well as the city’s justification for choosing the area in the first place, have labeled the wetlands around the airport “low quality” because of the lack of wildlife both on the wetlands and in Amazon Creek.

But Porter said the value of a wetland is more than that.

The land where Amazon plans to build plays an important role in catching stormwater from upstream industrial businesses that could otherwise reach the Long Tom River, which does have fish. The wetland mitigation credits Amazon bought don’t change that, she said.

The appeals went to the Oregon Office of Administrative Hearings, which provides judges who hear appeals of administrative decisions made by state agencies. The OAH hosted an “administrative pre-hearing” over the issue on July 20.

Erika Hamilton, the attorney representing the state, argued for a smaller scope, saying many of the issues complainants raised aren’t legal requirements. For example, complainants took issue with DSL not responding to the comments given against the permit in the public comment period and Hamilton said DSL isn’t required to respond to those comments.

Porter argued for a broader scope even beyond the issues raised in the current complaints. She said those complaints are incomplete because DSL has not provided her with a complete administrative record of its decision. She filed a public records request for that information in May, but DSL told her it would cost $2,335.

“The whole process was scattered and covert and didn’t give the opportunity of the public to know really what was going on,” Porter told the judge. “The way that the application went through was so piecemeal and scattered that we weren’t able to really get an idea, in an all-encompassing way, of what exactly is going on, where it’s going, and how it’s going to affect long term, this community.”

Hamilton said DSL originally treated Porter’s request as a public records request, but because of the appeal it’s now treating it as a discovery request and will provide Porter with the documents.

Administrative Law Judge Kate Triana said she would present both sides with a draft “issue list” to be discussed at the next pre-hearing on Aug. 7.

During the pre-hearing Hamilton also clarified that because appeals were filed within 15 days of the May 1 notice, DSL has not yet issued a permit. She and the Trammell Crow representative seemed to disagree whether the company currently has permission to remove the wetlands on the property.

“There isn’t a final agency action,” Hamilton said. “DSL intends to proceed to a hearing and hear all the evidence. … And following the development of the administrative record, the agency will make a permitting decision.”

“We do have a proposed order that says the permit application is approved,” said Stoel Rives attorney Reilley Keating, who is representing Trammell Crow. “That has not been challenged by TC Pursuit Services, the applicant itself. And so, there is a permit.”

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Register-Guard and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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News that a tech company wants to build a $5.1 billion data center on 75 acres of industrial land in southeast Salem drew immediate community outrage and support.

Salem leaders are stressing that the Oakline at Mill Creek project by Verrus is still in its infancy and they want residents to voice their concerns and be included in the public development process.

“There is a misconception that the negotiations have already been done,” City Manager Krishna Namburi told the Statesman Journal.

Verrus has not submitted a land use application for the spot on the Mill Creek Corporate Center campus at Turner Road and Deer Park Drive.

“It’s not a done deal,” Namburi said.

Tentative timelines for the project show the land use process taking up the bulk of 2026. A public input period would take place before plan review and permitting in 2027. Construction would last into 2029.

Supporters said the project would bring in high-paying, yearslong construction, carpentry and electrician jobs. Also, expectations are that the development would add $9 million per year to Salem’s General Fund and $1.5 million to the city’s livability levy that funds the library, parks and senior center.

City officials confirmed that Verrus received approval for a standard three-year state Enterprise Zone property tax exemption from Marion County. Council approval was not required.

After that exemption expires, taxing districts would begin receiving property-tax revenue from the development.

Project opponents spoke out against the data center’s potential water and electricity use as well as the environmental impact.

A team collected 8,636 signatures within a week for a Change.org petition to stop the development of the center. Calls for action spread among local organizations, encouraging residents to protest before the July 27 Salem City Council meeting and testify in opposition.

Verrus CEO Nelson Abramson said he understands that Salem residents have questions about the project’s water use, noise and environmental impacts, and his team welcomes that scrutiny.

“While Oakline is still early in the process and we have not yet submitted a formal application with detailed building schematics or drawings, our next-generation data center is designed from the ground up to minimize water use, maximize energy efficiency and support power grid reliability,” he said.

Namburi said the city is committed to keeping community members as informed and engaged as possible throughout the process. Some opponents criticized the city for entering into a nondisclosure agreement with Verrus for over a year.

Namburi said the city entered into that agreement through the Salem economic development group SEDCOR in March 2025 when potential project locations in the city were floated. Such agreements are very common when companies are exploring the possibility of developing or expanding into new cities, she said.

The nondisclosure agreement was lifted in early July.

Verrus chose to begin this public conversation before the design is final because it wants to work directly with the city and community to help shape the project, Abramson said.

“We are going public earlier than most others would to demonstrate what makes Verrus different,” he said. “The Salem community should expect developers like Verrus to be accountable to what we say at each stage of the process. Know that our core beliefs start with building a new kind of data center that’s better for the grid and a far more efficient user of our natural resources like water.”

Namburi and Community Planning and Development Director Kristin Retherford stressed that the city’s role is to follow the legally required land-use and permitting processes, which require an application, reviews and public input, rather than advocate for or against the project.

The proposed site is zoned for industrial use and a data center is one of the permitted uses, Namburi said.

Preliminary renderings for the project show a substation and two-story buildings that could have a footprint of up to 1.8 million square feet.

The location is near Corban University, the Dollar General Distribution Center, the Genesco warehouse and the former Mill Creek Correctional Facility.

The Mill Creek Corporate Center and zoning framework were established in 2005 to prepare the land for industrial development, Retherford said. Salem’s code was updated in 2014 to allow data centers in employment center zones.

State, federal and city law requires Salem to evaluate projects according to established guidelines.

“We’re not at a point where we can say no data centers in Mill Creek,” Retherford said.

Council could make a motion to rezone properties to not allow data centers going forward.

But the city and public can voice concerns about the environmental and water impact through the lengthy land use and development process.

If a formal application is filed, a public notice would be sent to neighboring property owners and the Southeast Mill Creek Association. A 14-day public comment period would occur, and any appeal would trigger a public hearing.

“We will be evaluating a very long list of community impacts,” Retherford said.

Jeff Bladen, head of energy and policy at Silicon Valley-based Verrus, said the company specifically seeks communities that already have land designated for industrial use. He also cited Salem’s skilled workforce, apprenticeship programs and potential partnerships with local colleges as additional factors drawing Verrus to the city.

“Data centers need to do better,” he said. “Verrus was really the first company coming along to try and build a truly new and better kind of data center.”

Company officials said the development’s water consumption would be low, and Namburi said staff would carefully evaluate water consumption projections to ensure the city’s long-term water needs would not be put at risk.

Retherford said measures are in place with the city and agencies like the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to hold companies accountable if they do not follow through on their water consumption and environmental impact promises.

Verrus leaders said that the data center in Salem will be different. Unlike legacy data centers, it is designed to support the local power grid, conserve water with a closed-loop cooling system, minimize noise with large-scale batteries instead of diesel generators, and contribute meaningfully to the community and economy over the long term, Bladen said.

Company officials claim the water use will be significantly less than that of an 18-hole golf course.

“I think it’s important to recognize that people’s concerns are valid,” Bladen said.

The proposed Salem facility, which would take multiple years to permit and build, would be one of Verrus’ first. The company’s quest to build a data center in Lyon Township, Michigan, has received substantial community pushback but is nearing final approval.

Verrus leadership said community engagement will be a key part of the process going forward. Already, the company’s conversations with city leaders led them to commit to preserving a grove of heritage oak trees on the property.

“We look forward to customizing our approach for Salem addressing common concerns raised and showing how community input is influencing the final design,” Abramson said.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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Since Sam Bond’s Garage in Eugene closed in late 2025, its windows have been covered with butcher paper and the community gathering spot has sat empty. Whiteaker neighborhood residents sorely felt the loss of the bar, which was a beloved live music venue for 30 years.

It was the kind of place where everyone was welcome, as long as they paid the cover and were nice to Buddy the Cat.

Behind the butcher paper, new owners Grace Schubert and Ian Hill are deep into a renovation. The mention of a remodel might raise some folks’ blood pressure, but Schubert and Hill say assuredly that they’re not turning Eugene’s darling dive into a new student housing complex.

They want to maintain the energy of the community’s favorite bar and ensure that it can remain a staple for generations to come.

Schubert and Hill want to keep the overall vibe of Sam Bond’s Garage the same, but they are engaged in upgrades. There will be a new kitchen setup and menu inspired by their family in Kentucky. Think bourbon, bluegrass music and barbecue.

The couple also is changing the physical space. They have reinsulated the walls to make sure the old building is free of pests. Now they’re refinishing the concrete floors. Next, they plan to build out the stage and lay new concrete in front of it.

Schubert and Hill are keeping the raised wood build-out at the front of the bar and adding to that vibe with new tables and a live-edge wood bar built out of the tree that was struck by lightning at the Lane County Fairgrounds. They’re even toying around with the idea of installing a fireplace.

Because Sam Bond’s Garage is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, there are limitations to what Schubert and Hill can do to the building. The ceiling must be left uncovered, and the hoist that was used to move engines around the building must remain. Fortunately, all guidelines jive with the couple’s plans for the refurbishment.

“You can feel the building; it feels happier now,” Hill said. “We’re happy to keep the bones, but bring new life into the space.”

Hill and Schubert knew they wanted to work with the building’s bones to create a community space that will be sustainable for generations to come. They took ownership at the end of December 2025 and began working on the space in January.

But owning a bar is different than seeing it when the lights are out. The couple hoped the bar would be open by now, but the historic building needed a lot of work.

“It’s a 100-plus-year-old building, and it needed some love poured into it,” Schubert said. “And when you start with renovations, you think better to do it all now than to have to come back later.”

Schubert and Hill plan to continue a lot of what the community came to love at Sam Bond’s Garage: artist showcases, live music, and weeknight events.

“The neighborhood has been so welcoming, and people are excited to see what we’re going to do,” Hill said. “And there’s some nervousness that we don’t screw it up, and keep it core to the greatness that it’s been. We’re excited about living up to those expectations.”

An official opening date is still up in the air. Hill regrets putting up “Reopening this Summer” on the board outside. The aim is for September, but it’s a moving target.

Schubert and Hill moved to Eugene from Kentucky to attend the University of Oregon in 1997. After their truck overheated on the way to a Phish concert in California, Hill started researching what he could do differently to fuel it and stumbled onto the idea of biodiesel.

The couple started a business, SeQuential BioFuels, with a few of their friends. Their first station was where Ninkasi Brewing’s headquarters currently stands. The property used to be a parking lot for an oil company’s trucks.

SeQuential started as a small group of people who stopped in for Saturday morning fueling in Whiteaker and then built customer base large enough that they opened their own fueling station near Interstate 5.

Hill and Schubert sold the business in 2025 after 20 years.

“That was kind of painful, because (the store) was part of the community, so once we transitioned out of that, we were looking for somewhere else to put our dollars,” Hill said.

Sam Bond’s Garage was one of the first places Hill and Schubert remember visiting in Eugene. They have fond memories of watching friends perform on stage and seeing up-and-coming bands. Such memories, combined with the good energy of the neighborhood, solidified Schubert and Hill’s decision to take over the bar.

“We know this is such a part of this neighborhood, and of Eugene, and everyone was so sad to see it go,” Schubert said. “It would have been such a loss for the community if it had entirely gone away.”

Hill and Schubert have two sons, one 19 and one 22, and want to provide something for them separate from screens.

“I think many of us feel more and more this urge to reconnect as humans, and be done with the old screen time,” Hill said. “Sam Bond’s was on the market for a while, and we have a connection to it, and coming to see music here, so we decided to do it.”

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Register-Guard and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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The first half of 2026 saw the completion of some major construction projects in Salem, as well as the start of several more.

Workers are continuing to build the six-story Citizen Apartments in downtown and the Kuebler Village commercial development near Costco.

Meanwhile, efforts to revive the ex-Rite Aid building, the former JCPenney department store and the empty lot dubbed “The Pit” are showing signs of progress.

Here’s an update on some key projects.

Citizen Apartments joins downtown skyline

Originally the site of Salem City Hall and then a parking lot, the property at 277 High St. N.E. is gaining a six-story, 105-unit apartment building.

Deacon Development, which delivered the Rivenwood Apartments nearby in 2024, has dubbed this $25 million project Citizen Apartments as a nod to its storied history as the heart of Salem government.

Crews broke ground this past October and are scheduled to finish in early spring 2027.

The 78,855-square-foot building will include 16 affordable housing units as part of the city’s Multiple-Unit Housing Tax Incentive Program.

Amenities will include a coffee bar, a mail room with parcel lockers, a fitness center, secure bike storage, a pet wash station, electric vehicle parking and charging, a co-working lounge with a private work pod, a community room equipped with a kitchen, games, a semi-private theater room, and a roof terrace with a grill and city views.

Company submits proposal for ‘The Pit’

A fenced hole in the ground remains after a bank building was razed in 2017, leaving what is commonly known as “The Pit” at the southeast corner of Liberty and Chemeketa streets.

Deacon Development initially also purchased this land next to the Citizen Apartments site but sold it after determining the conditions placed on it by the city would make development financially infeasible.

The property was reacquired by the previous owner, West Linn-based FT LLC, which also owns the adjoining building used by Pacific Office Automation. Company officials said they want to build a surface parking lot to serve the adjacent building, but that is not permitted under the city zoning code.

FT LLC has submitted a land use application, and it remains under city review. It’s the first official redevelopment proposal since the bank building was demolished.

Mexican grocery store to open in downtown

A long-awaited downtown grocery store is due to arrive in September, ending a yearslong vacancy in a former Rite Aid building.

El Torito Supermarket will open at 435 Liberty St. N.E.

Husband and wife Alfredo Mendez and Lily Perez opened the original El Torito Meat Market on Lancaster Drive about 20 years ago. Their stores have a meat counter, a produce section, a bakery, a hot deli, and grocery items.

The Rite Aid on Liberty Street closed in December 2023 following the company’s bankruptcy.

Salem’s Urban Renewal Agency Board voted in May to allocate $470,000 from the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Agency capital improvement grant program for the supermarket.

According to city documents, the store is expected to provide 30 new jobs.

New tenants on the horizon to fill space

When the planned purchase of the former JCPenney building fell through in October 2025, it remained under the ownership of Penny Building, a company tied to developer Stuart Lindquist.

The 100,000-square-foot building has been vacant since JCPenney exited in 2020.

Lindquist confirmed in April that a furniture retailer would lease an 11,070-square-foot spot on the first floor. He said his company wants to fill the empty space with street-facing businesses that complement the area and cater to the increase in foot traffic brought by new apartment complexes in downtown.

“A single-tenant department store is being converted into a multi-tenant building in response to Salem’s demand for smaller office and retail spaces,” developers stated in their land use application submitted to the city.

A site plan approved by the city in May calls for a 5,000-square-foot jiujitsu gym on the first floor, along with separate retail spaces in the basement and the first and second floors.

Cannery transformation gains traction

A new developer is stepping up to helm the $150 million transformation of the former home of Truitt Bros. Cannery north of downtown Salem after the project stalled under previous leadership.

Nearly 800 apartments, a grocery store, an automatic parking garage, a wine bar and restaurants are planned at the site.

The deal is currently under contract and expected to close this summer. Demolition would begin shortly thereafter.

Aaron Stickney, co-founder and managing member of SilverSphere Capital, said in March that funding for the sale and construction has already been secured.

436 housing units on the rise near school

A big multifamily development is under construction at Doaks Ferry Road and Orchard Heights Road near West Salem High School.

The project is set to bring 426 apartment units and 10 townhomes to the previously undeveloped site.

There will be a mix of 31 three-story buildings and three townhome buildings along with a clubhouse, a recreation area and parking.

Shopping center under construction

Kuebler Village is now being built at the southeast corner of 27th Avenue and Kuebler Boulevard near Costco.

According to city documents, the project is connected to Mosaic Management, which also owns several senior living facilities in Oregon.

A listing for the 24.64-acre parcel says Kuebler Village will be a “vibrant and dynamic, mixed-use community with I-5 visibility.”

The listing details several components, including drive-thrus, a hotel, a “destination shopping center,” multifamily housing and the Mosaic corporate headquarters.

The city approved a site plan review for a planned U.S. Market convenience store and eight gas pumps along 27th Avenue near the roundabout in 2025. Plans for a Black Rock Coffee Bar drive-thru were approved this past December.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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Workers are now renovating the observation deck of the Oregon State Capitol, which offers arguably the best panoramic view in Salem.

A four-man crew from Pioneer Waterproofing Company began removing the terra cotta tile from the circular platform around the pedestal of the Oregon Pioneer on Monday.

Demolition is expected to take about two weeks, and the goal is to finish the project by the end of August, according to general contractor Hoffman Construction.

The flashing along the deck’s inside wall also will be removed. The flashing and the tile will be replaced with similar materials — terra cotta for the floor and stainless steel for the wall — preserving the familiar look when public tower tours eventually resume.

For generations, visitors of all ages have climbed the steep, 121-step spiral staircase to reach the observation deck. But the view from the deck has been essentially limited to construction workers since spring 2022.

Access is limited to guided tours, which pass through unmarked doors and a hidden corridor above the rotunda to reach the summit about 122 feet above the ground — the equivalent of more than 10 stories.

The destination provides an up-close look at the 23-foot-tall, 24-karat gold-leaf covered pioneer statute, aka the Gold Man, one of Oregon’s most recognized and beloved icons.

Just as much of a draw is the breathtaking 360-degree view of Salem and beyond. On clear days, visitors can see for miles, even simultaneously spotting Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams.

Work on the 48-foot-diameter observation deck is overdue. The flooring is more than 30 years old; it was previously replaced in the early 1990s.

The demo crew made quick work of the tile on Day 1 but still had multiple layers of concrete and waterproofing material to get through using a roto hammer.

After demolition, a crane will lower bagged debris from the deck and lift new materials in place, and a new waterproofing membrane will be installed before the tile. The crane is scheduled to be on-site July 28; State Street will be closed that night.

Officials monitored the forecast closely, waiting for a rain-free window to waterproof the area and protect the restored rotunda murals below.

The rotunda underwent structural reinforcement, surface restoration and artistic preservation during the $596 million Capitol Accessibility, Maintenance and Safety (CAMS) project.

The observation deck work is part of the CAMS project and includes new drains and new LED lighting, which already has been installed. The stairwell will be repainted after deck work is complete.

The current four-year pause in public tower tours ranks among the longest in recent Capitol history.

In 1988, tours were suspended over concerns about toxic asbestos insulation and the structural integrity of the upper dome. Before that work was finished, the 5.6-magnitude “Spring Break Quake” in Scotts Mills shook the Capitol in 1993.

The rotunda sustained severe cracking and bulged outward by about three feet. Cracks in the mortar around the Gold Man’s marble base allowed the 17,000-pound statue to shift a fraction of an inch.

By late 1994, crews had completed work to strengthen the rotunda walls and the upper dome below the statue. The Gold Man also was seismically retrofitted.

Tours of the tower resumed in July 1995, after a nearly seven-year absence.

The Capitol’s recent multiyear construction project included additional reinforcements to the rotunda and the connections securing the statue, causing the current pause in tours.

The last school tours of the tower took place in spring 2022 before the Capitol closed for CAMS. Before that, the Capitol was closed for 16 months during the pandemic.

It is unknown when the tours will resume, or if at all this year. The tour season typically wraps up at the end of September. Capitol officials recommend checking the event calendar prior to visiting at Oregoncapitol.com, where tower tours will be listed.

When they resume, reservations will not be required; however, space will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no ADA access, and tours will be canceled if it is raining or temperatures exceed 85 degrees.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

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