Construction crews will begin revitalizing a parking garage in downtown Salem on April 6.

The $6.2 million project to improve the Marion Parkade, at 538 Liberty St. N.E., is expected to finish in November.

“These updates aim to create a more welcoming and safer environment for everyone who uses the facility,” city officials stated. “The project will reduce facility maintenance costs, enhance the structure’s openness and encourage increased use, especially during evening hours.”

Luke Gmazel, Salem’s project manager for the Marion Parkade improvement project, said the construction will be sequenced to maintain partial access and use.

This project is funded by Riverfront-Downtown urban renewal funds.

The parking garage is one of three that opened in the 1980s to spur downtown development. Combined, the Marion, Chemeketa and Liberty parkades have 868 free parking spaces for visitors and customers. The Marion Parkade is near Kohl’s, Salem Center mall, several churches and Salem Police headquarters.

The project will support growth in downtown Salem, according to the city, by improving infrastructure that serves residents, visitors and businesses while prioritizing safety and accessibility.

As part of the project, the stairs will be replaced, and the surrounding walls will be removed to allow users to see who is entering and exiting the building. New overhead roof structures will provide weather protection and highlight the entrances. Lighting will be upgraded to encourage nighttime use, and new signage and architectural features will be added to improve the building’s aesthetics.

Walls on the ground floor that block visibility will be replaced with perforated metal panels.

Construction will be completed in phases, with focus on one corner at a time to allow parts of the parking structure to remain open for public use.

Permit parking and ADA accessible parking will still be available, but locations may be adjusted during construction. Drivers are asked to look for signage indicating the location of designated permit parking spaces.

Visitor parking and sky-bridge access to Salem Center will remain open throughout construction.

Limited night work is expected during the project to accommodate lane closures required by the city. The scheduled closures will be between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. and occur on High Street (May 26 through June 1) and Liberty Street (Sept. 14-18).

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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The 3.9-acre Salem Center in downtown Salem has been acquired by three local investors who plan to re-energize the mall.

Partners Kelly McDonald, Patrick Carney and Mark Shipman acquired the mall under the entity name OGSC2 LLC. They acquired the mall from Rialto Capital Management, which had stewardship of the property since the 2018 default of a loan held by JP Morgan Chase.

Global commercial real estate and investment management company JLL will continue to provide property management and leasing services for the mall, JLL stated in a press release.

The downtown shopping center is at 401 Center Street NE in historic central Salem. It features a variety of national, regional and local restaurants and shops, including Macy’s, Kohl’s, Ross Dress for Less, Bath & Body Works, American Eagle Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret, Zumiez, Cinebarre Salem 7 theatre, and others.

“Salem Center is a unique investment opportunity that found us,” Carney stated in the release. “We were not looking to buy a mall, but the interim receiver reached out to us and asked us to submit an offer and amazingly it all came together. We are truly blessed and really excited for this opportunity, the property is centrally located in a prosperous and growing community, where people can come to live, work, and play and where both retailers and restaurants can thrive.”

The new owners said they have incentives for local businesses that may want to consider their new designated temporary pop-up space.

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Deacon Development has joined a pair of investors to purchase a downtown Salem building that formerly held a Nordstrom store.

“We look at it as an opportunity, even though we honestly don’t know what it’s going to be,” said Steve Deacon, CEO of Deacon Development.

The property, at Salem Center, is approximately 69,000 square feet, including 30,000 square feet on each of the two floors, and a 9,000-square-foot mezzanine. Nordstrom closed the store in April 2018.

Deacon said the project team is seeking a new future for the building, which was completed in 1980.

“We’re investigating a few different possibilities,” Deacon said. “We’re looking at fitness, entertainment, even hospitality and multifamily.”

He added, “We’re out in the market talking with people, and seeing what the best fit is going to be.”

Deacon is partnering with Kelly McDonald and Patrick Carney, two Salem-area investors. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Marion County recorded the sale on June 17, but did not provide the purchase price. Nordstrom Inc. was the seller, while two limited liability companies tied to Deacon and Carney were the buyers.

The property at 420 Center St. N.E. is located within an opportunity zone that covers much of central Salem, conferring a host of tax advantages.

“We feel very good about the location – the downtown,” Deacon said. “We like what downtown Salem has to offer. We think it’s going to be a growing, developing area.”

Deacon said he’s growing more comfortable in the Salem market. In West Salem, Deacon is nearing completion on a three-building mixed-use development called The Pointe at Glen Creek. The development will open around Aug. 1 with tenants such as Gilgamesh Brewing, pet supplies store Mud Bay and a DaVita dialysis center.

Deacon Development used Deacon Construction to build the project at Glen Creek Road and Wallace Road.

“It took some creativity to turn an industrial-use site into what I think is going to be a very appealing corner restaurant-retail site,” Deacon said.

Deacon Development is likely to use Deacon Construction for tenant improvements in the ex-Nordstrom building as well, Deacon said.

“Our philosophy is we use the contractor that is best suited for the work,” he said. “I would say that with Deacon Construction’s background in remodel and retail and seismic, they would be a good fit.”

The building may need a seismic retrofit, depending on its eventual use, Deacon said.

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