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DESCrar~noN (continued) NEIGFIBORHOOD DESCRIPTiON The subject market area consists of the Salem central business district (CBD) which generally extends from the Willamette River on the west to 13th Street on the east and from Mission Street on the south to about Market Street on the north. This area includes the original settlement of Salem and several of the commercial and residential buildings are over 100 years old. Also included in this area are the State Capitol and other State facilities such as the Supreme Court, Department of Commerce, Public Services, Department of Transporfation, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Department of Human Resources, and Department of Revenue. The County Court House and City offices are olso situated in the neighborhood. Willamette University, a small, private college occupies several blocks in the southeast portion of the neighborhood, as does Salem Hospital. The Capitol Mall consists of about 45 acres and extends norfh from State Street to about D Street and between Winter and Capitol Streets. A 1,250 space underground parking structure was added in 1992 under the center courtyard qf the Capitol Mall. Three State occupied buildings have been added to the Mall since 1991 and the former Sears department store and several other buildings were renovated into office space during this period. Although Salem has a suburban mall, the CBD has retained retail tenants by development of Salem Center, a five-block assemblage of older, historic buildings that were converted into an urban mall with adjacent parking garages, all connected by "sky-bridges". Major department stores in the Center include Nordstrom, Meier 8~ Frdnk, Menryn's, and J. C. Penny and there are numerous smaller shops. Liberfy Plaza, a recently renovated building adjacent to the mall, is connected by a sky-bridge to the mall and a parking garage. The City encourages preservation and revitalization of the CBD and has added parking structures, streetscape improvements, and parks, and provides free customer parking. The Downtown Parking District operates four free parking garages, which encourages CBD shopping. Annual assessments are levied on businesses within the district to provide free customer parking and parking enforcement. There are several parks in the area, including Wilson Park, occupying a city block adjacent to the Capitol and wllameite University. RiverFront Park is a recent redevelopment of the old industrial area along the Willamette River. Transporfation in the CBD is via surface streets with a grid system. Because of congestion, most streets in the neighborhood are one-way and are generally three lanes with parking lanes on most streets. Commercial and Liberfy Streets combine to provide the major north-south arterial couplet in the CBD, connecting the neighborhood with the residential areas to the south (South Salem) and north (Keizer). 12th Street provides additional access to the south. Fairgrounds Road provides access to the norfheast residential neighborhoods. Mission Street (Santiam Highway), State Street, Center Street, D Street, and Market Street all connect the CBD with Interstate 5 and East Salem. Marion and Center Streets combine to provide an east-west couplet and a bridge across the ~Ilamette River to West Salem. The Marion/Center couplet also provides a route to the ocean beaches (State Route 22) from P99239 PALMER, GROTH 8~ PIEfKA, INC. ~ ~