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' <br />' Should the "Senator Block" site be used as a transit center and county office building? <br />Yes. It's been planned for these purposes since the 1970s. <br />' In the middle 1970's Marion Count Commissioners be an urchasin land and <br />, Y g P g <br />buildings on the block north of the county courthouse. The long term goal was to consolidate <br />' county services near the courthouse as more county services for citizens were forced out of the <br />courthouse because of growth in population in the county and the needs of the court system. <br />~ During the 1970's the City of Salem was developing a downtown master plan for growth. <br />The City, then operating the Cherriots as a municipal service, selected the "Senator Block" as <br />' bus transfer site or "terminal" in that master plan. (1978 Downtown Master Plan) <br />Over the years, additional studies comxnissioned by the Transit District and Marion <br />' County have validated both the county's need for consolidation of services, the transit system's <br />need for a bus terminal, and the selection of the "Senator Block" as the site for these uses. <br />' In 1985, the Transit District drew the first plans to utilize the Senator Block for the transit <br />center. In 1995, a citizen's site selection committee of 23 persons surveyed 14 potential <br />locations, studied three sites in detail and confirmed the desirability of the Senator Block for the <br />' transit center. The technical committee selected the Senator block as the primary site. In a staff <br />memorandum to the Salem City Council dated November 6, 1995, the City staff reviewed the <br />~ sites for consideration and concluded, "Based on sta, ff's analysis of the three proposals, staff <br />believes that the Senator site is the best location for development of the Salem Transit District <br />Downtown Transit mall. " <br />' The Transit District is still under City obligation to move off High Street. If Transit <br />cannot use the Courthouse Square site, the District would purchase or condemn other property <br />~ currently on the tax rolls in the downtown area. The majority of the Senator Block was already <br />off the property rolls prior to the Joint Development agreement signed by the Transit District and <br />the County. <br />' See su ort documents: Tab 1 and 2) <br />~ PP <br />' <br />~ <br />'I~ <br />u <br />' <br />~ <br />