A little bit ago I wrote about all of the new construction subdivisions that were occurring here in Salem Oregon. I was recently asked by a reader about one of the subdivisions so I thought it would make a good blog topic.

Walnut Creek Estates is located on the corner of Holder and Liberty Rd down South. Walnut Creek Estates is located in a middle-upper middle class area. The biggest issue I see with the location of these properties is that they fall into Liberty school district. Liberty gets the worst ratings from the state for all of the South Salem schools. Other than Liberty, south Salem schools get Strong to Exceptional ratings, where Liberty gets satisfactory ratings.

This subdivision is planned to have 72 lots. The subdivision is governed by CC&R’s (covenants, conditions, and restrictions).

For the most part the CC&R’s are fairly normal, but I wanted to point out some of the major provisions in them.

  • Homes need to be at least 1400 square feet
  • They must have a minimum of a 5/12 pitch roof
  • All homes must have a 30-50 arch comp roof or concrete sale comp roofs
  • In accordance with the tree preservation codes you have to plant two street trees on your property unless you have a corner lot in which case you have to plant 4.
  • There is an ARC (Architectural Review Committee). You do have to get your paint color approved.
  • Fences are allowed on the back yard and side only.
  • You will also need to put in your own sidewalk.
  • If you have an RV/Boat it has to be behind a fence or in the garage.
  • You can’t have a basketball hoop in the driveway or above it. You can put it off to the side on a RV pad area though.

Otherwise the CC&R’s are pretty normal stuff.

If you choose to purchase in there, I would be cautious about buying a lot on the Liberty Rd side. That is a busy street and it will devalue your property and affect resale in the future. The only flat lots are the ones that back-up to Holder. Holder is a main thoroughfare into the neighborhood, but is not busy like Liberty. So a lot on this side should be fine. I do recommend that you check out the local traffic on Holder during “rush hour” times to make sure you are okay with the traffic. Other than during normal busy times, I would expect it to be fairly quiet.

Many of the lots will require that you “cut” into the land due to the slope which means you will have little to no usable yard. The slope of some of those lots is pretty steep. Your other option would be to have a three story home, where the garage sits under the house thereby elevating the house and giving you an option to have some yard. Many of the homes will require extensive terracing of the yards to deal with the slope.

If you are looking to build, this is one of many options here in South Salem. As I was driving by the area today, I noticed that the developer posted on his sign that he was willing to carry the loan. You might be able to get some good terms to help you while you build your home!

Related posts:

  1. South Salem Oregon-New Construction Subdivisions
  2. Chatnika Heights Neighborhood in Salem Oregon
  3. Salem Oregon goes Colonial, Georgian that is.
  4. French Country Homes in Salem Oregon