Chikamin Hill

The 7-acre property at 0 Chikamin Loop is going to auction on June 5. Many of our elder Silvertonians hold cherished memories of playing in this forest as children. Decades ago, it was partially cut for timber, but many trees were left standing. It has remained a popular pedestrian path and viewpoint ever since. A vision for this property has arisen, which would maintain and enhance the beauty of this site while expanding on the meaningful connection to nature this property provides to our community. 

Steep slopes and access issues make this property difficult and expensive to develop in the conventional way. As such, it is unclear whether it will sell at the June 5 auction. Sustainable Silverton board member, Elyce Hues, lives at the lower end of this hillside property and has enjoyed meeting community members walking along the trail. She would like to raise awareness of the current status of the property, encourage the community to get out and enjoy it while we can, and most notably, gauge interest in a grand vision: co-investment in this property for a different kind of development, one that honors the value of this property to the community and ecology while providing right-sized housing. She has been speaking with community members and organizations and has learned that her vision for this property fits like a missing puzzle piece within an overall community vision for a more resilient, interconnected, and prepared Silverton. It could be a rare opportunity, during these turbulent times, and at any level ($100 and up), to make one of the safest of all investments - real estate -  while aligning with your heart and values. It could be an investment in habitat preservation, the character of our town, regenerative agriculture, and a resilient and interconnected Silverton.

If the property does not sell on June 5, the community will have the chance to come together around this shared vision. With this investment, you can:

Protect Nature

• Preserve the oak and fir groves that provide habitat to birds, bats, and other wildlife 

• Support the future development of a demonstration regenerative food forest that protects the health of pollinators and other wildlife, while providing food for people

Help Out a Neighbor

• Protect the downhill neighbors' homes from rainy-season flooding by reducing hillside runoff

• Preserve community access to open green space and the most beautiful view this side of Silver Creek

• Encourage the development of a pedestrian and bicyclists trail network in Silverton

Build Local Resilience

• Support a broader network of people organizing locally (from Sustainable Silverton to the Silverton Food Co-op to GeerCrest to Elderberry Wisdom Farms and more) to create food independence, resilience, and security

• Provide a demonstration garden where the community can learn hands-on about native and adapted plants that can feed us

Respond Thoughtfully to the Need for Housing

• Support the future, site-appropriate development of a tiny home village, with “treehouses” on stilts, located to maximize views, with every opportunity leveraged to keep the home buying cost affordable.

• Support cooperative co-housing at a manageable scale: residents of the village will only spend as much time stewarding the land as can comfortably fit around a day job

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:

1- Get out and visit this property while you still can. Sunrise at dawn is a special time, with full 180+ views of the horizon. If you love bats and/or sunsets, visit at dusk.

2- Next time you are downtown on S Water Street, gaze to the East and notice the special character this beautiful hillside provides to the whole of town. 

3- Visit the website (https://silvertonpermaculture.my.canva.site) and respond to the contact form  to indicate your interest in investing in  the property. 

If the property remains on the market on June 6, and the community has indicated strong support for this project, the plan is to form an LLC to accept investments and purchase the land. If this vision aligns with your own desire for Silverton’s future, be sure to complete the contact form with the amount you might invest.