The Threefold Mission of the DBCC

The Dome Building Community Coalition is guided by a clear threefold mission: to develop income-restricted housing for youth, young adults, workforce renters, and seniors; to preserve and steward the historic Dome Building; and to activate the space for lasting public benefit. This blog shares the thinking, planning, and community collaboration behind that work. Here you will find updates on affordable housing development, historic preservation strategy, policy alignment, and the practical steps required to transform a landmark into a living, mission-driven community asset.

Affordable Housing, Historic Preservation, and Community BenefitThe Dome Building Community Coalition (DBCC) exists to steward one of Salem’s most recognizable historic landmarks in a manner that serves both present and future generations. Our vision is built upon three interconnected priorities:

1. Affordable Housing
2. Historic Preservation
3. Community Benefit

These priorities are not competing goals. They are mutually reinforcing and together provide a sustainable path forward for the Dome Building.

Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is the cornerstone of DBCC’s redevelopment vision.
DBCC is committed to developing housing opportunities for individuals and households earning at or below 80 percent of Marion County’s median family income. Given the building’s configuration, structural layout, and urban setting, the Dome is particularly well suited to serving:

• Youth and emerging adults
• Workforce renters and young professionals
• Seniors seeking stable, affordable housing

While the building is not ideally configured for large family units, it offers significant potential for smaller, thoughtfully designed residences integrated within a mixed-use historic environment.
Potential housing opportunities include:

• Workforce housing for individuals priced out of market-rate rentals
• Stability-focused housing for young adults
• Independent living options for seniors
• Income-restricted housing aligned with state and local priorities

By focusing on populations whose housing needs align with the building’s physical characteristics, DBCC can maximize both community impact and long-term feasibility.

Building Historic Preservation
The Dome Building is more than a structure—it is an important civic landmark and a significant part of Salem’s history.
Preservation is central to DBCC’s mission. Our approach emphasizes:

• Retention of significant historic features
• Compliance with preservation standards and guidelines
• Thoughtful modernization that respects historic character
• Long-term stewardship of the building and its grounds

Historic preservation and affordable housing are often viewed as separate objectives. We believe they can strengthen one another. Adaptive reuse preserves cultural heritage, reduces demolition waste, conserves embodied energy, and revitalizes existing community assets.  Our goal is not simply to preserve a building, but to ensure that its history remains a living part of Salem’s future.

Community Benefit
In addition to housing, the Dome Building will provide space for uses that strengthen community life and expand public benefit, including:

• Educational programming
• Civic engagement activities
• Cultural and arts events
• Nonprofit and community-serving organizations
• Meeting, training, and collaboration space for public-serving initiatives

This mixed-use approach creates activity throughout the day and throughout the year while supporting the long-term sustainability of the property.
The Dome is envisioned as a place where people live, learn, gather, and collaborate—a community asset that remains active, accessible, and relevant for generations to come.

A diverse mix of uses helps ensure:

• Continuous activation of the property
• Financial resilience
• Public access and engagement
• Long-term operational viability

Housing provides stability. Preservation provides identity. Community benefit provides purpose.

A Vision for Long-Term Stewardship
Oregon law prioritizes affordable housing when surplus public property is considered for disposition. DBCC embraces that principle while recognizing that the greatest public benefit often comes from integrating multiple community goals into a single project.
Our vision ensures that the Dome Building remains:

• Historically significant
• Socially relevant
• Economically sustainable
• Publicly beneficial

​This is not redevelopment for short-term gain. It is stewardship for long-term impact.  DBCC is prepared to pursue a future for the Dome Building that:

• Develops affordable housing for households earning at or below 80 percent of Marion County’s median family income
• Preserves and restores the building’s historic character
• Provides meaningful community benefit through educational, civic, cultural, and nonprofit uses

​The Dome Building has the potential to become a model for how affordable housing, historic preservation, and community benefit can work together to create lasting public value.

Housing anchors it. Preservation defines it. Community benefits from it.