A plastic erosion barrier surrounds the harvested grass seed field that is about to become Phase 1 of the Pheasant Run subdivision in North Albany.
In a matter of days, construction crews will start tearing up the ground in North Albany where Hayden Homes plans to develop a 147-lot subdivision it calls, apparently without irony, “Pheasant Run.”
Phase 1 of the development is for 46 lots on the west side of Crocker Lane. (The job site address is 2262 Crocker N.W.)
Matthew Ruettgers, development services manager in the Albany Community Development Department, said Monday that the city is getting ready to issue a site improvement permit allowing the developer to construct streets, utilities and stormwater facilities.
A plasic barrier to prevent runoff or erosion has already been strung around the site. When the city has inspected this work, it will issue an erosion contol permit. At the same time, it will issue a permit to demolish a house the property.
Ruettgers expects the earth-moving to start within the next week or two.
The subdivision was controversial when it as approved in May 2018 after lengthy hearings before the planning commission and the city council. The site, part of a grass-seed farm, has eight stately oak trees estimated to be at least 100 years old. Six of them are scheduled to be cut down. Two others are to be saved, according to the approved plans. (hh)
So, in short order we’ll have 147 more cars using those lousy, narrow N. Albany roads. Those roads were just marginal in the horse & buggy days. And lets cut down more trees that put more life into our atmosphere than those buildings will!! Albany should take down those meaningless “Tree City USA” signs.
Those housholds will have 2+ cars each. The intersection at Crocker and Gibson Hill hasn’t been updated, and further down Gibson at Scenic is going to be a disaster. Fun times ahead!
some specifics please. Lot size? all single family houses? other types? Plan to resolve the added congestion at Crocker/Gibson hill “T” intersection?
I attended the hearings and the public said many things and in some cases had very valid points. The council appeared to me to be disingenuous because after hours of testimony they made their decision within seconds and pretended to have their backs against the wall. It was like they didn’t listen to anything that was said. The city can’t even get sidewalks down both sides of Gibson Hill let alone a stop light. The lots sizes go clear down to 4000 sq ft meaning most if not all will be 2 stories. That means we’re not likely to have older neighbors cause they don’t like stairs. Bottom line is it smells like some back room deals by the city with Hayden and I can’t believe the city has no conscience about the oak trees. I can recall a neighbor cutting down a tree on his own property and the city wanted him charged with a misdemeanor crime! And growing up I always thought the smell in Albany was the paper mill!
Funny isn’t it? I know someone that cut a few small dead ash in his yard out of hundreds (more like thinning) and was threatened with fines and made to apply for permits. The Albany city council, CARA, Albany/millersburg blah blah blah, are looking more and more crooked all the time. It’s all the same people sitting on the same councils, economic boards, advisory boards, or donate to them and do each other favors. Some don’t and never have even lived in the area.
“It’s all the same people sitting on the same councils, economic boards, advisory boards, or donate to them and do each other favors.”
Have you contacted your city councilor and offered to help? Maybe if you volunteered to get on board, you might have a better voice in the process?
Yeah, pretend that’s how it works. Who do you think you’re fooling? It’s who you know and what asses you’ve kissed and you know it.
Personally, I would much prefer a nice, large carve out for that roundabout at Crocker and Gibson Hill….correct me if I am wrong but an annoying stoplight is destined there.
Along with a repair of the long damaged pedestrian cross. Which begs another question…what happened? Many blind eyes turned……
It is my understanding that it will be a stoplight, which means endless useless stops for people on Gibson Hill when the light changes due to someone turning right from Crocker– not to mention the general useless waiting for the light from Crocker when no traffic is present on Gibson Hill.
It was a long haul to get to just the stop light. A better option was (and still) is a roundabout IMO, however that was shot down due to 2 things: the cost and the necessity to condemn a couple of the corners of private property at the intersection. Condemnation is a “third rail” for Albany council. That said, it wasn’t a unanimous decision to go with the stop light…
What is so disheartening about this additional cookie cutter, small lot development is the breakdown of the atmosphere in NA. We moved to Oregon to be near children, grandchildren. We chose NA specifically due to zoning of 10,000 sq. ft. lots and general sense of single level homes. I constantly hear the city tooting about preserving the “historical homes areas” and I can understand that, but what about preserving the nature of NA? We failed to read the fine print regarding developers being able to take the large lot size and create small lot subdivisions, so that is on us I guess. Of course none of this speaks to increased traffic and failure to open and develop both Whitmore and Dover to improve traffic flow out of this new development.
Folks,
Lots of opinions about how things could be better. Typing to a BLOG gives temporary relief to the writer, but not much more.
Speak with tour councilors and being forth concerns and solutions.
Reading Jeff’s account of the hearings he attended was a deja vu for me instead for the Nature Way Estates subdivision. In 2018 my family and neighbors attended prelim and final hearings which included many testimonies the majority not in favor due to the imminent traffic congestion and safety compromise on steep and curved residential streets (Edgewood Dr and Skyline Dr/Terrace). Similarly, the council appeared objective yet most had little knowledge of area and terrain, none had ever visited proposed site in person nor could locate it a map, and after hours of testimony made their unanimous approval decision within seconds as if they hadn’t heard any of the tens of arguments during the previous two hours. Very disingenuous very subjective officials to say the least.