The still-wooded site of the planned Hub City Village, 241 Waverly Drive S.E., looked like this on March 14, 2023.
Before it can build its planned Hub City Village of tiny houses, the Creating Housing Coalition will have to clear the site of trees.
On March 6, the Albany planning division posted a public notice of the coalition’s plan to remove 46 trees. That’s all but one of the trees on the lot.
Owners within 300 feet had been notified, and today was the deadline if any of them wanted to comment.
The list of trees to be cut down includes a veritable arboretum of species: apple, plum, spruce, redwood, ginko, cherry, filbert, cedar, tulip, laurel, maple, pine, walnut, poplar, magnolia, and holly. Several others were listed only as “deciduous.”
Approval of the tree-cutting request is up to the planning staff.
The coalition bought the 1.4-acre lot at 241 Waverly Drive S.E. last December for $495,000. It plans to build a community of 27 small houses intended for people who might otherwise become homeless.
The housing coalition also filed an application for the project as a planned development. That request must go to the city planning commission for approval. A hearing will most likely be held in April, but a date has yet to be set.
The nonprofit housing coalition has been working on this project since 2019, raising money and finding a site. Now it’s about to become real.(hh)
Through the trees you can see the Motel 6, which fronts on Pacific Boulevard.
If you build it , they will come. Housing benefit, living expense money, food benefit, health benefit, why not come and get it. It’s the modern day version of the gold rush. Pack up the car, we’re headed to Al-ba-knee.
Those people in those Hub City Village tiny houses are going to bake like a potato chip in our globally-warmed climate! Isn’t there a way they can leave some of the trees? Also, isn’t anyone in charge of anything in the town of Albany who realizes the benefit that trees have to this planet?? (Boy, does it ever look uninviting down at the Sr. Center with over half the trees gone and a big construction fence up. Best part of going to the Sr. Center was the scenery from all the trees in the surrounding park! That’s no more!)
I’ve always had the same thoughts. When creating all of these new housing projects, the first thing that goes are the existing trees. I’m at a loss as to why they can’t plan around the trees. I’m sure the builders are just looking for the easiest, cheapest way to do things and the city could care less. The new trees, if any are planned, are just saplings that won’t mature for 20 years or more.
Yes! So true! I just dont understand it at all :/
The FOREST was Shrinking but the Trees kept voting for the Axe,
for the axe was clever and convinced the Trees that because his handle was
MADE OF WOOD he was ONE of them. -Turkish proverb
Famous Canadian artist Emily Carr spent her life living among the trees while painting tree landscapes. When trees were felled, she called the stumps SCREAMERS!
So much for being a designated Tree City. Seems as if the city is determined to chop all the beauty down. Trees are one of the best ways to combat climate change. They provide natural cooling in the hot summer days and habitat for many birds
It seems as if the City of Albany is not interested in preserving the beauty of our town or combatting climate change
Yes, exactly! And its awful :(
who owns the trees????????????????????????????????
did your lot have trees on it before you cut them down to build your house???????????
What’s the difference???????