An excavator works on the corner lot at 4th and Calapooia Street Wednesday, signaling the start of construction on Calapooia Commons.
A cloud of dust caught my eye from two blocks away on Wednesday, so I rode the bike to the corner of Fourth Avenue and Calapooia Street. There was dust because a man on a big machine was beginning to excavate the corner lot.
It was the first step in the construction of a project its developers, Albany home builders Mark and Tina Siegner, call Calapooia Commons. Their plan calls for two three-story buildings with commercial space on the ground and a total of eight apartments on floors 2 and 3.
Mark told me they’re “getting a little bit started” by getting the excavation going and maybe building the foundation while the weather is good. They’ve got other projects going on and are trying to fit this one in when they can.
It’s been a long process. The Siegners bought the property in 2018, when it still contained three historic but severely dilapidated houses the city had condemned as dangerous.
During the years that followed, controversy ensued first over the demolition of the houses and then over the two proposed mixed-use buildings, which the city eventually approved in April 2022. The property is within Albany’s Monteith Historic District.
Numerous stories on this site have followed every step in this project. If you need a refresher, find the stories by searching for “Siegner” and “Calapooia” in the search field under the ads on the right.
For now, the city has issued a permit for the excavation. The building permit for the first of the two structures is pending. (hh)
Bill Ryals wins a squeaker over the Friends of Historic Albany & Dick O.
Good for him.
The Siegners are such great people!!!
I’m glad this is finally starting. I only wish more mixed-used buildings will pop up in Albany’s downtown. Such a nice core with lack of people that actually live there and can make it lively and busy. I would suggest the town to force those small buildings such as the salons, the laundromat, the few bars, to grow vertically two or three floors to allow for more housing, also to measure the usage of every parking lot downtown, most of them completely empty most of the time.
I’ll always remember the hearings for this building, the selfishness and entitlement of some of the neighbors was preposterous. Every new neighbor downtown brings life to the community.