This is the entrance off Davidson Street to a 4-acre site where the city has approved a plan for 83 single-family cottages. The photo was taken Sept. 20, 2025.
If the developers follow through on their approved plans, a 4.2-acre parcel of vacant land just south of the Albany Public Library will become a tightly packed neighborhood of single-family cottages.
The Albany Planning Commission approved a site plan for the project following a public hearing on Sept. 15, 2025. On a bike ride the following Saturday, I stopped by the site, which is near the commercial center of town.
The project is called “15Fifty Place” because one of its addresses is 1550 Waverly Drive S.E. The planning commission agenda summarized it this way:
“A master planned development with 83 single dwelling units with common open space and a shared community center on an undeveloped lot. The development will be served by a network of internal private driveways, parking, open spaces and onsite stormwater collection. Includes a replat to combine five lots into two, and a site plan review for the removal of 28 trees in order to construct infrastructure and homes.”
“15Fifty Place” stretches from Davidson Street on the west to Waverly Drive on the east.
I watched a YouTube video of the public hearing. From what I could understand, the units will be rentals, and rents may range from $1,200 to $1,500 a month.
The developers characterize their project as affordable housing. They hope to be eligible for a program known as MUPTE for “multiple unit property tax exemption,” which allows new multi-family residential projects to avoid property taxes on the value of new residential construction for up to 10 years.
Albany does not yet have such a program, but the city is planning to enact one.
The property is owned GEH Waverly LLC, represented by Carson Halley of Gresham. The general contractor is Damon Olsen of JBLC Construction, Albany, who also built the Hub City Village of tiny houses on Waverly Drive north of Pacific Boulevard.
The one- and two-bedroom cottages of 15Fifty Place are intended for people who may not have cars. The site is within walking distance of supermarkets and a variety of professional offices and other businesses, not to mention the main branch of the city library.
Still, the commission heard from a neighborhood resident worried about parking spilling over on streets outside of the development.
So far, the land has been cleared. The commission heard that construction on the first phase of 48 units is planned for 2026. (hh)
To intentionally plan a complex for people without cars, In my opinion is a really dumb idea.
Mixed feelings on this one, Hasso. While affordable housing is very important and “tiny homes” seem a reasonable way to deliver on that requirement (they are like small 400 sq ft apartments) I do not trust high density and low income which the combination seems to attract crime. But from a pure city planning standpoint, this makes sense in terms of adjacent commercial resources. Hopefully the public safety services are taken into account and beefed up in the area. Also, who will pay for the common areas, the community center and their maintenance? Crime also follows poorly maintained facilities.
I welcome affordable, dense housing in Albany, especially those close to conveniences (library, shopping, etc.). Does the Albany Planning Commission require the 28 trees to be replaced? A good rule would be to plant two in city limits for every one you take out.
No new housing construction should be property tax exempt! PERIOD! Why does the city council think us taxpayers should pickup the tab for a company to financially benefit from us? It’s time the city council sits in front of a townhall meeting on a neutral site so they can’t cut speakers off when they don’t like the questions being asked!
This article has nothing to do with city council. And you can always email the council when you have more to say than the three minutes alloted at meetings.
It sure does have to do with the City Council. Who do you think decides to make the company tax exempt?
Mary Margaret, you are incorrect. The City Council decides tax exempt status for new construction.
THIS development is not tax-exempt. So, you’re just complaining about something that doesn’t apply here? Again, the city council has nothing to do with THIS article.
It is always a good idea to engage your brain before your mouth…or in this case, your keyboard. You obviously missed part of the article that said:
“They hope to be eligible for a program known as MUPTE for “multiple unit property tax exemption,” which allows new multi-family residential projects to avoid property taxes on the value of new residential construction for up to 10 years.”
In case you didn’t understand that the first time:
“They hope to be eligible for a program known as MUPTE for “multiple unit property tax exemption,” which allows new multi-family residential projects to avoid property taxes on the value of new residential construction for up to 10 years.”
Then if you had bothered to do just even the tiniest bit of research, you would have found that MUPTE is a program that is administered BY THE CITY and it IS the City Council’s job to determine and approve tax abatements.
Hahahaha. Cheryl just proved she/he/whatever doesn’t know the meaning of the words “hope” and “new”
$1200-$1500 per month is considered affordable? Will this be subsidized?
That’s affordable housing???!!! How can they get away with that?
So now we are building ghettos in Albany?
$1200 for a 1brm ‘cottage’ is affordable?!?
Sucks. Waverly becoming Megopolis Blvd, making it near impossible to get through this part of town. Imagine what will happen to the light at Waverly & Hwy. 20. Many people run the light there already. Current Albany Councillors and and Mayor are greedy, and don’t care about livability of its citizens. I miss Sharon Konopa’s leadership.
I miss Sharon Kanopa as well!
She has been pretty spot on with regards to the difficulties the community would face if it went down this economic development model. Elections really do have consequences.
I’ll strongly suggest we (Albany) are one heckuva lot better off for having the processes we now have, vs. what we looked like 10-15-20 years ago (warts and all)! Yes, elections DO have consequences. Sadly, too many voters are so apathetic, they aren’t even willing to participate in that process – that many folks in other countries literally die for trying to get the opportinity to do so… :-(
Thank you Mitch and Virginia, you are so kind. In thinking back at my 25 years of service with thousands of hours over land use planning meetings, comp plan, refinement plans, transportation plans, development code changes and loads more ended up being a waste of my time. The state leaders wipe out all of the policies we created that focused on livable neighborhoods and well-managed growth. It all played out in the hands of the developers and the realtors buying their candidates so they could build, build, build. Then their most misleading sales pitch where this would provide affordable housing! Ha! When the state changed no parking requirements for even single and multi-family dwellings, plus commercial uses was the most irresponsible decision I have ever seen. You two have lived in Albany like me our whole lives and I never expected such poor planning would be changing the character of our community. The only positive out of this is our homes are holding their value because we have a driveway and a back yard!!
Yes, $1,200 to $1,500 is considered affordable housing now-a-days. Our country is over. It has gone to hell. It is only for the rich. Anyone on a pension who did not work for big wages cannot afford to pay rent now. And, Assisted Living for the Elderly wants about $6,000 a month!!!!
So, people who will live in this complex who can pay $1,200 to $1,500/mo. will have cars. They will need them. They can walk to Fred Meyer if they don’t need to cart too many items back home. But please explain what professional offices you claim are close by? It would need to be an Urgent Care facility, and there isn’t one close by. You can’t just walk in and get an appointment at Corvallis Clinic which has an Albany office near there. Those you interviewed, Hasso, strung a line of B.S. in your direction.
Regarding professional offices within easy walking distance this new development, SamCare Express has an urgent/immediate care facility just North of Safeway on 14th. There is an optometrist and a hearing aid center, just east of the former Big Buy store. Also an Ophthalmologist at 14th and Waverly. among other services, pharmacies at both Safeway and Fred Meyer as well as food/general goods. The Mall nearby has Target and at least two optical dispensers, etc. The Main branch of the Albany Library. Bus Lines. Bank, S&L’s. Etc. A lot of nearby services.
I’ve often mused where in Albany would be the most convenient for a person with no automotive transportation to live, and I’ve concluded that this general area would be ideal for a person without an automobile.
If that’s affordable housing, it seems a bit steep. Why would the city give them tax exempt status for up to 10 years for developing this project, when they keep raising fees and taxes on our water and sewer bills. I smell a rat!
This development is not tax-exempt. The article is misleading for folks who don’t read every word.
Affordable housing this is not. An individual making $20 per hour which is high for fast food etc, is roughtly $40,000 per year less 10% for taxes gives you a net of $36,000 less $18,000 for rent less $2,000 for utilities would leave you about $1,300 per month to live on. The only answer is subsidized housing for poor people but the requirements to maintain the property allow poor people to destroy the apartment and then get another one to destroy nullifying the benefit. How many high rises, etc. have to be destroyed before the government gives the tenants one chance and then makes them homeless after they destroy the section 8 or whatever program they are on.
Many people will leave Albany due to all the negative changes. More and more people are moving to Albany for the wrong reasons and do not like it here. Good or bad there is not anything to keep people here. No sense of community, low paying jobs, boring (very few are excited about the downtown area) and they say the retention of the homeless has made Albany a grubby city. I hear this every day. The city is creating a sinking ship without life boats for the long term residents who are committed to stay here.