This is the vacant land east of Lochner Road in South Albany where the council approved annexation of 35.2 acres.
A few details emerged at a public hearing Wednesday about plans for a residential development on 35.2 acres east of Lochner Road.
The property is to be developed with about 80 residential lots. Under state law, the developer could build single-family houses or duplexes on the lots, or triplexes on any lots that are large enough.
The council approved annexation of the vacant land, north of Oak Creek and south of the Albany and Eastern rail line. It also rezoned the land for residential lots averaging 6,500 square feet, and withdrew it from the Albany Rural Fire Protection District.
No subdivision plan has yet been submitted. But from what he had seen of the preliminary layout, Jed Truett, the applicant’s representative, said there would be about 80 lots, some as small as 5,000 square feet and arranged in clusters to account for the sizable wetlands on the site that will be left as open space.
Hayden Homes of Redmond asked for the annexation. It plans to build houses there, and they will be for sale and not for rent, Truett told the council in answer to a question from Councilman Dick Olsen.
Planning manager Melissa Anderson said she expected a subdivision to be filed and the developer to ask for building permits later this year or next.
Mayor Alex Johnson II wondered about plans for a grocery because the lack of supermarkets makes South Albany a “food desert.” All the big grocery stores in town are clustered at least two miles north of this site.
The annexation area will have no stores, the mayor learned. The South Albany Area Plan does designate some commercial property, but not on this site. And anyway, experience has shown supermarkets don’t necessarily open where city planners hope. (hh)
Might be a great opportunity for co-op or Natural Grocer to come to Albany.
Rdjourney, Both Natural Grocers and the Co-op in Corvallis are good grocery options that specialize in organic and sustainable products, nutritional education, and local community. While I’d welcome either company opening a store in the Albany area, I’m confident the town has nowhere near the number of customers now or in the next 10 years to support such niche market stores not to mention would want to shop regularly in such nonconventional much-smaller-than-average sized grocery stores.