This is the property at 241 Waverly Drive whose Bend owner wants the zoning changed to allow apartments.
Six years ago the Albany City Council refused to rezone a single-family residential lot on Waverly Drive to allow construction of up to 35 apartments. Now the owner is giving it another try.
The city’s planning division got a request from R.J. Aldritt, of Bend, to change the plan and zoning designation of his property at 241 Waverly Drive S.E. from single-family residential to medium-density residential or RM.
The property is heavily wooded and measures 1.38 acres. The RM zoning district allows up to 25 units per acre, which in this case translates to a theoretical maximum of 34.5 apartments.
On the county assessor’s website, the property has some outbuildings and a single-story house of 1,152 square feet, but four addresses.
The city has scheduled two hearings on the land-use request, on Oct. 4 before the planning commission and on Oct. 27 before the city council.
In July 2015, the same request generated opposition from neighbors. When it came before the council for the last hearing, 16 neighbors signed up in opposition and 11 of them spoke. Among other things they feared the loss of the wooded property as a buffer between Pacific Boulevard to the south and the residential neighborhood to the north.
The 2015 council voted 4-2 against the change. Two of the opponents are gone, but two, Bessie Johnson and Dick Olsen, are still in office. Councilman Ray Kopczynski voted for the change, and he’s on the council again.
Whether the outcome is different this time, we will find out soon enough. (hh)
The buildings are tucked in some distance from the street on the leafy lot.
It would create a horrible bottleneck on Waverly. I live a block away, and know what traffic problems we have in the area. Granted, the place is a fire trap, and dump, and needs to be torn down. Another apartment complex in the area could cause major problems. At certain times of the day, it is almost impossible to enter or exit Waverly st. And, again, the noise coming from both intersections , sometimes is unbearable.
Much of that may be true however this is a “perfect” place for this type of building as it’s close to major streets, shopping, bus routes, etc. In short, a great YIMBY situation. Of course, if existing homeowners don’t like it, they are free to move to make way for more infill building. Waverly could always be widened to two lanes each direction…it would only displace a few people in the name of greater good.