One of the young dogwoods planted at Riverwood Crossing, the controversial townhouse development in North Albany, photographed on Aug. 19, 2024.
Not much has happened at Riverwood Crossing, the 80-lot townhouse project in North Albany, since a referee rejected an appeal and affirmed the City of Albany’s approval of the development just before the Fourth of July.
The subdivision was approved under state laws and regulations providing for so-called “middle housing.” The state’s mandate overrides local zoning regulations such as requirements for minimum sizes of lots.
By the time the city issued a public notice of the application for middle housing this spring, streets and utilities for 80 dwellings had already been installed on the 7.4-acre site south of Gibson Hill Road at Laura Vista Drive.
When I rode the bike on the new pavement in the development Monday, the only change I noticed since my last visit was that trees had been planted near the curbs.
The tags on the young trees identified them as cornus venus or flowering dogwoods. I counted 14 of them. They were supplied with watering bags but seemed a little on the parched side.
The developer, Pacific National Development Inc., of Salem, has yet to apply for building permits for any of the townhouses.
On Wednesday I reached Serge Serdsev, the owner of Pacific National Development, on the phone. He was about to go into a meeting and had time to tell me only that the Albany project was “in design.”
This is the first Albany project under Oregon’s new “middle housing” regulatory scheme. You’ll read more about it here as it unfolds. (hh)
This extension of Laura Vista Drive south of Gibson Hill will be lined with townhouses.
Stop building. Albany needs less not more people. Albany is waaaaaay too full. Go find somewhere else
People need housing! If you want less homelessness you need more homes. If you don’t like it you can leave. I’ll help you pack!
People that are homeless certainly wont be buying these places. That’s ridiculous. Good try though
These homes are not affordable for most folks, let alone the “gazillion” apartments being built at Geary and Queen! Calling all of these “affordable” and/or “middle income” is ridiculous!
Albany used to be a great smallish town. And yes, I understand the need for growth however, it appears to me that someone has an ulterior motive. Soon, we will be a bedroom community for south Salem.
The homes are not for the homeless; you’re too ignorant to figure that out. Prices will be from 300,00 to over 500,000. And more than likely many of the homes will be purchased by investors costing over 2,000 to rent.
GREAT! That’s comforting
Keep North Albany Beautiful people!!! There are too many single family homes here now! Now “they” want Town homes here which will bring to this beautiful place, more crowding, Extensive traffic already trying to get over the bridge, probably lower property values for those that live over there, for what? A few to get rich on the backs of us that live there and surrounding area? NO MORE BUILDING of ANY dwellings in North Albany!!!! It’s too much!!!!
Depending on what type of Dogwood these are will determine whether or not they survive. Some do not like wet poorly drained soil.