HASSO HERING

Tuesday evening at the Wheelhouse building on Water Avenue.

For years the Linn County commissioners have been trying to find more space in Albany for county government functions. Now they have their eyes on the Wheelhouse, the four-story office building overlooking the Willamette River.

A a few years ago the county offered to buy the former Wells Fargo bank downtown from the city of Albany, but the city rejected the offer in favor of other plans that eventually fell apart and ended in the demolition of the building.

County officials then planned to buy the former Community Branch of U.S. Bank but didn’t go through with the deal. Then, this year the county board approved the potential purchase of the First Evangelical Church at First Avenue and Pine Street, but again the deal did not go through.

On Tuesday, Linn County announced in an emailed news release that Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker had approved a conditional agreement to buy the Wheelhouse for about $6.25 million.

Unless the county finds issues that would make the deal inadvisable, the purchase will come back before the board for final approval.

In the news release, communications officer Alex Paul quoted county officials that buying the Wheelhouse would cost far less than building a similar structure or adding to the courthouse.

For example, Board Chairman Roger Nyquist: “This acquisition, if ultimately successful, represents a substantial value to the taxpayers of Linn County. It would cost us at least three times the purchase price to build a similar structure. I hope that this property is a key component in the solution to our ongoing court security challenges, while we attempt to give the best service possible to the general public.”

Dave and Janet Johnson, of Corvallis, built the Wheelhouse in 2008-9 on the site of the former Buzz Saw restaurant. They had hoped a new restaurant would operate on the ground floor, but that never came about. Their limited liability company, Ohanamula LLC, is listed as the owner.

The building has about 25,000 square feet of office space. The county assessor says its real market value is $5.3 million and its assessed value is $4.3 million.

Taxes on the property jumped about $10,000 from last year. This year’s tax bill is $85,804.

The building is in a mixed-use zoning district called “central business.” This allows a large number of residential, commercial and industrial uses, including “institutional” ones such as “community services.” Whether that covers local government, the county’s “due diligence” will no doubt find out.

Here’s more from Alex Paul’s news release:

“The purchase will free up space in the courthouse, although it is too soon to know which offices or departments may move. It will also solve an issue the commissioners have worked on for several years, providing increased security measures — such as metal detectors — especially for the third-floor Linn County District Courtrooms, while keeping other areas as barrier free to the general public as possible.

“The commissioners had researched building a new addition that would provide space for the District Attorney’s Office and secure access to the courts, but that project is estimated to cost about $30 million. The State of Oregon would provide up to $15 million, but only for a new courthouse, not an addition.

“Linn County will use ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for the building’s purchase and any remodeling to meet county needs.”

Now, much of the ground floor looks vacant, and there’s a “for rent” sign on one of the doors. Presumably that won’t be needed if or when the county owns the place. (hh)

Here’s the directory of Wheelhouse tenants, as seen from the front door.

If the county buys the building, this sign might become outdated.