The Plant Warehouse garden center was in operation when I went by on the bike on April 17.
Sometimes it takes a while for the governmental paperwork to catch up with events on the ground. Take, for instance, the case of the Plant Warehouse in Albany.
The seasonal garden center was being set up in a parking lot off Pacific Boulevard the week of April 6 and opened for business that Saturday. This week, on Monday, April 20, the city’s planning division published a public notice that it had received an application for “site plan review for temporary plant sales.”
The application is for plant sales not to exceed 120 days. The city’s notice said that property owners within 300 feet had been notified, and the deadline for written comment would be May 4.
Property owners within 300 feet — across Calapooia Street, for example, or along Vine Street on the other side of the Santiam Canal — probably didn’t need the notice. They could see the garden center being set up and operating.
Was there a problem with the business going on before the site plan had the city’s official OK? No, there wasn’t.
“Temporary uses less than 30 days are exempt from review,” said David Martineau, Albany’s planning manager. “That way, they can get started while the review takes place.”
The Plant Warehouse moved to this parking lot, at 635 Pacific Blvd. SW, after it was booted from the Heritage Plaza off 14th Avenue because of an apparent lease restriction there.
The Pacific Boulevard lot had been unused and empty for more than a year. The iconic building there, built for and occupied by Safeway until 1999, has been leased by the Teen Challenge Thrift Shop and soon will be occupied too. (hh)
We just bought two very nice hanging baskets there!
Thank you!
Plant Wharehouse is an excellent addition to the neighborhood. I’ve been getting quality plants at great prices from them for years. Glad they were able to find a “home” for the season. Closer to my house is a bonus!
Here’s hoping more pop-up businesses (food trucks?) occupy the space… that blacktop wasteland is such an eyesore!
Hasso, we are completely “sue-happy” in this country. People sue others at the drop of a hat. So, it seems to me cities, such as Albany, have to have all kinds of “waiting periods” and regulations to exist along side the legal systems.
The legal system and his being able to sue a hundred times at least has given us Trump. He has been suing people since he came of age or at least since he was in his 20s.
When was suing ANYBODY mentioned in this piece?
Your TDS is so obvious, it’s pathetic!
You’re mean, aren’t you? And “thick,” too. Hasso was pointing out that the process the city goes through for opening the plant store in the parking lot takes way too long. I’m sure that may be mostly due to “legal” requirements. I hope that gets through your thick, mean skull. Oh, BTW, Trump syndrome is not a derangement. It is Trump who is deranged.
That was worse gibberish than your first post.
Actually, MJ is spot on. Learn some manners.
Get a life!! Buy a plant, you’ll feel better.
Seems like a whole lotta concern about a whole lotta nothing.
Get over it. Buy a plant or two. This is a business that is needful, comfortable to buy from and is waited to buy from every year. I was worried when they did not show up in the usual spot. I was grateful to find them at their new location! Which I might not have until too late if I had not been reading these post that are all about Albany and not Corvallis!
Show a bit of compassion, kindness, gratitude and caring…The new location is much easier to access and has much better parking and loading. It’s time to reboot our thinking progress about how we treat others after being drug through the last couple of years… I really am grateful for the updates that I read in these posts about Albany.
So , Thank you for the updates!