The Sternberg House at 506 Ferry St. SW looked like this on May 23, 2026.
The owners of a historic residence in Albany’s Monteith District have renewed their request for a city permit to turn the house into an outpatient center to treat substance abuse.
The property is known as the Sternberg House, built in 1868 and remodeled in about 1920. It is on the southwest corner of Ferry Street and Fifth Avenue, diagonally across from the Linn County Courthouse.
Last year, first the planning commission and then, on appeal, the city council turned down the owners’ application for a conditional use permit to allow their treatment center.
The main issue was that as a business, the treatment center was not allowed at the location, in a residential zone and a historic district. But the development code makes an exception for “public service” operations.
The new application is for a “non-profit treatment center,” according to the city planning division. The question will be whether that description makes a difference if the operation is essentially the same as what was proposed the last time.
A public hearing before the planning commission is scheduled at 5:15 p.m. Monday, June 15, in the council chambers at Albany City Hall.
Angela Kelly and Sarah Soric, owners of Recovery First LLC, bought the house in May 2024 for $551,000.
A staff report for the planning commission last year said no exterior changes were planned on the house. But if an outdoor ramp is needed to satisfy requirements for accessibility, then the applicants would need approval of the Albany Landmarks Commission as well. (hh)
The historic plaque on the front of the Sternberg House.
Would be interested to know if when house purchased intent was for this facility, or what change since first occupancy two year ago that owners want business there now?
I think when it was purchased that the people who purchased it no doubt wanted to put this treatment center there. Will be interested in what Hasso has to say about that.
“I think when it was purchased that the people who purchased it no doubt wanted to put this treatment center there.”
That’s pretty obvious.
“Will be interested in what Hasso has to say about that.”
Hasso obviously reported because you are reading it. Maybe he’s capable of reporting without injecting his opinion like a REAL REPORTER should do?
I’m sure all the people living around the block want a treatment center located next door..please find somewhere else….like talking gardens…nothing going on there..
I find it repugnant that a community fully aware of Albany’s shortage of treatment and recovery resources would object to someone taking an old historic property and turning it into a place of renewal, restoration, and rebirth.
We cannot complain about addiction, homelessness, public disorder, and people cycling through the justice system, then turn around and clutch our pearls the moment someone proposes an actual treatment option in our own backyard. That is not compassion. That is hypocrisy wearing a neighborhood association nametag.
The Sternberg House has stood in Albany since 1868. What better use for a historic home than helping rebuild lives? No exterior changes are proposed, the property can be preserved, and the community gains a badly needed outpatient treatment center. That sounds like stewardship, not a threat.
Albany needs fewer people objecting from the safety of “not near me” and more people willing to support real solutions. Addiction does not disappear because we zone it out of sight. Recovery takes places, people, and courage. This proposal deserves a fair hearing and community support.
There are already two treatment centers in town. If these programs were successful then why would they need to expand? Or is it because the more persons they treat they receive more revenue from the state? This isn’t about substance treatment, this is the location. You have a daycare preschool play yard fifty feet across the street from this historic house.
You can’t dictate community support nor do you have the right to tell us what we’re supposed to think.
Ben: I put on my best pearl earrings and with a bit of research found five treatment centers in town—and 60 percent are located in SW Albany. In addition, in the same neighborhood are numerous Oxford residential supportive homes and 12-step meeting spaces in the surrounding churches. Sharon is correct about the daycare in one church and the other nearby church has a preschool. By 7:30 am on weekdays most of the on street parking is already filled by Linn County employees. It’s discouraging to realize that Realtors are unaware of the value (and limits) of our historic residential districts and in this case did not advise their clients. I am hopeful that our city council will once again turn down this request and encourage — and even help — the owners of the house to find a more suitable location for their business. [I do not live in the historic neighborhoods and my immediate family has struggled with addictions.]. We can do both : honor our unique history and assist those who need additional support.
I am retired from a healthcare career spanning more than 35 years and own an historic Albany home. Because I always worked for non-profits, I have some questions regarding any newly minted non-profit and this one in particular. When presenting before the planning commission later this month, will the owners of the Sternberg Home share their governing documents to include their application for federal tax-exempt status, mission statement, business plan, names of at least three dedicated board members (who are not members of their families or business associates)? Non-profits are required to annually and publicly provide financial information and demonstrate progress toward stated goals. Will the new non-profit be fund raising to help with expenses? Are they willing to be transparent and accountable to the community they serve? The conflict here is not their noble desire to expand counseling for a specific population, and possibly garner wider support. It is, of course, to establish yet another activity in an already hectic neighborhood. Honestly, what is the overwhelming necessity in using this specific space when one of the applicants already owns the ‘Dynamic Self Recovery’ facility on 9th Avenue at Elm? A bus stop, on-site and street parking and other amenities are already available at that location within the Elm Street medical area that borders the Monteith neighborhood. I would urge the planning commission to help the applicants think through how to expand and utilize that site first — before reducing valued and unique family housing. Please do not further erode our historic neighborhood.