The apartments or townhouses at Waverly and Grand Prairie on Friday afternoon, July 7, 2023.
Thirty-five new two-story apartments — the developers call them townhomes — in south Albany look like they’ve been finished for some time. On social media people have asked why they’re still vacant.
The reason, it appears, is that the buildings don’t yet have electric power.
The project was developed by Spies Real Estate Group LLC, of Corvallis, which bought the 1.3-acre lot at the southeast corner of Waverly Drive and Grand Prairie Road in 2019. A single-family house was demolished to make way for three buildings, two with 10 apartments each and one with 15.
I asked Johnathan Balkema what was holding up getting the units ready for tenants. He is Albany’s building official manager, and by email he told me:
“My understanding is that the utility and the electrical contractor were having issues getting power to the site and/or the required electrical equipment was out of stock. It sounds like each of our two utilities have specific spec’d electrical equipment for their distribution and due to the ongoing supply constraints those were not available and the alternative that was available is not on that spec list for how that site is being served from the utility.”
Balkema added: “As they are able to get the equipment, they are getting them installed and inspected, to make sure it is safe.”
On a bike ride I visited the development on Friday afternoon. The buildings, parking lot and playground fairly gleamed in the sunshine, but no one was around.
I didn’t see any of the kind of signs common on new apartment complexes, like the name of the place, the features available, or where to call about renting a unit.
From what I could see looking in the windows, the inside of the apartments looked finished. So did the grounds, complete with landscaping, stormwater swales, raised garden beds, and covered bike racks. But on the building I checked, the spaces for electrical meters were still empty.
The units look handsome from the outside. They are in a nice location, too, across Waverly Drive from Grand Prairie Park. (hh)
This is where electrical meters will go.
Looking in the window of one of the 35 units.
When people live there, they can plant something in these raised beds.
Thank you! Too bad accommodations were not made for an alternative.
I wonder how many of them will be wired with the “quick chargers” for electric vehicles? Even if the distribution system can handle it I’m betting it will be a long time before those are wired up and functioning.
Thank you. We drive by and wonder.
Unfortunately, these houses will be too expensive and too big for elderly, single or low income people. Soon anyone that works at any service jobs or low wage jobs, (restaurants, retail, child care and such) will either live in large groups of poor people or in other cities. Albany will be little Portland and we will have to roll up our windows and lock our doors at stop lights. Our society needs everyone to make a good community. When you force people to compete over resources just to live, there are consciences. When all the services continue to require wages to increase, more and more people are left behind. When you go home to these nice houses, in your electric cars. Then complain that you cannot afford all the luxuries that you are used to, please remember that there are people with old cars and sometimes do not even have 5 bucks for gas to go to work. Anyone that works 40 hours a week should be able to afford these new homes.
Don’t disagree with you, but with the affordable housing assistance those people can afford these units until their assistance $ goes away. Just making things cheaper isn’t the answer, how about an economic reset? Nor sure I would like that, little Portland? Somehow I don’t think so. Good ideas, and good decisions for and about the people is what’s needed not silly electrical prefered vendor hold ups. It’s these silly laws and rules that continue to plague progress and leave completed buildings ready for families empty, and to me, that’s a crime.
sorry your life’s choices led to you being unable to afford gas for your old car
Please feel free to build lots of apartments and rent them out for a very cheap price.
Just driving by – I see no way there is any “too big” involved. Each unit is extremely narrow with no real outside area for relaxation and enjoyment or privacy. It seems like lots of congestion to be sure.
What’s the square footage?
Thank you for your concern, nebs but I am fine. I know good families and older people who work hard that struggle to find simple, clean homes. They do not complain about what they feel they deserve. There is a difference between reasonable prices and very cheap prices. Always aiming for the bigger better deal is not a guarantee of making money. Houses and apartments that are over priced will not meet the needs of the community and will struggle to keep tenants. Reality is different than selling swampland.
If they are successfully being rented then they aren’t overpriced…they are just overpriced for those that can’t afford them. Those that can afford them deserve a place to live, too.
If you check this out on Google maps you see the original house in the satellite view but the new townhouses in the street view.