A family hears about the Albany riverfront planning project at Thursday’s open house.
Albany’s effort design and eventually build improvements along the downtown riverfront got off to a pretty good start Thursday. About 80 people, far more than usual at such events, showed up for an open house to learn about the project and offer their ideas.
This is an effort funded by the Central Albany Revitalization Area — at up to $2.36 million — to improve Monteith Riverpark, Water Avenue, and the riverbank along with the Dave Clark Path from Washington Street to Main.
Consultants hired by the city, the Portland firm of Walker Macy, plan to come back with final design concepts this summer and hope for council approval of the plans by spring 2021. Construction of projects might start as early as late 2021.
Not part of the city project, Albany developer Scott Lepman brought in a display showing his company’s concept of an eight-story hotel and apartment building, along with a parking garage, along the west end of Water Avenue. He said he was serious about pursuing the idea:
As for people’s ideas for changes in Monteith Riverpark, here’s a display showing various preferences with dots in different colors with green meaning yes and red meaning no:
The notion of a place to launch hand-carried boats like kayaks seemed to be most popular.
There also were several suggestions for resurrecting a footbridge linking Monteith and Bryant parks. One of the consultants said they would certainly consider it.
How to reshape Water Avenue was another topic. Ron Green, who lives along the street, distributed notes with his recommendation to slow vehicle traffic to walking pace. Drivers wanting to go faster should use First and Second avenues, in his view. The consultants, according to a handout, will consider “features that allow some parts of the street to be closed to cars during festivals.”
I had wondered whether there was any connection between this planning project and the demolition of the back addition of an industrial building at 755 Water Ave. The men doing the dismantling had said something about a park. Seth Sherry of of the city told me property owners within a block of the riverfront had been advised of the park planning effort, but the city has no plans to acquire any part of that parcel.
If you want to keep up with announcements about the planning as it continues, you can do so here. (hh)
This was early during the two-hour open house at the Albany Senior Center.
In a previous article you advocated “Strong Towns” and Charles Marohn.
So let’s do that. What is this project’s Return on Investment (ROI)? Hasso, can you ask CARA to provide their initial analysis that shows this project will increase the assessed property value of the CARA district? How much?
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2013/11/7/rational-response-5-require-a-real-roi.html
Marohn’s approach involved observing where people in the community struggle, then attacking the next smallest thing right now to address that struggle.
This project doesn’t fit that mold. Are Albany citizens struggling because the waterfront is largely undeveloped? Of course not.
Like Ray K has oftentimes says- let’s call a spade a spade. This is nothing more than a feel good “pet project” that feeds the ego of local politicians. There is no community struggle to be fixed here.
This project is a sham, pure and simple. And millions upon millions are about to be wasted.
“Marohn’s approach involved observing where people in the community struggle, then attacking the next smallest thing right now to address that struggle.”
Yes, that is a small part of his overall thesis – but most definitely not the only one.
“Are Albany citizens struggling because the waterfront is largely undeveloped? Of course not.”
Yet Albany citizens can greatly benefit from having better & enhanced access to the riverfront and ancillary amenities that can be provided. Of course, you have to be involved to see that happening with the outreach process just getting started.
http://albanywaterfront.net/
Any discussion about 4he parking lot where 5he majority of employees in the downtown area park? We’ve been hearing that it will be no more and we will have to pay for parking passes in the core downtown customer parking or park in the residential neighborhoods.
I have to scratch my head why the proposed plan stops at Main Street instead of running the length of the Dave Clark Path where it joins Water Ave. The section of the Dave Clark Path between Main St and Water Ave which drops down to and along the swale, next to the Community Garden, has always shown a lack of maintenance no matter what the season by the Parks Dept. Last year a group of local artists did a nice job of painting an adjoining fence and deserves the same treatment of the rest of the water front. It really is a slap in the face to Dave Clark who did so much for our Cities parks.
While I’m not claiming a Bryant-to-Monteith foot bridge would necessarily ease anyone’s “struggle,” it would be a pretty cool amenity. Yes, it would probably cost more than would strike most as reasonable, but hopefully not too much more.
Around 1998 a wood foot bridge was built across the Calapooia river connecting Bryant and Monteith Parks. There were landings on each side of the Calapooia and 2 steel pilings in the river. Wood sections of the foot bridge were removed in the winter when the rivers were high, leaving just the steel pilings in place. Those pilings caught and trapped dead trees and other floating stuff that came down the Calapooia. By 2000 a large debris pile was piling up in the river against those pilings and became a big problem, making the bridge unusable. Eventually the State allowed the debris pile to be removed and the steel pilings were cut off and removed.
Any new bridge across the Calapooia at that spot will need to span the river with no permanent pilings in the water, or we will likely have another large debris pile again.
So please..why a $2.3K study for a riverbank??? Just when the city is facing something like a $1.5K shortfall in it’s budget! So who is gonna make the R/R track go away to enhance the area? We already have what Corvallis has – Dave Clark path, fairly improved Water Street, the back sides of mediocre businesses on 1st Ave. Is the Mayor trying for a mini Rivera to make a miraculous transformation of whats just a plain old river bank! So, mega boats are going to dock, will a fashionable river boat steam in, school boys may will play hooky fishing down there. Our mayor is bound & determined to spend every last dime in CARA to saddle us, our children & grand kids with debt. All on a promise that the area will ten fold increase property income. Ya, the enlistment Sgt promised me that very same thing back in ’66! Hello ‘Nam.
When will we ever see a paved path along the river connecting the Dave Clark path to Bowman park and Simpson park?
THE GALA EVENT. What was missing was the confetti. I talked to the consultants. You know the 2.5 million dollar consultants that don’t understand the history of downtown albany this 20 million dollar sidewalk has a lot of flaws but like previous comments the mayor is going to get her way unless we vote her out. Her vision is old and out of date with today’s world
I’m intrigued – Exactly “how” does the Mayor decide the outcome in this proposal? The Mayor gets but a single vote in the process. I saw you at the rollout and I presume you made your wishes known. Doing so by a whole heckuva lot more folks is what is needed as this multi-meeting outreach unfolds! (I give you credit: At least you did show up vs. many “here” who couldn’t be bothered…)
http://albanywaterfront.net/
If I understand this project it is supported by the whole council not just Mayor so quit picking on just her. Many times over the years I have heard people say we turn our backs to the river instead of using it as an asset. We have this chance to turn this into something to enjoy for a change. Dave Clark had a vision about the river with the creation of Monteith River park and the trail so lets at least give this a chance and be a little less negative for a change.
How do you justify using Tax Incremental Financing on a project that has a negative return on investment and a payback period of infinity?
How do you justify CARA skimming tax revenues from the other taxing districts to make this project happen?
Taxpayers never approved using public funds for essential services to beautify the riverfront.
This isn’t negative. These are legitimate questions that the council and Mayor must answer.
If you can help them articulate coherent answers, please share your response with us.
I justify the project because it is for improvement on PUBLIC property for everyone to use. There is no other funding available to improve Water Street unless we go out for a bond which would actually increase property taxes. The other taxing districts are not losing near as much as the city of Albany is losing in taxes which amounts to over a million. I have not always supported every project that CARA has done but I use Water Street quite a bit and almost always seeing someone using the trail or there are cars either in front or behind me using Water St. too CARA will not exist much longer.
Where you at the meeting? If not, why not?
If you missed the meeting on Thursday, there is an “online open house” where you can share your opinion with the planners. Go to http://www.AlbanyWaterfront.net, look for Online Open House on the right and click on the graphic of the survey website. Don’t miss this chance to help shape Albany’s waterfront.