When you see the spot where Marcie Howard and her husband, Gary, would like to build a small house on the property of their son, it’s hard to see why the city of Albany and Mayor Sharon Konopa won’t let them.
Accessory dwellings: A needless flap
Written July 23rd, 2018 by Hasso Hering
The city council flap over accessory dwellings was not resolved on Monday, and a closer examination makes me wonder why there’s a flap in the first place. Fixing Albany’s development code to align with a new state law should have been no big deal.
Parking and shrubs: Just wondering
Written November 30th, 2016 by Hasso Hering
What were they thinking? It’s no big deal, but that’s what I was wondering when I looked at this bit of landscaping in the Albany Fred Meyer parking lot on Wednesday afternoon.
Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany development code, parking lot landscaping, planters in parking lots
Tags: Albany development code, parking lot landscaping, planters in parking lots
Albany tries to cut red tape downtown
Written August 1st, 2016 by Hasso Hering
Albany city officials want more building and business downtown. To that end they’re launching a review of the city development code, hoping to get rid of regulations that needlessly stymie developers and builders.
Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany development code, Angelo Planning Group, CARA, Central Albany, Scott Lepman
Tags: Albany development code, Angelo Planning Group, CARA, Central Albany, Scott Lepman
As if water was plentiful and cheap
Written August 17th, 2015 by Hasso Hering
Drought or no drought, we keep adding lawns that need irrigation to look as lush as this one. Does that make any sense? So far the answer is both yes and no.
Posted in: Commentary
Tags: 2015 drought, Albany development code, irrigation, landscaping requirements
Tags: 2015 drought, Albany development code, irrigation, landscaping requirements
Zoning: The fix falls short
Written March 8th, 2014 by Hasso Hering
About two years ago Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa had the great idea to form a task force that would comb through the city development code and recommend changes to make it easier to open or run a business. On Wednesday the city council will hold a hearing on the result, a list of revisions so […]
Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany City Council, Albany development code, Main Street District, waterfront district, zoning restrictions
Tags: Albany City Council, Albany development code, Main Street District, waterfront district, zoning restrictions
Albany Albany City Council Albany council Albany downtown Albany housing Albany parks Albany Planning Commission Albany police Albany Public Works Albany riverfront Albany Station Albany streets Albany traffic Albany urban renewal Amtrak apartments Benton County bicycling bike lanes Bowman Park Bryant Park CARA climate change Cox Creek Cox Creek path cumberland church Dave Clark Path DEQ downtown Albany Edgewater Village Ellsworth Street bridge Highway 20 homeless housing Interstate 5 land use Linn County Millersburg Monteith Riverpark North Albany North Albany Road ODOT Oregon legislature Pacific Boulevard Pacific Power Periwinkle Bikepath Portland & Western Queen Avenue Queen Avenue crossing railroad Railroads Republic Services Riverside Drive Salem Avenue Santiam Canal Scott Lepman speed cameras Talking Water Gardens Union Pacific urban renewal vandalism Water Avenue Waterfront Project Waverly Lake Willamette River
Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved. Hasso Hering.
Website Serviced by Santiam Communications
A new judge and, unrelated, an old debate
Wednesday’s Albany City Council meeting, the last one of the year, featured someone new and something old. One was the next city judge. The other was a rerun of last year’s disagreement between the mayor and council majority over the size of accessory dwelling units.
Tags: accessory dwelling units, Albany court, Albany development code, Forrest Reid, mayor's veto, Municipal court