Albany Downtown Association

Saving historic ‘Briggs Building’ downtown

Written October 15th, 2025 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 9 responses.

A while back someone asked my why there was a giant tarp shrouding the front of a building in the 300 block of Albany’s N.W. First Avenue. The shroud was gone when I stopped the bike there Sunday, and everyone now can see the remodeling going on.

Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: 333 NW First Avenue, Albany Downtown Association, Briggs Building, downtown, Main Street Grants

The old Oregon Electric depot: Keeping track

Written May 29th, 2022 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 14 responses.

Where Albany downtown building revival projects are concerned, everything seems to take longer than expected. That includes the much-anticipated sale and restoration of the historic Oregon Electric Railway depot on Fifth Avenue.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: 133 Fifth Avenue S.W., Albany Downtown Association, CARA, Matt and Janel Bennett, Oregon Electric depot, Oregon Parks and Recreation, Sybaris

How about dinner in the alley?

Written January 28th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 24 responses.

There’s a plan afoot to turn at least one downtown Albany alley into a place for outdoor dining. The city council heard about it Wednesday from Lise Grato, executive director of the Albany Downtown Association.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany Downtown Association, alley dining, alley restoration, downtown Albany

Hanging baskets: Questions and answers

Written August 27th, 2019 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 20 responses.

“My friends and I always wonder what they do to get the flower baskets downtown to bloom so profusely and get so big,” the email from Mandy Wilson said. “They are just petunias, right? We were also curious as to what they do with the baskets when the season is over. We thought maybe you […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany downtown, Albany Downtown Association, hanging flower baskets

Downtown ‘parklets’ in 2nd year

Written July 23rd, 2017 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 6 responses.

In case you haven’t noticed — and I hadn’t before Saturday — the downtown Albany “parklets” are back for the second summer in a row.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, Albany Downtown Association, downtown parklets

Free parking, but fines may rise

Written August 22nd, 2016 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 4 responses.

Compared to Salem or Corvallis, downtown Albany is a breeze when it comes to parking. The main difference: No meters. The penalties for overstaying the generous parking limits have remained unchanged for 20 years. But now an increase has been proposed.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany Downtown Association, downtown parking, parking fines, ParkWise

Not a little park, but a parklet

Written April 28th, 2016 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 10 responses.

Thirty-six years ago the First Interstate Bank in Albany furnished this wide spot in the sidewalk in front of its parking lot on First Avenue in case any downtown pedestrian wanted to pause and take a load off. Now, with the consent of Wells Fargo, the Albany Downtown Association plans to turn the space into […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany Downtown Association, Christina Larson, downtown Albany, parklets Varitone Architecture, Peggy Burris