Albany downtown

Albany launches downtown parking study

Written February 10th, 2019 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 23 responses.

The Albany City Council thinks the city would benefit from a downtown parking study, and it has commissioned one at a contracted cost of no more than $42,803.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, ARA, ARA parking study, CARA, parking study, Rick Williams Consulting

A traffic change: Dotted line turns solid

Written December 13th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 19 responses.

ODOT has followed through on changing an important lane marking on Ellsworth Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues. Now let’s see if Albany drivers get the hint.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, Albany traffic, Ellsworth Street, Highway 20, highway lane markings, ODOT, Oregon highways, solid white line, traffic control change

Downtown housing proves hard to build

Written November 29th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 21 responses.

One of these days, but not right away, this lot on Albany’s Third Avenue S.E. may or may not hold eight townhouse-style apartments. That’s what I got out of a long discussion Wednesday by the advisory board of the Central Albany Revitalization Area.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, CARA loan, Downtown housing, Fortmiller Building, Lepman brothers

Albany streetscape: Now that it’s done …

Written October 12th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 9 responses.

After dinner at Taqueria Alonzo on Friday night, I took a few minutes to walk around the downtown streetscape improvements whose completion the city of Albany will observe at noon today.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, CARA steetscape

Streetscape benches, a placement dilemma

Written September 15th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 10 responses.

Imagine the plight of a streetscape designer who’s supposed to place a few benches on the newly rebuilt sidewalks of Albany’s downtown. How to position this street furniture so it is inviting and does future bench sitters some good?

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany downtown, CARA streetscape, urban renewal

Are we there yet? Not quite, but close

Written July 18th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

Wondering when — or indeed if — street work in downtown Albany will ever be finished? The answer is Friday, sort of.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, Emery, First and Broadalbin, ODOT, streetscape

Verdict on new street: Well, it’s smooth

Written July 4th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 6 responses.

It’s been weeks since traffic could flow unencumbered through downtown Albany as seven blocks of two streets were reconstructed, one by one.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, CARA streetscape

Big Dig enters its final phase

Written May 14th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 3 responses.

As you can see, the final push of downtown Albany’s Big Dig has begun. It’s supposed to be finished by mid-July. But then there’s one more thing: ODOT resurfacing the two downtown legs of Highway 20.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, CARA streetscape project

Going downtown? Be aware of cameras

Written May 11th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 12 responses.

One of the things we’ve learned from the Case of the Downtown Tree Chopper is that downtown is under video surveillance and the cameras never sleep.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, downtown surveillance, tree vandalism

Streetscape: CARA to reconstruct 7 blocks

Written April 19th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 3 responses.

Albany’s urban renewal board had three options for repaving seven blocks of two downtown streets. It chose the one that would take longer and cost more than the others because it should result in stronger pavement and less maintenance through the years. The full reconstruction covers four blocks of Second Avenue, from Washington to Lyon […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany downtown, CARA streetscape, Second and Third, steetscape program