It was in 2021 that the Albany Planning Commission approved the site plan for a 22-unit apartment complex on Salem Avenue. Now the project has been built, and it looks almost ready for people to move in.
Benton panel hears plan for big church
Written March 17th, 2026 by Hasso Hering
Talk about long meetings. After a four-hour public hearing about plans for a large church campus in rural North Albany, the Benton County Planning Commission postponed a decision until May 5.
Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: benton planning, land use, North Albany, Northside Christian Church, Powers Avenue, zoning
Tags: benton planning, land use, North Albany, Northside Christian Church, Powers Avenue, zoning
Calapooia Commons: Now it’s complete
Written February 23rd, 2026 by Hasso Hering
For the last eight years or so, my bike rides through Albany have occasionally taken me past the corner of Fourth Avenue and Calapooia Street to check on a long-running story. Now the story has reached its end.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: Calapooia Commons, historic district, housing, land use, multipurpose buildings
Tags: Calapooia Commons, historic district, housing, land use, multipurpose buildings
On Burkhart Street, big old tank is gone
Written February 12th, 2026 by Hasso Hering
For years a big and abandoned concrete reservoir, once part of the Albany water system, dominated the otherwise empty lot at 370 Burkhart St. S.E. Now the tank is gone, and new owners are talking of developing the lot.
‘Franklin Reserve:’ Billboard shows the plan
Written February 11th, 2026 by Hasso Hering
An errand last month took me along Airport Road in Albany, where I was surprised to see a billboard that said the site of a long-planned housing development was for sale.
Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Airport Road, development plan, Franklin Avenue, Franklin Reserve, housing, land use
Tags: Airport Road, development plan, Franklin Avenue, Franklin Reserve, housing, land use
From farm fields to housing tracts
Written January 15th, 2026 by Hasso Hering
It was in the spring two years ago that an old broken Allis Chalmers tractor caught my eye on the south side of Ellingson Road opposite Lochner Road, at the south end of Albany.
Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: Hayden, housing, land use, Lennar, replacing farms, South Albany
Tags: Hayden, housing, land use, Lennar, replacing farms, South Albany
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Clawing for prizes on Santiam Highway
What’s going on, someone asked me, at 2150 Southeast Santiam Highway, a longtime former retail location in Albany? The building is being turned into a game arcade, maybe with a couple of food trucks outside.
Tags: 2150 Santiam Hwy. SE, arcade, Claw Factory, land use