below the Pacific overpass, fences surround two of three city-owned lots the council may dispose of. The third lies behind them on Ninth.
The Albany City Council has taken the first step before deciding to dispose of three city-owned lots on Jackson Street and Ninth Avenue near the Helping Hands homeless shelter, which already owns most of that block.
On Nov. 20, the council voted 5-1, with Ramycia McGhee opposed, to direct the city staff to get a commercial appraisal of the three lots. Then the question of what to do with the property is to come up again at a future meeting.
The lots are at 503 and 519 Ninth Ave. S.E. and 817 Jackson St. S.E. Two of the city lots are where the city set up but then closed the “Marvin’s Garden” designated homeless camp. Those lots have been fenced off since the camp was shut down this summer.
Helping Hands hopes to obtain the city property for little or no money. The shelter already owns several houses on the block between the Pacific overpass and Ninth Avenue and hopes one day to replace those houses with an apartment complex for people in need.
Van Vleet Meat & Food Service, at 810 SE Jackson St., across the street from two of the lots, has also told the council it was interested in obtaining the property in order to accommodate its growing business.
The council has not discussed which way it wants to go, or indeed whether it wants to dispose of the the lots at all.
The City of Albany bought the three lots in the early 1990s for a potential widening of the Pacific Boulevard Overpass and construction of a separate pedestrian overcrossing of the north end of the Union Pacific yard. But those ideas fizzled.
The entire block is zoned light industrial. The houses there and the homeless shelter exist as nonconforming uses.
Two of the houses on the block are privately owned. Councilwoman Matilda Novak told the council Wednesday that the owner of one of them, Tina Vanderburg, was very concerned about any expansion of the homeless operation.
The homeowner has had trouble with the conduct of homeless people right next to her house. Over her objections, in August 2022 the council voted 4-1 to push through a city-initiated street vacation to help the homeless shelter expand. (hh)
The city-owned lots have red borders on this areal photo. Properties in light blue are owned by Helping Hands. The graphic was part of the council agenda packet on Wednesday.
You sell for what the market will pay. Anything other is stealing from the citizens and should be prosecuted.
I guess that’s why they’re getting an appraisal.
The areas are so small they should be left undeveloped to keep the traffic from getting worse than it is now. There must have been a reason why the houses were left there when the overpass was built. Single family homes have less traffic than other uses of property. The city has bigger lots with land enough to use for apartments, their needed parking and the increased traffic they would cause.
My kiddos looked it up. The houses are deemed conforming to the base zone because they were there before 2002.
SPECIAL STATUS FOR SINGLE DWELLING RESIDENCES
4.075 Existing Uses Granted Special Status (Allowed) in the Commercial and Industrial Districts. Notwithstanding the restrictions of any other section of the Albany Development Code (ADC), all legally established single dwelling detached, and townhouse dwellings built before January 1, 2002, on commercial or industrially zoned properties shall be deemed conforming to the base zoning district. If any building on these properties is damaged or destroyed by fire or other causes beyond the control of the owner, it may be rebuilt to the same size (in square feet) as existed when it was destroyed, subject to the regulations of any applicable overlay district. If an existing single-dwelling detached or townhouse residence is converted to a permitted use in the base zoning district, the special status granted here is rescinded, and the use of the property must thereafter conform to the requirements of Article 4. [Ord. 5789, 10/10/12; Ord. 5555, 2/7/03; Ord. 5947, 1/1/21; Ord. 5968, 1/14/2
how about another chemical plant? or a gasoline refinery?
“Van Vleet Meat & Food Service, at 810 SE Jackson St., across the street from two of the lots, has also told the council it was interested in obtaining the property in order to accommodate its growing business.”
Or would the City prefer they leave Albany?
If Van Vleet is interested in growing why don’t they purchase the green building next to it I believe the address is 960 Jackson st. That way there trucks can go in and out easier. Invest in these properties and turn them into low income housing. That way at least they can make some money off of them and not have a huge last for taxpayers. After razing houses on properties they are not going to get that much out of them. I think it would be a bad idea to sell it to the shelter as neighbors already have complained about the homeless. I have driven past this area and it would be nice to see a face-lift or at least sprucing up a bit. What’s going to happen is the people living in vehicles on Jackson Street will end up moving or parking vehicles on 9th Avenue instead of by or in front of Jail/sheriff’s office. At least in front of Jail/Sheriff’s office where they can be monitored.
Parking without a permit is already banned on 9th between Jackson and the Pacific overpass off-ramp.