At dusk on Dec. 18, the proposed apartment site at 595 Geary St. N.E. looks as dormant as ever.
On July 1, 2019, the Albany Planning Commission approved a site plan for 96 apartments and nine townhouses covering a 6-acre site on the Willamette River near Bowman Park. I wonder how the plans are coming every time I pass the acreage on my bike.
As the year draws to its close, it’s hard to know because the developers won’t say. But it’s apparent that the project, which the developers call The Banks, has run into some unspecified headwinds.
Earlier this month, on Dec. 3, the ownership of the property underwent a change, according to the online records of the Linn County tax department. Willamette River View Holdings used to be shown as the owner, and now the owner is a new version of the same entity, Willamette River View Holdings II. The sales price of the transaction is shown as $2.2 million.
According to the register of business names at the Secretary of State’s Office, a couple of people or groups that were part of Holdings, one from Hawaii and the other from Keizer, are no longer listed with Holdings II.
In September I checked with Patrick Morley, one of the principals in Holdings and Holdings II. “At this point,” he said by email, “I don’t want to give any public statement about the project or direction. I just don’t know and don’t want to set any expectations with the public one way or another.”
This week I wondered if there had been any change. Morley: “Sorry, no update at this point.”
The former industrial site on the river lies between Bowman Park and the smaller Eads Park, and between Linn Avenue and the river. The apartment plans had generated much concern in the surrounding neighborhood, mostly about more traffic. (The report on the planning commission’s action can be found here.)
If the neighbors are wondering if the project will go ahead as approved or whether changes will be proposed, they’ll likely have to wait till 2020 to find out. (hh)
“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”
Mahatma Gandhi
JJ et al
Spent 12 years in parochial schools where attention to detail was paramount.
“Mahatma” was a title for Mohandas Ghandi.
Great quote though
Were you also an “altar boy” & remember your Sucipiat? :-)
RK
Once, but no more.
Wasn’t so hard to memorize for any of my classmates, but memory training was woven through the curriculum then.
Yes it was…along with ”knuckle-rapping nuns” in my school. Wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. :-)