Brownfields Update for the Pacific Northwest

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories following the city of Albany as it prepares to redevelop and revitalize its downtown waterfront in this west central Oregon town. We will check in every few months with the city and its partners as the project progresses from its beginning stages onward to the completion of its community vision.

John Boock of Albany, Ore., is ready to see some new life breathed into his hometown’s historic downtown, which sits along the beautiful Willamette River.

While the waterfront is dominated by abandoned industrial plants and vacant lots, Boock envisions a downtown one day rich with activity. He talks of more people living downtown, with upscale lofts and condominiums re-energizing the historic buildings. With the new residents would come a mix of businesses catering to them. More people means more activity along the river’s already established walking path. Built along the public path could be galleries, restaurants and other downtown draws.

A retired lawyer, Boock owns a couple of downtown buildings, one of which is the former Albany woolen mill. The building, about 30,000 square feet and nearly 100 years old, sat empty for 10 years before he bought it. “I saw what it could be,” he says.

Boock plans to preserve the structure, attract a business such as a winery, brewery or restaurant to it, then use the remaining space for deluxe riverfront condos. “I’m getting antsy to go,” Boock says. “I know (the revitalization) is going to happen. I’d like it to happen very soon.”

Boock may get his wish. Albany is in the fledgling stages of an urban renewal project that would redevelop a 1.25-mile stretch of its downtown. Dick Ebbert, the city’s economic development director, says Albany is currently in a stage best described as “anticipation.” Since the 1980s, officials have talked of forming public-private partnerships to redevelop the riverfront into a mixture of commercial and urban-residential properties. “The potential is there, we know that,” he says.

In the heart of the Willamette River Valley, Albany is a community of about 45,000 people. Since the city’s beginnings, when steamboats brought commerce to the booming waterfront, downtown Albany has served as a center for river trade, commerce and community events. However, like many communities around the nation, its downtown has deteriorated over time as shopping centers lured businesses and residents to the city’s fringes.

Over the years, ideas have ranged from preserving the downtown’s historic architecture to bulldozing it and starting over, Ebbert says. The community now wants to move forward, capitalizing on the area’s past and rejuvenating it for the future. In particular, the city is looking at a 22-block stretch that’s bordered to the east and west by two city parks.

In 2002, the Central Albany Revitalization Area (CARA), the city’s urban renewal agency, was formed to provide financial tools to implement the city’s plans and to attract new investment in the area. The agency has made some infrastructure and beautification improvements while also partnering on a few private-sector projects. For example, CARA allocated $275,000 to a private development called Iron Works. The project, which includes townhouses, office space and apartments, was fully rented before it construction started earlier this year.

With an urban renewal agency in place and a community vision coming together, the Governor’s Economic Revitalization Team, established to focus state agencies on working together to create economic development opportunities at the local level, stepped in earlier this year to offer its help. The team consists of representatives from eight state agencies, including the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD). This is the first time the team has collaborated on a brownfields redevelopment project, says Karen Homolac of the OECDD.

The team traveled to Albany in March to meet with local leaders and business people. Among other topics, participants discussed updating city infrastructure and relocating sewer lines. The city and property owners don’t know what kind of contamination will be found in the former industrial area. And the city is working with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to close a short rail line that runs down one side of the renewal district’s main street. The city wants the redevelopment to include a covered structure for its local farmers market as well as a home for an antique carousel gifted to the community. Some local craftsmen have carved more than 50 animals for the carousel.

Homolac sees great potential for the Albany project. “It’s a city, I think, that’s right on the cusp of moving forward with some very exciting projects,” she says. “They’re going about it in a logical, thought-out manner.”

Shortly after that initial meeting, Albany awarded a Request for Qualifications to Telos Development Company in Salem, Ore. The city went out to bid in hopes of attracting a developer with a fresh set of eyes to the project, Ebbert says.

Telos has about $30 million in urban renewal project experience, says David Glennie, company president. It has been a “trailblazer” in the creation of downtown mixed-use development for non-metropolitan areas, he says.

The company’s priority is to identify potential projects and work with the city and local property owners on a broader overview. Once individual projects are identified, Telos will determine their feasibility. There are five major property owners, besides the railroad, willing to participate or sell their property to be developed as part of a larger plan, Ebbert says. They are to gather with the city and Telos representatives in September.

This predevelopment stage is a time to do research and really come up with a clear plan of action, Glennie says. “It’s an evolving process and things change,” he says. “You have to take many hundreds or thousands of baby steps just to get to the starting line.”