How a plan for 22 houses turned into 80 townhomes in North Albany (2024)

What was originally approved as 22 single family homes is now set to be 80 townhouses in North Albany and neighbors aren’t exactly happy about the change.

Plans for a subdivision at 3118 Gibson Hill Road have changed following a 2019 change in state law designed to encourage middle housing—duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses and cottage clusters that middle-income wage earners can afford.

In 2022 Albany amended its own laws to comply with the new state requirements, also known as House Bill 2001. The city website describes the objective to “improve housing choices in the short term and housing affordability in the long term for Albany residents.”

The changes in the city code allow middle housing types in areas zoned for residential uses where single-unit housing, such as the traditional single-family home, is currently permitted.

Albany officials gave the developer of the Gibson Hill Road project the green light in 2021, before the local middle housing rules were codified, Community Development Manager Matthew Ruettgers said. Originally, those plans detailed 22 single-family homes.

However, the applicant informed the city on March 5 of its desire to change those plans to 80 townhomes. Salem-based Pacific National Development is developing the project, which it calls “Riverwood Crossing.”

Representatives from Pacific National Development were not able to be reached before deadline.

The density increase is likely to be approved; the new law makes it so the city doesn’t have much choice in the matter, Ruettgers said. He referred to it as a “mandate.”

As for the process for Pacific National Development, the city notified property owners within 100 feet, giving them until April 16 to submit written comments. So far, there are already 10 responses, according to records obtained from the city.

All of them are in opposition to the project.

Residents listed traffic, safety, noise, pollution and feelings of being deceived because of the change. Many also expressed skepticism of how affordable the units would be.

“The amount of traffic on the main arterials of North Albany Road and Gibson Hill Road is already heavy. The addition of 160 more vehicles (2 per townhouse) would significantly add to the congestion,” Douglas Henry wrote.

Some residents called for traffic, infrastructure and environmental impact studies.

One neighbor said people already park on the letter writer's easem*nt and worried that the added density would further pose safety and traffic concerns.

While Suzanne Burnett approved of the previous plans for the subdivision, she wrote that she now feels like she the wool was pulled over her eyes.

"Our dear sweet governor gave you the green light to lie to us. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am,” Burnett wrote.

Ruettgers said he encourages people in the community to speak up about the issue because it affects them.

“It's definitely drawn a lot of attention. It’s a big change and it’s one that’s mandated,” Ruettgers said.

But even though the city is offering an open comment period, the process doesn't require normal land-use approvals— so neither the City Council nor the Planning Commission has any final decision-making authority.

Instead, staff reviews the plans using clear and objective criteria,Ruettgers said. However, once the decision is made, there is an appeal process, he said.

A traffic study would not be conducted in the area because the development would not generate enough trips to warrant one, Transportation Systems Analyst Ron Irish said.

According to the middle housing rules, the city can only require frontage improvements on the road of the development, which the developer has already done, he said.

At the site of the development, 80 mailboxes and dozens of water meters already await the future residents.

Many people are wondering how that can be without the approval of the 80 townhomes yet, Irish said.

The city determined requiring the developer to put in the infrastructure for the houses only to tear it up and reinstall the infrastructure for the townhomes might have given the developer a leg to sue, given the new middle housing rules, he said.

It would have added time and expenses to the rules which were by design fast track this type of development, he said.

The middle housing rules make it virtually impossible to deny the development, Irish added.

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