The Albany City Council on Oct. 8 took up discussion of a city‑owned, roughly 1‑acre parcel at 205 Madison Northeast and signaled a preference for additional public outreach rather than immediately declaring the property surplus and issuing a request for proposals.

Matthew Rutgers, the city's director presenting the item, said the property had been acquired by settlement with the railroad and was appraised in 2022 at $415,000, with an assessed value around $231,000. The site is zoned for mixed use and residential development, and staff proposed a draft RFP approach that could prioritize uses the council desires, such as public parking, a community garden, or limited commercial space.

Rutgers warned that including an adjacent parks parcel or requiring a large number of public parking stalls in an RFP would reduce developer interest and could lower sale price: "Somebody's not gonna pay top dollar for land that they're then kind of dictated what they have to do with it or the type of development they have to do as well as improvements on a kind of off‑site piece."

Councilors described mixed views. Councilor Thompson and Councilor McLeod said community feedback at an earlier March meeting indicated a strong preference for parking or park uses rather than additional housing. Thompson urged allowing more parking than the draft's minimum of 20 publicly available stalls. Several councilors said they had heard constituents who preferred the city retain the parcel for potential future public uses such as emergency management or community space.

Council discussion produced no formal motion to declare the property surplus. Instead, council directed staff to organize another, broader community conversation—possibly at a central location—to refresh input and to report back with options. Staff noted the city adopted a surplus property policy earlier in the year that includes steps for evaluating higher‑priority public uses and prioritizing options like affordable housing before sale.

No sale or RFP was authorized at the meeting; staff said there is no urgency and that the city can retain the property while it continues outreach.