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Multnomah County declares Albina Library Annex surplus, opens 60-day public comment period
Summary
The board voted unanimously to declare the Albina Library Annex at 236 NE Knott Street surplus and to start a 60-day public comment period; proceeds from any sale would return to the library capital bond program, officials said.
Multnomah County commissioners voted unanimously to declare the Albina Library Annex at 236 Northeast Knott Street surplus and to open a 60-day public comment period on the property's disposition.
The action authorizes staff to solicit public feedback before returning with a recommendation on next steps. "We're here today to seek your approval to declare the Albina annex property as surplus," Katie Scheifele, the Library Department's finance and facilities director, told the board during the presentation.
The annex is a roughly 1,400-square-foot residential building adjacent to the new Albina Library, which library staff said is expected to open later this summer. Library capital bond funds purchased the structure for use as a construction laydown site during the library's build-out, and library and Department of County Assets (DCA) staff said subsequent design decisions kept the annex out of the permanent library footprint.
John Panninen, facilities planner for the Department of County Assets, told commissioners that under county policy "the Director of Facilities is to make a determination if a property is no longer needed for county use and is appropriate for disposition" and recommended adopting the resolution that starts the comment period. Panninen said proceeds from any sale would be returned to the library capital bond program.
Commissioners asked how proceeds from surplus property sales are allocated. DCA staff explained that proceeds are handled case-by-case; proceeds from a recent Gresham sale were directed to the East County library because that project had a funding gap, while proceeds from the Albina Annex would be returned to the broader library capital bond fund because Albina does not have an active funding shortfall.
Several commissioners and public commenters urged a robust community engagement process. Commissioner Singleton asked staff to involve affordable homeownership partners and local neighborhood organizations, and Commissioner Moyer and others said they would like to see proceeds stay within the district where feasible to support nearby library services during construction closures. During the public-comment period immediately before the item, speaker Lightning asked the county to use professional real estate brokers for marketing, and Charles Johnson recommended targeted outreach through library channels such as slips in reserved books and email lists.
The resolution passed on a roll-call vote: Commissioners Moyer, Singleton, Brim Edwards, Jones Dixon and Chair Vega Peterson all voted yes. Staff said they will return to the board after the 60-day comment period with the full public record and a recommended next step for the property.
The board approved the resolution during the meeting's regular agenda and directed staff to proceed with the public-notice timeline.
