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After public hearing on three industrial lots, Albany council authorizes staff to negotiate sale with Van Fleet at $145,000
Summary
At a public hearing the council received four proposals for three city‑owned light‑industrial parcels near Ninth and Jackson, heard competing proposals from Albany Helping Hands, a local business and others, and ultimately authorized staff to negotiate a sale with Bill Van Fleet with a $145,000 price parameter.
The Albany City Council on June 25 opened a public hearing and received proposals for three city‑owned light‑industrial parcels at 503 Ninth Avenue SE, 519 Ninth Avenue SE and 817 Jackson Street. After public testimony and bid openings, the council authorized staff to negotiate a sale with local business owner Bill Van Fleet with a $145,000 price parameter.
City staff said the three properties are zoned LI (light industrial) and told the council their combined appraised value is approximately $145,000. Staff also described the public posting process: the properties were posted on site and advertised in the Democrat‑Herald in accordance with the notice language cited to council during the hearing.
Four parties presented proposals during the hearing and submitted sealed bids. The bids read into the record were:
- Albany Helping Hands: $25,000 (bid for 519 Ninth Ave SE) - Josh Mitchell: $90,000 (consolidated bid for all three parcels) - Van Fleet (Bill Van Fleet / business representative): $125,000 (consolidated bid for all three parcels) - Cacua/Kakua Cats (Laurel Van Winkle, virtual): bid shown as $1 for 503 Ninth Ave SE (applicant described a cat rescue and café proposal and asked to be considered for the 503 site)
City staff explained some uses (for example, retail cat café or kennel) may require zoning changes; staff said two of the proposals appeared to conform to the current LI zone depending on the specific ground‑floor uses. David Steele, executive director of Albany Helping Hands, said expansion onto 519 Ninth would allow the nonprofit to increase shelter capacity and colocate supportive services.
Council discussion focused on competing priorities: maximizing proceeds from a sale versus using the land to support local job creation and social services. Several councilors said they favored Van Fleet’s consolidated proposal because it would allow a long‑time local business to expand and potentially create jobs; others urged the council not to “sell short” city property when sales are not urgent. One councilor noted appraised and assessed values differed and urged obtaining appraised value for the parcels.
After deliberation, the council voted to authorize staff to negotiate with Van Fleet with a $145,000 parameter. The roll‑call on that motion recorded votes as: Newton — yes; Thompson — yes; Van Driemelen — yes; McLeod — yes; McGee — no; Smith — no (motion passed). The council did not finalize any sale terms at the meeting and directed staff to return with negotiated terms if an agreement is reached.
Why this matters: the three sites are publicly owned, zoned for light industrial use and located near downtown. Councilors repeatedly emphasized the sale is discretionary, not urgent; the council may consider additional hearings or counteroffers if negotiations change the terms.
Proposed next steps: staff will undertake negotiations consistent with council direction and, if a negotiated sale is reached, return to council with proposed sale terms and any required public‑sale procedures.
