Albany adopts climate-friendly areas overlay after debate on historic downtown and North Albany traffic

Albany City Council on April 20 adopted an ordinance amending the city's comprehensive plan and development code to designate Climate Friendly Areas (CFAs), a state-directed zoning overlay intended to increase housing capacity and support walkable, transit-accessible development.

The ordinance, read for a second time by the city attorney and identified as Ordinance No. 4836, passed after extensive public comment and council discussion about its effects on the historic downtown and traffic in North Albany. Mayor Alex Johnson cast the decisive vote after the council was initially split.

Supporters at the meeting said the overlay is intended to remove regulatory barriers and increase housing choices near transit. Alex Rice, a resident who spoke during public comment, said he "wanted to express my vehement support for this ordinance," arguing denser, walkable neighborhoods reduce car trips and bring public-safety and health co-benefits.

Opponents and several councilors raised concerns about possible impacts on Albany's historic districts and on traffic near Highway 20 and Spring Hill Drive. Councilor McLeod said she was "really opposed to the site a, the downtown CFA," citing a lack of Landmarks Commission review and the potential for intense development near historic resources. Public commenter Brad Dennis pointed council members to state administrative rules, saying the rule cited in outreach "goes clear to 3 25," and urged careful review of highway impact language.

Planning staff and councilors clarified the overlay's technical effects. City staff said the CFA is an overlay and does not itself build anything; rather it changes where certain housing types and reduced barriers would be allowed if developers pursue them. Staff noted that new construction in historic districts would still be reviewed by the Landmarks Commission under Article 7 standards. Council discussion also referenced zone height limits cited in staff materials: the Lyon-Ellsworth zone tops out at about 60 feet, the historic downtown zone allows up to 85 feet while the historic district within it has a 65-foot cap, and secondary CFAs must allow at least 50 feet in some areas. The packet and council discussion repeatedly cited the city's target capacity figure of 8,861 housing units used in the state-required capacity calculations.

Traffic and infrastructure capacity in North Albany were prominent topics. Several councilors and public commenters urged careful study of highway impacts and noted ODOT and related highway impact work. One councilor said that accepting the CFA for North Albany would likely require significant improvements at the Highway 20/Spring Hill intersection and that the associated costs and timing remain uncertain.

The council split initially on a roll call vote, producing a 3-3 tie (Yes: Councilors Smith, McGee and Montague; No: Councilors McLeod, Newton Azor and Thompson). Mayor Alex Johnson then announced he would vote in favor: "I'm gonna vote yes, to pass this." With the mayor's vote the ordinance was adopted.

City staff said additional work will continue, including transportation planning and implementation steps; the council and staff discussed bringing the Landmarks Commission and Planning Commission into further conversations and the city manager noted forthcoming updates to the Transportation System Plan.

Votes and formal action recorded at the meeting are listed in the city's minutes and in the city packet materials. Councilors and staff emphasized the ordinance is an overlay that sets where certain types of development may be more readily allowed under new state guidance, but that individual projects will still be reviewed through the city's development-review and historic-preservation processes.