Albany council upholds planning commission's denial of treatment center at 506 Ferry Street

Albany City Council on Oct. 22, 2025 upheld the planning commission's denial of a conditional use application (case CUDash03Dash25) seeking to operate an outpatient drug and alcohol treatment center at 506 Ferry Street Southwest.

The appeal was heard as a quasi‑judicial matter. Staff told the council the May 19 planning commission decision (5–3) rested on the code's definition of "community service," which the commission read to apply only to uses operated by government, a nonprofit or a charitable organization; the application before the commission at that time was filed by a for‑profit LLC. Staff noted that the applicants subsequently incorporated a domestic nonprofit on Sept. 4, 2025, but the city attorney advised the council it must rule on the appeal based on the applicant record that was before the planning commission.

The applicant representatives said they had acted in good faith, that the nonprofit formation followed staff guidance after the May denial, and that, operationally, services would be community‑based with limited on‑site group activity. They said the project proposes no exterior changes to the historic contributing structure in the Hackerman‑Monteith district other than potential future ADA upgrades that would require landmarks review.

Members of the public and councilors offered competing perspectives. Supporters, including social‑service and recovery professionals, described an urgent local need for treatment capacity and said the facility…