Albany council sets Aug. 26 hearing on development-code changes

Albany’s City Council has scheduled Aug. 26, 2026, to continue a public hearing on proposed changes to the Albany Development Code after an issue involving track changes in the ordinances interrupted the process.

The council held the initial hearing July 8. The matter involves legislative amendments intended to implement recent Oregon housing and land-use laws. The changes could alter how the city handles notice, development review, appeals and permitting for most residential projects.

The continuation gives the council a specific next date to consider the proposal, but it is not a final decision. The available records do not establish whether councilors will adopt the ordinances, amend them or continue the hearing again on Aug. 26.

What the proposed changes cover

Albany’s planning materials identify planning file DC-02-26 for the development-code work. A city planning update dated July 1 says the amendments are designed to address state requirements affecting notice areas and the review and appeals processes for most residential developments.

In practical terms, those procedures help determine who receives notice of certain applications, how proposals are reviewed and how an eligible party may challenge a land-use decision. The packet does not establish how many homes, projects or property owners would be affected, so the scope cannot be quantified from the available records.

The planning materials also identify residential treatment facilities and child-care homes and facilities as subjects of the code changes. Those references show that the proposal is not limited to one type of conventional housing project, although the available sources do not provide the final language or describe the outcome for each facility type.

Related permitting ordinance

The July council packet also included a separate ordinance concerning private-improvement permitting timelines under Senate Bill 974. That measure was included alongside the development-code items in the council materials, but the approved records do not establish that it was adopted or that its provisions are already in effect.

The July 8 council packet was summarized as a 291-page document and included the development-code amendments, the related private-improvement permitting ordinance and other council business. Those other items included bridge-funding material, right-of-way dedications and an automated license plate reader report, but they are separate from the development-code hearing and are not the focus of this article.

What happens next

The continued public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26, 2026. That meeting is the next known decision point identified in the available city and council records.

Albany has not yet established a final ordinance text or effective date in the sources reviewed for this report. Until the council takes final action, the amendments should be treated as proposed changes rather than new rules.

For residents, developers and organizations involved in residential development, the important local issue is the eventual effect on notice, review, appeals and permitting procedures. The city’s planning materials explain the intended state-law connection, but the practical requirements will depend on what the council ultimately approves.