$780,000 land/building purchase called ‘investment’ in north Albany

Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin

The 1310 N. Jefferson St. site that formerly housed Tri-State Florist Supply was one of five properties that the Albany City Commission agreed to purchase during a Dec. 29 meeting.

ALBANY – The Albany City Commission decided recently to purchase four North Jefferson Street properties and an adjacent one on Seventh Avenue. Now commissioners must decide what to do with it.

The commission approved the purchase of 1310 N. Jefferson St., which formerly housed Tri-State Florist Supply. The purchase of that property at $780,000 came with the donation of 1302, 1304 and 1306 N. Jefferson St. and 310 Seventh Ave., which was described as amounting to a 20% discount for the city.

“We really bought half of this block,” Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said.

The property first came on the radar for the city when commissioners were searching for a site to build a replacement Fire Station 2 and as a new home for the E-911 operations center. At that time, Tift Park was being considered as the site for the emergency facilities.

Later, commissioners took Tift Park off the table as a potential site after hearing from a number of residents who showed up at a meeting to voice opposition.

The latest recommendation for the fire station is for a new building to be constructed at the current site of Station 2 at 1500 Palmyra Road. 

One potential use for the newly acquired land and building is for the relocation of the Recreation and Parks Department’s administrative offices.

Dorough said he is also aware of some residents’ complaint that the city owns a large number of properties that could be generating taxes if they were privately held.

“That’s a fair observation,” he said.

But the North Jefferson Street purchase is a good investment, he said.

“I would say it’s further investment in restoring the north side of downtown Albany,” Dorough said. “It’s certainly a prime location. The property is directly adjacent to Tift Park. We’re making an investment in Tift Park. We’re making an investment in the medical district.”

In late 2025 the commission approved a first phase of improvements at Tift Park that will include pickleball courts, a dog park and new restrooms.

“You’ve got (medical) residents there in that area,” Dorough said. “You’ve got the Living and Learning (medical training) down the street. Those are young adults.”

If the commission ultimately decides to locate the administrative offices for the Recreation and Parks Department at the site, the plan could also include a playground, the mayor said.

Commissioner Diana Brown, who abstained from voting on the matter, said she did not think the public was properly notified about the special called meeting at which the decision was made on Dec. 29. 

Commissioners discussed the acquisition during a session that was closed to the public, which is allowed under the Georgia Open Meetings Law, before taking a public vote.

“You’re paying $780,000,” Brown said. “They didn’t give us the appraisal of the property. How are you going to vote on it if you don’t have an appraisal?”

The price the city paid was $60 per square foot, Commission Chad Warington said. 

“You can’t really buy anything for $60 a square foot,” he said. “Mr. (James) Womack actually gave us a contribution. It was a $980,000 appraisal for the building and land. I think he took a $200,000 donation and lowered the price to $780,000. That’s for everything … the land, the building, everything.”

The current Parks & Recreation administrative offices are located in a “very old building,” the commissioner said, so the Jefferson Street site could be a good potential site to relocate them. No final decision has been made on the location of the fire station, so there is a possibility that the property could later be used for that purpose.