After a long wait, the Mid-Willamette Family YMCA has gotten permission to rezone its 11-acre property from industrial to commercial.

The Albany City Council Wednesday voted 6-0 to grant the zone change, which will enable the YMCA to more easily find a buyer for its property at 3311 Pacific Blvd. S.E. There has been little interest in purchasing property zoned industrial.

The Y wants to relocate to Timber-Linn Park.

There had been several delays in considering the zone change application because the Oregon Department of Transportation had rejected a traffic plan proposed by the YMCA to handle congestion associated with a large development on the site.

ODOT has jurisdiction over traffic flows because the YMCA is located on a state highway.

A new plan was submitted to ODOT, and it was accepted. Anyone developing the property must make and pay for these traffic changes:

• At Queen and Pacific, add an eastbound right-turn lane from Queen onto Pacific.

• At 29th Avenue and Pacific, add left- and right-turn pockets from 29th onto Pacific.

• At Belmont and 28th Avenues, the city might have to impose turn movement restrictions from the side streets onto Pacific.

YMCA Executive Director Jim Asleson said, "We are very excited about the council's decision to rezone the property, and we are looking forward to a partnership with the city as our intention is to go to Timber-Linn Park and not expand where we are now."

So far, the YMCA has collected $6.2 million in its campaign to build at the park. Asleson said the agency needs another $3.6 million to meet its fund-raising goal.

"We believe the rest of the financial support is there in the community and with some aggressive grant writing," he said.

If all goes according to plan, the YMCA would break ground in 2007 and move to the park in 2008.