Albany Mayor Doug Killin objects to a mural on a downtown wall that he says shows scenes from a bordello.

His opinion of that artwork and of murals in general came up Wednesday as the advisory board of CARA, the Central Albany Revitalization Agency, prepared to adopt a set of design guidelines for projects that seek city funding.

Killin said he dislikes murals partly because sometimes they become unsightly and worn with time. Also, though, he referred to the scene painted on the side of a building at First Avenue and Ferry Street.

The picture evidently refers to a part of downtown’s colorful history that, the mayor said, “we don’t need to advertise.”

Councilwoman Bessie Johnson disagreed. She said she likes murals and alluded to another downtown location where a brothel is reputed to have operated many decades ago.

“It’s part of Albany’s history,” she said.

The mural at First and Ferry has been there for years without anyone raising a public objection.

The CARA board agreed to accept the design guidelines after scratching a recommendation that blank walls be covered by murals.

The guidelines, illustrated with photos mostly from Portland and Boulder, Colo., make general recommendations on architecture and design. CARA intends to review funding requests with the guidelines in mind.

The guidelines will apply only to projects for which owners seek money from the renewal agency.

Downtown coordinator Kate Porsche worked up the guidelines with the help of Portland architect George Crandall, who will act as CARA’s adviser on design issues. They are modeled on similar recommendations in Milwaukie.

The guidelines are intended to ensure that building changes or new structures “reinforce Albany’s sense of place” and meet numerous other objectives, such as preserving historic buildings, considering the view, and being friendly to pedestrians.