Two of Albany's main drags - Pacific Boulevard and Ninth Avenue - would get a new look with the demolition of three buildings and construction of two new ones.

The two single-story retail buildings are planned between Pacific and Ninth on the site of the former Los Dos Amigos family restaurant.

They are expected to be ready for occupancy in June 2009.

"We're going ahead with construction whether we have tenants in line or not," said Patrick Gortmaker, project manager with Kalberer Co., which owns the 1.6-acre site. "This is perfect timing to go ahead because of all the improvements going on along Pacific and in downtown."

He expects that local and national retail outlets will be interested in the buildings because the property, zoned community commercial, has high visibility on both Pacific and Ninth.

"We could accommodate anything from food service to smaller retail strip-type businesses," Gortmaker said. "We can offer space ranging from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet."

Three buildings in the 1400 block of Pacific will be torn down to make way for the $1.85-million Albany Commerce Center project: the restaurant, Affordable Automotive Repairs and the building containing Northwest Lock & Supply, Jimmy's Barbershop and Absolute Sports of Oregon.

All businesses either have moved or are in the process of doing so, according to Gortmaker.

"Since we don't want to invite vandalism, we will follow through with demolition by April or May," he said.

One of the buildings will face Ninth and the other Pacific, according to paperwork filed with the city. One structure is about 6,000 square feet and the other is about 8,700 square feet.

At one end of the smaller building a drive-through coffee shop with seating available outside is planned.

The buildings would be 22 feet tall with an exterior blend of finishes, including colored concrete and masonry.

"The finishes were chosen to offer both a contemporary aesthetic with a traditional scale," according to a report provided to the city by Deffenbaugh & Associates architects of Salem.

There would be parking for 73 vehicles and seven bicycles.

Plantings will include a mixture of deciduous trees and plants along with groupings of ornamental grasses and boulders.