ONE-STOP SHOPPING
Annual For Rent Event pairs tenants with commercial, residential space
TROY, N.Y. >> Potential tenants got a look at several downtown properties Tuesday as part of the 2017 For Rent Event hosted by the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District.
The annual event allows people to explore commercial and residential properties in the district that are available for rent or lease.
“It’s to showcase what spaces are available so that it’s easier for people to see them all at one time, versus having to find every individual property manager,” the BID’s exec- utive director, Katie Hammon, explained. “It’s just much easier for them.”
The walking tour is typically held in the spring, when people are thinking about new projects. This year’s event featured 10 stops where guests had an opportunity to take a look inside the buildings and their available units, as well as five other walk-bys.
Tour stops included the last available commercial space in the former Proctor’s Theater building, the enormous top floor of 1801 Sixth Ave., a small apartment above Beirut Restaurant, the former Up-To-Date women’s clothing shop on 3rd Street, Muddaddy Flats’
previous location on Fulton Street, a converted 1840s townhouse on 4th Street, several mixed-use units in City Station on 6th Street and a couple one-bedroom suites in The River Street Lofts.
Much of the available space shown was best suited for offices, although the tour also included some commercial spaces that could house retail businesses or restaurants, along with a few apartments. The properties varied in size, price and condition, with each appealing to a different type of renter.
Part of the BID’s goal in hosting the For Rent Event is to help entrepreneurs discover the right future space for their business, something it’s proven to have done in previous years.
Hairstylist Ash Pardee, a former Troy resident who now lives in Albany, attended the For Rent Event in hopes of finding a location-to open her own business. She currently rents a booth across the river, but would love to someday operate her own salon in downtown Troy.
“I lived in Troy for a long time, and I love it here,” she said. “I would love to be a part of its growth.”
Although she was already familiar with downtown Troy, Pardee said she still felt that Tuesday’s tour was a helpful guide.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “I’ve never been on anything like this before, but it’s a good opportunity to walk around and see multiple properties in one day, because otherwise, it can be kind of a lengthy process.”
Another visitor, James Hope of East Greenbush, came on the tour in search of residential space. While studying at Hudson Valley Community College, he said he found himself spending a lot of time downtown, so he’s looking to move there this summer. Hope is particularly looking for an affordable apartment in a good location, “which are abundant here,” he said. “It’s always nice to be able to walk to where you’d like to be.”
Of the tour itself, Hope said, “It’s interesting to learn a lot about these old buildings. They’re all very beautiful architecture.”
P. Thomas Carroll, senior scholar for the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway, provided historical facts along the tour, sharing tidbits about the district’s past.
More information about downtown Troy and the BID can be found at www. downtowntroy.org.