Troy says yes to plan for site
Proposal will convert land once occupied by City Hall
The city administration’s effort to garner support for redevelopment of the former City Hall site at 1 Monument Square paid off Wednesday night when the Planning Commission unanimously approved Hoboken Brownstone Co.’s $64-million proposal to convert the vacant land into apartments, offices, stores and a public square.
It’s the fifth concept for redevelopment of the riverfront land. The four others fell apart before the commission could weigh in.
Hoboken’s plan for development on the 1.1-acre site between River Street and the Hudson River received no opposition and no comments before Wednesday’s 5-0 vote. The four previous development attempts efforts unveiled since 2010 collapsed without winning support from businesses or residents.
“The community loves it. Nobody was there against us,” said Steven Strichman, the city’s commissioner of planning and economic development. He guided the
proposal through city approvals and won community support.
The city relied on public design meetings and hearings to involve residents and business owners who had derided the four previous proposals as being out of place amid downtown Troy’s 19th-century architecture. Many argued those designs were more appropriate for one of the Capital Region’s suburban towns.
“It was a team decision. Everybody recognizes this is the No. 1 thing to get done,” Strichman said about the administration of Mayor Patrick Madden’s goal for building on land where City Hall stood for about 35 years before it was razed more than a decade ago to clear the site for development. At the time, there was no clear plan in place for use of the land.
Sumeet Gupta, a principal with Hoboken Brownstone and a Capital Region resident, worked with architects and designers to devise the proposal that fits into Troy’s Victorian-era street scene. Gupta then worked behind the scenes selling community leaders on the project.
Sara Wengert, a Planning Commission member, described Hoboken’s 236-page application as one of the most comprehensive and complete that she had seen.
It’s the same architectural feel that made the city the primary stand-in for New York City when HBO’S nine-part series
“The Gilded Age” filmed here last year for its first season. The series returns to Troy in August for filming on the second season.
“It’s great to get to this place. It’s a monumental step,” Gupta said after the planning commission approved the project. Commissioners also found the project would have no significant adverse environmental impacts on the city.
Four previous efforts to build on the site failed. Those proposals began in 2011, when Nigro Companies and its partners proposed a $31.5 million project for low-income renters rather than market-rate residences. That was followed in 2013 by Judge Development Corp.’s proposed $50 million plan for marketrate housing. Then, in 2014, Kirchhoff Companies proposed a $27 million project. And in 2017, Bow Tie Cinemas unveiled a proposal to build
a $22.7 million movie theater complex with 11 screens.
The city and Hoboken now have to continue to round up the funding for the project. Public funding is expected to cover $24 million of the $64 million cost. It is also anticipated that the developer will go before the Troy Industrial Development Authority to apply for tax breaks. Some of Troy’s $10 million in state funding for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative is likely to be put toward the project.
“Tonight’s approval of the Monument Square project by the city Planning Commission is the latest positive step forward for this important waterfront redevelopment effort. We are working closely with our partners at Hoboken Brownstone and regional officials to secure the necessary funding to move this project ahead
and support the continued revitalization of our downtown,” Madden said after Thursday’s vote.
“I always thought we would get to this point. We still need to get the DRI and some additional funding,” Strichman said.
Gupta said construction could start in 2023.
Hoboken Brownstone has proposed erecting a multiuse building, with a public plaza and park space at the south end of Riverfront Park. The proposed structure will include 92 units of residential space as well as 19,890 square feet of commercial and retail space. It also would feature a two-level underground parking garage of 115 spaces. The public space will be connected to Riverfront Park with seating and viewing areas.
The city has contractors working on improvements in preparation for the construction. Strichman said that work was nearly completed.