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That’s too bad—I was hoping you actually had some sway Definitely didn’t mean it as an accusation in a negative sense!
You don’t need to get rid of the freeway for this station. Look at where the tracks cross the river into Albany. There are some major bends in the track with two straight segments right after the crossing. A river crossing and the distance between stations is enough to justify an additional station especially given the scant development in the immediate vicinty and its proximity to downtown Albany.
Almost nothing gets added to the run clock due to the existing necessary train slowdown from the bridge and the bends and you provide a river crossing path and a station within a doable walking time to downtown Albany. People coming in via train do not have a car of their own handy right then and there, but they do have their legs and maybe a bike. Take a look at how long the walking distance from the Rensselaer station to downtown Albany is in comparison and note there is no chance for development along the bridge over the water and a bridge means going significantly uphill for portions of it. This can even be used for a commuter hop if they do reasoable pricing like the way New Haven has done with its two train stations. If if works out well enough, then maybe the metro area should pursue a commuter rail system.
I know...I just did want people to think that I would have any direct impact.
Also, I do wonder if there could be some kind of tie in to connect the Albany area(or even Upstate) with faster rail into NYC. As mentioned in another thread, with the strain that the Amazon move would put on parts of the city, it would be nice if other cities further out could be connected to the City via faster rail.
I know...I just did want people to think that I would have any direct impact.
Also, I do wonder if there could be some kind of tie in to connect the Albany area(or even Upstate) with faster rail into NYC. As mentioned in another thread, with the strain that the Amazon move would put on parts of the city, it would be nice if other cities further out could be connected to the City via faster rail.
Well, sure, there are always ways to upgrade the rail infrastructure, but no one’s ponying up the funds. New York pays a ginormous amount of federal tax revenue and gets very paltry federal tax spending in comparison, so upgrading infrastructure would certainly qualify. However, there’s not been much action from the supposed trillion dollar infrastructure plan.
However, 25k jobs from Amazon in NYC is a relative drop in the bucket as the NYC has about 4 million or so jobs last I tried to look up the stats, so the strain of that addition isn’t so much on the city as it is on the neighborhood and a few surrounding ones.
That being said, I do think an actual stop in Albany itself as I’ve stated is a good one as it can be a strong link among businesses in the Capital District. TOD around Rensselaer’s current station and the new Albany station complements Schenectady’s downtown which is where its train station is and those three would all be within the stretch of rail where service is most frequent as the train services fan out to different lines past Schenectady. It’s virtually a built-in commuter rail service, but it’s oddly lacking an actual Albany station.
Matt Baumgartner's new cocktail bar, The Berlin, opens in Troy
Matt Baumgartner has converted the second floor of Wolff’s Biergarten in Troy into a cocktail lounge called The Berlin.
The bar will be open Thursday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m. The drink menu features bottled beers, craft cocktails and wine by the glass or bottle.
The space, at 2 King St. across from the Green Island Bridge, is also available for private parties. An hor d'oeuvres menu includes small sandwiches, toasts, and meat and vegetable skewers.
Albany's Delaware Avenue may not attract as much attention as Lark Street or the Warehouse District, but the self-declared "Main Street of Albany" offers a vibrant mix of restaurants, bars and shops.
If you're in the mood for a tasty Thai dinner, or just looking for a scoop of ice cream, Delaware Avenue has it. Likewise if you need to grab a bottle of wine or want to sit down for a craft beer.
We spent an evening on Delaware Avenue checking out businesses new and old. Look through the slideshow above to learn more about them.
PHOTOS: Inside new apartments in downtown Schenectady
Redburn Development Partners has completed 12 new apartments in downtown Schenectady above its recently opened Clinton Street Mercantile.
The apartments are at 144 Clinton St., in a historic building now called The Fitzgerald. Redburn purchased the 100-year-old building one block away from Proctors in August for $325,000. The ground floor is a marketplace for up to 12 vendors of handmade goods. The apartments are on the upper floors.
Rents for the apartments range from $750 for a studio to $1350 for a two-bedroom. Check out the slideshow above to see inside and learn more about the project.
Four developers submit qualifications to remake One Monument Square in Troy
Four developers submitted qualifications by Friday's deadline as part of the city of Troy's latest attempt to redevelop One Monument Square.
The companies that responded to the request for qualifications:
- RAL Development Services LLC
- Hoboken Brownstone Co.
- First Columbia – The Davis Companies
- The BDC Group
The responses will now be reviewed by a six-member committee appointed by Mayor Patrick Madden. It will include city and Troy Local Development Corp. staff, community members, business representatives, and industry professionals, according to a city press release.
In the April announcement of the RFQ process, the city said responses will be evaluated on three criteria as it selects a developer to potentially pursue the concept plan for the site :
- Relevant project experience: 40%
- Demonstrated understanding of the project concept and community: 30%
- Financial and organization capacity: 30%
City officials want a public/private partnership at One Monument Square in which the city would maintain some form of ownership of public spaces in the project via an equity stake, condo agreement, long-term lease, or other arrangement. The city also city intends to use the Troy Local Development Corp. to bypass the typical public bidding process for real estate sales in order to deliver the property to the selected developer as part of that partnership.
This is the fifth attempt to redevelop the site on the riverfront in the heart of downtown since the old city hall was demolished in 2010.
Previous attempts, spanning multiple city administrations, ended in disputes over infrastructure, legal action and complaints about the design.
This time around, the city hired a team of consultants to gather public input and shape a concept.
The resulting design included a public plaza, parking garage, an eight-story mixed-use building, and potential restaurant/retail space.
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