Sculpture in the Streets returning to Albany June 13

The Business Review (Albany)

Sculpture in the Streets, an installation of large works of figural and abstract art, is returning to downtown Albany, N.Y., this summer.

Eighteen sculptures created by 14 artists will grace downtown sidewalks beginning June 13 and continue for 10 months.

The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District will kick-off the event June 13 with a garden party and silent auction fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. at Tricentennial Park at Broadway and Columbia Street.

Tickets are $75 ($50 for young professionals under 35). For more information and to RSVP, call the BID at 465-2143.

Last year's Sculpture in the Streets program raised more than $33,000 through corporate sponsorships, the party and auction. That money helped underwrite the cost of this year's installation and future arts-related events downtown.

The exhibition features large-scale works made of steel, plywood, iron, stainless steel, fiber-optic lights and wood. The 14 artists come from the Albany region, New York City and Massachusetts.

"The exhibition of these works by extremely talented regional artists, coupled with downtown's many galleries, museums, attractions and entertainment venues, underscores our creative and culturally rich community while giving patrons another reason to visit Albany's revitalized downtown district," said Albany BID Executive Director Pamela Tobin.

The presenting sponsor will again be Kivort Steel, a full-service warehouse and distributor of steel, stainless steel and aluminum products in Waterford.

Additional funding has been provided by Omni Development Co. Inc., CSArch Architecture and Construction Management and Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP. Individual sculpture installations are sponsored by the Beltrone Group, NBT Bank, Palace Theatre and Tri-City Rentals/Massry Rental Partners.

The exhibition is curated by Sarah Martinez, executive director of Albany Center Gallery; Benji Fox of Omni Development Co., and Kathleen Triem and Peter Franck of F:T Architecture in Ghent.

For more information go to www.downtownalbany.org or e-mail bmcewing@downtownalbany.org.

Long Island developer secures option to buy abandoned Amsterdam mill

The former Chalmers Knitting Mill
will become a mixed-use development
with office, retail and residential buildings

The Business Review (Albany) - by Michael DeMasi The Business Review

City leaders in Amsterdam, N.Y., approved an option with developer Uri Kaufman to sell an abandoned textile mill for $138,000 that Kaufman wants to convert into upscale apartments.

The Common Council voted 4-1 on May 6 to approve the sale of the former Chalmers Knitting Co. buildings on the city's south side, according to Mayor Ann Thane.

Kaufman, a Long Island developer who has bought other run-down mills in the Albany region for redevelopment projects, wants to convert the roughly 275,000 square feet of space into about 200 apartments.

The mill buildings closed in the 1980s. They are located at one end of a planned $16 million pedestrian bridge that would link both sides of the city, which straddles the Mohawk River.

Thane, a former museum director who took office in January, is a big supporter of the project, but she knows there is some skepticism in the community as evidenced by the "no" vote from 1st Ward Councilman Joseph Isabel.

"Amsterdam has had many people come through here before and make false promises," Thane said. "There is some trepidation because of past experience, but the fact is this is a very good developer with a good track record and the financial resources to back up his promises."

Kaufman redeveloped the former Harmony Mills in Cohoes into a 96-unit loft apartment building. He plans to renovate the other half of the mill into 141 additional units once he gets the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to approve mortgage insurance on a $24 million construction loan.

In February, Kaufman bought the old Victory Specialty Packaging plant near Schuylerville for $50,000. He's also talking to officials in Schenectady about possibly redeveloping part of the old American Locomotive Co. plant along the Mohawk River.

Halfmoon holding meeting to discuss $50M Healthcare and Biomedical Research Campus

The Business Review (Albany)

The Town of Halfmoon Planning Board will hold an informational meeting on May 12 to discuss plans for an estimated $50 million Healthcare and Biomedical Research Campus in the Saratoga County town.

The applicant, Boni Enterprises LLC of Clifton Park, is seeking a change of zoning to permit the establishment of a planned development district on 81 acres on Route 146, about one and a half miles east of Route 9.

The plan, first announced in 2006, calls for a campus with a 160,000-square-foot biomedical research facility and an 82,000-square-foot medical office building. It is intended to serve southern Saratoga County, which has a population of about 112,000 but no hospital.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Halfmoon Town Hall. Boni is being represented by Clifton Park attorney Kevin Dailey.

State to spend $40M to build new food lab

The Business Review (Albany)

The state food laboratory will remain in the Albany, N.Y., region, creating a new development opportunity, state officials announced Tuesday.

The 2008-09 state budget includes $40 million for the construction of a new building to house the food lab, which has 42 employees. The lab's current home, in the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany, is outdated and in need of "major renovations" to accommodate new testing procedures, officials said.

State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said his office will immediately start working on finding a location in the Albany area that is suitable for the new lab. The lab tests food meant for human or animal consumption, as well as wine and liquor. It also tests for pesticides in fruits, vegetables and public drinking water.

The announcement evidently ends the possibility that the lab would move to Cornell University's food technology park in Geneva, an idea raised during for Gov. George Pataki's time in office.

Columbia Development eyes 20 Albany parcels

The Business Review (Albany) - by Michael DeMasi The Business Review

A two-block stretch of homes near Albany Medical Center would be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use development under plans being pursued by the city and Columbia Development Cos.

The east side of New Scotland Avenue between Myrtle and Dana avenues is being eyed for a development whose details are still being sorted out.

"We're in the very formative stages of what we're trying to do there," said Joe Nicolla, president of Columbia.

Ideas under consideration include an 80,000-square-foot to 120,000-square- foot development with ground floor retail, said Megan Daly, deputy commissioner of development and planning for the city.

Residential uses are not planned for the upper floors at this time, she said.

There are about 20 parcels on the two-block section of the street, most of which are single or multi-family homes. Many are vacant.

There are also two vacant lots and two commercial tenants, including a convenience store.

The city was awarded a $3.3 million grant from the state Restore-NY program to pay for demolition and construction costs. Without the grant, Nicolla said, the project wouldn't be feasible.

The Albany Local Development Corp. has negotiated contracts with the owners of all the parcels, Daly said, but doesn't own them. The state grant doesn't cover acquisition costs.

Columbia Development is interested in the site because of its success developing the 129-room Hilton Garden Inn on New Scotland Avenue across from the hospital. The $20 million hotel opened last summer.

Separately, the hospital announced plans in late February to build a six-story, $360 million expansion at the corner of New Scotland and Myrtle avenues.

The New Scotland Avenue redevelopment is around the corner from a $13.5 million gut rehab of 18 run down houses on Knox Street in the Park South neighborhood.

It hasn't been determined whether Columbia Development or the ALDC will end up buying the 20 properties on New Scotland Avenue, but the purchases are expected to be wrapped up by late spring or summer.

"It is 100 percent our intention to honor the contracts and close on these properties," said Michael Yevoli, commissioner of development and planning. "How to do it is something we're doing an analysis of internally, on what makes the best sense."

mdemasi@bizjournals.com | 518-640-6814

Columbia Development plans 5- story structure near Albany Med

By CHRIS CHURCHILL, Business writer at TimesUnion.com
First published: Friday, April 25, 2008

ALBANY -- A big Albany developer is proposing construction of an office building in the Park South neighborhood, near Albany Medical Center.

The five-story structure by Columbia Development Cos. would go up on the southeast corner of New Scotland and Myrtle avenues, and the medical center likely would use part of the building to house its administrative offices.

Michael Yevoli, the city's planning commissioner, said he considers the Columbia office project "significant in that it could continue the development of the medical center corridor" and build momentum for other Park South projects.

The proposed development, if approved by the Planning Board, would occur in an area experiencing a wave of investment -- following years of disinvestment that left parts of the neighborhood tattered.

In 2005, Winn Development, a Boston company, was chosen by the city to carry out a $65 million, six-year plan to demolish 237 apartments and homes and build new ones in a nine-block area near Albany Med. The firm is rehabbing 18 row houses on nearby Knox Street.

Last June, Columbia Development and BBL Construction Services LLC completed construction of a $20 million Hilton Garden Inn on New Scotland Avenue, across the street from the hospital. The building includes a Starbucks and other eateries on its ground level.

In January, the Albany Local Development Corp. received $3.3 million in state funding for a large development it is proposing for the northeast corner of Myrtle and New Scotland avenues. The two-building project would also be built by Columbia Development and would add 120,000 square feet of retail and office space to the neighborhood.

And in February, the medical center announced a $360 million expansion that includes a new six-story building and the addition of 116 beds.

Gregory McGarry, spokesman for Albany Med, said the rapidly growing hospital is likely to need additional administrative space, despite that expansion. He said the hospital has been talking to Columbia about leasing space in the proposed building, but has not formally agreed to do so.

Joe Nicolla, president of Columbia Development, could not be reached for comment Thursday. It is unclear how much the company plans to spend on the development, or when it intends to launch construction.

A one-story building would be demolished under Columbia's plan.

On Wednesday, Columbia won approval from the Albany Board of Zoning Appeals, necessary because the building does not meet the required 20-foot minimum setback, exceeds the maximum allowable lot coverage of 60 percent and does not provide the required 308 parking spaces.

Chris Churchill can be reached at 454-5442 or by e-mail at cchurchill@timesunion.com.

Renovation on hold as DeWitt Clinton building owner's filing denied

Bankruptcy fails as eviction tactic

By CHRIS CHURCHILL, Business writer at TimesUnion.com

First published: Tuesday, May 6, 2008

ALBANY -- The legal case is kaput, and Tom Nicci's businesses remain right where they've been for years -- at the base of the DeWitt Clinton building.

That's not what the owner of the building, See Why Gerard LLC investor Chaim Ausch, hoped for when he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection five months ago. He hoped the filing would lead to the eviction of Nicci's businesses -- The State Room Banquet Hall and The Comedy Works -- from the building where a high-end hotel is planned.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Littlefield Jr. dismissed the case on Thursday.

Negotiations between the parties continue, Nicci's attorney, Stephen Waite, said Monday.

Waite said his client is willing to leave the historic downtown Albany high-rise -- but only if the price is right. Otherwise, Nicci could stay for the nearly 11 years remaining on his lease.

"The only reason he would want to leave is to assist what the owner of the DeWitt is trying to accomplish," Waite said.

Nicci signed a 15-year lease in 2003, before See Why Gerard purchased the property for $5.3 million. At the time, the building contained 400 apartments that catered to low-income residents. Those tenants have been evicted.

Ausch has said the building, located on State Street near the Capitol, is well positioned for conversion into a hotel. He says the redevelopment cannot begin as long as Nicci's businesses remain.

Still, Richard Weiskopf, Ausch's bankruptcy attorney, said he and his client supported the dismissal of the bankruptcy case, as it was proving to be an ineffectual tool.

"The goal here is to get the tenant out," Weiskopf said. "We weren't really getting anywhere in the bankruptcy process."

City officials, including Mayor Jerry Jennings, have expressed support for the DeWitt Clinton redevelopment, partly because of the site's high visibility and symbolic importance.

Albany developer Columbia Development Cos. has announced plans to redevelop a row of buildings immediately to the east, with stores, apartments and a 14-story office tower.