By Cecelia Martinez
The Record

Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series about development in the City of Troy. Today’s story looks at projects that are just underway or still on the table. Yesterday’s was about the people behind the projects and on Sunday, The Record featured the projects themselves, which are collectively worth millions of dollars on face value and uncountable ancillary dollars for the city.

 TROY — With the ongoing influx of development in the city, Troy officials are hoping to keep the momentum going with projects already going through the approval process and others that are still in the negotiation phase.

“We have a lot of things coming down the pipe,” said Economic Development Coordinator Vic Christopher. “We’re very concerned about properties that may have structural issues. There are a lot of properties that have almost an emergency status. Those properties go to the top of the list. Then there are other properties that are a great opportunity, and we don’t want to sell ourselves short. We want to see the right developer in the right location.”

Two larger projects that have seen action within the past week are the former Oviatt Building, located at 80 Second Ave., and the Proctor's/Chasan Buildings in downtown, the latter of which received a $3.3 million grant from New York state last week for its stabilization and redevelopment.

The former warehouse at 80 Second Ave. originally caught the eye of a Saratoga-based storage company that sought to turn the building into a self-storage facility to accommodate the growing number of residents in the city — and the potential influx of higher-end residents in proposed developments in the works.

Now, the project has shifted to become the home of the expanded facilities for International Electronic Machines Corporation, a business in operation for more than 20 years just up the street at 850 River St. Owner Zack Mian, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the expansion could help the business land new projects and create jobs. Already, they’re planning on making 10 new hires this year, but said the expansion is a “crucial” part of that plan.

“We just about run out of space at our building,” said Mian, adding that the new facility will be for production of their transportation technology products. Mian said the proximity to their current facility was another draw for the site. “This is our adopted neighborhood. There are good people here. The area has improved a lot over the years and we hope to leave Troy in better shape than it was when we first opened up.”

The city is currently considering a proposal to sell the building to IEM for $25,000, but it has yet to go before the city Council. Mian said once the approvals are made, they hope to make renovations to the facility and occupy at least one floor of the building as soon as possible.

With grant assistance for the Proctor’s/Chasan project officially announced, Columbia Development Companies can now move forward with a plan to renovate and stabilize both buildings. With the Chasan Building, plans are to make renovations to prepare for commercial office space tenants. After that is completed, Columbia will stabilize the Proctor’s Theater portion of the property, which has become badly-damaged over the years.

The original plan would have yielded a $4 million grant, but the project included the demolition of Proctor’s Theater, a concept that incited opposition from the public. Instead, the theater will remain mothballed and wait it out for future development, while the building’s facade will be turned into commercial and retail space. Continued...

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While many of the high profile projects have been in downtown — like the Congress/Ferry Streets Corridor and redevelopment of the former City Hall site and Riverfront Park — Planning Commissioner Sondra Little said that activity is happening all over the city.

“I believe we have focused on all areas of Troy, but it might not be as noticeable because there aren't central business districts in those neighborhoods," she said. City spokesman Jeff Pirro noted new businesses opening up the Lansingburgh area, while Christopher also pointed out development coming in South Troy, where he lives and owns property.

“Troy has a certain coolness to it,” said Christopher. “By supporting the arts and focusing on the culture, you draw in artists who own their own homes. I've seen a movement in South Central Troy recently with that, with people who have their studios and own homes.”

An ongoing effort as part of the South Troy Reinvestment Target Area, which injects Community Development Block Grant funding into programs that make infrastructure improvements, encourage code compliance and help homeowners update the exterior of their properties, is also helping to revitalize the stock in that neighborhood.

At a February meeting updating on the progress of the STRTA, city officials outlined pending street and sidewalk improvement projects and announced partnerships with businesses like Stewart's Shops that will boost the often-beleaguered neighborhoods there and hopefully attract new homeowners to South Troy. North Central, another neighborhood that has higher proportions of socioeconomically-disadvantaged residents, is next on the list after South Troy to receive targeted funding.

With momentum just now building, the future prospects of development become uncertain given that there will be an administration change at the end of 2011, no matter what the results of the upcoming elections. Mayor Harry Tutunjian said he is “certainly” concerned about what will happen after a new mayor takes the reins, but is also optimistic.

“I hope that the city can continue this momentum moving forward,” he said. “It’s taken quite a while to build it to this point, and I hope it goes on for many years to come. I think that I’ll leave proud of my accomplishments and proud of the fact that the City of Troy is in much better shape now than it was when I took office. That’s the only thing a mayor can ask for.”

Cecelia Martinez can be contacted at 270-1294 or by e-mail at cmartinez@troyrecord.com.

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By Cecelia Martinez
The Record

Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series about development in the City of Troy. Today’s story looks at projects that are just underway or still on the table. Yesterday’s was about the people behind the projects and on Sunday, The Record featured the projects themselves, which are collectively worth millions of dollars on face value and uncountable ancillary dollars for the city.

 TROY — With the ongoing influx of development in the city, Troy officials are hoping to keep the momentum going with projects already going through the approval process and others that are still in the negotiation phase.

“We have a lot of things coming down the pipe,” said Economic Development Coordinator Vic Christopher. “We’re very concerned about properties that may have structural issues. There are a lot of properties that have almost an emergency status. Those properties go to the top of the list. Then there are other properties that are a great opportunity, and we don’t want to sell ourselves short. We want to see the right developer in the right location.”

Two larger projects that have seen action within the past week are the former Oviatt Building, located at 80 Second Ave., and the Proctor's/Chasan Buildings in downtown, the latter of which received a $3.3 million grant from New York state last week for its stabilization and redevelopment.

The former warehouse at 80 Second Ave. originally caught the eye of a Saratoga-based storage company that sought to turn the building into a self-storage facility to accommodate the growing number of residents in the city — and the potential influx of higher-end residents in proposed developments in the works.

Now, the project has shifted to become the home of the expanded facilities for International Electronic Machines Corporation, a business in operation for more than 20 years just up the street at 850 River St. Owner Zack Mian, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the expansion could help the business land new projects and create jobs. Already, they’re planning on making 10 new hires this year, but said the expansion is a “crucial” part of that plan.

“We just about run out of space at our building,” said Mian, adding that the new facility will be for production of their transportation technology products. Mian said the proximity to their current facility was another draw for the site. “This is our adopted neighborhood. There are good people here. The area has improved a lot over the years and we hope to leave Troy in better shape than it was when we first opened up.”

The city is currently considering a proposal to sell the building to IEM for $25,000, but it has yet to go before the city Council. Mian said once the approvals are made, they hope to make renovations to the facility and occupy at least one floor of the building as soon as possible.

With grant assistance for the Proctor’s/Chasan project officially announced, Columbia Development Companies can now move forward with a plan to renovate and stabilize both buildings. With the Chasan Building, plans are to make renovations to prepare for commercial office space tenants. After that is completed, Columbia will stabilize the Proctor’s Theater portion of the property, which has become badly-damaged over the years.

The original plan would have yielded a $4 million grant, but the project included the demolition of Proctor’s Theater, a concept that incited opposition from the public. Instead, the theater will remain mothballed and wait it out for future development, while the building’s facade will be turned into commercial and retail space.

While many of the high profile projects have been in downtown — like the Congress/Ferry Streets Corridor and redevelopment of the former City Hall site and Riverfront Park — Planning Commissioner Sondra Little said that activity is happening all over the city.

“I believe we have focused on all areas of Troy, but it might not be as noticeable because there aren't central business districts in those neighborhoods," she said. City spokesman Jeff Pirro noted new businesses opening up the Lansingburgh area, while Christopher also pointed out development coming in South Troy, where he lives and owns property.

“Troy has a certain coolness to it,” said Christopher. “By supporting the arts and focusing on the culture, you draw in artists who own their own homes. I've seen a movement in South Central Troy recently with that, with people who have their studios and own homes.”

An ongoing effort as part of the South Troy Reinvestment Target Area, which injects Community Development Block Grant funding into programs that make infrastructure improvements, encourage code compliance and help homeowners update the exterior of their properties, is also helping to revitalize the stock in that neighborhood.

At a February meeting updating on the progress of the STRTA, city officials outlined pending street and sidewalk improvement projects and announced partnerships with businesses like Stewart's Shops that will boost the often-beleaguered neighborhoods there and hopefully attract new homeowners to South Troy. North Central, another neighborhood that has higher proportions of socioeconomically-disadvantaged residents, is next on the list after South Troy to receive targeted funding.

With momentum just now building, the future prospects of development become uncertain given that there will be an administration change at the end of 2011, no matter what the results of the upcoming elections. Mayor Harry Tutunjian said he is “certainly” concerned about what will happen after a new mayor takes the reins, but is also optimistic.

“I hope that the city can continue this momentum moving forward,” he said. “It’s taken quite a while to build it to this point, and I hope it goes on for many years to come. I think that I’ll leave proud of my accomplishments and proud of the fact that the City of Troy is in much better shape now than it was when I took office. That’s the only thing a mayor can ask for.”

Cecelia Martinez can be contacted at 270-1294 or by e-mail at cmartinez@troyrecord.com.

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