Another big step for the Park South redevelopment is coming up
One of the revised designs that resulted from the back and forth over the parking garage late last year.
The $110 million Park South redevelopment project in Albany headed for another important point on its timeline in early March when the proposal goes before the city planning board. The project is now on the agenda for the March 6 planning board meeting.
The large-scale redevelopment in the neighborhood just south of Washington Park was a big topic of conversation late last year. The part that caught the most attention: an 800+ space parking garage that critics said is too big for the neighborhood. Prompted by the reaction, the developers heading up the project returned with new designs for the garage that fit in better with the surrounding buildings -- though the number of spaces in the garage was still held in the 800-space range. Those changes helped open the way for the Common Council to approve amendments necessary for the plan to advance.
Throughout the back-and-forth on the garage, both advocates and critics of the plan pointed to the city's planning board as another step that would shape the final project. So it's worth watching how the project is adjusted (or not) by the planning board process. It's one of the last hurdles before construction starts. (When the project plans were introduced last year, the development team indicated it had hoped to have the site demolished by now.)
The Park South redevelopment is an ambitious, unusual plan. It aims to completely clear two whole blocks adjacent to Albany Med and rebuild with a collection of buildings that would include two six-story mixed-used buildings on New Scotland Ave, a medical office building, the parking garage, and 268 residential units. It could fundamentally transform the neighborhood, the sort of project that doesn't come along very often.
Earlier on AOA:
+ Park South redevelopment plan advances
+ Two new options for Park South
+ Six not-boring parking garages
+ A bit more about the Park South redevelopment and that big parking garage
+ A big topic for the Park South redevelopment: parking
+ The big plan for residential and retail redevelopment in Albany's Park South
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Comments
Goin' down to Park South, gonna have myself a time
Parking garages everywhere, weekday swarms of dull Caucasians
Goin' down to Park South, it's colonoscopy time
Empty sidewalks every night, you don't really miss Quintessence
Goin' down to Park South, Panera sandwiches are fine
Come on down to Park South, it's very uninspired.
... said LB on Feb 20, 2014 at 1:53 PM | link
Well since the traffic issue in the areas seems to not have been looked at at all, and its ridiculous on a good day, during the snow storm NSA and Holland was straight up impassable.
Increasing the density of people/cars in the area is just a bad idea.
... said Lint on Feb 20, 2014 at 8:01 PM | link
An 800 car garage is too big. It doesn't matter if it's in a fancy dress.
... said daleyplanit on Feb 21, 2014 at 9:01 AM | link
I must say I am shocked people are against more parking in the area. The parking around there is usually a nightmare and bringing more spaces to deal with more businesses and residents makes sense to me. This kind of reaction is why much of downtown albany is stuck in the 50s.
... said dan on Feb 21, 2014 at 9:40 AM | link
Dan with more parking we won't have Albany, we'll have Wolf Rd in Colonie. You can't say that you want to decrease congestion, and improve air quality, and then all 800 parking spaces in one structure alone.
... said Anthony on Feb 21, 2014 at 1:24 PM | link
Anybody know what's proposed for the two 6 story mixed-use buildings? More medical office space or something different? It seem like the city defines mixed-use as offices and parking garages and nothing else.
... said chauncy on Feb 21, 2014 at 4:12 PM | link
As everyone knows, a large, regional hospital should only be accessible to people who live within walking distance...
... said Tim in Waterford on Feb 21, 2014 at 6:19 PM | link
@dan and @tim Mac has several lots, recently built two garages that aren't at capacity, and plans to create even more surface parking in addition to the plan. It's not about capacity, it's about managing demand. Most employees take free street spots already. Take a tour of South lake on a weekday and compare to nights and weekends. Without a permit or very limited time system, the garage won't affect on street demand.
The office building is not part of the hospital. It's a mix of associates an non affiliated practices. 60,000 sq feet of the office building is for the medical college. The general spaces per sq foot formula that Columbia is using is out of whack. The neighborhood is hopeful that students and employees will choose to live nearby. Otherwise what's the economic benefit to provide tax incentives? What's the economic benefit of an 800 car garage that serves medical offices? Turning the neighborhood into a pass through does nothing to benefit existing residential and commercial tax base. That's the type of planning from the 50s that's failed us.
I'm not saying this development is unwelcome. I live a block away it's needed. But the garage at this scale is completely innapropriate.
... said Daleyplanit on Feb 23, 2014 at 10:46 AM | link