All Over Albany

Scanning the 2014 proposed Capital Region Economic Development Council priority projects

The Capital Region Economic Development Council recently released its list of proposed priority projects for 2014. These are the projects the council will be suggesting get state funding in the next round of the Cuomo administration's Regional Economic Development Council initiative. (Or, as we've come to think of it, a game show called Who Wants to Win Some Pork?) The Capital Region scored almost $83 million the last time out.

Not all of these projects will necessarily get funding (or get funded at the requested levels) but it's interesting to see what's in contention because all sorts of interesting bits bubble up in these applications -- stuff that maybe you missed the first time around, or hasn't gotten a lot of attention.

An example: A company wants to build a free wireless internet access service for downtown Troy.

We put together an easy-scan listing, along with a map, after the jump. We've also highlight a few projects that caught our eye.

Map and listing

The map and easy-scan listing are above in wide format -- click or scroll all the way up.

A few projects that caught our eye

Schenectady Observatory
MiSci is asking for $26,400 to help build "a 26-foot-by-32-foot roll-off roof observatory to house the Dudley Observatory's antique telescope."

CNSE Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or SCIF
CNSE's Fuller Road Management Corp is asking for $3.5 million (on a $17.5 million project) "for the construction of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) and the accompanying facility security upgrades at CNSE's Albany Nanotech Complex." Go on:

As a U.S. Government accredited facility where Sensitive Compartmented Information can be stored, discussed or electronically processed, the establishment of the SCIF will make CNSE a competitive site for a future Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) designation and allow for on-site participation by U.S. government agencies seeking proprietary and joint development of classified technologies deemed highly sensitive to national security and competitiveness. A SCIF allows billions of dollars of government agency programs and defense contracts to be executed at CNSE, enabling CNSE to expand the workforce.

MassiveMesh Networks -- Free Citywide Wi-Fi
A company called Redburn Infrastructure is looking for $154,000 to help build "a wireless network system in Troy's urban center, allowing access to 12,000 households and eliminating barriers to Internet and Wi-Fi service." It says it's willing to offer free service in the area for three years.

Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market
Sequence Development is hoping to land $2.8 million for the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market portion of the One Monument Square mixed-use development.

Marina District Transit Center
The city of Troy and CDTA are looking for $4.5 million for "a 5-level transit center in a central location within the Marina District at 466 River Street." More:

The first floor of the structure will become a transit center for CDTA customers and offer retail and commercial space, public use parking and alternative modes of transportation, including bicycle rentals, taxi stands and campus shuttles.

Upper State Street Garage
Columbia Development is looking for $1.2 million for the construction of a new "337-space public access" parking garage on Howard Street, near the site of the Albany Capital Center, the DeWitt Clinton renovation, and the redevelopment on Wellington Row.

Robinson Block Transformation Project
Metroplex is seeking $1.3 toward a mixed-use project in downtown Schenectady. Blurbage:

The Robinson Block Transformation Project will leverage public and private investments of over $18 million to revitalize three blighted city blocks in downtown Schenectady within walking distance of Schenectady County Community College and Union College, the downtown business district, and Amtrak and CDTA access points. The redevelopment will include 105 apartments and 9,900 square feet of restaurant and retail space. The project will bring desirable market-rate housing for young professionals attracted to long- standing employers, such as GE, and new businesses, like Transfinder and Quirky. Its restaurant and retail space will provide increased sales tax revenues and create employment opportunities. Requested funding is needed to offset the costs of constructing on the site's profoundly substandard soil, which has, to date, prevented the site's redevelopment.

Park South Redevelopment Project, Phase II
The group of orgs redeveloping the two blocks in Albany's Park South neighborhood is seeking $3 million for the project to help cover a "financing gap from infrastructure cost increases."

Field Goods Local Food Distribution Expansion
Field Goods is asking $111k to put towards a new 50,000-square-foot distribution facility in Athens.

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The Capital Region Economic Development Council's report includes bits about projects designated beyond the "priority" category -- jump to page 97 in the pdf.