All Over Albany

The 1 Monument Square project and its opponents

The development team backing the 1 Monument Square project presented the latest iteration of the mixed-use building to the Troy planning commission Wednesday night. The presentation included new renderings, a somewhat reconfigured plan for the river side of the building, and some discussion about what the space that has been set aside for the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market might (or might not) be.

And then things took a bit of a turn toward the dramatic. An attorney representing a group called We Care About the Square stood up for the first public comment of the night and raised the possibility of legal action if the project moves forward.

Plans and renderings

Some of the latest plans and renderings are above in large format -- click or scroll all the way up.

What's now in the plan

Among the recently added elements to the plan:

+ The proposed building sits on a podium that's at street level, and the plan now proposes that river side of the podium have a mid-level green roof between the podium and ground level.

+ The parking area below has been configured to allow through traffic on Front Street.

+ A colonnade has been added on the front side of the southern end of the parcel to connect the project to the building line along River Street to the south.

+ The space dedicated to the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market appears to be in flux. Jeff Kane of Kirchoff Companies, which is developing the project with Sequence Development, said the amount of street level retail space set aside for the market is currently "undefined" because the market is assessing its needs in light of a successful outdoor season this year. There was also brief discussion about the possibility of the market occupying a second floor of retail space -- or of some other retail tenant ultimately ending up in the space.

+ And just a recap of some of overall details: 75-80 residential units (depends on unit configurations), 84 parking spaces, street level retail and restaurant space, $24.3 million cost.

The opposition

This project has caught a notable amount of criticism over the past year, much of it about the appearance of the proposed building and how its shape and positioning relate to the surrounding area.

But maybe the most significant criticism of late is the allegation that Troy isn't getting what it thought it was getting -- that the current plan differs too much from the plan used to win the city's selection process for developers. That initial plan included two separate buildings split by a plaza that opened to the riverfront, along with more square footage and more parking. (The developers have said complications of the site -- including a water main and problems with soil -- necessitated the changes to the plan.) The allegation from these critics is that the experience has been a "bait and switch."

These criticism are now being focused through a group called We Care About the Square, which describes itself as "a collection of residents and business owners who are interested in the development of 1 Monument Square." Its attorney -- Javid Afzali of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna -- was the one who stood up during the public comment period and raised the possibility of legal action. He alleged there have been problems with the city's review process and a lack of responsiveness to public criticism. And what would his clients like to see happen now?

"The want the project re-bid to actually put bids out there for developers to put actual, real, feasible projects on the table so the city has a choice," Afzali said outside the meeting. "Here what we have is a project that was Bid A, now is Bid B, and it shut out other competitors. And it requires re-letting of that contract."

Afzali did not outright threaten to sue if the project moves forward as is, but "all options are on the table." And "there's always the possibility of litigation."

During the public comment period there was a moment when planning commission chair Barbara Nelson -- who had earlier mentioned she might appear defensive because she'd been threatened with a lawsuit -- responded to a few comments about the project blocking the view of the river by commenting that the current empty lot at the site had maybe spoiled people in the view that it afforded. And she added, rhetorically, that if people always want that view, then don't build a building. There were cheers in the crowd.

Looking through the site this past June.

"It appears to me that that's their goal," said Kirchoff's Jeff Kane outside the meeting, in reference to We Care About the Square. "They don't want any building. I think that's a minority opinion in the city."

Kane's response to the "bait and switch" allegations? "Of course projects evolve. I've been doing this for 30 years and public comment always makes a project better. I think the comments we've gotten have made this a better project. And it's been a good process. The process is not over, the process will continue. ... I think we're going to create a space that city of Troy residents will use and will be a great benefit to the city."

This is the third major attempt to redevelop the 1 Monument Square site. The selection of the Kirchoff/Sequence team for this round was announced back in February of 2014. And the initial plan projected having one of the two originally-proposed buildings finished by this fall. It's now a year and a half later and the project doesn't have the OK to go forward. We asked Kane if they'd ever reach the point where they would just sort of throw their hands up and say they've had enough.

He took a long pause before answering.

"I'm trying to think of the number of projects over the years that don't get to the end. Sure, there's some projects that don't get finished because of opposition, of unexpected cost, of sheer inability to build a project. We don't think this is one of those. We think this is a project that's got real viability, that's got real value, and that will be successful."

Earlier

+ Biz Review: Developer faces doubts, questions over One Monument Square in downtown Troy

+ AOA: A look at the latest plan for the 1 Monument Square project in Troy (2015 July)

+ AOA: The latest 1 Monument Square plan evolves (2014 September)

+ AOA: The new plan for redeveloping the Monument Square site in downtown Troy (2014 February)