Items tagged with 'real estate'

A look around the project that's aiming to make over a big chunk of Arbor Hill

Home Leasing Clinton Ave Albany

One of the largest construction projects in the city of Albany right now is spread across multiple blocks of Clinton Ave and will eventually involve 70 different buildings.

A Rochester-based company called Home Leasing is working to create more than 200 units of affordable housing in the rehabbed buildings, many of which had been vacant or were in otherwise rough shape.

Here's a look around the project, and a bunch of bits about what's in progress...

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The apartments on Elm Street, The Lionheart, Colvin Ave mixed-use, and more exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

Albany planning board 2018-12-20 Elm Street closeup

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

Included this month: Approval for those controversial Elm Street apartment buildings, a Colvin Ave apartment proposal, The Lionheart, The Wilson, demolitions and how big is that sign...

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A peek at the plan for the new Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany

The Rep Pearl and Livingston rendering

A rendering filed with the city as part of the exterior signage plan.

Here's a peek at Capital Repertory Theatre's planned renovation of an old warehouse space at North Pearl Street and Livingston Ave into a new theater space. The project is scheduled to make its first appearance before the Albany Planning Board this Thursday evening.

The project description from one of the development docs filed with the city:

The project includes the renovation of the existing 1800's vintage Nabisco building for use as a live theatre venue, 310 +/- seat auditorium with associated front and back of house facilities including a smaller 100 person performance and rehearsal space, box office, cafe/bar, gallery space, props and costume work area, dressing rooms, and administrative offices. The theatre will operate throughout the year, primarily matinee and evening showings arranged around performances. The offices, props and costume work area and rehearsal space will be used during normal business hours throughout the year.

The architecture firm working on the project is CSArch.

The proposed exterior plan includes four LED signs: three signs 4.5 feet by 40 feet, one each along the North Pearl side, Livingston side, and mounted on the roof; and a vertically-oriented sign on the corner that would be 18 feet tall and 4 feet wide. "The displays will be installed as permanent installations, illumination and scrolling LED graphics will be regulated by the theater and primarily limited to hours of operation."

The warehouse site doesn't have any parking and the docs also provide a peek at The Rep's plans for that.

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Gawking at the @HudsonPark residential conversion in Albany

At Hudson Park residential conversion 160 Myrtle

At the corner of Myrtle and Swan.

This week we got a chance to gawk at the still-under-construction residential conversion of the former Long Energy building at Myrtle and Swan, right across from Lincoln Park in Albany.

It's an interesting project, in part because of the design challenge of reshaping the complex of three historic buildings -- they were originally used in association with breweries -- into apartments.

The project also represents a significant addition of residential units -- 75 -- to the neighborhood.

Here's a look around, along with a few more bits.

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A big chunk of downtown Albany was just sold, and there are some big plans for the buildings

Kenmore Hotel block downtown Albany

A large group of historic properties were sold in downtown Albany this month, and the deal could be a major milestone in the ongoing transformation of the neighborhood.

Over the span of two days last week, Redburn Development Partners closed on "The Kenmore Portfolio," which includes the prominent Kenmore Hotel and Steuben Club buildings on Pearl Street, as well as the Capital Repertory Theatre building.

Redburn is planning apartment conversions for many of the buildings, which it sees as a continuation of downtown's recent shift toward being a residential, "18-hour" neighborhood.

"We think that we have the correct vision for what's needed in downtown Albany," said Jeff Buell, one of Redburn's principals, today via phone. "I think it's an absolutely transformational project that must be done if Albany's going to be a 21st century city."

Here are a few more bits about what's happening.

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A look inside 2 Judson Street

2 Judson Street Albany renovation exterior

We got a chance this week to stop by the open house for 2 Judson Street, one of the properties that's for sale as part of the Albany County Land Bank's Neighbors for Neighborhoods program (a few details about that program below).

There are handful of photos to go along with this post, in case you'd like to gawk. Because, you know, we definitely wanted to gawk.

The property is part of the McPherson Terrace row on Clinton Ave in West Hill, a string of buildings (not all have survived) that date to the late 1880s/early 1890s. And they're related to Albany architectural royalty: The great Albany architect Edward Ogden participated in developing the strip. (Ogden and his son Charles, also an architect, designed a bunch of beautiful buildings around the city.)

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Approval to convert two prominent downtown buildings, a warm response to increased density, and more exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

Kenmore Steuben block

This block is in line to get new life.

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

This month: Approval for residential conversion of two notable downtown buildings, a historic parking garage, that big residential/retail project across from St. Peter's, stormwater concerns, an addition to the Lionheart, a practice gym, and that enormous Kenwood project...

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An update on that big project near Quackenbush Square (the one that's currently a big hole in the ground)

Quackenbush Center site 2018-11-09 looking west

How the site looked on Friday.

At the beginning of this year the big mixed-use development proposed for the site just north of Quackenbush Square on Broadway in downtown Albany got approval from the city's planning board and the development company behind the project was looking to get started with construction soon after.

Then in May word surfaced that the project had gotten stuck on higher-than-expected construction cost estimates. And now, 11 months later, there's still just a giant hole in the ground. [Biz Review]

But the development company said this week it's reformulated the plan and it's hoping to get started next year.

Here are a few more bits about what's up for the project, which has the potential to significantly remake that section of Broadway.

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Neighbors for Neighborhoods

Albany County Land Bank Neighbors for Neighborhoods posterThe Albany County Land Bank is looking for some landlords.

As part of a new program -- called Neighbors for Neighborhoods -- the land bank has been fixing up a few formerly vacant properties in the city of Albany and is now ready to sell them. That's where the search for landlords comes in. Blurbage:

The Albany County Land Bank will sell up to four (4) fully rehabilitated two-family residential buildings located in Albany County's most distressed neighborhoods to qualified residents who can demonstrate the capacity to own and manage a rental property. Buyers will be required to keep all rental units affordable for a period of 20 years from purchase, during which time they must rent to low-moderate income residents at affordable rental prices ...

As you might expect, there's are a bunch of guidelines for potential property owners. Among them: You have to live within 15 miles of the properties, own two or fewer rental properties, and have "have no current or prior negative real estate history."

That link above has more info about the guidelines and also walks through some of the math on what counts as affordable rental prices. In this case, "affordable" is up to 80 percent of the area median income. For a 1BR apartment that's a rent of $1,296 per month. And the income limit for renters is $48,400 for one person.

There's a workshop about the program Wednesday, November 14 at 6 pm at the Arbor Hill Branch of the Albany Public Library.

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A walkthrough of the old Kenmore Hotel and Steuben Club buildings in downtown Albany

Kenmore and Steuben block Albany

The old Kenmore Hotel and Steuben Club buildings landmark buildings on one of downtown Albany's most prominent blocks. They've also sat largely vacant for years.

That could be changing, though. Both buildings are at the center of a huge in-progress real estate deal. Redburn Development Partners is currently working to close the purchase of the Kenmore Hotel and Steuben Club buildings -- along with a handful of other notable downtown properties -- and redevelop them with residential and retail uses. (See recent planning board discussion about the Kenmore and Steuben as well as the old Times Union building on Sheridan Ave.)

We've passed these buildings hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of times. They're anchors of downtown Albany -- but we had very little sense of what they're actually like on the inside. And we were curious about that, especially now that the buildings could be on the verge of their next lives. We figured you might, too

So we got Redburn to give us a tour. Here are a bunch of photos...

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The Kenmore Hotel and Steuben Club, uproar on Elm Street, and other exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

Kenmore Hotel block downtown Albany

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

This month: uproar over infill development in Hudson/Park, the plans for the old Steuben Club and Kenmore Hotel downtown, taking over a street segment, demolitions, and school buses...

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A look around the Maiden House residential + retail conversion in downtown Albany

Maiden House downtown Albany

That latest project in the ongoing shift of downtown Albany toward being a residential neighborhood: Maiden House.

It includes 18 apartments and a handful of potentially interest retail spaces at the corner of North Pearl Street and Maiden Lane in a building that had been vacant or underused for many years. And it's backed by development company that's becoming a key player in the transformation of downtown.

So, let's have a look around...

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A look around the new Bull Moose Club coworking space in downtown Albany

Bull_Moose_Club_2.jpg

Another sign that coworking is starting to catch on in the Capital Region: Downtown Albany now has not one, not two, but three of the flexible shared work spaces.

The latest to open is the Bull Moose Club, right across State Street from the Capitol. (Yep, it has a bust of Teddy Roosevelt.)

As the location suggests, the space is focusing on a crowd of lobbyists, advocates, trade associations, and startups. And it's backed by the same people who created the Troy Innovation Garage coworking space in downtown Troy.

As with other similar setups, Bull Moose offers a typical menu of office services -- desks, internet, printers, mailboxes, conference rooms, and booths for making phone calls. And it has memberships that allow for the occasional drop in at a first-come-first-sit desk or table, as well as private offices available for rent by the month.

Here's a look around the new space, along with a few questions for its founder, Tom Nardacci -- about coworking, other cities, and changing the culture of the Capital Region.

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Another large residential project in downtown Albany that's part of a package of notable projects, and other exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

16 Sheridan downtown Albany exterior medium 2018-August

This building in downtown Albany is in line to become 133 apartments -- and get another story.

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

This month: The first in a series of notable developments for downtown Albany, a tear-down-and-rebuild in Park South, and potential new life for a problem property...

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How to handle a situation involving a neighbor and uncertain future for a shared property?

brick wall gutter down spout

Anonymous emails:

Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with the situation below:
We live in Center Square and we share a demising wall with a neighbor that has aged significantly. While we value her as a neighbor, we are concerned about what happens to her home when she passes away since we share a wall. Furthermore, we are concerned that she has no inheritors that will take responsibility for her house. So many houses are left in limbo in Albany and it takes many years for them to actually come on the market. What are some things we can do as proactive neighbors to avoid a bad situation?

Very often the best path is to start a polite discussion with the neighbor about an issue like this. (Or, really, about anything -- it's good to know your neighbors.) Sometimes that's not possible, though. And it's true that sometimes properties can fall into an in-between state of ownership that makes it difficult to address problems. Pretty much every neighborhood in Albany (and we suspect most other cities around here) have at least one or two houses that are stuck in this sort of state for all sorts of reasons.

So, this is an important and sensitive situation. Maybe you have a constructive suggestion to offer Anonymous? If so, please share.

Follow up: Lark Hall

Lark Hall 2018-July exterior

AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year (or so)

Back in February 2017 word surfaced that 351 Hudson Ave -- AKA the EBA Building, at the corner of Lark and Hudson -- was going up for auction.

The eventual buyers: A team made up of Jeff Buell, a local developer, and the married couple Justin and Jennifer Miller (an attorney and teacher / yoga instructor, respectively). They didn't have an exact plan for the landmark building, but they were excited to get started.

Well, that part took a little longer than expected -- a year, in fact. But the group does now own the building -- which they're calling Lark Hall -- and work is moving along on renovations. (The Lark Street Flower Market is still there.) First up: a yoga studio to be run by Jennifer Miller. A juice bar will follow after that. And then there's the large auditorium space upstairs.

We stopped by 351 Hudson to talk with Jeff Buell and Justin Miller about what's been going on, how they're planning to use that auditorium, and the Lark Street neighborhood.

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Gawking at the renovation of the long-vacant buildings on Broadway in Albany near the railroad overpass

800-806_Broadway_Albany_apartments__9.jpg

The renovation of the buildings at 800-806 Broadway in Albany -- a strip of four buildings just south of the railroad overpass between downtown and the Warehouse District -- is now complete and ribbon cutting-official as of this past Friday.

The long-vacant buildings -- which were gutted and renovated -- now contain 15 apartments.

Here's a look around, along with a few bits -- including one about the nearby Church of the Holy Innocents.

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A look around the new CoLab coworking space in downtown Albany

CoLab Albany mural

Ron Grieco, the co-owner of Stacks Espresso, was skeptical when his business partner, Tyler Wrightson, got back from a trip to Florida where he saw a coworking space next to a coffee spot -- and said they should open a coworking space here in Albany.

"I was like no way, this is out of our wheel house," he said. But he thought about it, and the idea started to make sense because they already had experience creating places where people like to hang out. And there was an open space just across the hallway from the Stacks in the Arcade Building in downtown Albany -- with the same sort of huge windows that look out onto the street.

"This was the perfect space because we're right there already," he said. "That was a big thing, striving for the kind of atmosphere that we create in the coffee shop, which is a warm, welcoming atmosphere."

And this past Friday their coworking space -- CoLab -- opened its doors.

Here's a look around the place along with a few bits about what's up.

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A push to turn vacant buildings into owner-occupied homes -- with some help and coaching

Albany County Land Bank 351 Clinton Avenue

351 Clinton Ave is one of the properties that's part of the program. / photo: Albany County Land Bank

The Albany County Land Bank is starting up a program with the goal of helping people renovate vacant properties and become homeowners. Blurbage for the Equitable Ownership Pilot Program:

EOPP aims to increase opportunities for homeownership in neighborhoods with large concentrations of vacant properties. The majority of the Land Bank's real estate acquisitions are in economically distressed neighborhoods where most residents are people of color. For decades, these neighborhoods have had disproportionately low levels of homeownership, created in large part by discriminatory housing practices dating back to the 1930s. A recent analysis by the Urban Institute on the gap between white and black homeownership rates in the 100 American cities with the highest number of black households found that the City of Albany has the second widest gap of all cities included in the study.
The initial phase of EOPP consists of five single or multifamily residential buildings located in the City of Albany. Buildings selected for EOPP are in economically distressed neighbors and require a low to moderate amount of rehabilitation relative to other properties in the Land Bank's inventory. Future phases of the program will be expanded to the cities of Cohoes and Watervliet, based upon property availability. Under the program, qualified applicants will receive a 15% discount off the listing price or a seller's concession of equal value to support the rehabilitation of a participating property, along with reduced closing costs.
Buyers will be paired with a "Rehabilitation Mentor" who will assist with creating a redevelopment plan and provide support during the rehabilitation process - from kickoff to close out - which typically takes 12 months. Buyers must provide evidence of sufficient financial capacity to complete the rehabilitation project prior to purchasing a property and will be paired with available resources if applicable.

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The Capital Region's home ownership rate ticked upward last year for the first time in a while

Albany metro home ownership rate 2008-2017

The Capital Region's home ownership's most recent peak was in 2010. It ticked up for the first time since then in 2017. Do note that the scale for the rate starts at 50. There's a chart with a from-0 scale inside. / data via US Census Bureau

Another few bits for the apartments / rents discussion...

The home ownership rate in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area ticked upward for the first time since 2010 last year.

The Albany metro's rate was 64.1 percent, according to the Census Bureau. That was up from 61.3 the year before.

That's interesting, in part, because there's evidence that the upswing in rents in the Capital Region also flattened out last year. Maybe it's a matter of demographics as the population peak of Millenials grows older. Maybe rents have just risen to a point where it makes more financial sense to buy a house. (As with any complicated topic, it's probably some of those things and a bunch of other stuff, too.)

Anyway, you know that we have an additional chartage, because of course...

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Maybe all those new apartments are starting to have some effect on rents

downtown Albany from Corning Tower 2017-April

Downtown Albany has been hot spot for new apartments in recent years.

A sort-of follow-up to the recent post about all the apartments the Capital Region has been adding the last few years (with many more in the pipeline)...

Capital Region rents have been on an upswing during the past half decade, but that increase appears to have flattened during the last year. That's one of the bits from the new Capital Region multi-family market report published by Sunrise Management & Consulting.

Sunrise president Jesse Holland in a press release: "The data indicates that the market is getting saturated ... Everyone wants to know if the time to build more apartments is over, or if the economy is going to take off."

A chart (because of course) and a few more interesting bits from the report...

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Apartments, apartments, and more apartments

Capital_Region_building_permit_residential_units_single_and_multi_2008-2017.png

Capital Region building permits for residential units over the last decade -- for single family homes and units in multi-family buildings.

Sometimes during episodes of Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board and related whatnot, we refer to the apartment building boomlet that's been going in Albany and around the Capital Region.

Right, so about the specifics of that boomlet... The Census Bureau collects data on the number of building permits for housing units issued each year in each municipality. And those numbers help draw the outline of this trend.

For example: The chart above shows the number of overall units covered by building permits issued for the four core Capital Region counties over the last decade -- along with how many of those units were in multi-family buildings (yellow). And as you can see, there's been an upswing in multi-family units in that time, especially the last few years.

More context? More details? OK, let's have a look...

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The Albany County Land Bank is again selling lots in Albany for $100

360 Sheridan Ave, one of the lots for sale.

The Albany County Land Bank is again selling a bunch of vacant lots in the city of Albany for $100. It did something similar last year, and this time around it's opened the program up a bit by allowing nearby renters to buy the lots. Press release blurbage:

The "Spend a Little, Get a LOT!" program is designed to increase opportunities for residents to own vacant lots and help stabilize economically distressed neighborhoods. Under this year's program, 32 vacant lots will be available for purchase for $100 each, plus significantly reduced closing costs. ...
The Land Bank acquired the participating lots from Albany County through tax-foreclosure. The lots are located in the Land Bank's Focus Neighborhoods, which are among the most economically distressed in Albany County and include: Arbor Hill, Sheridan Hollow, South End, West End and West Hill in the City of Albany. ...
In response to feedback from local residents, the program has been expanded to include renters who have resided on the block face of a participating lot for five or more years. Other eligible applicants for this program include those that own property immediately adjacent to, or on the same block face as, the participating lot.

As with anything like this, it's very important to read all the details (see the first link above). Among them: "Buyers will also be required to retain ownership of the property for a period of five years." Also: Closing costs could push the all-in price to something like $700-$800.

The land bank will be accepting applications June 1 through June 30 and scored on criteria such as geographic proximity and proposed use.

Blood plasma, another mixed-use project approved, that Western Ave apartment, and other exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

526 Central Ave Swinburne Building rendering wide

The Swinburne Building project on Central Ave was up for approval.

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

This month: Blood plasma centers, approval for another large mixed-use project, continued neighborhood criticism of that apartment building on Western, and a proposal for affordable housing...

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That proposal for a big residential project on Western Ave in Albany has resurfaced

1211 Western Ave apartment proposal rendering1 version 2018-May

A new rendering for the project.

There's been a small boom in apartment building construction over the last few years in Albany, and officials have hailed it for bringing new development, residents, and housing options to the city.

But as these projects have spread into the lower-density neighborhoods of the city, they've also gotten pushback from residents who say the scale doesn't fit.

The project that prompted maybe the strongest neighborhood criticism has been the proposal for a six-story private dorm at 1211 Western Ave, near the edge of the UAlbany uptown campus. The response was negative enough that mayor Kathy Sheehan made the unusual move of asking the planning board to not approve the proposal in its then-current form -- and the developers pulled the project.

Now it's back, reformulated. And there's still skepticism.

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A look around The News, the latest large residential project in Troy

The News apartments Troy exterior

The last few years have seen a small boom in residential projects in the downtowns of the Capital Region's core cities.

And the latest project to open is The News. It's a 101-unit redevelopment/new construction project by the Rosenblum Companies at the site of the former Troy Record building in downtown Troy. Tenants started moving in at the start of this month.

Here's a look around the place, along with a conversation with Rosenblum's Jeff Mirel about Troy and building new residential in urban neighborhoods.

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Advice for tracking down apartment/home rentals for families?

for rent sign in front of apartmentE asks:

A friend of mine is moving with her 15 month old son from Washington DC to Albany, to be closer to her parents (she grew up in Delmar!). She's looking to rent (for the next year or so) a nice, comfortable apartment/house (2-3 bedroom) near a daycare and is currently considering a downtown/Center Square Albany location (near Empire Plaza) or near Delmar - she'll be working from home.
Would you have any tips on how to best locate [an apartment or home to rent] (websites, locations, etc.)? She'll be coming to the Albany area in 2 weeks and then planning to move over the summer so she's got a bit of time (and flexibility) and opportunity to look at different places.
Any advice on renting in Albany area welcome.

E's question points toward a situation that, anecdotally at least, sometimes seems to be a challenge for people around here: finding a good apartment or rental situation for a family with kids. Over the past year we've encountered multiple families with young children who had a tough time finding a rental that met their needs. And we get the sense it's particularly difficult in the city of Albany itself.* Whether it's a case of an actual lack of stock -- or the lack of a good way of tracking down homes to rent -- is a good question. (Also: A few anecdotes doesn't necessarily mean there's a broad problem.)

So, got a suggestion for E's friend? Please share! And a sentence or two about why you're recommending a place or approach can be helpful.
____

* We'll just add a generalized comment in support of the ubiquitous Albany two-families in which the flats are stacked one on top of the other. Most of them have three (small) bedrooms and if you're on the first floor, it's probably not too many stairs for regularly moving a stroller or other kid stuff.

Approval for another big apartment project, Warehouse District reuse, Pine Hills demos, and more exciting tales of the Albany planning board

Albany Planning Board Sandidge Way rendering 2018-April cropped

The planned apartments on at Sandidge Way and Fuller Road.

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

This month: Another large -- and controversial -- apartment development, an odd triangle-ish shaped piece of something, Pine Hills demolitions, the new Northern Rivers facility, and the annals of sewer equipment...

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GE Realty Plot walking tours

GE Realty Plot Irving Langmuir House 1176 Stratford Road 2008 CC Daniel Case

Nobel Prize winner Irving Langmuir lived in this home on Stratford Road in the plot. / photo: Wikipedia user Daniel Case (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Schenectady city historian Chris Leonard is leading a walking tour of the GE Realty Plot neighborhood May 19. Blurbage:

Leonard will cover the dynamic events and unique cast of characters who have called "The Plot" their home. The tour includes stories and anecdotes about GE inventors and executives, Schenectady business and political leaders, entertainers, and incomparable individuals, as well as the formation of The Plot and ongoing efforts to protect these stately homes. Some of the many luminaries covered include Charles P. Steinmetz, Irving Langmuir, Izetta Jewel Miller and Ernst Alexanderson.

The GE Realty Plot sits just to the east of Union College. The college sold the land at the beginning of the 20th century to General Electric (it was trying to pay off some debt) and the company developed the plot for homes for its executives and researchers. It's a beautiful, walkable neighborhood.

The walking tour is the morning of Saturday, May 19. Tickets are $20 -- "which includes entry into one of the homes, and a 15-minute break with snacks on its large front porch" -- and available online.

By the way: It looks like this tour will be offered each month through October.

Capital Region Homebuyer Fair 2018

home for sale signThe Capital Region Homebuyer Fair returns to the Albany Public Library this Saturday. The annual free event, Affordable Housing Partnership, is like a one-stop shop for info about the path to buying a home. Blurbage:

Attendees will meet with lenders, home inspectors, realtors, attorneys, homeownership advisors, and others in the field. People can learn about the latest grant and down payment assistance programs available to Capital District homebuyers. Attendees can also get free credit reports (identification required) and pre-qualification for mortgage financing (recent pay stub required).

There are also seminars about building a credit score, qualifying for a mortgage, and down payment resources.

The home buyer fair is Saturday, April 14 at the APL's Washington Ave Branch from 10 am to 2 pm.

A look around the new Albany Distilling bar and bottle shop

Albany Distilling bar bottle shop

The Albany Distilling Company has a grand opening for its new bar and bottle shop on Livingston Ave this Friday. The building includes a bar area, a striking outdoor courtyard, and an upstairs room for private events.

The distillery has been working on renovating the building over the past year, an expansion beyond its nearby production space at Quackenbush Square.

Here's a look around the new space, along with a few bits about it....

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Capital Repertory Theatre is moving

Gomez building Capital Rep production 215 N Pearl St

The building last summer.

The Capital Repertory Theatre is moving to a new home at the corner of Livingston and North Pearl in December 2019, the theater org/Proctors announced Tuesday. It will be converting an old bakery/electrical warehouse space at 251 North Pearl.

The project has been moving in this direction for a while -- the theater was already using the space for set construction. And it got a boost Monday when the Cuomo admin announced the project will getting $1.8 million from the Restore New York Communities Initiative.

Press release blurbage:

... The National Biscuit Co. building, at 251 N. Pearl Street, will become the new home for Capital Repertory Theatre, with a 300-seat MainStage, 70-seat black box theatre, full time café and box office.
Since August, theREP has been using the property, purchased through the generosity of its board, for set construction and storage. With completion of architectural drawings, the 30,000-square-foot former bakery will also house new administrative offices, rehearsal rooms, an event space and dedicated costume and prop shops, allowing for all activities to take place within a single footprint. ...
Residence at the National Biscuit Co. building will allow theREP to expand its programming, with up to 100 more annual events attracting an additional 10,000 patrons; and to expand its robust educational offerings, which currently reach more than 17,000 students from 64 schools in 39 communities.

The theater org -- which now prefers to be called theREP -- says the project will cost $8 million. And it's being backed in party by a mix of public money, including $2 million from New York State Homes and Community Renewal and $950k through the Regional Economic Development Council process.

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Who owns this street, grinder pumps, just-arrived email, a school expansion, and other exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

Pine Lane Albany NY 2018-03-17

Who owns this street? Good question!

Exciting Tales of the Albany Planning Board is a program recorded before a live studio audience once a month in which the fates of multi-million dollar projects around the city are (partially) decided.

This month: City streets that aren't actually city streets, an entry from the annals of sewer equipment, late-arriving inter-agency email, and school expansion, and more exciting tales...

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The Elouise and milk bottles

Elouise apartments aerial overhead

The Elouise is at the corner of South Lake and Western / photo: Tim Jackson

By Justin Devendorf

At South Lake Avenue and Western Avenue in Albany stands an eight-story building. Built in the late 1920s in the Classical Revival style, it's a landmark of the Pine Hills neighborhood, surpassed in height only by the Royce on the Park apartment building on nearby Hudson Avenue.

Outside the building a bronze plaque that greets all who enter simply reads: "Elouise Apartments 11 So. Lake Ave."

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Proposed apartment project at the Playdium site set to move forward

363 Ontario Playdium site redev rendering 2018-January B

A rendering of the planned apartments.

The proposed redevelopment of the Playdium site in Albany is set to move forward after the Albany IDA approved a PILOT agreement and tax breaks for the project at a special meeting Thursday.

The project -- backed by the Jankow Companies -- involves demolishing the bowling alley to make way for the construction of three new apartment buildings. The proposal has gotten a lot of attention because it's set to replace a neighborhood landmark. And it's become a high-profile example of the simmering discussion in Albany about the density and height of new development around the city's neighborhoods.

The developers have a tentative closing date in early April, according to real estate agent David Phaff, who's been representing the project. Construction would start immediately after.

Here are a few more bits...

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Proposed apartment project at the Playdium site gets OK from planning board

363 Ontario Playdium site redev rendering 2018-January B

A rendering of the planned apartments.

The Albany Planning Board has signed off on the proposal to demolish the Playdium and replace it with an apartment complex. The board voted 4-0 in favor of the necessary approvals, with one new member abstaining.

The developers are currently seeking a package of tax breaks from the city's Industrial Development Agency. Ryan Jankow, whose Jankow Companies is backing the project, says if they can reach a deal with the IDA soon, construction could start this spring.

There's been a lot of focus on this project because of pushback from community members -- and a Common Council member - over the height of the buildings. And it's been a notable example of the ongoing wider discussion in the city about the direction of new development.

Here are a few more bits about the project, and the bigger picture...

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Albany County Land Bank successful buyer workshop

Albany County Land Bank property Morton Ave AlbanyThe Albany County Land Bank has a "Successful Buyers Workshop" coming up February 22 for people who might be interested in buying a land bank property. Blurbage:

Here success stories from land bank home owners
Learn more about applying for land bank properties
Learn about rehabs, new construction, and more!

The workshops is Thursday, February 22 at 6:30 pm at the 200 Henry Johnson Blvd building in Albany. It's free.

Land bank?
Very short: The land bank is an independent org that works to shepherd vacant or abandoned properties that have been seized by the county in tax foreclosure into the hands of people can rehab the buildings and put them back into productive use. It's now sold 200 properties since it started up in 2014.

A big step forward for the Quackenbush Center mixed-use project, and other exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board

705 Broadway Albany Quackenbush Center rendering

The latest rendering for the Quackenbush Center project.

That big mixed-use project proposed for just north of Quackenbush Square in downtown Albany took an important step forward this week when the city planning board approved its site plan.

The project includes residential, commercial space, and a hotel. And it holds the potential to dramatically change the feel of that section of town.

Here are a few more bits about what's up with the project -- and a handful of other mildly exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board...

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Belt Line 3

340 Hamilton St exterior 2018-January

The owners of Roux in Slingerlands are planning to open a new restaurant in a space on Hamilton Street in Albany, just up from the Empire State Plaza.

Here's a little bit about what's in the works.

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Albany now has a better sense of how many vacant buildings it has -- and a common starting point for taking on the problem

vacant buildings on Clinton Ave in West Hill 2018-January

Clinton Ave in West Hill.

What's been clear: The city of Albany has a lot of vacant buildings.

What's not been clear: Exactly which buildings are vacant, and what's the actual total number of them.

But the city now has a new vacant building list, and it's probably the best, most accurate estimate in years.

It's part of a larger process to more proactively take on issues such as vacant buildings, code enforcement, and neighborhood development.

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Where every Albany mayor since the Civil War has lived

18 First Street Albany exterior 2018-January

The home the Sheehans purchased on First Street.

Kathy Sheehan's office announced Thursday that the mayor and her husband have bought a home in the Ten Broeck Triangle section of Arbor Hill and plan to move there after renovating it.

From the press release:

"We have been looking for an opportunity to restore one of Albany's many historic homes, and we also wanted to participate in the revitalization that is occurring in our Downtown," said Mayor Sheehan. "Our new home is close to a number of new projects that include market rate and affordable housing. We love our current neighborhood, but we are ready to downsize and enjoy a historic, walkable, diverse, mixed-income neighborhood close to City Hall, the Palace Theater, The Rep, and all that Downtown Albany has to offer."

Sheehan's choice to move to Arbor Hill breaks a longstanding pattern about where Albany's mayors have lived -- going way back.

To put the move in some geographic perspective, we looked up the home addresses of every Albany mayor since the Civil War and mapped them...

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Albany's apartment boom matches up with some national trends

park south redevelopment mixed-use

Apartments going up in the Park South redevelopment project.

The city of Albany is currently experiencing a mini-boom in new apartment projects, as both old buildings are being redeveloped and new buildings are being constructed.

The agenda for the planning board meeting this month (Thursday night) alone includes five large projects that include residential. Those projects represent more than 700 new apartment units.

These projects -- and others like them -- have gotten all sorts of responses from people, ranging from enthusiasm to opposition. If anything, though, it seems there's just a lot of skepticism about what's going on. Why so many apartments? Why are they so expensive?

It turns out that a lot of what's happening in the city of Albany fits in with some broader national trends. That's one of the things we took from a new report out this week, which includes a bunch of interesting bits that shed some light on Albany's apartment boom.

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Playdium redevelopment takes a step forward

363 Ontario Street Playdium redev rendering 2017-10-19 wide

A quick update on the proposed redevelopment of the Playdium site in Albany, which has been a prominent of example of two recent trends in the city: 1) the construction of new, large residential projects and 2) pushback from neighborhoods about the taller, denser development...

The Albany Board of Zoning Appeals granted an area variance for the height of the project at its meeting the evening before Thanksgiving.

That variance will allow the 109-unit apartment project to be four stories tall if it ultimately gets approval from the city planning board and moves forward.

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What's up with the planned redevelopment of the Playdium site

363 Ontario Street Playdium redev rendering 2017-10-19 wide

Here's an update on the proposed redevelopment of the Playdium site in Albany's Pine Hills neighborhood, which has prompted a bunch of conversation as well as some pushback from neighbors over the height of the residential project.

It went before the Board of Zoning Appeals last week as part of the developer's efforts to get a variance to exceed the 3.5-story limit for the zoned area.

This project has been interesting to follow because it highlights the recent mini-boom in large residential projects in the city. And it also touches on issues related to in-fill development and the feel of neighborhoods.

Here are a few bits about the evolving design and the rents for the project...

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Sprawl without growth

CDRPC Capital Region municipal population change 2010-2016

Net population change by city and town 2010-2016, according to Census population estimates. / map: CDRPC Capital Region Data

During conversations here at AOA and in other venues about the region's cities, very often the focus settles on a question that's more or less: Why can't we have (thing) in Albany/Troy/Schenectady/somewhere?

And often (thing) is something along the lines of streetcars, or densely packed blocks of retail, or downtown supermarkets -- the sorts of things that usually require relatively high population density.

So, with that in mind, this bit from the latest Capital Region Data from the Capital District Regional Planning Council caught our eye. It's about population and development patterns across the area's municipalities (emphasis added):

From 1995 to 2015, development of single family homes across the Region totaled 35,111 units, occupying 55,928 acres. Development in this 20-year period expanded the total acreage consumed by single-family housing in the Region by 38% from levels in 1994. In that same period, the population of the Region grew by roughly 7%. Quite simply, the Region consumed land at almost five and half times the rate of population growth. ... To add even more context on a micro level, from 1995 to 2015, the Region's population increased by roughly 55,000. This means that the Region developed roughly an acre of land for each new person.
As population growth continues to slow, and housing construction begins to increase, the disconnect could between the two could become larger. While new housing construction slowed significantly during the Great Recession, it has recovered to a greater degree than population growth. If these trends continue, they could amplify our Region's current pattern of sprawl without growth.

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Biz Review: Central Warehouse has been sold

Central Warehouse 2017-July

Ace local real estate reporter Mike DeMasi reported today that Central Warehouse -- AKA, that enormous block of a building with peeling paint that sits next to 787 just north of downtown Albany -- has been sold to Evan Blum, the owner of an architectural salvage company in NYC. From the Business Review:

Blum told Albany Business Review he has saved millions of cubic square yards of usable items from buildings -- everything from light fixtures to façades -- that would have gone into landfills. He's an artist whose medium is free-form sculpture.
"I' not one of those guys that wears fancy shoes, Rolex watches and flashy suits," he said. "I'm just a guy who's done interesting things for the past 42 years. I do a fair amount of business with people upstate. I've found there's a void in what i do up there. I feel I can be a good addition."

Here's a Business Insider profile of Blum's Harlem-based operation from a few years back, and a New York Time article about his huge collection in storage in Connecticut.

Of course, becoming the owner of Central Warehouse and actually doing something productive with Central Warehouse are two different things. The building presents a challenge not just in its enormous size, but also because it was originally constructed as a cold storage facility. Oh, and there was that time it caught on fire. Others have tried and failed. (The building had been owned by a credit union that took possession after the last failed development attempt.)

Blum told DeMasi he hasn't decided yet whether he'll be seeking financial assistance from the various development arms of the city, but it does sound like he'll be seeking state funding.

One thing the city could potentially do that might not cost a lot of money is look at how the area around Central Warehouse could be reformatted. If you've ever walked around there, it's a tangle of blocked-off streets, parking lots, and railroad track.

Imagining possibilities for Sheridan Hollow

Rezone Sheridan Hollow model block cropped

Sheridan Hollow is one of Albany's oldest neighborhoods. And throughout much of that history, the neighborhood has repeatedly been overlooked, bypassed, or excluded. It's gotten the short end of the stick many times.

But in recent years the neighborhood tucked into the center of Albany has added new, affordable housing and mixed-use space, and it appears to be gaining some positive momentum.

How to keep that going was one of the central questions in a recent week-long intensive look at the neighborhood, an extension of the city's Rezone Albany initiative. Consultants were in town studying the neighborhood, talking with people, and imagining new possibilities -- which they presented at a public meeting last Thursday.

Here's a look at what they came up with. (Are there renderings? You know there are renderings.)

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Capital Rep buys production space north of downtown Albany, another developing project in that spot

Gomez building Capital Rep production 215 N Pearl St

Updated

Capital Rep has bought the old warehouse building that sits on the northeast corner of North Pearl Street and Livingston Ave -- the former Gomez Electrical Contracting building -- the theater company officially announced Friday afternoon. From a Cap Rep/Proctors press release:

The Gomez building, located less than a half-mile from theREP, affords over 30,000 square feet of work and storage space.
For many years, theREP has rented production facilities from The Egg, at the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza. Having its own nearby facility offers permanence, malleability and much greater capacity, while reducing costs and providing an economic anchor on the N. Pearl Street corridor.
Going forward, the theatre's technical staff will build, repair and store all set pieces and scenic elements at 251 N. Pearl Street, which also houses offices for the production team.

The theater company has no plans to hold performances there, spokesman Michael Eck said via email Monday.

The purchase isn't a surprise -- word about the potential deal surfaced earlier this year, and the Business Review reported in May the building was under contract. But its use as a production space instead of a performance space is a twist on what had been circulating. And it sounds like the change was a bit of a surprise to the owner of the building -- Mike DeMasi reports a closing date hasn't been scheduled, yet. [Biz Review x2]

That area of Albany, just north of downtown proper, has a lot projects in development right now. The redevelopment of the Ida Yarbrough Homes across Pearl Street is in progress. Just down the hill on Livingston, Albany Distilling Co. is repurposing a building as a new tasting room and retail shop. Around the block on Broadway, developer Patrick Chiou is renovating a row of vacant housing. And on the block just to the south, between Pearl and Broadway, work has started for new construction that will include 100 residential units on a former parking lot.

Maps that still echo today

NCRC HOLC census data map Albany

Here's a bit of a follow-up to the piece by Ann Pfau and David Hochfelder -- of 98 Acres in Albany -- from earlier this year about the history of the federal maps that "redlined" the city of Albany (and many other places) during the 1930s. Those maps helped shape lending practices for decades, decisions that contributed to patterns of disinvestment across neighborhoods.

One of the things that's striking about looking at those old maps is how the divisions drawn then still roughly represent sections of the city today.

A mapping project by an org called the National Community Reinvestment Coalition that merges the old federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation maps with modern census data related to income and race makes those patterns even more clear.

That's a clip above from NCRC's interactive map showing the city of Albany. The red and yellow areas were the sections assigned the lowest grades on the 1930s map. The gray areas are tracts in which modern populations are more than 50 percent minorities. And the dotted areas are where the median family income is less than 80 percent the area median.

Here are the maps for Schenectady and Troy.

[via Next City]

Where things are at with the 1 Monument Square movie theater project

One Monument Square Conceptual Renderings Bonacio Bow Tie

Updated with a new set of renderings.

The latest chapter in 1 Monument Square saga arrived at an important plot point Wednesday evening when the proposed movie theater project for the site went before the Troy planning commission.

A lot of people turned out for the presentation, and they had a lot to say. That's not a surprise -- this is one of the most high-profile real estate projects in the whole Capital District, and it's the fourth major attempt to get something built at the site.

Here's a quick scan of what people had to say, and a few thoughts about where things are at...

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Open House: A funky historic Pine Hills home

OpenHouse RL Pine Hills composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

R and L's home feels inviting and historic and funky all at once. The house itself is full of beautiful architectural features, and the family has filled its rooms with quirky details, interesting art, beautiful old furniture, and fun touches. It's the kind of place where you want to pull up a chair, have a drink, and chat with friends.

It's also a home that is very much a part of its surroundings. Perched above the street and featuring a front-yard patio, it's set within a vibrant Albany neighborhood of older homes.

With more than a decade spent in their home, R and L have plenty of home ownership tales and neighborhood love to share.

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A city lot for $100

albany county land bank vacant lot sale

One of the lots up for sale is on Fourth Ave in the South End. / photo via Albany County Land Bank

The Albany County Land Bank is selling off a handful of vacant lots around the city of Albany for $100 each (plus a few other costs) in a program it's calling... "Spend a little, get a lot!"*

The application process starts today, June 1, and runs through June 30. Press release blurbage:

The Land Bank has identified 40 tax-foreclosed, vacant lots to participate in the program. Most of the lots are located in the Land Bank's Focus Areas: the Arbor Hill, Sheridan Hollow, South End, West End and West Hill neighborhoods in the City of Albany. To be eligible, buyers must be property owners located on the same block as the participating lot and must be current on all taxes, water/sewer bills, and have no outstanding code violations or unresolved foreclosures. Preference will be given to applications based on factors including proximity to the lot and ownership status. Buyers will have 30 days from the date of purchase to ensure the property meets all City of Albany codes and will be required to retain ownership of the property for a period of five years.

The land bank link above has a map of the vacant lots, along with a detailed info page explaining eligibility and some of the additional costs involved. (Though the purchase price is just $100, total costs will be at least $700.)

Vacant lots are kind of like missing teeth in a streetscape, especially in dense neighborhoods. Bringing some sort of activity to them -- a garden, a neighborhood gathering space, just some regularly-mown grass -- can be a big help to a street.

Land bank?
Land banks are a relatively new concept. The idea is that they serve as a bridge between when a vacant property is seized in tax foreclosure and when it's bought by a new owner for renovation and/or redevelopment. Land banks acquire the properties, stabilize them, and then market them for sale with the aim of finding buyers who will redevelop them responsibly. The orgs can also "bank" properties (thus the name) to group them or otherwise set them up for better chances of successful development.

The Capital Region has three land banks: Albany County Land Bank, Troy Community Land Bank, and Capital Region Land Bank (Schenectady and Amsterdam).

* (rimshot) They'll be here all week.

GE Realty Plot tour 2017

GE Realty Plot tour 2017 posterThe GE Realty Plot House & Garden Tour returns this June 3 and 4. Tickets are $25 -- they're available online (and a few retail spots listed at the first link).

The tour is offered every other year in the Schenectady neighborhood just east of Union College. General Electric bought it at the end of the 1800s and it was subdivided as a neighborhood for company executives. The design of the neighborhood was inspired by New York's Central Park.

This year's tour includes six homes. A listing is after the jump.

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RT and ST's Mansion Neighborhood Row House

Open House Mansion Row House composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

For RT and ST, choosing to buy a home in Albany's Mansion Neighborhood made sense on many levels: convenience, commitment to the neighborhood community, availability of historic homes, and an area they'd grown fond of as renters.

Their home is full of historic details, with their children's toys and colorful artwork set against beautiful exposed brick. They've carved out a sweet family life within a bustling and diverse neighborhood.

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Thinking about affordable housing in Albany

Corning Tower view downtown Arbor Hill Warehouse District 2017-April

What can the city of Albany do to encourage more affordable housing?

That's the question at the center of a debate that continues to simmer as the city heads toward the approval of the huge overhaul of its zoning, a process that touches on all sorts of important topics. What sorts of businesses can open where? How late can they be open? How can old buildings be adapted for new uses? How can neighborhoods suffering from disinvestment gain new life?

This current debate is focused on something inclusionary zoning, a proposal in which developers would be required to include affordable housing units in some developments.

Here's a look at what that would involve, along with a bunch of thoughts about housing in the city.

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Where the new homes have been built

Halfmoon Community Growth Profile new homes map

Parcels in the town of Halfmoon on which new single-family homes were built between 1995 and 2015. / map: Capital District Transportation Committee and the Capital District Regional Planning Commission

The Capital Region county that's the most different from the other three core counties? That's probably Saratoga County. And here's (another) bit toward that case...

Of all the single-family homes built in the Capital Region core between 1995 and 2015, almost half were in Saratoga County.

That's from the Capital District Transportation Committee and the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, which have posted a series of new "community growth profiles" for each of the core's 56 cities and towns:

Between 1995 and 2015, more than 35,111 single family homes were built in the four county Capital District Region on lots totaling 55,928 acres. The majority of single family home growth occurred in Saratoga County with 49% followed by 25% in Albany, 15% in Rensselaer, and 10% in Schenectady. As of 2015, there are 209,730 single family homes and 378,947 housing units overall in the region. And, approximately 214 miles of new roads were built between 2005 and 2015, of which 21% included sidewalks.

The town of Halfmoon is a prime example of the population and housing growth in Saratoga County. Between 1990 and 2015, the town went from 6,125 housing units to 11,060 units, according to its profile.

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Capital Region Homebuyer Fair 2017

home for sale signThe Capital Region Homebuyer Fair will be at the Albany Public Library's Washington Ave Branch this Saturday, April 29. What's it include? Blurbage:

+ Meet lenders, realtors, home inspectors and homeownership advisors.
+ Attend workshops on mortgage qualifying, how to build a strong credit score, and down payment programs
+ Obtain a free credit report and consultation to increase your score.
+ Meet with a mortgage lender to get pre-qualified for a loan

The workshops and exhibits are Saturday from 10 am-2 pm. It's free to attend.

The Affordable Housing Partnership advertises on AOA.

A chunk of money for chipping away at the number of vacant buildings in Albany

Clinton Ave Habitat house next land bank house

The blue building on the left is an Albany County Land Bank property has been rehabbed by Habitat for Humanity Capital District -- the one on the right is another land bank property.

The city of Albany is offering $50,000 to people looking to take on the challenge of fixing up a vacant building and putting it back to use.

Kathy Sheehan mentioned the initiative -- the aptly-titled Vacant Building Rehabilitation Program -- during her state of the city address early this year. And on Tuesday the city released the details of the program, which is backed by $1 million.

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A peek at what the proposed movie theater at 1 Monument Square in Troy might look like

One Monument Square Conceptual Renderings 2017-April 1 cropped

Don't squint -- we've posted the images in large format.

The first renderings of the propose movie theater at 1 Monument Square in downtown Troy are out.

The backers of the project -- Bonacio Construction and Bow Tie Cinemas -- pitched the idea before the Troy City Council Wednesday evening, touting it as a luxury movie theater. [Troy Record] [TU]

The city of Troy selected the proposal from two entries earlier this year. The super quick overview: The $18 million project would include a 9-screen movie theater, 3,000 square feet of street level retail space, 100-150 parking spaces underneath, and the potential for additional floors in the future. Bonacio and Bow Tie will also be redeveloping the American Theater space, located 500 feet down River Street from the site. The projected opening date for the 1 Monument Square theater would be the fall of 2018.

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Albany County Land Bank buyer workshops

Albany County Land Bank property Roosevelt St Albany

A property on Roosevelt Street in Albany recently acquired by the Albany County Land Bank. / photo courtesy of the ACLB

The Albany County Land Bank has a few workshops coming up for people who might interested in buying one of its properties. Blurbage:

In this workshop Virgina Rawlins, our Housing Counselor, will walk you through your application and answer any questions. This workshop is important to all who are interested in purchasing a property from the Land Bank and for those who are considering purchasing a property; every individual will go through the same process.

The workshops are:
+ Monday, April 3 at the Albany Public Library Washington Ave branch at 6 pm
+ Wednesday, April 19 at 255 Orange Street at 6 pm

The land bank website displays available properties in both list and map form. And here's a map of land bank properties in their various states -- from evaluation in progress to sold. Many of the properties are in the city of Albany, but others are spread around the county.

The Albany County Land Bank website currently lists about 20 available properties, both buildings and vacant lots. But there are lot of properties in the pipeline -- the land bank recently announced it had acquired 265 properties in the city of Albany.

Land bank?
Land banks are a relatively new concept. The idea is that they serve as a bridge between when a vacant property is seized in tax foreclosure and when it's bought by a new owner for renovation and/or redevelopment. Land banks acquire the properties, stabilize them, and then market them for sale with the aim of finding buyers will redevelop them responsibly. The orgs can also "bank" properties (thus the name) to group them or otherwise set them up for better chances of successful development.

The Capital Region has three land banks: Albany County Land Bank, Troy Community Land Bank, and Capital Region Land Bank (Schenectady and Amsterdam).

Earlier:
+ The push to breathe life into the buildings that breathed light
+ Bringing Albany buildings back from blight and making them into owner-occupied homes

Laura's hometown home in Cohoes

Open House Cohoes composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia

Laura's love for Cohoes runs so deeply that she built a home across the street from the house where she grew up. Her passion for her hometown combined with her love for home design have not only resulted in an interesting story -- she's also built a business on these two things.

A new home that has the details and feel of an older house, Laura's thoughtfully-designed place makes it easy to imagine spending a cozy Sunday afternoon or enjoying a large family party. It's a comfortable and welcoming space.

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Another residential conversion proposed for downtown Albany, this one with a few extra layers

48 North Pearl Street Albany 2017-March

48 North Pearl Street

The latest residential project proposed for downtown Albany: A plan to create 26 apartments at 48 North Pearl Street by converting office space -- and adding two floors to the building there.

More details about that, along with other exciting tales of the Albany Planning Board...

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Albany Distilling opening a new tasting room and retail shop in Albany

Albany Distilling Livingston Ave exterior

The Albany Distilling Co. formally announced Friday it's opening a tasting room and retail store in a building near the foot of the Livingston Ave hill in Albany.

Here's a look at the place and what's in the plan.

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The next life of the EBA building on Lark Street

EBA Building 2017-March exterior

When the EBA building went up for auction last month, Justin Miller was part of a group that entered a bid of almost half a million dollars for the Lark Street landmark. And they won.

Then it sunk in what they'd done. And some panic set in. They had just put up half a million dollars to buy a century-old theater building.

Feeling the need to walk, Miller headed over to McGeary's in downtown Albany.

"Tess, I've got to talk to you," he said he told Tess Collins, the pub's proprietor and local mainstay, when he arrived. He had a glass of water. They talked. He started to feel better. "She's always a steady hand."

And this week, standing in the second-floor theater space at Lark and Hudson, he was sounding excited and optimistic about what's next for the building.

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The big Rezone Albany process is almost finished

286-288 Lark Street storefronts 2017-March

Officials say the buildings at 268 and 288 Lark Street are two examples of how the city's current zoning holds back development.

More than two years after it started, the city of Albany is close to finishing the major overhaul of its zoning -- a process city officials say will make the city's development rules easier to understand and consistent, opening the way for millions of dollars in new development.

The city formally released the final Rezone Albany draft Monday. It's the first major update since 1969. And in the time since, city officials say the city's zoning had become a knotted pile of variances, complications, and inconsistencies. The aim of the new rules is straighten out that tangle.

"One of the things that has struck me through this process is that when we look throughout the cities as some of the challenges that we have in our neighborhoods, particularly challenges with vacant and abandoned buildings particularly commercial, sometimes we found the enemy and the enemy was us," said mayor Kathy Sheehan at a city hall event for the draft's release. "In other words, our antiquated zoning was ... driving a lack of ability to more forward with business decisions that would help our neighborhoods."

We've written about Rezone Albany a bunch over the last few years. And while zoning might sound like some sort of sleep aid, the questions it involves are the sorts of things people routinely get fired up about: What sorts of businesses can open where? How late can they be open? How can old buildings be adapted for new uses? How can neighborhoods suffering from disinvestment gain new life?

Here's a quick example of how the new zoning could potentially simplify things.

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The new new plan for 1 Monument Square

1 Monument Square site 2016-08-25

The site last summer, looking up toward River Street and the square.

The city of Troy announced Wednesday that it's selected a plan for the redevelopment of 1 Monument Square: a new Bow Tie movie theater built by Bonacio Construction.

Said mayor Patrick Madden in a press release:

Their proposal to build a nine-screen cinema will strengthen our city's growing economic resurgence while further boosting Troy as a regional destination in the Capital District. With an estimated 10,000 weekly visitors this exciting project will support our downtown restaurants and small businesses while helping to attract additional investment to our community.

Bonacio's proposal is part a plan that would also redevelop the former American Theater space nearby on River Street into a one-screen theater, also run by Bow Tie. (The small theater project was awarded $600k in the state Regional Economic Development Council grant process this past December.)

The city council still needs to approve a development agreement for the 1 Monument Square site, and the project will have to go through the usual planning approval process. The Madden administration is projecting that construction could start in late fall of this year and be completed by late 2018.

The project will be the fourth major attempt to redevelop the site on the riverfront in the heart of Troy.

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The EBA building on Lark Street is up for auction

Lark Street corner with Hudson Ave

You know the building.

For sale: Century-old Lark Street theater. Only two owners.

The building at the corner of Lark and Hudson that houses the dance company EBA, a staple of the neighborhood since 1977, is up for auction.

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Examining the forces and maps that redlined the city of Albany

1938 HOLC map Albany east-west aligned

From a 1938 Home Owners’ Loan Corporation map of Albany.

By Ann Pfau and David Hochfelder

The Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond recently published a website displaying redlining maps from the 1930s for American cities with populations over 50,000. These so-called Residential Security Maps, along with detailed descriptions of urban neighborhoods, give us insight into how the flow of bank funds into some areas -- and their denial in others -- shaped the postwar American city.

We researched the history of these maps, as well as related records pertaining to Albany, at the National Archives. Here's what we found.

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New life for buildings in Schenectady's Eastern Ave neighborhood -- and aspirations to lift the whole neighborhood

Eastern Ave projects composite

By Haley Viccaro

Schenectady's Eastern Avenue neighborhood, a residential strip not far from downtown and Union College, has been struggling for years with blighted buildings and closed businesses.

But several people are now looking past the deterioration and neglect, instead focusing on the potential behind the century-old homes and historic structures. They're investing money and time toward bringing new life to individual properties, hoping to lift the entire neighborhood.

Here's a look at a handful of people and projects.

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Capital Region home prices in 2016 were a lot like they were in 2015. And 2014.

home for sale sign

The median sales price of single-family homes in the greater Capital Region has been (almost) flat for the last three years.

That's one of the bits from the latest batch of stats from the Greater Capital Association of Realtors, which includes numbers for the whole span of 2016.

The median sales price for 2016: $195,000

The median sales price for 2015: $195,000

The median sales price for 2014: $193,915

(The median is the price at which half the homes had higher sales prices and half had lower.)

The average price was also (almost) the same in 2016 and 2015 at not quite $222,500.

One aspect of the market that does appear to be changing -- and might point toward a rise in prices -- is that the number of homes for sale was down almost 22 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. And the average number of days a home was on the market before it sold was 74 -- down from 84 in 2015 and 88 in 2014.

GCAR also breaks out numbers for counties and some municipalities into individual reports. So let's have a look...

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The @Hudson Park residential conversion in Albany gets planning OK

Long Energy site Albany stable building rear 2016-May

Another residential conversion -- this one will add 75 apartments to the Hudson/Park neighborhood -- got the OK from the Albany planning board Thursday evening.

Here's more about that project, along with bits about the stalled Gallery on Holland project and the proposed large mixed-use project next to Quackenbush Square.

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The push to breathe life into the buildings that breathed light

Breathing Lights Schenectady Stanley Street

By Haley Viccaro

Now that the vacant buildings in Albany, Schenectady and Troy are no longer "breathing" light, what's next for the properties?

The land banks in the three cities, along with the cities themselves, are working to connect potential buyers with the homes in the hope they'll be repaired and occupied.

How's that going so far?

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The new plan for a big mixed-use development near Quackenbush Square in Albany

705 Broadway Albany aerial rendering

A rendering of how the buildings could look within context.

There's a new proposal for a big mixed-use development in downtown Albany just north of Quackenbush Square. The "Quackenbush Center" would include residential, retail, live-work space, and a hotel, potentially.

Here's an overview of what's being proposed...

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How 27 properties in a Troy neighborhood ended up in a shaky situation -- and the complicated path back to solid footing

Beman Park 2152 Fourteenth St

One of the properties on Fourteenth Street.

By Luke Stoddard Nathan

On January 12, 2012, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy issued an emergency notification, advising students who rented off-campus housing from a company called Campus Habitat "that the continuation of their ability to reside in that residence may be in immediate jeopardy." Campus Habitat had not paid its mortgage, utility bills, or real-estate taxes for several months, and was "involved in a large similar foreclosure lawsuit" near a school in Illinois, the alert advised.

Some 200 students escrowed or withheld rent; many sought new housing. And the memo was prophetic: Within weeks, the student-rental company's largest area lender, SEFCU, posted foreclosure notices on the doors of 27 homes.

Today students still occupy most of these homes, but it wasn't a straight path to this point. Sited in teetering neighborhoods in a city never far from "fiscal chaos," this critical assemblage of student housing, over the past half decade, has entailed a tangle of litigation, a protracted sale period, a surprise intervention, and millions of dollars in public and private investment -- all to overcome the actions of a landlord who profited at the community's expense and left a sizable chunk of the neighborhood untended.

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Bringing Albany buildings back from blight and making them into owner-occupied homes

Habitat 309 Clinton Ave rehab exterior 2016-December

The renovated row home on Clinton Ave in Arbor Hill.

When Habitat for Humanity comes up, the image that probably pops into a lot of people's minds is that of a volunteer org getting together on weekends and building small houses, one at a time.

But, as we've mentioned before, Habitat for Humanity Capital District has been working in recent years as something more like a neighborhood developer, doing large-scale projects such as the ongoing redevelopment in Sheridan Hollow.

Now Habitat for Humanity Capital District is evolving again, this time working to renovate blighted buildings in the city of Albany back into owner-occupied homes.

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Update: The Gallery on Holland

gallery on holland site 2016-December-16

The way the site looked last week.

A quick update on the The Gallery on Holland project in Albany, which we've gotten some questions about because the building that's long been slated for demolition there stills stands.

"We've abated the whole building and we're hoping to demo that thing early next year," William Hoblock, of the development company Richbell Capital (RBC) told us last week of the project, acknowledging the unusually long delay. "It's driving us crazy."

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Troy's request for another attempt at 1 Monument Square

1 Monument Square site 2016-08-25

The site this past August, looking up toward River Street.

"Now is the time to develop this key parcel in downtown Troy."

That's the last line of the opening page of the new request for proposals that the city of Troy posted Monday for the 1 Monument Square site, one of the most prominent pieces of undeveloped real estate in the Capital Region core. The request is looking to spur the fourth major attempt since 2011 to redevelop the old city hall spot.

Here's a quick scan of what the city is looking for this time around...

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The new plan for the First Prize Center

First Prize Center exterior medium 2016-December

The First Prize Center is one of the most prominent sites in the Capital Region core. It sits on the border of Albany and Colonie, right alongside I-90. And even though it's been been crumbling for decades, multiple attempts to redevelop it over the years have fizzled.

And now there's a new a plan: The development firm Richbell Capital announced Thursday its intent to completely replace the site with a large mixed-use development that would incorporate housing, retail, entertainment, and offices.

Here are some details...

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27 N Pearl St planned for residential conversion

27 N Pearl Albany exterior 2016-10-5

The Pearl Street side this past October.

The next downtown Albany building set for a residential conversion: 27 N. Pearl. It's the building at the corner of Pearl and Maiden Lane -- the one with the temporary plywood facade covered in a mural. (It's right next door to Cider Belly.)

The property is on the agenda for the Albany planning board meeting set for November 17. The agenda abstract mentions the developers are seeking to convert the upper two floors of the building into 18 apartments. The ground level would be used for commercial.

The building has been vacant for some time. Internal demolition work has been going on for the last few months.

Fairbank Properties is the developer behind 27 N. Pearl. Fairbank has been involved in a string of recent projects in the city, including the Arcade Building on Broadway that's just behind 27 N. Pearl and the 27 Western Ave school building conversion. It's also set to construct a new 100-unit residential building at 760 Broadway, in the area between downtown and the Warehouse District.

We're hoping to get a few more details about 27 N. Pearl and we'll post an update here when we do.

Breathing Lights building reclamation clinics starting soon

breathing lights building reclamation cinics poster tool box AThe first in a series of free building reclamation clinics organized in conjunction with the Breathing Lights public art project has events in Troy, Albany, and Schenectady coming up over the next few weeks.

The clinics are categorized into sets of knowledge and skills, or "tool boxes." Here's blurbage for the first, Tool Box A - There's No Place Like Home:

Selecting and purchasing a home requires hard work and personal commitment, especially a vacant building that requires extensive improvements. This workshop will help people determine whether a building in need of repair is the right choice in relation their budget, schedule and skills. Learn how to determine what you can afford and about the homebuyer resources available in your city. Traditional and non-traditional ownership models will be discussed.
Recommendations for house hunting will include advice on how to work with realtors and why you want to consider constructing a new home on a vacant lot.

This first workshop will run at three sites:
+ November 5 at Elementary School 2, 470 10th Street, in Troy from 11 am-2 pm
+ November 9 at the Albany Barn, 56 Second Street, in Albany from 6-9 pm
+ November 15 at the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady, 400 Craig Street, in Schenectady from 6-9 pm

The clinics are free to participate, and there will be child care and food provided there. The events are coordinated by TAP and TRIP.

The next groups of clinics are set for January and February.

Mapping a history of inequality in Albany, Schenectady, and Troy

Mapping Inequality HOLC map Albany cropped

A clip from the HOLC map for Albany.

You've probably heard of the term "redlining" -- it refers to the practice of denying services, such as mortgage lending, to people in certain neighborhoods based on the race or ethnicity of the people who live there. It's one of the ways discrimination became incorporated into economic systems in this country.

The practice and the term have roots that stretch back to the 1930s and a federal program called the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), which surveyed cities and graded sections of them based on perceived "security" of investments there. From those surveys came maps -- with redlined sections.

A project based at the University of Richmond and involving researchers from a handful of institutions -- Mapping Inequality -- has gathered up these maps and made them accessible online.

So we pulled out the maps for Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.

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Big new Albany residential construction project get OK to move ahead

760 Broadway Pearl Street side elevation

An elevation for the Pearl Street side of the project.

The plan to build a new 100-unit residential project at 760 Broadway in Albany got the OK to move ahead about the city planning board Wednesday evening.

The has been making its way through the planning process since this past January. Details related to storm water management at the site had been the last item to be squared away before site plan approval. (The project will include the installation of a new sewer line that will keep storm water out of the city's combined sewer.)

In the wider picture of the ongoing boom in downtown Albany residential, the 760 Broadway project is notable because it and another project at 191 N. Pearl Street (18 units) are the first new-construction residential projects in the downtown/Warehouse District area in many years. (Though if you consider the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood as being downtown, the Habitat/Housing Visions redevelopment project would also qualify.)

Here are a few more details about 760 Broadway...

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New home for Albany Center Gallery

Arcade Building exterior

The Arcade Building. / photo: Paul Gallo

The Albany Center Gallery announced Monday that it's found a new home: ACG will be moving to the Arcade Building on Broadway in downtown Albany around the end of this year/beginning of 2017.

The 40-year-old gallery has been located at 39 Columbia Street -- just off Broadway near Tricentennial Park -- for many years. But its lease is up in November and it's been in search of more affordable space. Press release blurbage:

ACG began to explore a new location starting in 2014 due to a 10-year lease with the United Group ending in November 2016. "We toured over two dozen properties and had offers to move to places such as Troy and Schenectady. We thought it was important to stay in Downtown Albany," said Brian Tromans, board member and chair of the ACG's relocation committee. "The United Group has been very supportive throughout our lease. It was not an easy decision to leave 39 Columbia Street, but the Arcade will bring a new chapter for the Gallery's creative history."

The Arcade Building is just about two blocks south of ACG's current location. Its owner -- Fairbank Properties -- recently converted the upper floors to apartments. The street level includes storefront space. (Stacks Espresso is also set to open a location there.)

In addition to showing art work in its gallery space, Albany Center Gallery has also been involved in many arts projects around the city -- including the large mural that went up on the parking garage by the I-787 Clinton Ave off-ramp earlier this year.

ACG Gala: The Albany Center Gallery's 40th Anniversary Gala is November 19 at the Renaissance Albany.

New Albany Med building plan gets OK, details about another Albany residential conversion

Long Energy site Albany stables building 2016-May

One of the buildings in Hudson/Park that's slated for a residential conversion.

Here are quick bits about two projects in Albany that were up before the Albany planning board Thursday evening -- one at Albany Med, and another residential conversion in the city...

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Sarah and Brianna's apartment on the park

Open House Willett apartment composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

Sarah and Brianna's apartment is in an "old Albany" building, perfectly situated on Washington Park. But while the architecture and details throughout the apartment are beautiful, the most notable thing about their space is the way they've filled it with items that are meaningful to them. Their apartment tells the story of their travels, the people in their lives, and their interests. The artwork, the photographs, and the books on the shelves tell their story in a very personal way. The apartment is comfortable and welcoming, clearly a space they love and enjoy opening up to others.

Sarah and Brianna also offer an interesting perspective on life in Albany versus life in New York City (spoiler alert: Albany wins), their reasons for choosing this spot on the park, and the things that make a place feel like home.

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How to move forward at 1 Monument Square?

1 Monument Square site 2016-08-25

What should go here?

More than a hundred people showed up for a public meeting Wednesday evening in Troy to talk about how to redevelop the 1 Monument Square site. And toward the beginning of the event, mayor Patrick Madden mentioned that the city was hoping to have a request for proposals out to developers sometime early this October.

But by the time the event was ending, Madden said his administration would be rethinking the process.

Here's what happened in between...

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Sheridan Hollow redevelopment: now rented

Sheridan Hollow redev 2016-August

Looking east along Sheridan Ave toward downtown Albany. Those two larger buildings in the foreground are the mixed-use buildings that will eventually include space for Habitat for Humanity Capital District and The Hungry Hollow cafe.

Here's a quick update on the ongoing Sheridan Hollow redevelopment project in Albany, one of the most interesting real estate projects in the Capital Region...

The 57 rental units centered around Sheridan Ave and Dove Street have been rented or otherwise set aside, and a large majority of them are now occupied. (There was an official ribbon cutting this week.) The units are distributed among 17 buildings constructed by the Syracuse-based org Housing Visions, and they join the 20 owner-occupied single-family and two-family homes already built there by Habitat for Humanity Capital District. (Habitat's now working on 10 new homes nearby.)

The rents for the affordable housing units are based on a sliding scale, according to Housing Visions. For example: rents for a 1BR unit range from $615-$1076 based on a household's income. If you're curious, there's a more detailed breakdown of the rents after the jump.

Housing Visions has also built two mixed-use buildings at the site. Both will include residential units upstairs, one of them with units set aside from tenants referred to Housing Visions by social services orgs. Also planned for the mixed-use buildings: office space for Habitat and a cafe -- the Hungry Hollow -- scheduled for a grand opening in October.

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Adjustment for exterior design of planned Albany Med building, and other bits about new projects around Albany

Albany Med Myrtle pediatric ED rendering2 2016-August

One of the new views of the proposed new Albany Med building along Myrtle Ave. That proposed building is on the left. The building on the right would be demolished later on as part of the project.

The proposed new building on the Albany Med campus in Albany has a new look.

Here's more about that -- and bunch of other bits about new projects around the city -- from this week's planning board meeting...

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Comparing the latest batch of Capital Region property tax rates

Albany-Schenectady-Troy tax map 2015

A clip from a map of the Capital Region's various overlapping tax areas -- counties, cities, towns, villages, school district. There's a larger, zoomable version after the jump. (And Rensselaer's marked in red because of missing data.)

The cities of Schenectady and Albany have some of the highest property tax rates in the Capital Region.

Saratoga Springs, Bethlehem, and Niskayuna have the highest estimated monthly payments for a median home.

Those bits are from our latest scan of Capital Region property taxes -- the numbers for the year 2015 are now out.

So, let's have a look.

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A good home inspector for very old homes?

foundation brickChristina emails:

Can you ask your readers if they have any recommendations for a home inspector? Specifically, one that will have experience with old homes (really old homes -1800s old).

We had a home inspector question a few years back, and some of those suggestions might still be helpful. But things change.

And we're also curious if there's a local home inspector or service that specializes in checking out homes that date back to the 19th century (of which there are a not-small number in this area). Because we suspect there could be issues specific to homes of that age.

So, got a suggestion for Christina? Please share! And a sentence or two about why you're recommending a person or service can be very helpful.

Downtown Albany Residential Open House 2016

733 Broadway residential conversion doorwayUpdate: Because of possible storms on Friday, the open house event has been moved to August 19. And this Friday's Fork in the Road is canceled.
____

The Downtown Albany Residential Open House event returns this Friday (August 12) from 4-7 pm. Eight properties will be showing residential units during the self-guided tour. Admission is free.

Here are the eight developments:

+ 83 Beaver Street (Beaver Lofts)
+ 370 Broadway
+ 374 Broadway
+ 412 Broadway
+ 733 Broadway (The Lofts at 733 Broadway),
+ 50 S Pearl Street,
+ 60 State Street (Park Place at Sixty State)
+ 20 Park Street

There's been a bit of boom in residential development in downtown Albany over the last few years, as many buildings have been converted to residential units. The Downtown Albany BID reports 340 new market-rate residential units have opened in/near the neighborhood in recent years, another 111 are set to open this fall, and 230 units are in planning.

Fork in the Road
Also this Friday downtown: The Fork in the Road food truck series will be back in Tricentennial Park (on Broadway across Kiernan Plaza/the old train station) from 5-8 pm. Five vendors are lined up for this month's event, with music from Hasty Page.

Earlier on AOA: Thinking about residential development in downtown Albany (2014)

The Downtown Albany BID advertises on AOA.

A few more bits about the potential sale of a chunk of the Harriman State Office Campus

Harriman campus site for sale overview

A site map from the state's request for proposals (RFP).

As you might have heard, the state has put a large chunk of the Harriman State Office Campus up for sale. It could be a big deal for the city of Albany because it holds the potential of adding taxable land (which the city's budget could use) and transforming a large site.

The state held a webcast about the sale Wednesday. It's online if you'd like to watch it, and only about 15 minutes. But we watched it so you wouldn't have to.

Here are a handful of interesting bits we took from it...

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What's new? Apartments.

Elefteria apartments South Allen St Albany 2016-July

The Elefteria on South Allen Street in Albany, one of the recent apartment projects in the Capital Region.

It seems like every month or so there's an announcement of some new apartment project around the Capital Region. And, as it turns out, the numbers are pointing toward a recent shift in what sort of housing gets built around here.

Last year there were permits issued for 3,601 new housing units in the Capital Region's core counties -- and 2,434 of those units (68 percent) were for homes in multi-unit buildings. And as the latest issue of the Capital Region Planning Commission's Capital Region Data points out, it is the first time in three decades the number of multi-unit homes has so drastically outnumbered single-family homes.

Here's a quick look at some of the numbers...

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A large chunk of the Harriman State Office Campus is for sale

Harriman Campus parcel for sale diagram

From the listing site. / image: CBRE / NYS OGS

The Cuomo admin announced Wednesday that it's seeking proposals for the purchase and development of 27 acres on the eastern end of the Harriman State Office Campus in the city of Albany. Press release blurbage (emphasis added):

The RFP calls for plan that builds on the current redevelopment of the existing campus, reflects the area's character, and increases the City of Albany's tax base through a wide range of potential options including companies in the healthcare, technology, research, education, retail, and hospitality sectors. Uses could include offices, medical and laboratory facilities, retail shops, lodging, and ancillary parking. A minimum purchase price of $5.1 million is required and any proposal that includes residential use will not be accepted.

The Cuomo admin has laid out a two-phase process for selecting the winning bidder. The first phase -- in which "potential developers will provide a description of the proposed uses for the site and demonstrate the need for or likely success of those uses" -- closes September 15. The three bidders with the highest scores will then move onto the second and final phase in which they'll have to provide more specific details about things like funding.

Here are a few more details, and a few thoughts...

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Schenectady downtown residential tour and HOMES Fair

Schenectady HOMES fair 2016 posterThe city of Schenectady's annual H.O.M.E.S. Fair is this Sunday, June 26 in the Jay Street Marketplace downtown from 10 am to 2 pm. Poster blurbage:

Citywide Open House
Schenectady throws open the doors to a variety of neighborhood homes during the 2016 Citywide Open House. Visit attractive and affordable living options throughout Schenectady and picture yourself owning or renting a home in this rising Capital Region City.
New This Year! - Downtown Residential Tour
For the first time, several new residential developments in Downtown Schenectady will showcase their upscale apartments and amenities. Stroll around downtown from location to location, grab a bite to eat, do some shopping and visit the Schenectady Greenmarket to experience the quality and convenience of downtown living.

Here's a link with info about the downtown residential developments that will be open for touring -- there are seven spots listed.

H.O.M.E.S.? Home Ownership Made Easy in Schenectady.

By the way: It's a good time of year to stop by the rose garden in Schenectady's Central Park.

Another residential conversion planned in Albany, this time in Hudson/Park

Long Energy site Albany stables building 2016-May

The complex currently houses the Long Energy company. Its previous lives included use as stables.

There's been a string of residential conversion projects -- both completed and planned -- in Albany over the last few years, mainly concentrated downtown and in the Warehouse District. But the latest project of this type is planned for the Hudson/Park neighborhood.

Here are a few details.

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370 square feet in Altamont, to go

altamont tiny home for sale

Somewhere along the line tiny homes became A Thing.* They're all over the internet now. And it seems like there are at least three or four shows about them on HGTV and similar channels.

So, of course, there's a site called Tiny House Listings. And there you'll find a listing for this mobile tiny house in Altamont.

The custom-built 370-square-foot home boasts an antique claw foot tub, composting toilet, farm sink, four-burner propane stove, corner-mounted fireplace, queen-size bed space, and Ecovative mushroom insulation. Blurbage:

"This cottage is just over a year old I spent the entire winter living here cozy and warm. I am relocating. I love this little home and I hope you will too. Would be great for AirBnB, in law apartment, guest cottage, or permanent residence."

There are a handful of photos with the listing page.

List price is $55,000.

See also:
+ The Tumbleweed Tiny House Modified Lusby in Clifton Park
+ A 200 square foot Minim home in Lenox
+ The Unfinished Tiny House Shell in Cobleskill

* We say this noting that we're kind of fascinating by them, too -- because of the real estate gawking aspect, the design challenges, and the vague sense that maybe life would be better if we just cut down on the amount of stuff we have.

photo via Tiny Home Listings

Finding opportunities for growth in urban spaces

Emily Menn Troy urban garden view towards the street

By Lauren Hittinger Hodgson

Living in a city often means that you have to make the best of extremely limited outdoor space. If you're lucky enough to have a yard, stoop, or fire escape, it can be a challenge to flex your green thumb in any significant way.

Emily Menn, a Troy real estate developer and landlord, has been working on green space in Troy for the last eight years. And she's transformed a neglected double lot into a budding downtown oasis.

I chatted with Emily about how gardens in cities can build community, as well as the challenges and opportunities of urban gardening.

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Updates on a few Albany residential conversion projects in the works

960 Broadway conversion rendering

A rendering of how 960 Broadway could look after the planned residential/restaurant conversion.

The area stretching from downtown Albany to the Warehouse District continues to ferment and bubble with residential projects as those neighborhoods slowly change.

Here's a quick update on a couple of projects...

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Checking out the changes at the former Jillian's building in downtown Albany

Pearl Street Pub interior

The new Pearl Street Pub space.

We stopped in at the former Jillian's building on Pearl Street in downtown Albany Monday to gawk at the re-animation in progress, including the new event venue upstairs.

Here's where things are at, along with a few pics...

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Signs of caution

Albany vacant building red warning box Broad Street 2016-05-09

A row of three buildings on Broad Street in the South End are marked with the boxes.

You might notice these red-and-white signs popping up on buildings in in the city of Albany. So... what's that about?

From a city press release Monday:

The 2X2 foot building identification signs, which will consist of an "X" inside a red-colored square, will be placed on [vacant] buildings that have interior hazards, warning first responders during emergencies such as fires that the building is unsafe to enter. But emergency responders will still enter these buildings if people are believed to be inside one of the designated buildings.

Albany firefighters will be inspecting 600-800 buildings around the city over the next six months making assessments about which buildings should get the warning box, according to the city. The review will also serve as a code enforcement check and violators will be cited.

Earlier on AOA: Map: Vacant buildings in Albany (2012)

Park South transformation, in progress

park south dissolve 2013-2016-May still

It's been interesting to watch the Park South redevelopment project in Albany take shape. The two blocks of new buildings are significantly transforming the look and feel of the New Scotland Avenue corridor between Albany Med and Washington Park. (The first residential units are scheduled to be available this summer.)

When we stopped by during the last week it looked like the last remaining old building was the Bank of America branch at New Scotland and Morris. So, with that reference point still in place, it seemed like a good time for an in-progress before and after.

Here's a large-format "dissolving" photo of how the corridor looked in June of 2013 versus how it looks now...

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The 1 Monument Square project is off (again)

1 Monument Square rendering

A rendering from one of the last iterations of the current project.

The development company behind the latest effort to build on the 1 Monument Square site in downtown Troy announced Friday that it's pulling out of the $24 million residential/retail project.

In statements, officials for the Kirchoff Companies criticized the city of Troy for what they described as "materially inadequate" info about underground utility lines that complicated construction at the site. And they had sharp words for a group that organized to oppose the project, questioning whether the group had the city's best interests at heart. [TU] [Biz Review]

That group, We Care About the Square, had argued that changes Kirchoff made to its original proposal -- including switching from two buildings to one -- had evolved the project to a degree that it significantly differed from what had first been pitched. In a statement posted on Facebook Friday, it called the proposed project "substandard." It continued:

"Anyone who has been listening to the debate knows that WCATS is a pro-development, pro-design, pro-quality group of invested citizens that values the extraordinary urban and architectural assets of Troy and wants to see the gap in River Street and our city's river façade completed in a manner that connects the downtown to the Riverfront, meets the highest standards of excellence in architectural design, and is of the construction quality the city deserves."

This ending wasn't really a surprise.

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A few more bits about the Nipper Building conversion, and other residential conversions

991 Broadway Albany Nipper Building

The proposal to convert the Nipper Building in Albany's Warehouse District into residential and retail space was up before the city planning board for the first time Thursday evening.

Here are a few more bits about the project, and others like it...

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Residential conversion planned for Nipper Building, and another residential redev for downtown Albany

Nipper sitting atop 991 Broadway

A plan to convert 991 Broadway in Albany's Warehouse District -- AKA, the building on which Nipper sits -- to apartments and retail space is on the agenda for the city planning board next Thursday.

The proposed project would create 65-75 residential units on the building's upper floors, with 7,750 square feet of retail space on the first floor. To go along with the conversion, there'd be approximately 156 parking spaces (some of which would be used by 960 Broadway). From the project's planning board application:

No significant exterior alterations to the Nipper building are proposed. It would be anticipated that facade restoration, general window repair, replacement and new general cleanup of the site will occur. Interior alterations include structural repairs, new enclosed exit stairs, build-out of apartments and commercial space and parking garage. The single sort building adjacent to the Nipper building [to the south] is proposed to be demolished and ancillary parking provided.

We have a call in with the applicant and we're hoping to find out more.

The building is big -- more than 100,000 square feet -- and includes a courtyard cutout in the middle. It's currently used primarily by the Arnoff Moving and Storage Company, and it's been up for sale since December 2014.

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Checking in on the redevelopment in Albany's Sheridan Hollow neighborhood

Sheridan Ave looking toward east

Sheridan Avenue in Sheridan Hollow, looking east toward downtown Albany.

The most interesting real estate project in Albany -- and maybe the whole Capital Region -- has completed its first phase and is now moving onto phase two.

Habitat for Humanity Capital District and a group of partners recently finished building 14 new homes in the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood, and work has already started on another 10 new homes nearby on Orange and Lark streets. At the same time, an org called Housing Visions is building 57 new residential rental units, along with mixed-use space that will include offices and a cafe.

So, what's next? And how does this fit in with downtown Albany's ongoing residential transformation? We stopped by the project this week for a walk and talk with Habitat for Humanity Capital District executive director Christine Schudde.

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Destination supermarket as development catalyst

south downtown Albany near South Mall Expressway

Over at Politico New York, Jimmy Vielkind pitches the idea of using a Wegmans to anchor development at the former convention center site in downtown Albany. A clip:

The Rochester-based grocery chain has a nearly religious following in the areas of upstate New York where it operates, but there are no outposts in the Capital Region. In locating a store at the vacant site downtown, it could simultaneously provide a needed amenity for the struggling neighborhoods nearby and create a regional attraction that would draw people from the surrounding office towers and suburban communities.
Imagine a supermarket with a street-level cafe opening onto Hudson Avenue, beckoning to pedestrians along Broadway and Pearl Street or people in town for a show at the arena or a convention up the hill. Several floors of rental housing or condos above the store -- perhaps with requirements that some units be affordable -- that will give a further boost to the burgeoning residential options in the old business district and prevent the area between the Pastures and Sheridan Hollow, two predominately residential areas, from seeming lifeless after dark.
Call it the Wegmans effect, a development strategy for lagging urban areas rooted in designer cheese. Wegmans, or something like it, could do for Albany what Fairway did for Red Hook.

To be clear: There's no indication that Wegmans is actually considering this -- a spokesperson for Wegmans says as much to Vielkind, noting the company has looked at the Capital Region in the past but seen more opportunity in places such as Maryland and Virginia. And he figures it would take a push from Andrew Cuomo to make it happen.

The former convention site has been the subject of some intrigue recently because the Capital Region's Upstate Revitalization Initiative proposal included mention of an almost unbelievably big "catalyst" project there -- 1,200 housing units, more than 400,000 square feet of office space, and 295,000 square feet of retail. As you know, the Capital Region didn't get one of the $500 million grants. Before that, there had been a pitch to build an aquarium, which also fizzled. Now it's unclear what -- if anything -- is going to happen at the site.

One of the interesting angles to this topic is the question of whether downtown Albany should by vying for some sort of high-profile development piece like a Wegmans or (insert some other large, big-name retailer/project) -- or if it's better off cultivating the steady bit-by-bit development it's experienced in recent years.

Earlier on AOA:
+ The plan for the former Jillian's building, and cultivating retail in downtown Albany
+ Scanning the Capital Region's bid for half a billion dollars from the state
+ Wegmans? Really? Please explain.

The plan for the former Jillian's building, and cultivating retail in downtown Albany

former Jillians building exterior 2016-March

The former Jillian's building on Pearl Street is one of downtown Albany's biggest and most prominent venues. So as the neighborhood has evolved through a series of residential conversion projects and picked up momentum over the past few years, the site has been conspicuous for its lack of activity.

That's now changing. The building has new owners, and they're working to turn it into a spot for a range of different uses. Here's the plan.

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Apartment living in downtown Albany

Arcade Building exterior

The Arcade Building on Broadway

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

Within the past few years, the downtown Albany apartment and condo options have multiplied. And within the past year, more of my friends have moved farther downtown, closer to the Hudson River than to Lark Street.

Katie both lives and works on Broadway in Albany -- her home and her office are just a block apart. We talked about her reasons for moving downtown, what it's been like so far, and what she hopes to see downtown in the future.

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Warehouse District wine bar, new supermarket among plans up for review in Albany

897 Broadway wine bar proposal interior rendering

An interior view from the planning board application for the proposed wine bar at 897 Broadway. (This is looking from the back of the space toward the front.)

A plan for a new wine bar in a space along Broadway in Albany's Warehouse District is among a group of notable projects on the agenda for the city planning board meeting on February 18.

So, let's have a look at some of the details.

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Redeveloping a corner in Troy

former trojan hardware building exterior 2016-February

The former Trojan Hardware complex includes multiple buildings that were connected during the former store's almost century-long run.

By Lauren Hittinger Hodgson

Some projects aim to remake a single space or building. Kevin Blodgett has been remaking an entire corner of downtown Troy.

Since 2012, Blodgett has been redeveloping the former Trojan Hardware complex on the corner of Congress Street and 4th Street bit by bit. Spaces within the 35,000 square feet now provide homes to Rare Form Brewing Company, The Shop, and most recently, Forage + Sundry. And this spring Harrison's Corner Market -- a neighborhood grocery and sandwich shop -- is set to open.

I talked with Blodgett recently about his hopes for selling groceries in downtown Troy and the challenges of developing such a large space.

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Next up for downtown Albany residential: 760 Broadway

760 Broadway North Pearl elevation

An elevation for the North Pearl Street side of the building.

Downtown Albany has been experiencing a small boom in residential development over the last few years. The newest project on the board: a 100-unit residential/retail building planned for 760 Broadway.

The team behind the project made a preliminary presentation to the Albany Planning Board Thursday night. Here are a handful of details...

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A few quick statistical snapshots of Capital Region neighborhoods

ACS 2014 5yr Albany zoom age

Which Capital Region neighborhoods are the most expensive in which to rent? Which tend to have households with the highest incomes? Which neighborhoods have populations that skew younger or older?

Those are some of the questions for which we can get an answer from new numbers released by the Census Bureau recently. This new data -- the American Community Survey 2010-2014 -- includes estimates for 210 census tracts in the Capital Region core counties. So we can focus not just on a city or town, but sections as small as neighborhoods.

There are a lot of things you can do with these numbers, and we're hoping to dig into them, but we figured we'd start out with putting together a handful of Capital Region maps that look a range of general topics, from income to age to whether people own or rent.

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Troy farmers' market drops out of 1 Monument Square plan

From the latest batch of proposed renderings for the project.

The Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market has announced that it's withdrawing from the proposed plan to redevelop the 1 Monument Square site in downtown Troy. The market had been slated to occupy a street-level retail space in the mixed-used development, as well as make use of surrounding plaza space.

Said farmers' market board chair Seth Jacobs in a statement released Wednesday afternoon:

"Changes to the scope of the One Monument Square project greatly reduced the footprint the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market would have occupied while increasing the cost to the market, and it has become clear the available space would not allow us to offer the ideal experience to customers, nor to our vendors. We understand the developer has encountered major engineering challenges and site constraints as the project has progressed, and we respect that. However, it is our organization's goal to be fiscally responsible in order to ensure all who enjoy the market are able to have a positive experience for years to come."

The press release also included a statement from Joseph Kirchhoff, CEO of the Kirchhoff Companies, which has been working to develop the project with Sequence Development: "We know that our project when completed will be an outstanding addition to downtown Troy, enhancing the quality of life for both existing and future Troy residents. We will continue to support the Market at its downtown location and look forward to the Market vendors taking advantage of the public plaza created around the future One Monument Square building."

This news isn't that surprising.

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Erica and Christian's Albany Sears Kit Home

Open House Albany Sears Kit Home

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

If you'd walked by Erica and Christian's home before it was theirs, you may not have spotted this jewel. When they bought it six years ago, the front of the home was hidden from view by several large pine trees. The Craftsman home's beauty -- both inside and out -- needed some uncovering.

Erica and Christian have lovingly restored and updated their house. Today, its beauty shines through while also providing a warm and comfortable space for their active young family. They have taken a historical house and updated it to create a home that meets their family's needs.

Their neighborhood is another example of Albany's many unique little corners. Just blocks from their home they have a Little League park, a playground, and several restaurants. I spoke with Erica about their home, their neighborhood, and their reasons for living here.

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A quick look at the 733 Broadway residential conversion

733 Broadway

Some quick follow-up on 733 Broadway, the latest residential project in downtown Albany.

The loft-style conversion, the roots of which stretch back to 2005, is aiming for occupancy on December 1, according to Norstar Development.

Here are a few more bits, along with some pics...

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Checking back with The Albany Barn

What's happening in there?

The Albany Barn is a weird landlord.

"We kind of like it when people leave," says Barn president Jeff Mirel, "as long as they stay in the neighborhood."

The Barn, of course, is not an actual barn. It's the former Saint Joseph's Academy in Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood.

More than two years ago it was converted into a mix of HUD-subsidized live/work apartments for artists and studio/theater/office space for art, performance, and community-building activities. The goal: creative placemaking that the Barn's leadership hopes will help the neighborhood with a constant influx of new art and ideas.

"This is a stepping stone for artists," says Mirel of the Barn's assistance to artists, which also includes help with marketing and business. "Success is not required -- trying to achieve is. We say 'Yes, go out into the world, let us serve someone else.'"

Ideally, Mirel says, Barn artists will plant roots in the neighborhood, hiring locally, training young people, and being a part of creating a vibrant area. Meanwhile other artists will move into their affordable spaces at the Barn, so there is always an influx of new artists.

So, that's the plan. After nearly two years, how's it going? And what's next?

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Living with kids in a Center Square row house

Open House Center Square composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Dave Hopper

As a child growing up in suburbia, I daydreamed about living in the city: walking to museums, living in a bustling neighborhood, sitting on a stoop a la the characters on Sesame Street. It all seemed so exciting and very different from my quiet street.

Gail* and her family have found that raising kids in an urban setting really is fun. The family, including two young children, makes the most of everything their neighborhood has to offer -- and in Albany's Center Square, there's plenty to see and do. They have found a vibrant community and eagerly shared their experience with downtown living.

I spoke with Gail about her reasons for choosing urban living, how it works for her family, and what it's like to raise kids in a 116-year-old row house.

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Where the "weekend house" is

campfire at a lake

Updated with maps that now include Connecticut.

The question this week about good weekend getaways + the gawking at various "weekend" houses around the region on Airbnb = us being curious about where seasonal/vacation/weekend homes are located in this part of the country.

So, we looked it up. (Because, of course, there's information on that.) And we map a map. (Because, of course, we can't help ourselves.)

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Reading through the Impact Downtown Albany playbook

impact downtown albany zones

The plan identifies four zones downtown.

The "playbook" for the Impact Downtown Albany project is out. It's aimed to be a set of specific ideas and steps the city can take to continue the redevelopment of downtown Albany -- touching on topics such as residential and retail development, taxes, parking, pop-up events, and branding.

"Impact Downtown Albany was designed as a game changer," said Sarah Reginelli, the president of Capitalize Albany, the city's economic development arm. "It was designed as a tactical approach to downtown revitalization."

The report was produced for Capitalize Albany by a team of consultants over the last two years. Capitalize Albany released it this week so that it might help the Capital Region's bid for one of those $500 million Upstate Revitalization grants from the state.

"Downtown has wonderful assets already, downtown has a strong momentum," Reginelli told us Thursday. "Part of it is changing perceptions of downtown and understanding that this momentum has been occurring and that there is potential here for people to reach out and grab."

We read through the report. And there's approximately three tons of stuff in it. So, if this topic interests you -- go skim through it (pdf). But here are a few chunks of it that caught our eye...

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A look at the latest plan for the 1 Monument Square project in Troy

1MonumentSquare 2015-June Monument Square crop small

One of the exterior options presented.

The latest iteration of the third major attempt to redevelopment the 1 Monument Square site is down to a one building.

The development team aiming to build a residential/restaurant/farmers' market project on the prime spot in downtown Troy presented its latest plan Tuesday night to the Troy Planning Commission. And the commission gave the site plan a preliminary approval.

So, let's have a look.

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A family home in the country

country house composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

Many of the previous Open House homes belong to fairly new owners -- people beginning their life in that home, or those who had spent a couple years making the home their own. Martha and her family have owned their Columbia County home for 14 years, a time during which the house was lovingly restored, her three children grew up, and now the family is beginning the process of letting go of this home and preparing for the next chapter.

Despite growing up in the Capital District, this is a part of Columbia County that I had never been to until about 10 years ago. It is breathtaking. The rolling hills, the open space, the vast sky -- it is a gorgeous part of our region. Martha's house is perched on a hill and has a splendid view of the surrounding countryside.

The story of Martha's family and their home is a look at the choices a family made about where to live at various points in their lives, the labor of love that home ownership involves, and the relationship between a home and the land it sits on.

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Constructing a new future for Sheridan Hollow

Habitat for Humanity Sheridan Hollow project

The most interesting real estate project in Albany -- and maybe the whole Capital Region -- is in Sheridan Hollow. Yep, that Sheridan Hollow, the neighborhood that has so often been bypassed, overlooked, and otherwise left with the short end of the stick throughout the city's history.

So what's happening? Habitat for Humanity Capital District and a group of partners are in the process of building a new core at the heart of the neighborhood.

Here are a few reasons why that's so interesting...

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Visions, concerns, aspirations for the St. Joseph's church building

st josephs albany exterior

The church building dates back to 1860.

There's a Ten Broeck Triangle neighborhood meeting this Thursday focused on the future of the vacant St. Joseph's church. A flyer mentions that the two guest speakers will be Christopher Spencer, the direct of planning for the city of Albany, and David Laccetti, an architect with Design Code Management Systems, who's "currently studying and evaluating" the vacant church building.

Meeting blurbage:

Each presenter will speak to us about the future development of St. Joseph's Church and take questions and answers from the audience. Residents are also encouraged to share their visions, concerns, and future aspirations for the St. Joseph's Church and our neighborhood with them.

St. Joseph's is a grand building and notable city landmark. It's also been the subject of multiple failed attempts over the last two decades to find a new use for it. The most recent high-profile attempt: the proposed brewery project that met strong neighborhood resistance in late 2012/early 2013. In May of 2013 the Historic Albany Foundation, which had been holding the building for preservation, handed the church back to the city.

The Capital Region has a bunch of church buildings that are no longer serving as churches. Some have found new, adapted uses. Other sit vacant or have suffered worse fates. It's a hard problem because the large spaces can be difficult/expensive to adapt.

The neighborhood meeting is Thursday, April 16 at 7 pm at the Ten Broeck Mansion. It's sponsored by the Ten Broeck Triangle Preservation League.

(Thanks, J)

Earlier on AOA: No brewery for St. Joe's -- so now what? (2013)

Monthly house payments by Capital Region place

chart 2013 Capital Region property tax + mortgage payment medians clip.png

A handful of places pulled from the list -- the highest (Bethlehem-Bethlehem Central), the lowest (Corinth town-Corinth Central), and a few in between.

Some follow-up on that post a few weeks back about comparing Capital Region property tax rates: Matt emailed us hoping we could send along the numbers because he was curious about the monthly payments -- mortgage + taxes -- for the median home in each municipality around the area. That sounded interesting to us, so we bounced a spreadsheet back and forth and came up with a different look at the topic.

The results aren't exactly surprising, but it does highlight some things differently.

For example: The city of Schenectady tops the chart for property tax rate (per $1k value). But looking at the monthly payment for the median house there, Schenectady is way, way at the bottom of the list at just about $919 (of which about 45 percent is property taxes).

Based on the monthly payment figure, we were also able to make a rough guess at about how much a household would have to make each year to afford the median house in each place. Example: Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Central School District, topped the list at about $82k. (Caveats? You bet. They're explained inside.)

OK, let's have a look at the whole (new) list...

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Dome sweet dome

berne geodesic dome houseHouse gawking: Check out this geodesic dome home in Berne. The house is listed for $299k with Anne Lafferty Realty:

Outstanding Geo-Desic-Dome Home located on 17.4 Acres...This contemporary home is known for its heat efficiency and has a unique layout which includes Large Eat in Kitchen, Living Room, Media Room,Possible 4 BR's or 3 BR plus den/office, 2 Baths, Laundry Room and Full Basement with Bar and an additional office/play room as well as storage and work area. Nature Lover's Paradise great for Hunting, Cross Country Skiing, Fishing and more...minutes from Thacher Park, Cole Hill Forest, and Thompson Lake.

The idea of using the geodesic dome as a building approach is about a century old -- and it was popularized by Buckminster Fuller in the 1950s. And while they didn't exactly catch on as a mass market design, the idea's persisted because the domes are lightweight, strong, and can be very energy efficient. From a How Stuff Works article about the domes:

The benefits seemed obvious. Spheres enclose a maximum of space with a minimum of materials, and they don't require interior supports. Their aesthetic appeal for many people is undeniable; the high ceilings and open feeling can make them attractive, and it's easy to build lofts inside for partial second-floor space.
The spherical design results in highly efficient and effective air circulation in both summer and winter. Less surface area makes these buildings less susceptible to temperature changes, and thus, inexpensive to heat and cool as compared to rectangular homes. The aerodynamic exterior means cold and warm air flows around the structure instead of forcing its way into the interior.

[via @nicorreia]

photo: Anne Lafferty Realty

Leaning toward renting

door open welcome mat

Home sweet (rented?) home. / photo: Flickr user Joelk75 (CC BY 2.0)

Last week we wrote about one of the residential conversions in progress in downtown Albany. As is so often the case, a prominent thread in the comments was the rental price. And then chris capped things off with this comment:

Hey, when people start buying houses again this place will be half-empty and they'll have to drop the rent. Have patience...

We were thinking about how chris framed the situation -- essentially, people are leaning away from buying houses right now and toward renting -- and wondering if we could get a better sense of the situation.

Are there numbers on that? Of course. Did we look them up? Of course. Are we now going to share some of the numbers with you, with graphs? Of course.

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The Shell House

roxbury shell house

Farther field: This house in Roxbury -- in the northern Catskills -- caught our eye over at Upstater. It's basically a giant shell with windows on one side -- along with three bedrooms, and 2.5 baths. It's currently listed for sale at $349,000.

The house was designed by architect Seymor Rutkin, who talked with Architectural Record about the house in 2004:

Since the creation of a shell shaped house is not the customary brick-and-mortar type construction found normally in the Catskills, Rutkin found it difficult to obtain a general contractor comfortable taking on the job. So, he took it upon himself. Working closely with manufacturers from the Monolithic Dome Institute, Rutkin was able to design an air-form shell to his exact specifications. The shape of the house is formed within Rutkin's reusable air shell. The form was sprayed on the interior with foam insulation. Next, steel reinforcements were attached to the interior side of the insulation and sprayed with concrete. Once the air form is removed the exterior of the concrete shell is sprayed with what Rutkin refers to as its "protective skin."

The home has been available for weekend rentals in the past.

In other news: The Monolithic Dome Institute sounds like something from Lost.

photo: Keller Williams Upstate

"What would it take to turn this into..."

960 Broadway Albany back

960 Broadway in Albany, viewed from from North Pearl Street.

Maybe you've stood outside one of the Capital Region's many old, underused industrial buildings and thought: "What would it take to turn this into (insert thing)?"

Well, The Preservation League of New York and the Troy Architecture Program have provided some answers to that question. Specifically, they've provided some detailed answers -- about building condition, code issues, variances, and costs -- for what it would take to transform a handful of buildings in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, and Amsterdam.

The reports are the product of the Preservation's League's Industrial Heritage Reuse Project, which is aiming to find new uses for historic former industrial buildings. (As mentioned last summer.)

One example: 960 Broadway in Albany's Warehouse District, which a developer would like to flip to restaurant and residential space.

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The Nipper building is for sale

Nipper building in Albany

For sale: 991 Broadway in Albany, AKA the Nipper building. List price: $3.975 million. Here's the listing brochure from Carrow Real Estate Services.

A tip of the hat to the Biz Review's Mike DeMasi, who was the first person we saw to point this out -- he reports that Arnoff Moving and Storage, the current owner, is looking to move to a more efficient facility. [Biz Review]

The Nipper building -- well, to be more specific, the large dog sitting atop it -- is the most prominent landmark in Albany's Warehouse District, a neighborhood that's heading in more of a restaurant/residential direction. And, at least on the surface, the 125,070-square-foot main building at 991 Broadway looks very much like it could be a candidate for redevelopment -- century-old warehouse spaces tend to make good residential conversions, the building has a courtyard cutout in the middle, and there would be ample space for parking.

The listing is very much pushing this idea: "Landmark Warehouse District Residential Redevelopment Opportunity," "Walk to Dining, Entertainment & Exciting Nightlife."

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The Gallery on Holland

A quick update another apartment project in Albany: The rendering above is for "The Gallery on Holland," a 125-unit apartment building planned for 25 Holland Ave (near the intersection with Delaware Ave). The building will be 7-stories and include 160 interior parking spaces.

This project has been in planning for at least a year -- here's some backstory from August 2013 as reported by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist. It's set to replace the 3-story brick apartment/dorm building currently on the site. The project's been held up by a sewer line issue that required acquiring additional property. Last week it got demolition approval from the city planning board, and it needs one more OK from the city Board of Zoning Appeals before moving ahead. [TU]

The company behind it is Richbell Capital (RBC), which also built the Paddocks of Saratoga. RBC managing director William Hoblock said if the BZA approval comes through and everything lines up as now planned, demolition could start this winter, and the project could be completed by 2016.

Apartment boom
There's currently a bit of an apartment boom (if that's the word) in/around Albany:
+ This 25 Holland project is just about a half mile from the Park South mixed-use project that will include more than 265 residential units.
+ On the city's border with Menands is the loft conversion of the old Albany International headquarters (it was also before the planning board last week).
+ Multiple projects downtown -- completed or planned -- like the Monroe.
+ There are new apartments planned for South Allen Street near St. Peter's
+ A range of smaller conversion projects such as 27 Western (completed) and 960 Broadway (planned, it was before the planning board last week).
+ And today JCE reported two projects planning privately-owned student housing (which are apartments, more or less) near UAlbany's uptown campus. [TU]

This fits into what's apparently a national upswing in apartment construction. [Businessweek]

image: Dominick Ranieri Architect

A good real estate agent for Center Square?

Google Map of 42.654297,-73.764425

Center Square Resident emails:

I am looking for suggestions about a realtor for Center Square in Albany. I am looking into possibly selling my house. There are lots of realtors, however I would like to get some suggestions from people who have had a realtor sell their house in Center Square.

CSR's question touches on a topic we've been kind of curious about: Are certain real estate agents better/worse at selling/helping to buy in specific neighborhoods? Or, to put it another way, can a real estate agent's experience with a neighborhood help you sell your house faster, or find the right house, or get a better deal there?

For a neighborhood such as Center Square -- which is is a bit unusual for the Capital Region, given the neighborhood's housing stock and density -- it seems plausible that agent experience could theoretically make a difference.

So, got a suggestion for CSR? Please share! And if you have thoughts about the specific agents/specific neighborhoods topic, we'd be interested to hear them.

Earlier on AOA: A good real estate agent for selling a house?

The Industrial Heritage Reuse Project

960 Broadway from Pearl

A candidate for conversion to a restaurant and apartments.

The Capital Region has a bunch of former industrial buildings -- some a century or older -- that are currently vacant and under used. And a new project is aiming to map out a future for these buildings.

The Preservation League of New York introduced the Industrial Heritage Reuse Project Wednesday outside a century-old building on Broadway in North Albany that once housed a liquor distributor. That building, along with four others in the Capital Region, will be the subject of analysis looking at how to jumpstart the redevelopment of those buildings for new uses.

"We feel these buildings are assets rather than liabilities," Preservation League president Jay DiLorenzo said on the sidewalk along Broadway.

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Advice on renting out a house?

green monopoly house flickr woodleywonderworks ccChris emails:

We're thinking about moving out of state and renting our house in the town of Bethlehem. Can any of your readers recommend a property manager who can be trusted to select good renters and generally do a good job of managing?

Just to expand a bit on the question from Chris, we're curious if people have thoughts/advice on renting out a house in general: property management company vs. no property management company, selecting tenants yourself vs. leaving that to a manager, and so on.

Got a suggestion for Chris? Please share!

photo: Flickr user woodleywonderworks (CC BY 2.0)

Hidden City House & Garden Tour 2014

center square garden tour 2014The annual Hidden City House & Garden Tour in Albany's Center Square neighborhood is returning June 26. Tickets are $15 if purchased between now and June 19 -- $20 after that.

The self-guided tour, organized by the Center Square Association and the Historic Albany Foundation, allows people to get a peek at some of the historic homes and gardens in Center Square (you probably couldn't have guessed that from the name). This year's tour also has a new angle: birds. Event blurbage:

In addition to the traditional house and garden tour, some host houses will pledge to maintain native plants, eliminate artificial fertilizers, and provide food and cover for wild birds. Demonstration sites along the tour route, run by Audubon Society Fellow, Laura McCarthy, will showcase the joy of urban birding and backyard birds.
Other highlights of the tours include a charming garden on Jay Street that features a specimen tree peony, climbing roses, a pergola with a heritage hops vine, and many other plants. A mature garden on Lancaster Street boasts a fountain, climbing roses, and old magnolia trees bearing scars of a former wisteria vine.

The tour is Thursday, June 26 from 5-8 pm. Tickets are available online via the link above.

Saratoga Secret Garden Tour
The annual Secret Garden Tour in Saratoga Springs is July 13 this year. Organized by Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, the tour offers a peek at "creative urban spaces, lush suburban gardens, fabulous water features, and more."

The tour is Sunday, July 13 from 11 am-5 pm. Tickets are $20 and available at the link above. If tickets still remain on the day of the tour, they'll be $25.

HAF advertises on AOA.

photo: Center Square Assocation

Renting vs. buying?

green monopoly house flickr woodleywonderworks cc

Jessica sends us a message:

I'd be curious to see what people thought of renting vs buying in Albany. Which one is cheaper, maybe a poll of how many rent vs buy?

The renting vs. buying question is complicated, in large part because each person and situation is different. And while it isn't necessarily a local question, local factors do play a big role: housing prices, rents, taxes, and so on.

There are a lot of savvy people here -- so, got some advice or ways to think about this question for Jessica? Please share!

Earlier on AOA:
+ Best Capital Region small town, village, or suburb for settling down?
+ Capital Region median home prices 2013
+ A good real estate agent for selling a house?
+ A good real estate agent?

photo: Flickr user woodleywonderworks (CC BY 2.0)

Rare Form Brewing Company

Rare Form tap room

Rare Form's tap room/brewery space, which was being prepped on Tuesday.

The new Rare Form Brewing Company in Troy is set to open its doors this Friday. The startup craft brewery is the result of a long-running plan by married couple Kevin Mullen and Jenny Kemp, who moved to the Capital Region after stops in Denver and Seattle.

Rare Form's opening also marks the ongoing transformation of its block at Congress St and 4th Street, which over the next few months four new storefronts are planned -- the sort of change that has a lot of people optimistic about the future of Troy.

We stopped by this week to get a look at what's in the works, and talk with some of the people involved.

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Peter and Alan's Troy brownstone on the park

open house troy washington park composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

Peter and Alan live in a brownstone along Troy's Washington Park. Dating back to 1840, the park is one of only two privately-owned urban parks in the state. The buildings that surround it are stately and beautiful.

This corner of Troy is the kind of place to stroll around on a warm evening: lovely architecture, people walking along the tree-lined streets, and just a few blocks over from the Russell Sage campus. It's an idyllic place that most people don't wander into, but it's an area worth exploring.

The homeowners themselves are gracious and excited to share their corner of the Capital Region. As they joke, if you live in Troy, there's a good chance you've been in their house...

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Suzanne and Erik's North Chatham homestead

open house Chatham Farmhouse composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by David Hopper

Suzanne and Erik's home story is one of transitioning from urban to rural, from a large house to a smaller one, from a life of convenience to a life of homesteading.

A year ago, the couple and their two young boys moved from their large home near Schenectady's Central Park to a smaller home on several acres in the northern Columbia County countryside.

I had a chance to visit with the family -- as well as their 19 chickens and 4 alpacas -- and hear about what it's meant for them to live in a rural part of the Capital Region, where their land is as important to them as their home itself. The family brings a unique perspective, with Suzanne's background as a biologist and Erik's background in engineering. They take a passionate, thoughtful, and intentional approach to their home and the land surrounding it.

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Takk House

takk house main space

Hiding in downtown Troy.

By Lauren Hittinger

One of the most interesting buildings in Troy has been hiding for years.

I've walked by 55 Third Street in downtown Troy dozens, if not hundreds, of times before I happened to get a tour a while back from then-owners Steve Rein and Niki Haynes. And I was completely blown away. The old Knights of Columbus building is so cool, filled with old Troy details and fabulous little nooks throughout. So when I heard it was going to be turned into an event space by its new owners -- Heidi Benjamin and Frank Sicari -- I was definitely interested to learn more.

I recently toured the space again and chatted with Benjamin and Sicari about their plans for this surprising building.

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The "Glamour" of that house

The video embedded above is for the song "Glamour" by locals The Lucky Jukebox Brigade. It's a good song, and the video has a twist at the end. Have a look.

You'll notice a bunch of local spots in the video. And also, there's that house. The seafoam green! The wallpaper! The kitchen! It's like waking up in the late 1950s.

Curious about the house, we emailed the band for the scoop. From The Lucky Jukebox Brigade's Deanna DeLuke:

The house is local! We are keeping the specific location private because it is a residential home, but I can tell you that the kitchen cabinets and counters are original from when the house was built in the early 1950s, and the hallway wallpaper (in the shot where they are walking down the stairs) is from the 1960s. The bedroom was updated maybe 10 years ago. It has been in the family since the 1950s, passed from one generation to the next, and they have taken excellent care of it to keep all the vintage pieces in such pristine condition!

"Glamour" is currently available as a single. The band is working an album, Familiar Fevers, for this summer.

The Lucky Jukebox Brigade is playing at The Low Beat this Friday, March 28. Local funk Oobleck is also on the bill. It should be a good time. Show's at 9 pm, it's $5.

Follow up: O'Briens Public House at The Trojan Hotel

O'Brien's Public House interior

The crowd on St. Patrick's Day.

Some quick photo follow up on the Trojan Hotel project in Troy: Terry and Donald O'Brien recently opened O'Briens Public House in the building. We stopped in for a few minutes on St. Patrick's Day to get a look at the renovations.

The O'Briens bought the Trojan Hotel building on Third Street in downtown Troy last summer. The building was in rough shape when they got it. Their plan is to renovate the building one section at a time. The pub, occupying a space on a floor just above street level at the front of the building, is the first part of the building to open.

The renovated space looks good -- and the change from last summer is remarkable. Here are a few photos, with some then-and-now comparisons...

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Checking out the (nearly) finished Albany Barn

The Albany Barn live/work loft apartments are now fully occupied

So now that all of the 22 live/work apartments at The Albany Barn are occupied, who lives there? And what does the space look like?

Kristen Holler, The Barn's executive director, says the mix of artists is just what they hoped for. "We couldn't have gotten a more diverse group if we planned it that way. The youngest resident is 23 and the oldest is in his 60s. There's a good mix of men and women and different types of art."

One of The Barn's residents is Dana Owens -- illustrator, Smallbany creator, and founder of The Machine Artist Co-Op.

Owens gave us a look at his new place recently, and shared some thoughts on what it's been like for him at the Barn so far.

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Best Capital Region small town, village, or suburb for settling down?

chatham clock towerAmelia emails:

We are looking at starting the home search and wanted input from AOA. Where is the best small towns, villages and quaint and charming suburbs in the capital region to settle down and start a family? We are looking at staying approximately 20 minutes around Albany and want a more liberal town with low taxes. Is there such a thing?

Having a detailed wish list is a good idea, but the thing about picking a place to live is that you'll almost always end up having to make trade-offs. Want charming? That often means paying more. Want small? Maybe that means living farther out. And so on.

We've come to think that having a wish list is a good way of prioritizing what you want -- and what you're willing to compromise on. Because there will be compromises.

So... got a suggestion for Amelia? Please share! Non-redeemable bonus points for a short explanation for your suggestions. And even if you don't have a specific place in mind, suggestions on how to go about figuring out the right place can be helpful.

The new plan for redeveloping the Monument Square site in downtown Troy

monument square 2014 market rendering cropped

The proposed plan includes permanent space for the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market.

The city of Troy formally announced today that it's picked a proposal for the redevelopment of the former city hall site on Monument Square downtown. And the proposed $27 million project includes a lot of potentially interesting bits: residential, retail, commercial space -- and maybe most interesting of all, a permanent home for the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market.

Here's an overview of the plan with renderings, details, and whatnot...

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A good real estate agent for selling a house?

Thumbnail image for real estate sign porchVal emails (emphasis added):

A couple of years ago you did an Ask AoA about real estate agents. The majority of responses were from buyers - I'd love to see Ask AoA recommendations of realtors representing sellers, preferably ones familiar with Albany.

Real estate agents are just like any other profession, and some agents have different skills or strengths compared to other agents. And we get the feeling, anecdotally, that some agents are a bit more aggressive in strategy and pricing for selling a house.

So, got an agent to suggest to Val? Please share! And non-redeemable bonus points for a quick explanation about why that agent is good for sellers.

Way up there in Saratoga Springs

The 87 Railroad Pl building in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Noted: A condo in downtown Saratoga Springs is currently listed for sale at $2.85 million. From the Sotheby's listing for the penthouse condo at 87 Railroad Place:

A one of kind opportunity exists in downtown Saratoga Springs. 4 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms, 8,000 square foot penthouse condo with decks and million dollar views of downtown and the Adirondack Mountains. Two blocks from Broadway - the heart of the city. Walk to restaurants, shops and the historic Congress Park. Extraordinary den, media room, game room/exercise room. Private entrance. Private lobby. Private 5-car garage! This is the ultimate in luxury living in one of the country's top 100 downtown areas as said by Forbes Magazine.

At $2.85 million, the condo's price per square foot works to be a little more than $356. For some context, the median sale price for homes in Saratoga Springs over the past year is $309k -- and the average price/square foot is $205, according to Trulia.

The fact that there are fancy-pants condos in downtown Saratoga Springs isn't a surprise -- all those new buildings are hard to miss. But we have to admit we are a bit surprised by some of the numbers. A quick check of the real estate listings reveals 12 downtown condos currently listed for sale at prices of $1 million or higher -- 87 Railroad, 268 Broadway (1, 2, 3), 38 High Rock (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), 54 Phila. List price range: $2.85 million to $1.02 million. Sure, some of them might not end up selling for that price, but even at discounts of 10 or 20 percent, some of them would still be $1 million-plus.

We're kind of curious about who's buying these condos (and what they do). Because, you know, that's a lot of money. It's kind of amazing to us there's somewhat significant market demand here for housing with that sort of price tag.

Anyway, if it's hard to find a buyer for that first condo -- the 8,000 square-footer -- maybe it should be dropped into the running as a potential casino site. It's just about big enough.

Capital Region median home prices 2013

capital region median home sale price 2013-2005

Capital Region median home sale price 2013-2005.

The Capital Region housing market approached its pre-recession level in 2013, according to data out today from the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.

The median price for homes sold in the Capital Region was $195,000 in 2013, up more than 1.5 percent compared to the year before according to GCAR's numbers. And it's the first time the median sale price has risen above the pre-recession crest of $193,000 in 2007.*

The local market also posted 9221 closed sales in 2013, up almost 12 percent from the total in 2012. GCAR says 2013's total was the highest since 2007.

Another sign of a rising tide in the housing market: The average number of days it took to sell a house was 90 in 2013, the lowest number since 2008, according to GCAR. (That figure was 98 days in 2012, and 102 in 2011.)

(* That's not accounting for inflation. Depending on how you account for inflation, the price would have had to be around $216,000 to equal the 2007 mark.)

A more detailed look at the numbers is after the jump.

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The First Prize for a casino? And how big is the prize for casinos?

First Prize Center.jpg

You know the sign.

Two bits of interesting casino-related news today:

First Prize Center
A company called Capital Gaming LLC has signed a contract to buy the First Prize Center on the Albany/Colonie line, the Biz Review's Mike DeMasi reports -- the company is interested in redeveloping the site into a casino.

The First Prize site, a former meat packing plant, has been the subject of multiple attempts and rumors over the years. The location has potentially great interstate access -- it's right next to I-90 and Everett Road (map).

For what it's worth, voters in the city of Albany and the town of Colonie both narrowly voted against the state casino amendment.

What sort of demand for gambling?
Maybe some perspective and caution from New Jersey: Revenue at Atlantic City casinos dropped below $3 billion in 2013, the AP reports -- it's the first time that's happened in 22 years. And it marks the seventh straight revenue decline for AC casinos since Pennsylvania opened casinos. [via @MahoneyReport]

There's potentially a lot of casino competition in the Northeast over the next decade. There's Atlantic City, there's Pennsylvania, there are the Native American casinos in Connecticut and New York, Massachusetts is adding casinos, and of course, so is New York.

That's a lot of casinos chasing more or less the same pot of money. How many ways can the pot be split before it's no longer worth chasing the money?

Earlier on AOA: Focusing on support for a possible Capital Region casino, town by town

And a new term for the building, too?

kiernan plaza albany inauguration event 2014-01-01 small

One more pic from Wednesday's Albany inaugural ceremony at KiernanPlazaNanoCollegeSmartCityThingStation, though it's really more of the building than the ceremony.

As you know, Kiernan Plaza is the former Albany train station, and it's now part of the NanoCollege -- slated to become the "Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center." The announced tenants so far are: SEFCU, the engineering firm CHA, and Windstream (a telecom company).

Anyway, it's a beautiful building. And every time we get a chance to gawk at the inside, we wish there could be a way to open it up to the public more often -- either for events or some sort of other use. Maybe someone can leverage some synergies to make that happen.

Here's what the interior of the station looked like in the 1930s, via the Albany Group Archive on Flickr.

After the jump: The photo above, in large format. And a circa 1904 exterior photo of the station.

Earlier on AOA: Gawking at Kiernan Plaza

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Cuomo admin has OK'ed Albany convention center

proposed Albany convention center Eagle and Howard 2013-11-25

A rendering for the Eagle Street side.

Updated

So, this is news: "A government official involved in the project's negotiations" tells the Biz Review's Adam Sichko that the Cuomo administration has approved the scaled-down version of the Albany convention center. That's a big deal because buy-in from the Cuomo admin would open the way for the release of about $70 million in money that's already allocated/promised/set aside for a convention center project.

The new scaled-down plan was introduced in November. It would site a 82,000-square-foot facility at Howard and Eagle in downtown Albany. The Albany Convention Center Authority has touted the new plan -- about a third the size of the of the originally proposed project -- as a "hub" between the Empire State Plaza and the Times Union Center, with all three connected by a covered walkway.

The ACCA said the $66.5 million project could be paid for with the already-allocated money. It estimated that it could be completed by July 2016.

The Cuomo administration confirmed the approval in a press release later on Tuesday. The release included a name for the facility -- "Albany Capital Center" -- and a start date for construction -- June 2014.

Oh, and there's important bit tucked into the administration's announcement:

Furthermore, the land accumulated by the Authority for the first proposed location would be conveyed to the Office of General Services (OGS) and would be made available for appropriate development through a Request for Proposal managed by OGS and Empire State Development (ESD), with the goals of expanding the local commercial tax base and the creation of jobs and opportunities

That land is the chunk on the south side of downtown Albany near the bus station. Earlier this year an idea was floated for the land to be used for an aquarium/science center/something or other. The fact that the state will directly controlling the land prompts a lot of questions -- including what state officials consider "appropriate development" for the site.

Earlier on AOA: Renderings, a footprint map, and more details about the new convention center proposal

image: ACCA/CHA

Alicia's charming Schenectady home

open house upper union composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Dave Hopper

One of my favorite things about living in the Capital District is all the corners of our area to discover, even after living here most of my life.

Alicia lives in an area of Schenectady that I'd driven through in the past, but never knew much about. The Upper Union neighborhood is charming and grand -- wide boulevards lined by old trees, stately homes, and a mix of residents who have spent their lives there and younger people moving in. When I visited Alicia on a Saturday afternoon, the voice of the announcer at the Union College football game could be heard echoing off the houses.

Alicia's home reflects the history of the area -- a neighborhood built around the beginning of the 20th century, in part for General Electric executives and Union professors. Alicia has honored the home's past and at the same time created a vibrant and welcoming space.

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The proposed -- and scaled-down -- Albany convention center

proposed Albany convention center Eagle and Howard 2013-11-25

A rendering for the Eagle Street side. That entrance is style is called a "porte-cochère." / image: ACCA/CHA

The Albany Convention Center Authority revealed a bit more about the revised plan to build a scaled-down, $66.5 million convention center at Eagle and Howard streets in downtown Albany. An ACCA slide deck about the project is embedded after the jump -- it includes some renderings and details. Also there: an clickable map with estimated building print.

This new plan replaces the original proposal for much larger facility on the southern end of downtown Albany. That plan fizzled over the last few years under concerns about cost and whether the project could float financially over the long term.

The authority is touting the new project -- about a third the size of the of the other project -- as a "hub" between the Empire State Plaza and the Times Union Center, with all three connected by a covered walkway and 2) feasible under the approximately $70 million already allocated/promised/set aside for the original convention center. It projects a timeline that includes a possible completion date of July 2016.

There are still a handful of questions and uncertainties about the project. This article from the Biz Review's Mike DeMasi covers a lot of them, along with other details about the project.

And what of the south side downtown land gathered for the original project? JCE reported in the TU today that the authority is planing to issue a request for proposals for a mixed-use project on the site.

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For sale: Helderberg Castle

Helderberg Castle real estate listing

You know, the problem with most modern castles is that they're so... intact. They're a classic fixer-downer situation. Not only do you have to buy the castle, but you have to spend all that time and effort and money turning it into a proper castle ruin.

That's not the case with the "Helderberg Castle" in New Scotland, which is up for sale. From the RealtyUSA listing:

Historic Helderberg Castle on 4.5 acre lot, chance to own a unique piece of history. Nestled privately in the Helderbergs, this property features fantastic old limestone ruins, hand built in 1935 by Bouck White. Property has church ruins, tower ruins,main home ruins - with 2500sf home situated atop stone ruins of 2 other buildings. Property also has 1500sf 2 car garage w/ workshop w/ electric and woodstove. Home has lrg bedrooms, porch, stone alcove, deed spring rights with neighboring property.

See, it's a ruin-ready castle. Here's a photoset, and satellite view of the property. List price is $179,000.

And, as with any good castle ruin, the Helderberg Castle has a colorful history. As the property listing notes, it was built in the 1930s by Bouck White, whose Wikipedia entry describes him as "a Congregational minister, an American socialist, a Jesusist, an author, a potter, and a recluse." From a short bio of white by Paula Lemire:

[B]y 1932, he was back in New York and running a pottery studio in an Albany carriage house. In 1934, White bought six acres in the Helderberg Mountains. He was attracted to the lonely cliff by a belief that it was where Hiawatha supposedly experienced visions that lead to the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy. White had long claimed Mohawk ancestery, saying, "I don't know how much of the blood of Hiawatha is in my veins, but my heart is Indian."
White constructed a "castle" using the plentiful limestone. He worked as independently of technology (which he distrusted as much as wealth) a possible. He described his building style:
"The stones are not hacked or broken to form a window opening of some perceived pattern; they are allowed....to build a window of any form whatsover...A new resource for the architect is here emerging, provided their clients be animated by a spirit of natural beauty."

A few weeks ago, YNN's Geoff Redick had a story about the castle being for sale, which includes some more bits about its history. As the listing agent said then: "There's not one thing that's, uh...normal about this house. I don't even know how to put that, I really don't!"

[via Upstater]

Earlier on AOA:
+ For sale: castle overlooking Lake George
+ Sold: Amsterdam Castle
+ The crumbling castle

photo: The Capital Team / RealtyUSA / CRMLS

The Frear Building in Troy is again open for (retail) business

frear building ekologic composite

The clothing design and manufacturing company 'e ko logic is known in the fashion world and sells its pieces in shops from France to Japan.

And it's located right here in the Capital Region -- in Troy -- and has been for the last decade. Though that wasn't necessarily easily to tell. Why? We'll let owner/designer Kathleen Tesnakis explain:

"Before I was in a very funky old building, on the second floor, that you weren't sure you wanted to walk up into." And beyond that funkiness, 'e ko logic didn't have a retail space.

That situation changes starting today when 'e ko logic formally opens its new retail and manufacturing space in the Frear Building. The clothing company's presence there is part of an ongoing transformation of the downtown Troy landmark back towards its roots.

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KC and DW's Pine Hills modern

open house pine hills modern composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia / Photos by Paul Gallo

When I spoke to Paul about his home back in May, he told me that I had check out the home of his friends KC and DW and hear about their love for Pine Hills. I'm so glad that he connected us, because the charm and style of KC and DW's home made me want to move right in.

In a lot of ways, it's the kind of home you think of when you think of Albany's architecture and old houses. But KC and DW have filled their lovely old home with bright colors and modern touches that exude energy and creativity -- much like the vibrancy of the Pine Hills neighborhood.

KC and DW love their home and enjoy their neighborhood, but they also grapple with some of the same challenges that Albany faces as a city. They shared their experiences living in the Pine Hills neighborhood -- the things they love, the things they hope will change, and their favorite parts of their classic Albany house.

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2013 Showcase of Homes

The Washington on Broadway in downtown Saratoga SpringsThe 2013 Showcase of Homes starts this weekend in Saratoga County, and runs each of the two weekends after (September 21-22, 28-29; October 5-6). It's basically a self-guided tour of big/extravagant new houses.

We checked this out a few years back. It was basically like walking through HGTV. It also made us wonder what people are doing with all that space in their bathrooms. Anyway, if the home design/remodeling/House Hunters thing interests you, there's usually some quality gawking.

There are 14 homes on the tour this year. And unlike in some previous years, the homes are mostly grouped together geographically, near Saratoga Springs. In fact, one of the homes on the tour is a condo in the new building on Broadway in Saratoga, "The Washington" (on the right).

Tickets for the tour are $20, and are good for each weekend. There's also a "Comfort of Homes" event this Friday from 5-10 pm in which eight of the homes will be open and samples of comfort food from various restaurants -- including Maestro's, Prime, and Capriccio Saratoga -- will be available. Tickets for that are $25 -- or $40, including a tour ticket. Proceeds benefit Northern Saratoga Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together Saratoga County.

For sale: castle overlooking Lake George

highlands castle bolton landingFor sale: a 6,000-square-foot castle in Bolton Landing overlooking Lake George.

List price: $14.8 million.

The "Highlands Castle" has 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, an eat-in kitchen (what self-respecting castle doesn't?), and sits on 7+ acres, according to the Roohan Realty listing. Taxes are just $9,377.

Here are a bunch of photos from the castle's website.

The castle has an interesting story -- both back and current. In the late 70s, the owner -- John Lavender -- says he promised his son that he'd build a castle -- and actually followed through, completing the home in the mid 1980s. In recent years they've been renting it out for events. But as he TU's Chris Churchill detailed back in July, Lavender has been in a tiff with neighbors and the town over renting out the home. Lavender told Churchill that if he wasn't able to work something out, he'd have to sell.

[via @Sorti_ca]

Earlier on AOA:
+ Sold: Amsterdam Castle

photo: Roohan Realty

Renata and Mike's Troy fixer-upper

open house renata composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia

Renata and I met many years ago, when we worked at a Girl Scout camp together. Renata was the camp's arts and crafts director, and her artistic talent shines through in the Troy home she and her husband Mike are renovating.

The couple's love for their home and neighborhood is evident. The house is full of details that can only be found in historic homes: tin ceilings, detailed trim, beautiful woodwork, and perfectly-worn wood floors.

Unlike previous homes that have been featured in the "Open House" series, Renata and Mike's home is in the earlier stages of renovations, and they have some great stories about the process (just wait until you see what they found in their walls). I love how their creative vision has shaped their approach to their home, and how their artwork fills the space.

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Re-modernizing the DeWitt Clinton

dewitt clinton location albany 1926

State and Eagle before The DeWitt Clinton was built in 1927.

The Cuomo admin and Columbia Development announced today plans to renovate the vacant DeWitt Clinton Hotel building at State and Eagle in downtown Albany (streetview). (You know the building -- it's the one that looks buttoned up, but in a "I forgot what I was supposed to be doing" kind of way.) In its new life, the DeWitt Clinton will be a 204-room "Renaissance by Marriott Hotel." Press release:

The Renaissance Albany will have the feel of a boutique hotel and will include the building's original breathtaking lobby. Located at the corner of State and Eagle Streets, the Renaissance will offer intimate meeting space for private events, 204 rooms, a full-service restaurant open to the public, a lounge and coffee shop. It will be the first time the region has had a full service Renaissance by Marriott Hotel.

The $48 million project's not all that surprising. Columbia is already re-building next door at Wellington Row, the hotel is literally right across the street from the Capitol, and the proposed downsized Albany convention center thing would be just behind it.

Anyway, part of the press materials today included a photo of the DeWitt Clinton site from before the DeWitt Clinton was there (above, large format). We were struck by the circa 1926 photo, which shows a drug store on the corner and an excellent old-school traffic signal. Attached to the building and its adjacent (now-gone) neighbor, a big sign that read:

Upon this site and adjoining Corner through to Howard Street
A 15 STORY MODERN HOTEL
WILL BE ERECTED

That modern hotel lasted about 50 years, until the building stopped operating as a hotel in 1975 (it's had various other uses since then). And now it will be modernized. Again.

Cat guest: Albany Archives dug up a great story about the opening of the DeWitt Clinton in 1927 -- the first guest to stay there was a cat. Really.

The big plan for residential and retail redevelopment in Albany's Park South

park south redevelopment

The plan is clear the two blocks between Dana Ave and Albany Med for new development.

Albany Medical Center announced today that it's ready to move ahead with the second phase of the redevelopment of Albany's Park South neighborhood.

The plan for this next stage -- a $110 million project focused on residential and retail -- will wipe clear two whole blocks of the neighborhood for new buildings. And it holds the potential to fundamentally transform the surrounding neighborhood.

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10 Thurlow Terrace

10 Thurlow exterior angle

"The Castle"

Perched on the north edge of Washington Park in Albany, 10 Thurlow Terrace is one of the city's unique properties. The home looks like a castle on the outside, and the interior is filled with beautiful woodwork (there are photos at that link).

And now it's close to finding a new life. The owner of 10 Thurlow and the Castle Island Bilingual Montessori school are working on a deal in which the school would move into the historic home.

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A new life planned for the Trojan Hotel

trojan hotel building exterior

The Trojan Hotel building in Troy -- part of which has stood on 3rd Street downtown since the 1800s -- was sold this week. The new owners: Terry and Donald O'Brien, who have a lot of plans for the building -- including a pub, a bar, and an apartment for themselves.

We were invited to have a look at the building today, so we stopped by to take some photos of the historic building and talk for a few minutes with the O'Briens.

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At home in the Mansion Neighborhood

open house kirchman mansion neighborhood composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia

I was connected with Laurie and Jeremy Kirchman through a friend of a friend of a friend. But when I entered their downtown Albany house it felt like I'd known them and their home for years. Laurie, Jeremy, and their two young sons live in the Mansion Neighborhood, which I'm now fully convinced is one of Albany's best kept secrets.

Their home is a historic row house, bursting with original details -- from the molding that adorns the high ceilings to the unusual wide-planked floors.

Their yard has a secret garden quality: a rambling shared space that includes hops, which were used to produce their home-brewed beer (and which they happily share with visitors - lucky me!).

The Kirchmans have found and created an Albany lifestyle that combines urban and rural, small-town and city living. I spoke to them about their home, their neighborhood, and their life as Albany residents.

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Sold: Amsterdam Castle

Amsterdam Castle Exterior

Buy it for the castle, love it for the taxidermy.

We heard today that the Amsterdam Castle -- which actually is a former armory, but looks like a castle -- finally sold. Soon-to-not-be-the-owner-any-longer Susan Phemister confirmed during a phone conversation.

She says the new owners are "very nice people who plan to live in the castle and continue to run it as a bed and breakfast." The building is currently closed while the Phemisters move out and the new owners make some renovations.

The Phemisters bought the 36,000-square-foot place in 2005 and, after a lot of renovation, opened it as a bed and breakfast and event space (it has a 10,000-square-foot gym). In the years since they put it up for sale a few times, most recently last year. But as Susan Phemister explained to the NYT this past April: "The market for castles in upstate New York dried up completely." At the time, the list price was $895,000. [Daily Gazette] [NYT]

And now it's sold. Phemister couldn't disclose information about who bought the castle -- the new owners are "very private," she explained to us -- but she says she wishes them the best and hopes they can enjoy the good will and interesting experiences that come with owning a castle.

So, what does one miss about living in a castle?

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In progress: the Albany Barn

Saint Joes Hall exterior.jpg

At North Swan and 2nd.

Remember that Albany Barn project at St. Joseph's Academy in Arbor Hill? The one that combines subsidized apartments for artists with rehearsal suites, studio space and offices for arts groups and not-for-profits? Well, the apartments are starting to take shape, and later this month the Barn will be opening the building for a night of tours and a fundraiser with the Chefs Consortium.

We got a tour of the building recently, and some details on how plans are firming up, from project founder Jeff Mirel and Albany Barn executive director Kristen Holler.

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Paul's old school condo in Albany

open house paul gallo composite

By Nicole Lemperle Correia

Have you ever walked or driven through a neighborhood and wondered what it's like to live there? I've always been interested in our area's neighborhoods and why people choose to live where they live.

Paul Gallo gave us a glimpse into his Albany home within a historic repurposed building. You've probably seen Paul's beautiful photography on local websites, blogs, and on display around the area. With his interest in old buildings, it's not a surprise that he's chosen to live in one of Albany's beautiful historic buildings.

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HAF: We're handing St. Joseph's back to city of Albany

st josephs albany exterior

Standing on this hill since 1860.

The Historic Albany Foundation announced today that it will be handing back St. Joseph's church in the Ten Broeck Triangle to the city of Albany. The preservation org has owned the building since 2003, and the deed back is via a "reverter clause" from that deal 10 years ago.

"Our first and primary goal was to stabilize the building," said Susan Holland, HAF's executive director, today. And Holland said they've accomplished that, raising more than $700,000 along the way for the work.

So why hand it back to the city?

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Variance for North Albany concert venue denied

The rear of the building, from Common Place. Here's the streetview of the front.

Updated with more info about the BZA decision

The Albany Board of Zoning Appeals has denied a request for a variance to use a warehouse in North Albany as a concert venue. The BZA voted down the use variance request for 28 Thatcher Street 5-0.

Chris Pratt, one of the partners behind the project, says they're not backing down and are planning to make changes to their application and re-submit.

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"The market for castles in upstate New York dried up completely."

Amsterdam Castle Exterior

It's actually an old armory. But it's castle-like.

The New York Times follows up on the Amsterdam Castle -- which is still for sale:

In the end, people can find a million reasons not to buy a castle: Some have complained that there is not enough parking, others would prefer a castle that is deep in the woods. The fact is, the only reason to buy a castle is that you have a terrible yearning to live in a castle. "It's the supercool factor," Ms. Phemister said.

The list price for the castle is now $895,000 -- down from $1.25 mill last fall. The Phemister's bought it for $800k in 2005.

Akum and her family stayed in the castle in 2011 (lots of photos) -- the family operates a bed and breakfast there. It's sort of a come-for-the-castle-stay-for-the-taxidermy situation.

(Thanks, Jessica R)

Buyers and sellers

nys real estate sentiment siena sri

Is now a good time to buy a house? What about a good time to sell a house? The graph above is from a report today from the Siena Research Institute on "real estate sentiment scores" in New York -- basically how people around the state feel about residential real estate.

The short story: After being a buyers' market for years, people think the real estate market is now shifting toward a state in which neither side necessarily has the upper hand.

The slightly longer story, from a statement by SRI director Don Levy:

For the second consecutive quarter, the assessment of housing values in every region of the state is positive and predicted to increase by New Yorkers. Even more importantly, sellers, who for so long were seen as hostages of the financial meltdown now, while not yet universally in the catbird seat, are seen as in a much stronger position and headed upwards. Buyers are still able to get value, but they are no longer able to demand concessions from every seller. All numbers, strong overall market grade, strengthening sellers and modulating buyers, point towards robust real estate health.

And the somewhat longer story is in the report linked above.

In the Capital Region core in 2012, the number of closed sales was up between 10-18 percent in the four counties, and median sale prices were 2-4 percent. But median prices were roughly the same as they were in 2008.

Speaking of real estate decisions: GlobalFoundries' HR director told a Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce gathering Wednesday that schools are the most important factor when relocating GloFo employees look for a place to live. [Biz Review]

graph: Siena Research Institute

UAlbany presidents residence for sale

UAlbany President's Residence

The exterior this past January.

Now on the market: 5 Englewood Place in Albany -- also known as the UAlbany presidents residence. List price for the mansion on the edge of Washington Park: $625,000.

From the listing:

Absolutely stunning home. Original details abound: working pocket doors, moldings, hand hewn beams and the list goes on. Beautiful gourmet kitchen with 6 burner Viking range, KitchenAid double wall oven, a huge Bosch refrigerator, and granite galore. Nicely appointed and updated bathrooms. The outdoor space is just as impressive with in-ground pool, huge 1.55 acre yard and mature gardens. This home is in excellent condition and is a must see.

There are a bunch of photos at the listing page, many of which highlight some beautiful details (the stairway is pretty great). The house is 6,000 square feet, with 9 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, according to the listing. The agent is TL Metzger's Sam Critton.

The house has been the UAlbany presidents residence since 1998, when it was bought by the University at Albany Foundation for $650k. The university news item at the time notes the home was designed by Robert W. Gibson, the architect who designed the Cathedral of All Saints near the Capitol.

Current UAlbany president Robert Jones doesn't live in the house -- he and wife are living in a condo at 17 Chapel in downtown Albany (immediate past president George Philip did live there). Back in January Karl Luntta -- UAlbany's director of media relations -- told us Jones and his wife decided to live downtown just because of "personal preference." And the University at Albany Foundation was "determining how [the property] can serve the university and exploring all options for the property." (We have a request in asking what prompted the sale.)

Also for sale in the neighborhood: The nearby "castle" at 10 Thurlow Terrace (map). List price: $1.15 million.

(Thanks, Sarah)

The Confectionery in Troy planning expansion

confectionery proposed rear entrance

The proposed renovation to the rear of the Confectionery -- it would make make use of additional space on an adjacent property.

Thoroughly updated at 1 pm

The owners of the Charles F. Lucas Confectionery in Troy have bought an adjacent building -- 207 Broadway -- and are planning to expand the wine bar.

Vic Christopher -- who owns The Confectionery with his wife, Heather LaVine -- says they plan to turn a small building in the back of the 207 Broadway property into a private party space, along with another bathroom and a garden. It would also provide a second entrance for the "landlocked" Confectionery building. The goal is to have the expansion finished by mid summer.

Christopher says they've been turning down large groups because the just didn't have the space for them. The expansion will allow them to host groups of 20-50 people without compromising the cozy feel of the current space.

The Confectionery expansion is part of a larger plan for 207 Broadway.

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Office for rent, with easy access to train

rensselaer train stationReal estate listing of the day: the entire fourth floor of the train station in Rensselaer. From the CDTA brochure (the transit org operates the station):

There is approximately 8600 RSF of Class A office space available, which encompasses the entire 4th floor of the station. The space is available in its entirety or it can be subdivided into 2 suites, one with 3150 RSF and 5450 RSF respectively. This Class A space provides flexibility due to its current configuration, which includes executive offices, group working areas (bullpens), separate restrooms and lobby, regular offices, a large boardroom, a kitchen and an open mezzanine overlooking the main concourse of the station. The entire floor is encompassed with full height glass providing a great view of the main concourse

The space is $15/square foot, parking included.

Station architectural note: The train station's 17-foot dome is "handmade and
constructed entirely of copper."

(Thanks, Peter!)

Earlier on AOA: Gawking at Kiernan Plaza (the former train station, in Albany)

A concert venue for North Albany?

The rear of the building, from Common Place. Here's the streetview of the front.

Interesting: Chris Pratt, one of the owners of the Barrel Saloon and the Pearl Street Pub, has applied for a zoning variance to turn a warehouse at 28 Thatcher Street in North Albany, just off Broadway, into a music venue. From the application:

... This venue will hold live concerts for local and national acts such as Country Music acts, Rock Music, Bluegrass, and many other various styles of music and entertainment. The venue will only open for such shows and close no later than an hour afterwards. The hours of operation depend on the start times of shows and duration. The front of the space, see attached floor plan, will have a bar area where patrons can purchase beer, wine, and liquor. All events will be fully staffed with security and will follow all SLA requirements for on-premise alcohol consumption.
At this time there are six restaurants/bars in close proximity. This area has grown in the past two years to become more of an entertainment district. This venue will only enhance and compliment that.
The business model we will be using is that of the Helsinki Music Venue, located in Hudson NY or the Upstate Concert Hall, Located in Clifton park NY. This is a live music venue that will accommodate national up and coming acts that might be too large to play a local bar establishment but too small to the play the Palace Theater. The capacity will be somewhere between 700 to 800 people depending on city code.

That capacity would put this venue somewhere between Upstate Concert Hall (about 1000) and The Egg's Swyer Theater (450). It'd be a bit bigger than Revolution Hall (500, though it doesn't host concerts any longer).

Steve Barnes talked with Pratt about the plan (and a plan for a new lounge on Pearl Street) -- and touched on the denial of Sneaky Pete's application for a night club space in the neighborhood a few years back.

The application is on the agenda for the March 13 Albany BZA meeting.

The Harriman campus, PILOTless

harriman office campus sculpture

Real estate fact of the day: the two parcels that make up the Harriman State Office Campus are assessed by the city of Albany at a combined value of $674.4 million.

Of course, the property is tax exempt because it's owned by the state. A trio of local state legislators -- Neil Breslin, Pat Fahy, and John McDonald -- announced today they're pushing legislation that would require the state to provide the city of an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for the campus for 10 years that would be worth 1.75 percent of the assessed value -- roughly $11.7 million.

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No brewery for St. Joe's -- so now what?

st josephs albany exterior

Standing on this hill since 1860.

So what's next for St. Joseph's Church now that Ravens Head Brewing is moving ahead with the Cohoes Armory instead?

That's a tough question, says Bill Brandow, president of the board at the Historic Albany Foundation, which took ownership of the building from the city back in 2003 and has been looking for a buyer ever since. Brandow has been involved with the building in one way or another for about 14 years, and says dozens of prospective buyers for the property have come and gone -- but Ravens Head was the most promising to come along so far.

Does he think it was the building's last chance? Not necessarily. Is he optimistic about finding the right use for the building? No -- at least, not under the current circumstances.

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Ravens Head: Cohoes Armory is a done deal

The Cohoes Armory, via Google Street View.

The Ravens Head Brewing Company's selection of the Cohoes Armory for its start-up brewery/restaurant is a done deal, Ravens Head co-owner Brennon Cleary says. The company's offer on the building was accepted Monday, and the closing is expected March 15.

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5 Englewood Place

UAlbany President's Residence

Interesting bit plucked from a recent Biz Review interview with Robert Jones: the new UAlbany president and his wife have chosen to live in downtown Albany, at the 17 Chapel condo conversion.

That got us curious about the UAlbany presidents residence at 5 Englewood Place in Albany, near Washington Park. The university's foundation bought the house in 1998. And immediate past president George Philip had lived in the home.

So, what's the plan for 5 Englewood? Karl Luntta, UAlbany's director of media relations, tells us the University at Albany Foundation is currently "determining how it can serve the university and exploring all options for the property." No decision has been made, yet. The residence is almost 6,000 square feet, and includes 7 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, according to its listings on Trulia and Zillow.

And why did Dr. Jones and his wife choose to live downtown? Just "personal preference," according to Luntta. (Jones cited 17 Chapel's proximity to the Palace and Capital Rep in the Biz Review interview.)

The new president's compensation package with the school includes a $60,000 housing allowance.

Earlier on AOA: A survey of living options in downtown Albany

The UAlbany School of Business advertises on AOA.

Ravens Head Brewing focusing on Cohoes Armory


View Larger Map

Ravens Head Brewing -- the startup brewing company/brewpup that had been hoping to set up at St. Joseph's in Albany -- has put in an offer on the Cohoes Armory, the Business Review reports.

The news isn't a surprise. Ravens Head's application for a zoning variance for St. Joe's had prompted strong concerns from some residents of the Ten Broeck Triangle neighborhood. And co-owner Brennon Cleary had told AOA earlier this month that the group behind the brewery project regarded the former church as "already dead", in part because the cost of acquiring parking for the site was pushing the total price tag of the already-$3 million project too high. The Cohoes Armory was on their list of new target properties.

Cleary told the Biz Review that they're still working out details for the armory, but they're "very confident" about the property.

The Cohoes Armory is currently listed for $239,000 by Trinity Realty Group, and includes 22,000 square feet with "[an] apartment, offices, storage/production areas, storage loft, loading dock, and room for trailer access." A Craigslist item for property mentions "ample parking." The building appears to be in an area zoned for mixed-use that allows for restaurants and bars (p. 58). (St. Joseph's is in an area zoned for residential, thus the need for a zoning variance -- on which the Albany BZA has not ruled.) Update: Cohoes' director of community and economic development tells the TU the project fits with its plan for the neighborhood and it can fit under existing zoning.

The armory dates back to 1893. Its architect was Isaac Perry, who not only designed a handful of armories around the state, but also supervised a phase of the state capitol construction.

Earlier and elsewhere:
+ Ravens Head Brewing considering alternatives to St. Joseph's
+ TU: Church pub called a foul brew
+ TU: Council opposes church pub plan
+ Analysis from local brewer George de Piro
+ Is St. Joseph's Church a brewery in its next life?

Capital Region median home prices 2012

real estate sign porchThe number of homes sold in the Capital Region took a big jump in 2012 compared to the year before, according to stats out this week from the Greater Capital Region Association of Realtors. The number of closed sales across the region increased 15 percent, the first increase in years.

Median prices were also up, but the increase was smaller. The median price across the region was up 4 percent, to $192,000.

Here's GCAR's report for 2012. The average number of days it took for a house to sell last year was 98, down from 102 in 2011. And this past December, "inventory" -- the number of homes for sale -- hit its lowest point since 2008, as did "months of inventory."

GCAR also provides breakouts for individual counties and a group of cities/towns. We've collected those 2012 numbers in an quick-scan table post jump.

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The rent is...


A few average rents by type of apartment.

The average asked rent for apartments in the Capital Region in fall 2012 was $1,248 ($0.93 per square foot) -- up more than 6.5 percent compared to same period a year before, according to the Albany-based Sunrise Management & Consulting. The average rent was up more than 10 percent compared to two years ago.

Here's the methodology. It's important to note these are asked rents, and don't take into account discounts. Also, the firm notes that the survey includes mostly large complexes (50 or more units).

[via Biz Review]

data source: Sunrise Management & Consulting Fall 2012 Multifamily Rental Market Report

Ravens Head Brewing considering alternatives to St. Joseph's

st josephs albany exterior

Ravens Head Brewing has yet to hear whether the Albany BZA will approve a required variance for its proposed brewery/restaurant at St. Joseph's, but Ravens Head co-owner Brennon Cleary says they're preparing to move on.

Cleary says in his mind, and in the minds of his investors, the project at St. Joe's is "already dead," but they're going to ride out the process.

"I'm not willing to say I'm done," says Cleary, "but I'm not very optimistic."

And that outlook has Cleary and his partners looking at other options.

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Finding Craigslist on a map

craigslist apt map screengrab

A screengrab of the apartment listings map for part of Albany.

Check it out: The Albany Craigslist is now offering the option of displaying apartment listings -- as well as a few other types of items -- on a map.

It looks like the feature could be helpful if you're trying to find listings in specific neighborhoods. Though it's a bit hard to tell how precise the mapping is -- many apartment listings on Craigslist don't include specific address info (unless it's gathered on the backend and not shared publicly). Update: Based on Albany Landlord's comment, it sounds like that's how it works.

Craigslist apparently started testing this function in San Francisco and Portland this past summer, and the started gradually rolling it out in October. We only noticed it on the Albany version this week. [TPM] [The Next Web]

A map view of listings has been conspicuously absent from Craigslist for years. And in that time, another service -- PadMapper -- filled the void. Craigslist sued PadMapper over it this past summer, alleging it and a partner company had violated Craigslist copyright by scraping its listings. [The Verge]

It's a bit of a turn for Craiglist to be the disrupted instead of the disrupter. But it appears that it's been trying to evolve lately. In addition to the maps, it also added image previews for many of its listings, which make it a lot easier to skim through, say antiques, or whatever.

screengrab: Craigslist

Follow up: 27 Western

looking into unit at 27 Western

Let's have a peek inside...

Follow up gawking: the developers for the 27 Western residential conversion project in Albany emailed us recently to let us know the project was almost finished -- and asked if we'd like to have a look.

As we mentioned back in August, we're always curious about these sorts of re-purposing projects. In this case it's a former school building being turned into apartments.

So, yeah, let's have a look...

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For sale: Amsterdam Castle

Amsterdam Castle Exterior

Not actually a castle -- but close enough.

The Amsterdam Castle -- a former state armory converted to a bed and breakfast -- is for sale. From an article in the Daily Gazette by John Enger:

"I'm ready for my next project," [owner Susan Phemister] said. "Maybe a church."
She works in Manhattan as the vice president of planning for Thomson Reuters.
"I finish projects for a living," she said. "It's my passion."
But it's hard to sell a such a large property.
The castle was briefly on the market a few years ago with an asking price of $2.5 million and "I didn't get anywhere," she said.
This time around, they're asking for half of that, $1.25 million.
For that price, the buyer will get everything -- all of the furniture, decorations, even the sheets on the king-sized four-post beds and the bison head on the wall.
"We'll just pack our clothes and leave," she said.

Akum stayed in the castle last year with her family. As she wrote then:

Let's be clear: The Amsterdam Castle bed and breakfast is technically not a castle. It was built in the 1890s as the headquarters for Amsterdam's New York National Guard company. But your kids won't care about such details. Does it have a tower? Yes. Tall, narrow windows? Yes. A scale and grandeur that most private homes could never approach? Yes. And yes, there's a throne. That the throne sits in the middle of the indoor basketball court just makes the place even more awesome.
The Castle has that combination of quirks and elegance that makes a great B&B. And as a family getaway, it's in a class all its own.

Her post includes a bunch of photos from the place -- it looks really fun.

Map: vacant buildings in Albany


The zoomed-out view distorts things a bit -- zoom into an area to get a better sense of the share of buildings that are vacant.

Map of the day: Here's a map of vacant properties in the city of Albany, drawn from a recent vacant building report published by the city.

The map is courtesy of Tim Varney, who put it together after taking a look at the report and concluding it was something less than user friendly. He passed it along to us today: "You guys seem to like this sort of thing." (Tim, you know us well.)

Tim also made a map of the "buildings no longer vacant" list from the report. Both maps are after the jump in large format. (We've also embedded the report post jump.)

The map is not all that surprising. It really highlights how much an issue vacant buildings are in the city and how acute the issue is for some neighborhoods. It's been a controversial topic -- both in measuring the scale of the problem, and about how it should be tackled. [TU]

There are currently 809 vacant buildings in Albany, according to the report from the city's Division of Buildings & Regulatory Compliance. It says that as many as a third of those buildings "may require demolition at some future point" because they're "upside-down" -- the cost to renovate is much higher than the expected return on the investment.

(Thanks, Tim.)

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The big box gets smaller

walmart neighborhood market

A Walmart Neighborhood Market in Chicago.

The Capital Region has one of the world's largest Walmart stores -- and soon, it will have one of the smaller ones, too.

Walmart announced today that the Mansion Square project in Niskayuna will include a "Walmart Neighborhood Market" -- a scaled-down supermarket version of the chain's traditional mega-mart. It will be first such store in the state. [Biz Review] [TU]

A Walmarket (we made that name up) offers "fresh produce, meat and dairy products, bakery and deli items, household supplies, health and beauty aids and a pharmacy." The company's website says the stores were designed as "a smaller-footprint option for communities in need of a pharmacy, affordable groceries and merchandise." The stores are about 38,000 square feet, which is roughly the same size as one of the small Price Choppers and about twice the size of the new Trader Joe's. (It's a little bigger than the new Honest Weight and the planned Whole Foods at Colonie Center.)

There are about 200 of these stores around the nation, and the chain appears to be pushing the format. Among the places they've recently opened: Georgia, Miami, and Orange County (California). [Atlanta Business Chronicle] [Miami Herald] [Orange County Register]

The idea of another Walmart doesn't really do much for us, but this smaller version could be a good sign.

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The next life of the Latham Circle Mall

shoppes latham circle rendering

A conceptual sketch of the "Shoppes at Latham Circle."

The Latham Circle Mall has already lived a few lifetimes. It was built in 1957 as an open air mall, and then converted to an indoor mall two decades later. Today, well, it's more or less dead.

But reincarnation may be just ahead. A development group is proposing to demolish a large part of the Latham Circle Mall and build again as the "The Shoppes at Latham Circle" -- with retail, restaurants, entertainment and -- gasp -- maybe a supermarket.

Here's the outline of the plan...

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For sale: an island

glenotia island map crmls

Check it out: an island in the Mohawk River between Scotia and Schenectady is for sale. From the listing for "Glenotia Island" by Denise Polsinelli with CM Fox:

OWN AN ISLAND PARADISE WITHOUT LEAVING THE CAPITAL DISTRICT!HISTORIC GLENOTIA ISLAND IS 18.9 ACRES SITUATED WITHIN THE BEAUTIFUL MOHAWK RIVER. OWN IT FOR YOUR PERSONAL PRIVACY OR CREATE A RIVERFRONT RECREATIONAL DESTINATION.

List price: $91,900.

The Daily Gazette's Michael Goot had an article about the property today -- it was used for recreation in the first few decades of the 1900s, but there's been little activity there since a foot bridge to island was removed in the early 1930s.

The Images of America: Glenville book by the Schenectady County Historical Society has a few photos from back in the day. And here's what appears to be an old map of the area -- the island is marked as "Isle of the Mohawks", which was its name before being tagged Glenotia (Glenville + Scotia). In fact, it still bears that name on some maps. (Also, judging from satellite photos, we wonder if it's more peninsula than island now.)

27 Western Ave

27 Western Ave

The former school building is at Western Ave, Robin Street, and Washington Ave -- it faces Robin.

We've been watching the activity at 27 Western Ave in Albany recently. The property -- which is across from Washington Park, adjacent to the downtown UAlbany campus -- is a former school. It's currently undergoing a residential conversion project.

Always curious about these sorts of re-purposing projects, we talked with the development company. And here's what's up.

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The DelSo is now Google official

delso google maps

If Google says so, then it must be true.

Check it out: the southern part of Albany's Delaware Ave neighborhood is now tagged as "DelSo" on Google Maps. There are even boundaries on the map.

This is remarkable to us because:

1. As far as we can tell, that name is just a few years old.

2. And it can be traced back to one person: Silvia!

So how does an informal neighborhood name end up in Google Maps?

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Bigger isn't necessarily better

elisabeths small house

Small house. Big dog.

By Elisabeth Draper

In 2008 my husband and I bought our first home: a two-bedroom, one-bath, 1929 Dutch colonial in Albany. In an age of bigger is better, we went the opposite route; our house is a mere 900 square feet.

As first time homeowners we were somewhat intimidated by the responsibility and demands of home ownership, but a small house we could handle. Many of our friends also bought homes around the same time, but those places are considerably larger. Their homes are similar in size to many of the suburban homes highlighted during AOA's Real Estate Week. To us, our friends had found their "forever homes." Most have at least four bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, master suites, two car garages... they're in it for the long haul. When we bought our house we knew it was a starter home.

But now that we've added a 90-pound dog and a new baby to the mix, we've realized something: there are benefits to small house living.

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New lives for old churches

new lives for churches composite
By Casey Normile

Many Capital Region churches have closed in recent years due to dwindling congregations, parish mergers, or financial difficulties. And when the congregations go, they leave behind some grand buildings. So what happens to these empty churches?

The issue has been in the news a lot lately because of the controversy surrounding St. Patrick's in Watervliet and a proposal on the table to turn St. Joseph's in Albany into a brewery.

But there are lots of old churches in the Capital Region that have already found new lives. Here's a look at a few.

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The ___est neighborhoods in the Capital Region

diversity map screengrab schenectady closeup

Schenectady leads the Capital Region in racial diversity. (The deeper the shade of green, the more diverse the neighborhood.)

Location. Location. Location.

It's a cliche, but it doesn't make it any less true: location is among the most important factors in real estate. It can significantly affect the value of a house -- and significantly affect how much you like living there.

Of course, physical factors like roads, trees, and access to services are a big part of location. But so are the people in your neighborhood.

To get a better sense of some general demographic characteristics about Capital Region neighborhoods -- age, ethnic diversity, income, education, and so on -- we pulled data for all 210 Census tracts in the four county area.

Here are some of the ____-est neighborhoods...

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A home where you don't have to turn on the heat

Passive Solar -via Dennis Wedlick.jpg

The Capital Region's first Certified Passive home.

By Siobhan Connally

Writer Susan Guthridge-Gould and her husband, photographer Chris Gould are a little passive aggressive.

Which is to say they are aggressive about passive. Their passive home.

The Columbia County couple is building one of the first certified passive dwellings in the region. They're keeping a record of the process on their blog, Newhudsonvalley.com.

What is a passive house?

Lets start with what it's not. It's not to be confused with a solar house - or any other practice of green-construction that uses a complex equation of sustainability and technology to reduce its carbon footprint.

A passive house has only to meet two main requirements:

+ Use 90 percent less energy than a conventional home

+ Achieve that goal through its design and construction rather than mechanical technology.

In other words the house has to rely on its placement in the environment and an air-tight construction to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer.

So... does it work?

AOACrisbroSmallV2.jpg

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What $350,000 buys you in the Capital Region

real estate week 2012 350 composite

It's Real Estate Week on AOA.

Flip through real estate listings enough and you'll notice pretty quickly that the same amount of money will buy you a wide variety of homes -- for all sorts of reasons, location being among the most important. Two very similar houses can end up selling at prices tens of thousands of dollars apart.

To get a better a sense of what goes into the price of a house -- and how much house you can get for your dollar -- we talked with three local real estate agents to better understand why some recently closed house sold for the prices they did.

What are you getting for your money? And what could you get for a little bit more?

We've already looked at $175,000 and $225,000. Let's finish with a look at a handful of houses in the $350,000 range around the Capital Region...

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What $225,000 buys you in the Capital Region

real estate week 225 comparison composite

It's Real Estate Week on AOA.

Flip through real estate listings enough and you'll notice pretty quickly that the same amount of money will buy you a wide variety of homes -- for all sorts of reasons, location being among the most important. Two very similar houses can end up selling at prices tens of thousands of dollars apart.

To get a better a sense of what goes into the price of a house -- and how much house you can get for your dollar -- we talked with three local real estate agents to better understand why some recently closed house sold for the prices they did.

What are you getting for your money? And what could you get for a little bit more?

Let's look at a handful of houses in the $225,000 range around the Capital Region...

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What $175,000 buys you in the Capital Region

real estate week 2012 175 comparison composite

It's Real Estate Week on AOA.

Flip through real estate listings enough and you'll notice pretty quickly that the same amount of money will buy you a wide variety of homes -- for all sorts of reasons, location being among the most important. Two very similar houses can end up selling at prices tens of thousands of dollars apart.

To get a better a sense of what goes into the price of a house -- and how much house you can get for your dollar -- we talked with three local real estate agents to better understand why some recently closed house sold for the prices they did.

What are you getting for your money? And what could you get for a little bit more?

To start, we looked at a handful of houses in the $175,000 range around the Capital Region...

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Living in downtown Albany

real estate week downtown albany living composite

It's Real Estate Week on AOA.

In a lot of cities -- New York, San Francisco, Chicago -- apartments and condos in the heart of "downtown" are totally normal. But in Albany that hasn't been case. For a long time its downtown has emptied out after the work day. Sure, there are crowds along the entertainment strips like Pearl Street. But the city's downtown has had very little residential stock -- and, as a result, very few of the open-after-work services and amenities that go along with residential: coffee shops, retail, a grocery store.

Over the last couple of years, though, a handful of developers have gutted and rebuilt the interiors of historic buildings, turning them into luxury apartments and condos.

And here's the thing that surprised us: there appears to be strong demand for those units. Every one of the existing apartment buildings we checked out was full, and many of those still under renovation have a waiting list.

So, what's changed? And what does all this downtown living look like?

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Albany International building in Menands under contract to developer for residential conversion

albany international building menands pond

The main building stretches along Broadway -- it straddles the Albany/Menands line. And there's a pond.

The Albany International Corp is under contract to sell its century-old facility in Menands. The company says it agreed to the contract in March and expects to close the deal this summer.

An Albany International spokesperson, Susan Siegel, said the sale is for the entire Menands property, which spans the Menands/Albany line. She could not confirm or deny the other party in the deal.

AOA talked with developer Uri Kaufman today and he confirmed that he is the buyer. Kaufman said his plan is to transform the Albany International complex into a residential development with "a couple hundred apartments." He said his company is currently doing due diligence on the deal. He said the purchase price was not yet public.

Kaufman has pursued a handful of mill/factory conversions in this region over the last few years -- most notably the Harmony Mills apartment conversion in Cohoes, which completed a second phase last year. He's also currently involved with the Victory Mill in Saratoga and the Marshall Ray Building in Troy. [Biz Review]

All of these projects rely on a series of tax credits and grants. Kaufman says he expects they'll be able to line up the necessary credits for the Menands property after closing. "Absolutely," he said today, "tax credits are everything." [Daily Gazette 2009]

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Tips and advice for contesting a property tax assessment?

monopoly houseSean emails:

As a new homeowner, I've been hearing rumors about a certain day / week in May where folks can go downtown and challenge their property tax amount. Would the editors or other AOA readers have any knowledge about this upcoming event, any tips for when to go (I imagine it's a zoo...) and what to come prepared with for the best possible outcome (i.e. lower taxes!)?

We're guessing the day Sean is referring to is Grievance Day, typically the fourth Tuesday of May in cities and towns in New York State (May 22 this year). You can submit the forms necessary to "grieve" the assessment of your home before that day (probably the best course). The day in question is when it's possible to make an oral argument before the board of assessment review, if you decide to do so.

OK, so let's use the city of Albany as an example. It recently posted the official notice that's it's completed its tentative assessment roll for property tax purposes. The assessment information is online -- it's as simple to look up as plugging in your address. From the city's website:

Complaint forms and a publication containing procedures for contesting an assessment are available at the Office of Assessment & Taxation Room 302 in City Hall. It is a prerequisite to review an assessment that the official complaint forms be used and that said forms be filed with the undersigned or the Board of Assessment Review on or before May 22nd, 2012.

The board of assessment review will be hearing grievances May 22 from 9 am-1 pm and 6-8 pm in city hall.

Of course, some details will vary from one municipality to another. Here's a NYS website with info on how to contest your assessment.

So... Have you ever contested an assessment? If so, got any tips or advice for Sean? Please share!

photo: Flickr user woodleywonderworks

Capital Region property tax rates

oldest house in schenectady maybe

Schenectady has the highest property tax rate in the Capital Region, according to the Empire Center report. The property taxes on this house -- the "oldest" house in Schenectady -- assessed at $247,600 in 2010: $10,078. [Zillow]

The Capital Region has the lowest median effective property tax rate in the state, according to a report from the Empire Center. This area's median rate was $23.14 per $1000 last year. Western New York had the highest rate at $35.58 per $1000.

The Empire Center's analysis did not include New York City or Nassau County, which it says impose rates in a way that makes them hard to compare. And in this case, the Capital Region extends beyond the four core counties to also includes counties such as Warren, Washington, and Greene.

Within the Capital Region's core there are wide differences. The effective total property tax rate in the city of Schenectady is $40.75 per $1,000 of property value. In the town of Edinburgh it's $7.70 per $1,000.

We pulled all the numbers for municipalities in the Capital Region's core. They're sorted after the jump.

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A good real estate agent?

real estate sign porchIn the market for a house, Kelly emails:

My husband and I are hoping to buy a house in Albany this summer. We are looking for recommendations for a good real estate agent, particularly one who specializes in working with first-time home buyers. I'm hoping AOA's readers can help us out. Thanks for your consideration.

There are a lot of real estate agents out there. And from our experience, some are definitely better than others.

So, know of a good agent? Please share! And if you do, please include why you like that agent.

Capital Region rents

capital region rent distribution small

The distribution of rent prices in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area in 2010, according to Census Bureau estimate. Here's a larger version.

After seeing that the Capital Region had one of the lowest apartment vacancy rates in the nation last year, we were curious about rents here -- how they're distributed and how they stack up against other metro areas. [Biz Review]

Bring on the charts and graphs...

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Capital Region median home prices 2011

real estate sign porchThe median sale price of single family homes in the Capital Region was basically flat in 2011 compared to 2010, according to numbers from the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.

The median price for sale price for a home in the greater Capital Region was $186,032 in 2011. It was $203,511 in the Capital Region's four core counties. Both of those medians were down about 1 percent from 2010.

GCAR (as it's known) recently posted its annual market report for 2011. It includes stats for individual counties, cities, and towns in the Capital Region -- we've broken those out into a table after the jump.

While prices were basically flat for the region as a whole, the average time it took to sell a house increased. GCAR says the average number of days on the market until sale was 101 days in 2011, up from 92 in 2012. (For some perspective, the average was 79 days in 2007. It's been rising each year since.)

Onto the table...

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A ShopRite for Slingerlands, and a tech park

vista technology campus sign

Right now there's not a lot there besides dirt.

Thursday was the official groundbreaking for the Vista Technology Campus in Slingerlands. A lot of the attention was focused on one of the tenants already signed up: ShopRite. That makes three stores now officially announced/open for the area (there's a fourth planned for Colonie). ShopRite continues what appears to be a strategy to go to head-to-head with Price Chopper -- the Vista ShopRite is pretty much be right across the road from the Slingerlands Chopper. [Spotlight] [YNN]

Planning for the Vista site has been going on for a few years -- but Thursday's announcements would seem to indicate it's picking up momentum. It's a potentially significant development project. The site includes 150 acres of land planned for development. And the developer -- Columbia Development -- says its plan includes up 1.4 million square feet of office, research and manufacturing facilities, medical office, and retail space.

A few quick thoughts about all this...

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New city of Albany homeownership program

Thumbnail image for spanish-style houseThe city of Albany and group of the city's largest employers today announced a new package of incentives to encourage people to buy homes in the city.

The incentives include zero-interest and forgivable loans for down payments and closing costs, and in some cases grants for home improvements.

If this gets more people to live in Albany, great. The city could use more homeowners (as do many of the Capital Region's other urban centers) -- as long as those people really can afford to buy a house . And if it gets more people living closer to where they work, even better -- a short commute pays off in all sorts of ways.

Highlights from the program after the jump, along with the full press release.

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Showcase of Homes 2011

showcase of homes 2011 map thumbnailThe 2011 Showcase of Homes starts this weekend in Saratoga County. It's basically a tour of crazy big/extravagant new houses.

We did this a few years back, and it did prompt a fair amount of who-needs-a-bathtub-with-25-jets questioning. But it was the closest we'll ever come to walking through HGTV -- and it was kind of fun to gawk at how the other 10 percent live. (That said, wouldn't it be great to see this kind of series in the Capital Region's urban areas -- a sort of Showcase of In-fill Development?)

This year's tour includes 19 houses. It runs for the next three weekends. Tickets are $20. Proceeds benefit a group of charities, including Habitat for Humanity.

The Taghkanic House

taghkanic house exterior

"It is big and modern, but it is not precious at all."

Moyra Mulholland doesn't throw stones.

Mostly, that's because she's a nice person -- but there's also this: she lives in a glass house.

Moyra and her family live in the Taghkanic House, a more than a little awesome, award-winning, 8,800 square-foot glass and steel structure built into a hillside near Hudson.

On September 4, Moyra -- a makeup artist who's worked with stars such as Nicole Kidman and Ashley Judd -- will open part of her remarkable home for a garden party to benefit The Aids Council of Northeastern New York.

Last week she invited us in for a look.

(Many photos after the jump.)

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The plumbing hall home is for sale

plumbing hall home composite

As the owner joked with Akum: "It's not a large space, it's a big space."

As Patrick pointed out earlier this week, the former plumbing hall in Albany that's been converted into living space is for sale. The asking price: $199,000.

Akum profiled the home back in March. It's an interesting space -- and, not surprisingly, the current owner sounds like an interesting guy.

The building is also the TU's "House of the Week" today.

Where to buy a house in Albany?

spanish-style house in AlbanyStephanie emails:

I just moved to the area for the next few years, and I am looking to buy a house. However, I do not know what the good areas are around in Albany!
I am looking for something that is equidistant from SUNY Uptown campus and downtown Albany. I would love a safe area, that is nice or up and coming. I would want to sell in a few years, so the market value would need to stay the same (or preferably!) improve. Additionally, any advice on where to begin looking for houses would be great. Can anyone help me? Please?

Have a suggestion for Stephanie? Please share!

The 7th Ward House

431 Delaware exterior

What's the story with 431 Delaware?

The last few months we've been noticed a string of interesting events -- music, food, that kind of stuff -- at 431 Delaware Ave, a former church in Albany.

But it was sort of funny -- every time we talked with someone about the place, it was like "Oh, yeah, I heard about that... Hey, what's up with that place?"

Well, wonder no longer. Here is what's up with that place.

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Renting a house?

monopoly houseCrystal asks via Twitter:

Dear @alloveralbany, any tips on where one can find HOUSES for rent in the #518? I'm so over apartment living. xoxo, @CAPowCAPow

Mike followed up Crystal's question with a response that was basically "Why rent, when you can buy?" -- she says they're still saving up a down payment.

So, any suggestions for Crystal? Please share!

photo: Flickr user woodleywonderworks

For sale: the "oldest" house in Schenectady

oldest house in schenectady maybe

When you're 284-years-old, what's a decade-or-two age difference.

oldest house in schenectady maybe markerThe "reputed oldest house" in the city of Schenectady -- the 284-year-old (or so) Yates House in the Stockade -- is for sale. The list price: $389,000.

Apparently there's some question as to whether the Yates House is actually the oldest house in Schenectady. The Brouwer house on North Church Street might be a few decades older. Researchers from the Cornell Tree-Ring Lab concluded the Yates House was built sometime in 1727 or 1728, based on core samples take from beams in the basement. (In the same study they report the oldest part of the Brouwer House dates to 1730.)

The Yates House has been added on to many times. It's now 3,462 square feet with four bedrooms and a "large eat in kitchen," according to its real estate listing.

Update April 13: The Times Union talked with the owner of the house.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Getting reacquainted with Schenectady's Stockade
+ The oldest building in Albany?
+ The oldest house in Saratoga Springs

Community office space at 747 Madison

747 Madison

The recognizable pink building.

Updated with contact info.

We've talked a bit in the past about the push for coworking spaces in the Capital Region.

Well, yesterday we got a look at a space in Albany that points in that direction. It stops short of the ultra-flexible, hive-like coworking concept, but it's more flexible than a typical office rental.

The space is in the 747 Madison building in Albany. We met up with property manager Stephanie Means for a tour.

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Little house on State Street

303C State Outside

We're pretty sure this is the smallest house in Albany.

The other day we noticed that what is arguably the smallest house in Albany is for rent.

303C State Street is a sturdy looking, cute little brick place that kind of puts us in mind of where the first third little pig lived in the fairy tale.

It's one big room with a good size sleeping loft. It's got charm, but it's definitely not meant for pack-rats.

Owner Adam Ladopoulos, who also owns the State Street Mansion Bed and Breakfast, gave us the 5 cent tour this morning.

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For sale: Kirsten Gillibrand's house

gillibrand house for saleKirsten Gillibrand's home in Hudson is up for sale -- the list price: $1.48 million. [NYT]

Check out this snip from the listing on the real estate agent's site, titled "Gatsby & Spectacular Hudson River Views":

Mesmerizing sunsets and all day long stunning views of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains welcome you to a surreal magical landscape that you might think you once stumbled upon in a childhood dream ...this once in a lifetime slice of heaven is the perfect backdrop to make memories generation after generation. Beginning with the private drive guarded by towering shade trees through which the light bounces off Ol' Man River, informal and formal gardens, patios and porches greet you with each gentle rolling slope of the velvet lawn as it rolls down over the river.

There are a handful of photos on the listing page.

The house is listed as having 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a "gracious" kitchen, a "delightful guest cottage," and a barn/4 car garage on 13 acres.

Here's the Zillow listing for the address, which appears to have incorrect info. (The "zestimate" is listed as $717,000.)

KG's office told NYT that the senator and her husband "plan to buy a house closer to family in the Capital Region." [NYT City Room]

Hmm... so what would be a good spot for the Gillibrands? We could see Slingerlands -- big houses, a bit rural, close to Albany and only about 20 minutes from ALB.

photo: Halstead

Good mortgage brokers, real estate attorneys, etc?

a houseFollowing up our mention of this being a good time to think about refinancing your mortgage (seriously you could potentially end up saving many tens of thousands of dollars), -S asked:

My case. If somebody has experience with that process, or pointers, I'd really would like to hear about it. Thanks.

This is a good question because it's the sort of situation where some people might have a hard time getting started. Who do you call? What do you ask? And even on a refinance, there are a lot of separate costs (attorneys, appraisers, and so on).

So... know of a good local mortgage broker or bank? Have a good experience with a local real estate attorney? Please share! You could help -S -- and a lot of other people -- save a lot of money.

The local housing market is... something


Median sale prices. Just a reminder: it's one month of data, so take it with a grain of salt.

The number of closed home sales was down 38 percent in July compared the same period last year, according to Greater Capital Association of Realtors.* But get this: the median sale price was up five percent -- to $199,000 (year to date prices are up slightly, too).

The steep drop in the number of sales probably is a result of the federal tax credit that ended earlier this year -- a lot of house buying was probably crammed in before the deadline.

There are still a lot of houses out there, though. GCAR reports the market has 12.5 "months supply of inventory." And the number of days on the market for the average house is 86 -- that's up about five percent over last year.

By the way: If you already own a house -- and think you'll be there for at least a few years -- it might be a good idea to look a refinancing. Rates are extraordinarily low right (you can get a 15 year mortgage for around 4 percent). Refinancing could save you a lot of money in the long run (even with New York's high closing costs).

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New York has the highest closing costs

highest closing costs 2010

The ten most expensive states (counting LA and SF separately). Arkansas had the lowest average costs at a little more than $3,000.

The closing costs for a $200,000 loan in New York State average $5,623, according to a survey by Bankrate. That's highest in the nation. (Yes, shock. This is New York.)

New York's average is way ahead of #2 Texas (yeah, not everything is bigger in Texas). The Lone Star State's average was $4,708 -- 16 percent less than the Empire State. In fact, New York's total was 50 percent higher than the national average. (Arkansas had the lowest at $3,007.)

Here's how Bankrate figures the costs break down in New York.

Of course, closing costs make it more expensive to buy a house -- but they also add to the price of refinancing your mortgage. And right now mortgage interest rates are at record lows. (Here are some tips for saving on refinance closing costs.)

[via Business Buzz]

graph based on figures from Bankrate

How much, where?

housing_transportation_index_grab.png

One the left, home prices as a percentage of median income. On the right, household median income.

Here's something that might help you kill time until you can leave work get a better picture of the Capital Region.

The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index is an online mapping tool that lets you apply all sorts of filters to local maps -- housing affordability, median household incomes, autos per household, transportation costs and so on. The maps are based on census data.

The index is a project of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which promotes "more livable and sustainable urban communities." That viewpoint shows up in some of the explanations on the site.

[via Jen]

screengrab: CNT

Optimism for the Capital Region housing market

consumer real estate sentiment 2010 July

positive = optimism | negative = pessimism

People in the Capital Region are optimistic about the housing market here, according to a Siena Research Institute report out this week. In fact, people are more optimistic about the housing market here over the next year than in any other part of the state.

Also, SRI reports that sentiment here is strongly leaning toward this being a buyer's market right now. That's not really surprising. The median sales price for single family homes in the Capital Region is now about the same as it was five years ago, according to the Greater Capital Region Association of Realtors. And while the "months supply of inventory" has been down recently, it's still relatively high compared to the last five years.

The strong optimism for the future is a little harder to figure. Is it a result of GlobalFoundries? Or maybe a byproduct of the fact the housing market here never really went in the tank like it did other places?

A quick explanation of the graph above: SRI surveyed more than 2,000 people to derive the "consumer real estate sentiment scores." Positive numbers indicate optimism, negative numbers pessimism. Zero is the point at which there's an equal amount of optimism and pessimism. SRI says anything beyond 50 (+ or -) is considered "both rare and extreme." (There's more detailed explanation at that first link.)

Earlier on AOA:
+ The slow climb toward economic recovery
+ Capital Region June unemployment rate better than last year

graph: Siena Research Institute

Surge of home sales near the deadline

Updated: We've noticed a few discrepancies between these numbers and those being reported elsewhere. We're checking to figure out what's up. The general trends still hold true, though.

So, it looks like the federal first-time homebuyer credit prompted a bunch of people to buy a house in the Capital Region.

The Greater Capital Association of Realtors reported today in its monthly stats release that pending sales in April were up almost 46 percent compared the same month the year before (and 24 percent from two years ago). And the number of closed sales was up 14.5 percent. (Buyers just needed to have a contract to qualify for the credit.)

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Home sales spring forward

Here are the February median home sales prices for the four core counties of the Capital Region, as reported by GCAR.

Both sales prices and the number of closed sales were up compared to February 2009. Prices were more or less the same compared to January 2010 -- except in Rensselaer County where they were up about 9 percent (these monthly snapshots of the market should be taken a few grains of salt because of smaller pool of data).

The "months supply of inventory" (the number of active listings available to the average monthly pending sales for the last twelve months) for the Greater Capital Region (which includes Schoharie and Washington counties) was 9.7 -- which is still pretty high when compared to five years ago (page 10).

It'll be interesting to see how things shake out as we head into the prime home buying season. We've noticed "for sale" signs popping up all over the last few weeks.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Median home prices by city for 2010
+ Our housing market is overvalued?
+ Lots of houses

Of dead malls and empty big boxes

old Old Navy Crossgates Commons

What do you do with an old Old Navy?

Matt recently passed along a link to a site called Dead Malls. It's pretty much what it sounds like: a site that lists "dead malls" -- malls that have closed or, as is often the case, stagger on with few stores and little traffic (undead malls?).

The site includes a handful of entries from the Capital Region. Here's a clip from a remembrance of the Mohawk Mall in Schenectady (it's been transformed into Mohawk Commons):

Right in front of Bradlee's there was a small fountain. This, as my Cousins would say, was the place to be. It was where all the "cool" teenagers would hang out. During the 80's it was a place where the good girls from Niskayuna would go to meet the bad boys from Schenectady (very John Hugh's Teen Flick). My cousin said that it was a great place to hang because the arcade was close and you could grab a slice and the Orange Julius stand was close by (which unfortunatly didn't survive the early 90's remodel). The McDonalds that was near Bradlee's was pretty cool too, they had a "Tree Table" which was a large fake tree with a face that used to talk that had a counter around it. You could eat and listen to some crazy tree talk and tell stories.

This got us thinking about empty big box stores -- a growing problem in many places. Julia Christensen, an RPI grad, has studied how communities re-use these spaces (one example: a K-Mart turned into a Spam museum -- we kid you not). As she told The Infrastructurist last year, there are real estate companies that are starting to specialize in developing new uses for these properties.

Back from the dead?

The Spotlight News reports that the owner of The Latham Mall -- which is on the list of "dead" malls -- is "in discussions with a single-entity tenant that could buy up all the vacant space in the shopping center." That's fueled speculation about who this tenant could be.

And is there something sprouting in one of the empty spaces at Crossgates Commons?

And there's something new going into the old Circuit City space at Crossgates Commons. (Thanks, Andrew, Chris and Laura!)

(Thanks, Matt!)

Median homes prices for January


Prices by county

Here are the median home sales prices for the Capital Region in January, as reported by the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.

Interestingly, or maybe oddly or maybe coincidentally, the average number days on the market was down in every county -- except Saratoga, which also registered the highest jump in median price. (Monthly numbers should be taken with a grain or two of salt -- especially in January, when a few sales one or way the other can shift a small pool of sales.)

GCAR's CEO notes in a press release that homes on the lower end of the price spectrum continue to sell more quickly than homes on the higher end, perhaps because of the first-time homebuyer tax credit.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Median home prices by city for 2010
+ Our housing market is overvalued?

Troy is underrated

kim m block

Kim's block in North Central

By Kim M

A few weeks ago after a post about median home prices around the Capital Region, Kim M commented that she thought people undervalue Troy. We were interested to hear more about why she thought that, so we asked her to write a post about it.

I love Troy. If you don't know that about me then we've never met.

Sometimes I feel like a crazy evangelist for Troy, but I just can't help myself.

Because Troy is underrated.

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Our housing market is overvalued?

spanish-style houseVia Kim M comes a follow up of sorts to this week's post about median home prices in the Capital Region. An analysis for CNN Money figures that the Albany market's home prices are "overvalued" by five percent. (Only 89 of 299 markets surveyed were figured to be overvalued.)

The same methodology was used to conclude that the market here was overvalued by 19 percent in 2006. The sale price in the Capital then was $189,900, according to GCAR. The median sale price at the end of 2009 was $192,500. (It would appear that GCAR and CNN Money are using different definitions for this market. CNN Money has the median price for this area pegged at 198,900.)

By the way: the Capital Region had one of the nation's lowest rates of home foreclosure in 2009.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Lots of houses
+ What's the price of a little extra style?

Cold snap, New York rail funds request stops short, low number of home foreclosures, surgical robot unveiled

Today's weather forecast includes a steep temperature drop, the possibility of strong wind gusts and some snow. [NWS]

Chuck Schumer says New York State is in line to get $151 million from the $6 billion the feds have pledged for high speed rail. Part of that money will go toward constructing a second track at the bottleneck between Rensselaer and Schenectady. It will also pay for signal upgrades and engineering studies. New York State had been hoping to get billions, not of this money. [Post-Star] [Daily Gazette $] [CBS6] [TU]

The state Department of Taxation and Finance is looking to step up its tax collection enforcement efforts. [TU]

Friends and family of Joe Bruno have been writing letters urging the judge presiding over his case to go easy on his sentencing. [TU]

Schenectady's sewer maintenance supervisor was the city's highest-paid employee in 2009 -- mostly because of overtime. [TU]

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Median home prices by city

capital region median home prices 2005-2009

Median home prices for the Capital Region, by year (stats from GCAR)

The Greater Capital Association of Realtors (GCAR, to its friends) recently started including breakdowns of home sales data by city in its monthly stats release. GCAR released the December numbers yesterday, so there's now data for all of 2009. We thought it'd be interesting to see how the median home prices in various cities and towns in the Capital Region stacked up for the year.

You might surprised by which city's median price increased the most. (Yep, there actually were a few increases.)

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Lots of houses

housing inventory

The Capital Region's supply of homes for sale, as measured by "months of inventory."

We were skimming through the latest package of Capital Region home sales stats from the Greater Capital Association of Realtors when the above graph caught our eye. It depicts the trend in "inventory" in the Capital Region.

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Shooting in uptown Albany, Paterson lashes out at media, concerns about pollution at Cohoes factory, GloFo tapping local firms

Albany police say man was shot outside his apartment on Manning Blvd in uptown Albany last night (map). The man reportedly was sitting in car when he took multiple shots in his upper body. A neighbor drove him to the hospital. The APD says it hasn't identified a motive. [TU] [Troy Record] [Fox23] [CapNews9]

The Albany cop car involved in last week's crash that killed a man in a civilian car on Madison Ave did not have an installed video camera. In fact, none of the APD's cars have cameras even though chief James Tuffey said more than a year ago that the squad's fleet would be getting them. [TU]

The median price for single family homes in the Capital Region was down 10 percent in July compared to the same month last year (median prices are down 5 percent for the year). The number of closed sales was about the same, though. That has real estate agents speculating that the market has reached its bottom. [GCAR] [TU]

David Paterson said on Friday that media has treated his administration unfairly because of his ethnicity. Later in the day Paterson said he hadn't accused the media of being racist, but rather said "certain media outlets have engaged in coverage that exploits racial stereotypes." In his original comments, Paterson the press would next go after Barack Obama for the same reason -- and apparently that assertion didn't go over well with the White House. [Daily Politics] [Daily Politics] [NY Post]

A Democratic state senator from Staten Island says David Paterson's impaired vision is making it hard for him to be an effective governor. [SI Advance]

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Albany housing market: slow and steady

albany home values

This chart tracks the last 10 years of Zillow's home value index.

The Albany metro area is one of the five best places to buy a home, according to Zillow. A rep for the real estate info site told Good Morning America that Albany is "a good value." And it's a solid market because of government and higher education jobs.

That steadiness might not have looked so great earlier this decade when home values were surging in other parts of the country. But as you can see from the chart above, slow and steady seems to have worked out OK.

For a little bit of perspective, we pulled the numbers on home values from the last 10 years for a handful of metro areas from Zillow and compared them to Albany. The results -- in a big graph -- after the jump.

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Another gap in the state budget, foreclosure rates stay low, authority moves to buy Albany's oldest building, big plans for bus rapid transit

The state Division of Budget is projecting that New York will be short $2.1 billion during this fiscal year. The reason: less-than-expected revenues from both income and sales taxes. The projected gap will probably bring the legislature back into session in September. [NYS DoB] [NYT] [TU]

A state appeals court has ruled that Richard Ravitch can serve as lieutenant governor until the legality of his appointment is argued in court August 18. One catch: he's not allowed to preside over the state Senate or cast tie-breaking votes in the chamber. Ravitch says he been working on budget issues in the administration. [Daily Politics] [Biz Review] [Fox23]

A handful of state governors will be in Saratoga this weekend for eating, drinking, horse racing and partying a conference hosted by David Paterson. [Daily Politics]

Albany police say a man -- dressed as a woman -- stabbed a stylist at a salon on North Lake in yesterday. Police say the man then ran off with the woman's purse before being arrested. [CapNews9] [CBS6]

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Special state Senate session a disaster, landfill expansion could be approved soon, home prices holding steady, new music venue for Saratoga

Yesterday's special state Senate session was a mess. Among the absurdities: Democrats entered the chamber early in some sort of attempt to call "first!"; each side held its own concurrent session (with their own gavels) and tried to call the other out of order; no one knows if any of the voted-on bills were legally passed. [TU] [Daily Politics] [CapCon] [NYDN] [NYT]

David Paterson has called the Senate back for another session today -- with the same-sex marriage bill on the agenda. The inclusion of that bill could prompt Democrat Ruben Diaz Sr. to switch allegiance to the Republicans, giving them a majority. [Daily Politics]

Jerry Jennings' chief aide says the city's application to expand the Rapp Road landfill could be approved by the DEC as early as this week. At its current size, the landfill is projected to be full later this year -- six years ahead of schedule. Common Councilman -- and mayoral candidate -- Corey Ellis called for "a comprehensive audit of the Rapp Road landfill by a truly independent body" yesterday. [TU] [Ellis press release]

The median price for homes in the Capital Region more or less held steady last month compared to the same period last year -- though the number of transactions was down. Median prices were up in Schenectady County, flat in Albany County and down in Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. Homes priced under $200k are apparently selling well. [Daily Gazette] [GCAR/Post-Star] [TU]

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Saratoga blockbuster


A big chunk of downtown Saratoga is up for sale.

Mark Straus, the owner of now-closed furniture store Mabou, is selling off five multi-use buildings on the 400 block of Broadway. Tenants of the buildings include Mrs. London's, Wheatfields and Silverado.

The asking price for all five combined: $14.5 million

(via)

The Scoop

For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

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