Albany's downtown makeover: How to make your voice heard

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Happy Monday, Capital Region! Today, we’re getting you prepped for the first public forum on Albany’s once-in-a-lifetime, $200 million downtown revitalization effort. Btw, here’s what you can buy for a cool $200 mil:

• 🍗 33 million sandwiches from Chick-fil-A

• 🎓 4 years at Harvard... for 575 students

• 🍨 20 million gallons of Stewart’s ice cream

• 🏠️ 500 affordable housing units in upstate NY

• 🎟️ 404,040 VIP season tix to the Albany FireWolves

Bottom line: It’s a boatload of money. Let’s spend it wisely.

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

P.S. Speaking of moolah, drop us a tip to support local journalism! And thank you to every subscriber who’s given so far. We appreciate you!

Let’s make this count: Get involved with Albany’s future 💪 

Now that the $200 million promised by Gov. Kathy Hochul for Albany’s downtown revitalization is a done deal, here comes the hard part—actually deciding how all the money should be spent.

Billed as a “public workshop,” the first forum hosted by Empire State Development, the state entity in charge of the behemoth project, will be held on Wednesday, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, at the Albany Capital Center. Doors open at 4:30 pm, and refreshments and free parking will be provided. Details here.

We recommend that you register for the event before it fills to capacity.

If you’re at all concerned about the future of Albany, you should try to make this meeting. We should all be engaged with the process, even people who live outside of the city. Why? Because what’s good for Albany is good for the Capital Region.

A thriving Albany benefits all of us. If we can revitalize Albany in the way that another neglected capital city—Columbus, Ohio—has been able to achieve over the last 20 years, think of the lucrative tourism and new businesses that will come into the Capital Region.

To prepare for the meeting, here’s a quick guide to what’s officially known as the Championing Albany’s Potential (CAP) Initiative:

✅ What’s included in the plan? 

• $200 million dedicated to planning and implementing projects within one mile of the State Capitol. The focus is on boosting business and civic activity, repurposing vacant properties, improving public spaces, and enhancing public safety.

• Redevelopment of Liberty Park, the sad 8‑acre site now used primarily by the Greyhound bus station. Capitalize Albany has issued an RFP, with proposals that include a 1,000‑unit mixed‑use development anchored by a soccer stadium ($600M total project cost).

• Remember that these must be brick-and-mortar capital projects. The money cannot be used to pay for programs, salaries, or organizations.

🫡 Who’s leading the effort?

• Empire State Development (ESD) oversees the CAP Initiative.

• MIG, a national urban planning firm, was selected to lead strategy, public engagement, and project roadmap development.

• A coalition of local consultants (Highland Planning, Streetsense, and Nelson\Nygaard) will help manage community input and design solutions.

🙋 How can you get involved?

• Community engagement begins with neighborhood briefings; broader public input will be solicited via workshops, digital tools, and direct outreach.

• You can sign up to get updates directly from ESD here.

• Go to the public workshop on Wednesday. Stay informed!

⚠️ What to watch for

• The Empire State Plaza stands as a monument to misguided state ambition. As impressive as it looks, the plaza did little to spur private investment around it. Ironically, a portion of the $200 million will be set aside to make the plaza feel more connected to the surrounding neighborhood.

• It remains to be seen just how much influence the City of Albany will wield here. CAP appears to be largely state-driven at this point.

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🧱 How does it feel to live my dream? The TU profiles the professional Lego artist behind “Art of the Brick,” opening in Schenectady. The traveling exhibit of Nathan Sawaya’s impressive large-scale sculptures arrives Thursday at Armory Studios. Get tix here. [Times Union]

🖼️ Taking place Aug. 16-17, the Sacandaga Valley Arts Network Art Trails festival marks its 10th anniversary this month. The two-day, self-guided tour winds its way through the valley, allowing you to meet with a host of artists, including painters, sculptors, photographers, woodworkers, weavers and more. [Daily Gazette]

🚧 How do you solve the notorious bottleneck known as Hoosick Road? Depends on who you ask. “It’s all wrapped into frustration,” says Troy mayor Carmella Mantello. “It’s wrapped into the state kind of turning a blind eye... It should have been done at least 15 years ago, but here we are now.” [Times Union]

This stylish Cape Cod in Albany’s Helderberg neighborhood may still be cloaked in the once-trendy Millennial gray, but the midcentury-mod glass blocks are forever cool. Inside, you’ll find gleaming hardwood floors, a cozy fireplace, and a neat kitchen with stainless steel appliances. The finished basement adds flexible space for a home office, gym, or that pile of stuff you keep meaning to sell. Out back, a private deck overlooks a fully fenced yard, perfect for entertaining or simply getting away from it all. Sprawl out across 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a smart layout. You’re just minutes from Crossgates, I-90, and UAlbany. This well positioned darling is a solid catch with good character with a few smile lines to prove it.

The deets: 3 bd, 2 ba, 1734 sf. Asking: $299,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

Our full weekend roundup publishes every Thursday. Be sure to check your inboxes!

🚢 Events marking the Erie Canal’s bicentennial this year are happening all month: On Aug. 21, Brown’s Brewing Co. is hosting Beers, Bikes & Barges in Troy. Starting Aug. 16 for three consecutive Saturdays, the Rock the Lock concert series takes place in Fort Hunter at the Schoharie State Historic Site.

🖼️ Now on view at the UAlbany Art Museum: Noel Anderson: Black Excellence.

🧜‍♀️ The Playhouse Stage Company presents “The Little Mermaid” at Cohoes Music Hall, through Aug. 17. Critic Bob Goepfert called the production “breathtaking” and “a very special experience” in his review.

🎙️TODAY at 4 pm, Hudson Mohawk Magazine invites you to its HMM Community Radio Day, which gives folks to chance to meet the producers of the show and sit in on a live recording.

💼 Also today, the City of Albany is hosting its monthly Civil Service Workshop at the Albany Public Library, Arbor Hill branch. Register for the event here.

🎟️ All day Tuesday, the Regal Clifton Park Stadium 10 & RPX is showing family movies for just $1, at its Summer Movie Express event.

🎡 The Schoharie County Sunshine Fair kicks off on Tuesday and runs through Sunday. See the daily highlights here.

🧱 Speaking of Lego, the Arkell Museum and Canajoharie Library is hosting a Lego-building contest all week at its Summer Building Extravaganza.

🎸 Wednesday concerts: Troy’s last Rockin’ on the River of the season features Ky McClinton Duo and Lucid Street. Meanwhile, Tarrus Riley plays the Empire State Plaza, and the Refrigerators headline Freedom Park in Scotia.

🥳 Also Wednesday, We Are Revolutionary puts on a Stay Out the Field Block party at The Underground Railroad Education Center.

🍸️ On Thursday, Undrunk Club invites you for mocktails and macrons at the adorable Prince Tea House. Read our profile of this all-women, teetotaling social scene.

📜 Also Thursday, the NYS Museum invites you to Archive Adventures: Discover New York’s Hidden Stories. Each week, a curator will take you on a deep dive into one important document in the museum.

🌿 On Friday, get a guided tour of the museum’s historic herbarium at From Field to Folder: Exploring the Botanical Collections.

🥕 This weekend, the 2025 Markets at Round Lake celebrates the sustainable food movement with 75 specially selected food vendors.

🎭️ On Saturday, the 2nd Annual Capital Region Activated Artist Fest 2025 is jam-packed day of dance, visual art, theater, film, and spoken word for social justice. A collab between Create A Space NOW and Proctors in Schenectady, the free event showcases local artists and work that blends creativity with social change.

👹 Love Japanese animation? Come out to the Studio Ghibli Fest 2025: Grave of the Fireflies at the Regal theater in Clifton Park on Sunday.

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