3rd Quarter Update 2024
Dear Army of the Engaged!
This is hump season, that period of time between Summer and Fall. In our case it is that time between a very busy summer of activities and the announcement of the NYSDOT report and the Empire State Development competitive grant application results.
But in order to understand where we are headed it is a good time to reflect on our past.
Our Past
Background
Two years ago a group of individuals met with the renowned artist, Len Tantillo. Len had conceived of an idea to bring the Hudson River to Albany given the many failed attempts to bring Albany to the river. This brilliant vision had lain dormant for over 25 years with somewhat infrequent media revivals. Meanwhile, Albany, once a significant economic downtown port, continued to decline, accelerated by the impact of covid and the practice of remote work which left the downtown of the capital city of the empire state a ghost town at times. The decades long study and confusion as to where to locate the proposed convention center had discouraged economic development, leaving the so called parking lot district and bus station a virtual wasteland.
The Albany Waterway, Inc.
It was into this situation that these individuals determined to act. A not for profit corporation was formed and tax exempt status obtained from the IRS. This provided a vehicle to formalize the next steps. A study of other cities with canals was completed with the assistance of the Albany Law School. This resulted in conclusions that canals can promote vibrancy and return significant returns on any public investments. Aside from this economic return of taxpayers money we found important social, environmental and public private partnership investments. In short, our vision would be a major game changer for Albany.
We established a website www.albanywaterway.org and began to tell our story. Over 800 individuals have joined us as Friends of the Waterway, our Army of the Engaged! We have appeared before dozens of civic, neighborhood and historic preservation groups.
The Roles of NYSDOT and NYS ESD
Member of the Assembly, Pat Fahy, secured a grant that has been assigned to the NYSDOT for the study of reimagining the connections of Albany to the Hudson River. The Study are three main areas of focus: redesign of I 787; our vision of a canal; a land bridge over I 787 to connect downtown to the Hudson River. While a report is expected by years end, we have been active in meeting with NYSDOT to express our reactions to their various waterway proposals. In the end, we believe their report will be a very high level look at our vision focused solely on the specialty areas of the NYSDOT, namely the engineering, road and bridge challenges involved with our vision.
Understanding this and recognizing that the benefits of our vision are not being studied by government entities we met with the NYS Empire State Development leaders and staff and in July applied for a competitive grant to study those aspects. This is a matching grant with a maximum amount of $100k with the government matching 50% of that funding. In order to meet the requirements of the grant we were required to raise the full $100k with the expectation that we would receive a 50% return, if successful. In two weeks we raised these funds from you, our board and others, a clear marker that our vision has caught the attention of so many. In addition we were required to obtain letters of support endorsing our planning study. Again, in two weeks we secured these very strong letters of support from our congressman, state senator and members of the Assembly, county executive, Mayor, NYS Canal Corporation, Erie Canalway, Downtown Albany BID, Historic Albany Foundation, Discover Albany, Advance Albany County Alliance, Capital Region Chamber/Center for Economic Growth, Capital Rep Theater and key developers Buell and Nigro. The overall theme of these important letters was that the capital city of the Empire State has the ability to become a world class city. Once again Albany will have access to the Hudson River and an accessible link between downtown and the thriving retail area of North Albany.
They noted the tremendous strides made by Canalside in Buffalo, the redevelopment of the harbors in Kingston and Schenectady and the revitalization of Troy by realizing the benefits of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. Stressed were the benefits of increased affordable housing, retail businesses, increased jobs, and open welcoming safe spaces for our residents and visitors to enjoy the ambiance of our historic buildings. Specific emphasis will be placed on the Eastern Terminus of the Erie Canal which includes the historic lock one, a boat basin where boats awaited entry into the weigh lock for assessment of a toll before proceeding west and the weigh lock itself. The remains of these structures have been located in an abandoned area, with the exception of the 6,000 square foot structure housing Modern Press, adjacent to the soon to be demolished Central Warehouse.
This vision was captured by Len Tantillo who painted the area as it appeared in the 1890s as noted a by WRGB-Channel 6 news report in August. If you want a real treat, please go to YouTube and view Len Tantillo’s offerings. In addition to that which the link brings you to there are many other You Tube Tantillo sessions. You will find them most interesting!
In addition, we continue our focus on the southern portion of our vision. We believe that to effect truly meaningful transformation to downtown there needs to be water and have offered various options to accomplish this. We recognize the new energy infused in downtown by our board member Pam Howard’s leadership of the Historic Albany’s saving and preserving 48 Hudson Avenue adjoining the parking lot district. We observe the revitalization of Kiernan Plaza, now welcoming new tenants, including our board member Jill Delaney’s organization, Discover Albany. We anticipate progress being made on the proposed soccer stadium in the parking lot district and the relocation of the bus station to another downtown location. We are looking forward to participating in the planning to accomplish all of this with a goal of connecting them with a waterway, one of our options, including an inner section in the area adjoining the SUNY headquarters. This could be similar to Buffalo’s Canalside where such an area is used for winter skating and summer paddleboats, all adjacent to open, inviting areas for individuals to sit out and enjoy the water, bringing with it renewed economic development and a positive city vibe.
Next Steps
We continue to work with NYSDOT, appear before interested groups and raise funds to further our planning. We will alert you to developments as they occur and thank you for your continued support which enables our work and assists our need for a social media presence.
Donations can be made on our website or by a check payable to The Albany Waterway, Inc and sent to Eric Simonds, our treasurer, at CBRE, 210 Washington Avenue Extension, Suite 201, Albany, NY 12203.
Much Thanks!
Onward!
BJ Costello
Chair