COHOES – The city marked the end of a $3 million, three-phase Remsen Street infrastructure project Monday and immediately turned its attention to pushing forward with a $12 million building proposal at a so-called “fire site” near the corner of Columbia and Remsen streets.
The city has control of the site at 222-230 Remsen St. through the city Industrial Development Agency and the city Local Development Agency. A devastating fire in 2017 burned out the buildings that formerly stood along the west side of the block. The conflagration that threatened to destroy downtown was ignited by a man attempting to forge a sword in his backyard by copying a technique he saw on a reality television show.
“Rebuilding these parcels is going to be transformative to our downtown,” said Steve Napier, an LDC member and the city’s director of community and economic development.
Ron Dion, chairman of the IDA, said the fire site provides a “blank sheet of paper” on which the city can write its future. “It’s going to change over an entire city block,” Dion said. “It’s going to take tragedy and turn it into something positive.”
As part of its successful application for the state’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, city officials identified the block as a development site. The proposal is to apply $2.4 million of the state DRI funds toward the estimated $12 million cost of building a four-story, mixed-use building at the site with commercial space on the first floor and apartments on the upper levels.
Mayor Bill Keeler said the DRI is pumping up multiple proposals around the city. The mayor said having a number of proposals receive funding instead of one alone will push the continuing redevelopment of Remsen Street and the rest of the downtown business district.
Joseph Seman-Graves, the city planner, estimated it will…
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