Albany

Hoffman's Playland might be moving to Albany.

Huck Finn's Warehouse and More is asking the Albany County Industrial Development Agency to aid a plan that would relocate the park's rides to land near the Erie Boulevard furniture store. The application was discussed at an IDA meeting on Wednesday.

Chairman Gary Domalewicz said the IDA's consideration of the relocation effort is "very preliminary."

"We haven't acted on anything," Domalewicz said, "and we probably won't act on anything until our next meeting on Oct. 8."

Hoffman's Playland has operated along Route 9 in Newtonville since 1952 and is considered a beloved Capital Region institution. But last year, owners David and Ruth Hoffman announced they would close the Playland to redevelop the valuable suburban site.

Hoffman's Playland closed for good last Sunday, amid an emotional outpouring from those who had visited the park for generations.

David Hoffman, speaking to the Times Union on the Playland's final day, said there was a potential buyer for the rides, but declined to say more. The IDA meeting, however, brought the private negotiations into the public realm — although the amount of financial assistance being sought by Huck Finn's was unclear on Friday. Domalewicz declined to say.

Jeff Sperber, principal owner of Huck Finn's, did not return several phone calls. Ruth Hoffman, reached by telephone on Thursday, said she and her husband would not discuss potential sales or ongoing negotiations until they're finalized.

William Clay, an IDA board member and a county legislator who represents part of Albany, didn't have financial specifics and also said the board has yet to hear details of how the park might operate at Huck Finn's.

"I tend to think they'll come forward with new ideas and inventive ideas," Clay said. "That's what we're hoping for."

The Erie Boulevard site, on the western edge of the city's Warehouse District, sits in an industrial area along Interstate 787. The relocation would seem a potential boost to a neighborhood that's rarely considered a family destination.

"I don't see any downside to it," said Kelly Kimbrough, a Common Council member whose North Albany district includes the Huck Finn's site.

The Erie Boulevard neighborhood also has little in common with the current Hoffman's Playland site just north of affluent Loudonville. Would the park's fans follow the park to a grittier location?

Mike Chute, creator of a "Save Hoffman's Playland" page on Facebook, wasn't sure. But he was confident that the potential for an intact Playland would please most of the page's 21,000 fans.

"It's almost like they've gone through the stages of grief," Chute said. "Now, they've accepted that it's gone for good at its current location, and I think people will be pleased if it's kept together as one piece."

Clay, from the IDA, said much the same.

"Hoffman's was an institution in the area; it was iconic," he said. "To continue it is a good thing."

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5442 • @chris_churchill