Albany

So there's going to be a convention center built in Albany. Can you believe it?

We're told the project will break ground in June — a mere 20 years after the city's business leaders first began chirping about the need for the building. Now that, folks, is exactly the kind of quick and decisive action that has made Albany's reputation.

But the project raises a question: What happens to all that land where the convention center was originally set to go?

If you missed the news, a scaled-back version of the convention center now will be built along Eagle Street, near the Capitol. It WILL NOT be built on the seven acres methodically acquired by the Albany Convention Center Authority at the southeast corner of downtown, near the Greyhound station.

Let's call that area by its most appropriate name: The Parking Lot District. (All credit for the moniker goes to Rob Madeo of Albany Eye fame.)

Now, the Parking Lot District is a sad place, a concrete wasteland made all the more tragic because it was once a vital and dynamic part of the city. In fact, no part of Albany has a richer past.

I spoke with historian Tony Opalka, and he traced the neighborhood's start to the 1600s. You could write a book about the PLD's history — and yet it's almost all gone, victimized by neglect, urban renewal and just plain stupidity.

"If you look at photos from 1950, you just can't believe it's now just a giant parking lot," Opalka said. "It just disappeared a building or two at a time."

Convention center planning didn't do the PLD any favors, at least in the short-term. The authority purchased some of the area's remaining good buildings — such as the E-Comm Square complex — and emptied them of tenants. The already grim PLD became even more depressing.

Well, the past is just that. So let's focus on what comes next for the PLD.

Presumably, private developers will be invited to transform it with a mix of offices, apartments and stores. They'll be asked to make a real neighborhood and put it on the tax rolls. That would be wonderful, but the PLD, I think, also calls for something a little more creative and dynamic than the usual plans.

An aquarium? Eh, I don't see it working, especially away from the waterfront.

More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5700 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5700 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

A casino? Fat chance. Kathy Sheehan seems frosty to the idea, and I would be shocked if anyone with pull wants gambling so close to the heart of state government.

But here's an idea that will really get your juices flowing: A bus-transit center.

OK, so it won't ignite the imagination of the masses, but the CDTA-backed idea makes sense. The transportation hub would reduce the need for all those parking lots, and it would rid the PLD of that hideous Greyhound station. It would make all of downtown more functional.

Here's another idea: A market.

Consider that the PLD is near the site of the old Albany Public Market, wiped away by the South Mall Arterial. So why not set aside a permanent place for farmers and food? Actually, maybe a developer will propose a grocery store — perhaps in a building like the new Market Center in Saratoga Springs, which has apartments above a Price Chopper and a movie theater next door.

The possibilities for the PLD aren't quite limitless, but they're exciting if you care about Albany. How many cities get this sort of chance?

"There's big interest in the property," said Gavin Donohue, chairman of the convention authority, adding that developers "think this is a real jewel of Albany and a real gem from an economic development standpoint."

But before you get too excited, know this: The authority's seven acres are being given to the state, which will lead the site's redevelopment.

That would be the very same state government that dramatically remade the Harriman State Office Building Campus, turning it into an urban playground filled with stores and apartments and ...

Oh wait. That's right. None of those things happened at Harriman — despite repeated promises. And that's reason to be skeptical about the future of the Parking Lot District.

Is the state capable of thoughtful urban planning? Will it do what's best for the city? Will it stick to a plan? Will officials make the process open and transparent, with input from Albany residents?

Uptown, at Harriman, the answer to each question was "no." Downtown, the city needs better.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5700 • @chris_churchill