RENSSELAER — Building a gondola that spans the Hudson River and connects Rensselaer to downtown Albany won’t be possible without collaboration.

From state to federal agencies to private homeowners and local transportation authorities, developers who want to build a gondola in the Capital Region have lauded the efforts among all parties to get the $25 million proposal off the ground.

“When we look at other areas and other cities around the United States where we’ve tried to initiate these gondola projects, a lot of times they’re more technically simple than this one, but where they die is the lack of communication and coordination among the stakeholders,” said Tom Madison, Capital District Gondola executive director. “We’re really proud that Albany and Rensselaer are working closely together.”

Albany-based Capital District Gondola provided updates on the proposal to the Rensselaer Planning Commission during the board’s Monday meeting. The Rensselaer Planning Commission is overseeing the state environmental quality review of the project.

A site development proposal submitted to Rensselaer outlines how the gondola system would operate and the route it would take between the two cities. It would extend from the Rensselaer train station to the Times Union Center area in Albany, with stations to get on and off at each end.

A 4,500-foot aerial gondola would run between the two cities, with 11 towers, ranging from 40 feet to 133 feet high, supporting the gondola cables, the application states.

Eleven of the property parcels affected by the gondola project are in Rensselaer; the other nine parcels are across the river in Albany. The project needs a special-use permit.

Chris Spencer, Albany’s Department of Planning and Development commissioner, said various officials have been in contact with Capital Gondola regarding the permitting process.

“We don’t have a blueprint to go from because we’ve never permitted a gondola before,” Spencer said. “From a regulatory standpoint, it’s more complex than from a construction standpoint. We’re all excited about the possibility, and we’re looking forward to seeing if this can be done.”

Developers must secure air rights to have the gondolas glide over property as well as both public and private property to erect towers and cables for the gondola. They’re currently negotiating with all stakeholders to move the project forward.

“One of the biggest concerns that I see is us becoming a parking lot for Albany, and that’s going to be related to the price,” said Ed Schillaci, one of Rensselaer’s planning commissioners. “Because of the congestion in Albany, I could see why Albany would be very much for this.”

Madison said they’ll also be conducting an archeological study of the corridor and further studies on traffic and municipal service – like police and fire – impacts.

“We want to be very mindful, not about what it’s going to look like at opening … but what it’s going to look like five and 10 years down the road when hopefully we see some development here at and around the station,” he said to Rensselaer officials Monday. “What we’ve seen in other parts of the world with these urban gondolas is pretty significant induced demand – it’s the ‘if you build it they will come’ kind of thing.”

Madison said 80 percent of the funding has already been secured through private investors, and they’ve applied for state grants to pay for the rest.

If fully funded, the first gondola would cross the river between Rensselaer and Albany sometime in early 2020, "making the Capital Region a national leader in this rapidly emerging urban access technology,” according to the project’s application to the Planning Commission.

Planning commissioner Raymond Stevens said with construction costs lower than building a new bridge, or highway, and the “niche market” from the train station in to downtown Albany, this seems like a feasible project.

“It’s about bringing in economic development,” he said. “With Rensselaer developing the waterfront, and Albany with the Times Union Center and now the convention center and anything else they may have planned, this just brings in business.”