Hello, Collar City! This is Issue 2, dated Sept. 21, 2018.



Do you even lift, Troy Letter readers—and if so, where, I'm wondering, especially if you live downtown? I recently cancelled my YMCA membership. The facility located off of Hoosick St. was very nice, but I hated both the idea and experience of driving to the gym. I barely went.



The VENT Fitness in Latham is transit-friendly (CDTA 370) but would take about an hour to reach on foot from where I live, according to Google Maps.



Not long ago,



Yesterday I emailed a link to the r/Troy thread to CDPHP executive Bob Hinckley after I read



Hinckley got back to me today. "Of course...if I could find the right space downtown [we] would certainly consider it. Thanks."



Several new apartment complexes built or in the works, two of which were awarded tax breaks today (more below), feature gyms as "amenities" for tenants. (One developer used the term "amenitized housing" today, which I hadn't heard before.) In that r/Troy thread, I wondered—and still do wonder—if those private gyms tend to make it less likely an open-to-the-public gym ever will hang out a shingle downtown.



I don't know if downtown city councilmember Anasha Cummings finds this theory plausible, but he's aware of the whole situation. He commented in the above-linked thread: "Since all of these buildings are including gyms in them, I don't understand why one won't just make a nicer gym that is open to the public, and give a cheaper lease with the condition that residents get free or reduced cost access."

I recently cancelled my YMCA membership. The facility located off of Hoosick St. was very nice, but I hated both the idea and experience of driving to the gym. I barely went.The VENT Fitness in Latham is transit-friendly (CDTA 370) but would take about an hour to reach on foot from where I live, according to Google Maps.Not long ago, r/Troy discussed the absence of a gym in downtown Troy . Some good ideas—namely, outdoor, free-to-use fitness equipment—were floated. One potential site I didn't see mentioned, but which was mentioned to me today, is Russell Sage's underused athletic facility near the canal. It's up for sale , incidentally.Yesterday I emailed a link to the r/Troy thread to CDPHP executive Bob Hinckley after I read this story in the ABR about how the health insurer intends to open more free fitness centers in the region. Apparently there are already five—in Latham, Delmar, North Greenbush, Saratoga Springs, and Clifton Park. I asked if he'd ever consider opening one in downtown Troy. I also forwarded the email to CDPHP's communications director, who asked if I "had a location in mind." No specific site, I said, but let's say someplace within a 15-minute walk of Monument Square.Hinckley got back to me today. "Of course...if I could find the right space downtown [we] would certainly consider it. Thanks."Several new apartment complexes built or in the works, two of which were awarded tax breaks today (more below), feature gyms as "amenities" for tenants. (One developer used the term "amenitized housing" today, which I hadn't heard before.) In that r/Troy thread, I wondered—and still do wonder—if those private gyms tend to make it less likely an open-to-the-public gym ever will hang out a shingle downtown.I don't know if downtown city councilmember Anasha Cummings finds this theory plausible, but he's aware of the whole situation. He commented in the above-linked thread: "Since all of these buildings are including gyms in them, I don't understand why one won't just make a nicer gym that is open to the public, and give a cheaper lease with the condition that residents get free or reduced cost access."

Secret Waste

The city council general services committee meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday (and mentioned in TL1) was rescheduled for Sept. 27. I had intended to fold a close reading of the new, draft Solid Waste Management Plan [PDF] into a write-up of that meeting, but now with the delay I've started paging through it, and some stuff about data caught my attention.



Last year the transfer station in South Troy operated by County Waste, which leases the land from the Troy LDC, took in more than 18,000 tons of municipal waste (that includes single-stream recycling, construction and demolition debris, and classic garbage). But this figure "is not comprehensive," according to the report, because the annual report CW provides to the city "does not capture any other generators besides the City collection services."



Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Russell Sage College, Hudson Valley Community College, Samaritan Hospital, and St. Mary's Hospital—the "institutions that most contribute to the waste stream"—manage their solid waste privately, the report says. "The City has no collected data from these institutions related to their solid waste management or disposal processes."



Having this data, for one, would make it easier to calculate the citywide recycling rate, which the city says it has "conservatively" pegged at around 6-7% for the last four years. (The mayor's office didn't return an inquiry regarding how it arrived at this estimate.)



The city code has not one but two sections (234-4 and 247-5) that pertain to waste hauler permits. They are "contradictory" and have not been enforced, per the report, which says enforcement should start next year. The new permits would require haulers—including the ones that serve the above-mentioned institutions—to file quarterly reports with the city.



On Tuesday, I emailed a link to the draft plan to media contacts at RPI, Sage, HVCC, and St. Peter's Health Partners and asked (i) whether their institutions would be open to sharing waste data with the city and (ii) whether they'd be willing to share the same with me (and, by extension, you) posthaste. Reps for Sage and HVCC at least acknowledged receipt of my inquiry, but no one provided a response of substance by this morning.



I'll have more trash coverage for you after the Sept. 27 meeting.

Meeting Diary

Troy Industrial Development Authority, 9/21

The Troy Local Development Corporation meeting, which always immediately precedes city IDA meetings (on Friday mornings, because why not), was cancelled because of a lack of a quorum.



The IDA approved tax-break bundles for two city projects: Kings Commons, LLC (5-2, Cummings & McGrath dissented) and Fourth Street Troy, LLC (unanimous). There was little to no discussion today of the former, a five-story, 52-unit, $12.9 million apartment complex that will receive financial assistance totaling $3.7 million.



The latter project, The Rosenblum Cos.' latest effort in Troy—a five-story, 80-unit apartment complex with 2,300 square feet of commercial space, located near Fourth and Congress streets—is an $18.7 million project that will receive tax breaks totaling $5.3 million.



More than a dozen people spoke in favor of awarding the incentives to Rosenblum, which recently completed The News Apartments. Speakers included Guhu Bala of Velan Ventures, former county legislator Gary Pavlic, Michael Fusco of Franklin Plaza, Genika Blandshaw of Juice Factory VII (soon to open a second location in The News), and Jim Lewis of Springwood Studios. No one spoke against the tax breaks.



I've never seen so many people speak about a project for an IDA public hearing, and board members noted the turnout. To further press its case, the developer offered up a study by Saratoga Springs-based consultancy Camoin Associates that touted the project's prospective economic benefits to the immediate area.



Under the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, the city will still receive about $1.6 million in tax revenue from the developer, which is about $1 million more than it would receive if the project didn't happen, Rosenblum executive Jeff Mirel said. (The project site, a two-parcel assemblage, is currently a shuttered bank and a parking lot.)



Mirel also detailed the challenges the developer has faced or will face as the project advances. For one, in order to obtain the city-owned parking lot, it had to acquire a replacement lot nearby; in order to obtain a replacement lot, it ended up having to acquire two other lots, demolish a dilapidated building, and recondition that area. (Sorta complicated; if you're confused or unfamiliar with the saga, this story I wrote last year features a map.) It will also have to construct an "off-site sewer separation project," Mirel said, and the city-owned lot has "real environmental problems" involving fuel-oil spillage, which the developer will have to remediate.

The Times Union's Eric Anderson also attended the meeting. If you'd like to read even more IDA-related content, his story is here.



After the vote, I asked Mirel if he asked the public commenters to attend the meeting.



"I let them know we had a meeting and we could use support," he replied.



Court Diary

ON 9/19/2018 AT ABOUT 830PM I WAS OUTSIDE OF [a house near the corner of Tyler and Second streets in South Troy]. DAVID WHO IS A WHITE GUY THAT LIVES [there] CAME OUT OF HIS HOUSE WITH 2 SWORDS. I WAS ABOUT 10FT AWAY FROM HIM WHEN HE CAME OUT. 1 SWORD WAS ABOUT 5FT LONG AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE OTHER ONE. HE STARTED YELLING "[expletive you, racial slur]" TO PEOPLE ON THE STREET ACTING ALL CRAZY. HE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE POINT WHERE HE` COULD OF HIT ME AND I WOULD HAVE GOT HURT FROM IT. HE MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KILL ME IF HE WANTED TO. I WANT HIM ARRESTED FOR THIS. DAVID IS THE ONE THE POLICE TOOK OUT IN HANDCUFFS.

Odds and Ends

Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse, who is facing a raft of domestic abuse allegations, should resign, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden told me on Thursday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for Morse's resignation on Sunday .



Dylan Turek is the city's new economic development director . (Cheryl Kennedy left the post in June, according to her LinkedIn.) Turek co-founded Collar City Collective, a real-estate development company, several years ago. CCC seems to have largely focused on South Central, where it owns several properties , including 274 Second St., an old warehouse near the canal. Turek has also served on the board of the city-affiliated Troy Community Land Bank since 2014.



C.J. Kempf III has replaced Stephen Pechenik as Rensselaer County Attorney, County Executive Steve McLaughlin confirmed to me on Thursday. Kempf once served as vice president for policy and regulatory affairs at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.



Spotted: a paper sign advertising a one-bedroom apartment at 65 Second St., near Congress, for $650/month, heat included. This struck me as quite cheap, especially considering the location. I thought it might make for an interesting story, but the contact person, Martin, turned down my pitch when I called him on Monday. "I'm good," he said. "I don't need to do that, thanks." (It had already been rented.)



Harrison's Corner Market is "closed until further notice," per a FB post .



Redburn Development has 700 River St. under contract, the owner of that property, Paul Gendron Sr., told me Friday morning. He declined to disclose the sale price and said the fate of 696 River St., which he also owns, is uncertain. He said he didn't know what Redburn, which is currently converting the former Marshall Ray building across the street (at 701 River) into a mixed-use apartment complex, intends to do with 700 River—but that it's not really his concern.



"I'm gonna be in Florida with my feet up," Gendron, 79, said. (He later clarified that he used Florida only as an example of a place he might spend his retirement.)



Jeff Buell and Tom Rossi, both principals at Redburn, didn't immediately return a request for comment today. There's a groundbreaking ceremony for the 701 River St. project scheduled for next week, planning commissioner Steve Strichman said at the IDA meeting today, so perhaps I'll catch up with them there.



The property that housed the now-defunct Collar City Cafe, 714 River St., which is adjacent to 700 River, was recently listed for sale for $250,000. Earlier this year, the planning commission



The property plus the Gendron's lot constitutes a near-half-acre triangular block that the newly adopted comprehensive plan

An email to the Collar City Cafe Gmail account went unanswered.



Did you see this page in the latest issue of New York Magazine? Interesting that the three properties listed are far north of Hoosick St...

. This struck me as quite cheap, especially considering the location. I thought it might make for an interesting story, but the contact person, Martin, turned down my pitch when I called him on Monday. "I'm good," he said. "I don't need to do that, thanks." (It had already been rented.). He declined to disclose the sale price and said the fate of 696 River St., which he also owns, is uncertain. He said he didn't know what Redburn, which is currently converting the former Marshall Ray building across the street (at 701 River) into a mixed-use apartment complex, intends to do with 700 River—but that it's not really his concern."I'm gonna be in Florida with my feet up," Gendron, 79, said. (He later clarified that he used Florida only as an example of a place he might spend his retirement.)Jeff Buell and Tom Rossi, both principals at Redburn, didn't immediately return a request for comment today. There's a groundbreaking ceremony for the 701 River St. project scheduled for next week, planning commissioner Steve Strichman said at the IDA meeting today, so perhaps I'll catch up with them there.. Earlier this year, the planning commission approved a conversion of the cafe to a salon.The property plus the Gendron's lot constitutes a near-half-acre triangular block that the newly adopted comprehensive plan specifically calls for the city to acquire . The site would serve "as a future signature park with a potential revenue generating amenity such as a restaurant overlooking the park on the Middleburgh frontage," the plan says. Here's the Loveland app view, for reference (two lots circled in green):An email to the Collar City Cafe Gmail account went unanswered.Interesting that the three properties listed are far north of Hoosick St...

Likely the most unusual case of the day centered around David Krill, 21, who was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree (a felony) and menacing in the second degree (a misdemeanor). CBS6 attended court that day to cover this case , and Judge Maier granted the station's request to film the proceeding, though he denied its request to record audio.I obtained the charging documents and a neighbor/witness/victim's statement that reads as follows (address and language redacted):Judge Maier set bail at $5,000. Krill pleaded not guilty. His assigned counsel told the court that the case appeared worthy of "scrutiny as to whether it's overcharged."

As of today, a GoFundMe to support the establishment of a "leftist social club" in North Central Troy has raised more than $1,100. The funds will go toward acquiring and at least beginning to rehab a building, as well as forming a nonprofit. The goal is $10,000.



Jack Cox, longtime owner and operator of Jack's Auto Parts, died on Sept. 16, according to an obituary.



The 9/11 ZBA meeting minutes were posted. You might recall that in TL1 I mentioned I missed the discussion of Poestenkill Place. Here's the section that reflects public comments on that project:

The project still needs site plan approval from planning commission, so it will be interesting to see if its avowed opponents continue the battle at that venue.



The two Fourth St. properties (203 and 207) discussed in TL1 were cleared this week. Here's what the site looked like on Wednesday afternoon:



Rensselaer County District Attorney candidate Mary Pat Donnelly attended Soul Cafe at Oakwood Community Center on Monday night, according to her campaign's FB page. She is challenging incumbent Joel Abelove. I interviewed her back in May for The Alt.

The Links

Events, Past & Future

The public library budget vote and board of trustees election is this upcoming Tuesday . Click that link for more info about the four candidates (vying for two spots) and the $1.3 million proposed budget.



"All I can really say without endorsing anybody is we're lucky to have four really good candidates," the library's longtime director, Paul Hicok, told me on Tuesday. "A lot of libraries don't get that response."



The Shop's third annual clambake is this Saturday. All-you-can-eat, $35. The fifth annual Collar City Ramble is the same day. But, conveniently, it ends when the clambake begins (2 P.M.). Maybe they'd make a nice pairing. (P.S. Can we please make



Remember that 1MSQ design workshop, back in June? The team of consultants that ran the three-day event said at the time that they'd be back in September to present a refined concept. Now it's looking like it might be at least another month. "We are working on October dates with all of the parties," Margaret Irwin, a member of the consultant team, told me in an email on Monday. I'm sure you're all very excited to talk more about City Hole.



Bard & Baker, the new board game cafe at The News Apartments, will open Oct. 11, Bill Dowd reports.



The city hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the long-planned Ingalls Avenue Boat Launch on Thursday afternoon . Construction "will be substantially complete" by next summer, according to a press release



Also yesterday: a ribbon-cutting for the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel just north of the Hedley building (and



Last night I caught the preview performance of Catastrophe Carnivale at the Gasholder building, which I plugged in TL1. It is definitely worth the price of admission ($18 plus fees for adults). There are six tents, where one-act plays are performed, around a main stage of sorts. Each attendee receives three tickets, and you get to choose your own adventure. I might go back another night to watch the three I missed. The last performance is Sept. 30. (and across the street from Amazing Intimate Essentials ).It is definitely worth the price of admission ($18 plus fees for adults). There are six tents, where one-act plays are performed, around a main stage of sorts. Each attendee receives three tickets, and you get to choose your own adventure. I might go back another night to watch the three I missed. The last performance is Sept. 30.

. All-you-can-eat, $35.. But, conveniently, it ends when the clambake begins (2 P.M.). Maybe they'd make a nice pairing. (P.S. Can we please make these parking-space-appropriated seating areas permanent?)? The team of consultants that ran the three-day event said at the time that they'd be back in September to present a refined concept. Now it's looking like it might be at least another month. "We are working on October dates with all of the parties," Margaret Irwin, a member of the consultant team, told me in an email on Monday. I'm sure you're all very excited to talk more about City Hole.

Correction



That's it! Thanks for reading. Email me (luke.s.nathan@gmail.com) whenever about whatever.

In the first sentence of TL1's "Neighborhood Watch" section, I referred to Fourth St. as Fourth Ave. Sorry about that! If you spot errors, oversights, slights, etc. in any issue, no matter how minor, please don't be shy about emailing me.