A groundbreaking was held Tuesday for the Clinton Market Collective in Albany.
The project is hailed as "a new market concept and proving ground for startup businesses, diverse pop-up retail, installments by local artists and signature events." The Clinton Market Collective site at 11 Clinton Avenue has been described as "an underused site." It's a pocket park located across the street from the Palace Theatre, next door to the Leo W. O'Brien Federal Office Building.
Mayor Kathy Sheehan expects the Collective, part of New York’s third-round $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award, to become a thriving open air market and key gateway to the city.
"We were supposed to have started construction in 2020," said Sheehan. "It was set to go, we were really excited about the prospects and then the pandemic happened. And understandably, we had to focus our efforts in other places. And understandably, the state was focused on ensuring that we were keeping people safe and saving lives. And as soon as it was safe to do it again, and to come back to this project, we came back to this project. And like anyone who postponed a project during the pandemic, we had a little bit of sticker shock, a little bit of issues with inflation, supply chain, and what it would take to get this project done. And this project very well could have been a casualty of the pandemic."
Sheehan credited the American Rescue Plan along with Empire State Development with helping keep the project alive.
"This is going to change how people think about the city and see the city when they enter the city," Sheehan said. "It is going to change how we utilize the Skyway which is already crossed by thousands and thousands and thousands of people. It's going to help to activate the space that has been renovated in Quackenbush Square. We have a new hotel going up, we have new apartments. We have a Palace Theater that has come back from the pandemic stronger than ever, we have a new Cap Rep. This is such an important part, not just of the city of Albany, but of the entire Capital Region."
New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez hailed the Collective as a model for future projects across the state.
"As a round three winner in the DRI, Albany is taking steps to harness its rich history, its arts and cultural assets by highlighting them right here, in this portion of the city, Clinton Square, which is seen as a gateway into the city for thousands of tourists, residents and people who work in the downtown," Rodriguez sad. "And that's what DRI investments try to do. They drive the success of existing private and public ventures emphasize job growth, and the attractiveness of the district while setting the stage for economic growth and equitable development in the community. But it's also about recognizing that this community can be and provide a transformation, not just for this community, but for the entire region. And the economic and social implications are huge.”
Rodriguez reminded those gathered for the groundbreaking that the Collective is one of 11 projects that have been undertaken through the Albany DRI.
Capitalize Albany Corporation President Sarah Reginelli says construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
"We're looking forward to the excitement of the community, the vendors, the users, the visitors to our Capital City. We can't wait to see Clinton Market as a reality and have you be a part of it," said Reginelli.
