Lark Street, the arts, residential and commercial center of Albany’s Center Square, is saying goodbye to its cobblestone intersections.
Revitalization of Albany's Lark Street has begun. A 2019 study found the neighborhood, with its high population growth rate, concentration of young adults and heavy “walk to work” pedestrian traffic, to be a prime candidate for a makeover.
Then-Sixth ward Common Councilor Richard Conti pointed out that Lark Street is the main corridor of a vibrant downtown neighborhood.
"This is an opportunity to really look at streetscape, make some improvements, look at issues like walkability, accessibility, and improvements that also will help out local businesses as well," said Conti.
Fast-forward to 2023. The $3.3 million dollar project to refresh the Lark Street streetscape between Madison Avenue and Washington Avenue is underway.
The project includes removal of old trees and planting of new ones, replacement of curb ramps and sidewalks in full ADA compliance, new bike racks, park benches and trash containers.
Repaving includes the removal of cobblestone intersections, originally installed two decades ago. Residents long complained that the gaps in between the cobblestones were excessive; bike tires (and high heels) got stuck in them. And they'd never been re-grouted since installation. Mayor Kathy Sheehan says one of the first complaints she fielded when she was elected was about the cobblestones.
“I know that there are people who like them, but there are many, many people who see them as a nuisance, as something that is very difficult for people to navigate if they're trying to cross the street," Sheehan said. "And vibrations on the buildings and the noise from them have been a constant source of complaints. So when we had the opportunity to do a complete reimagining of Lark Street, the decision and the public input from the many meetings that we had was to remove those cobblestones. The DOT really agreed that they were not the best solution for traffic calming.”
Gina Verney manages Capital Wine & Spirits at the corner of Lark and State Streets. She's lived in the neighborhood for five years.
“I think it's going to be good for the street itself. I think a lot of noise, hopefully with the speed humps and the bumping out of the sidewalks, it'll slow traffic a little bit, make it more of a residential area. Yeah, I just think there was a lot of issues with the cobblestone,” Verney said.
The shop has been a WAMC underwriter.
Sheehan anticipates a revitalized Lark Street will stimulate local economic growth along with maintaining business and residential stability by employing streetscape-enhancing designs, calming traffic and strengthening connections to Washington Park and downtown.
“And there are going to be some additional improvements that are going to be made to calm traffic and to, we hope, have the same impact of making sure that people aren't speeding on Lark Street, but without the side effects that so many people complained about," Sheehan said.
The project is scheduled to be completed this fall.
