Officials gathered in downtown Albany Thursday to celebrate the completion of three property redevelopments.
The celebration marked three transformations: the Clinton Market Collective site at 11 Clinton Avenue is a pocket park located across the street from the Palace Theatre, next door to the Leo W. O'Brien Federal Office Building.
Capitalize Albany Corporation Interim President Ashley Mohl says Clinton Market, coupled with the Skyway, has the potential to unlock new and unprecedented activity downtown.
“This is a major step forward in working to realize the vision for this critical gateway to the capital city of New York," said Mohl. "A decade ago, conceptualizing new uses for this underutilized space began with our impact Downtown Strategic Plan, and then, thanks to the success of the third round of the downtown New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Albany was able to take this site and work with hundreds of community members to contribute to this vision for the space. Capitalize Albany has been come able to come together since then, with federal, state, local and our friends at National Grid to invest in more than $3 million to support the complete transformation of this destination in downtown Albany. As we look beyond today, we will need the community's help to continue to activate the space and really make it and tap into its full potential.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan congratulated everyone for "getting the project over the finish line."
“This would not have happened without the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and a pandemic couldn't stop us. Supply chain issues couldn't stop us. We had the full support of New York State, of Governor Hochul, and of the entire team at ESD and at the Department of State to make sure that this project happened and that we were able to make it here to this celebration today, because this is about place making and space making in the hearts of our regions, and those hearts are the cities, and this entry way into the city has truly been transformed because of the state's investment,” Sheehan said.
Recently appointed Secretary of State Walter Mosley, who lives in the Capital Region, is making the rounds, visiting Downtown Revitalization Initiative projects across New York. He says the DRI sparks business development that ultimately brings neighborhoods closer.
“When we are investing in our community, we can positively impact not just the community but the entire region, and the economic and social implications of these investments are enormous," said Mosely. "So today, we are announcing the completion of our third round in our DRI projects, which include the Clinton Market Collective, the Clinton Avenue streetscape improvement, and last but not least the Livingston Avenue underpass lighting, which will enhance pedestrian safety and create an inviting interest onto Broadway. And of course, these projects all connect to the Albany Skyway, another successful DRI project and the Capital Region's first and only elevated linear park that reconnects downtown Albany to the Hudson River waterfront. And these projects complement other completed DRI projects as well, such as the new Quackenbush garage entrance, the four large scale murals on Clinton Square, and the improvements of the Quackenbush Square connectivity. So repurposing this space in such a way, which is innovative and creative, and making the streetscapes improvements next to it, is the kind of creativity we want, and know local government can do.”
Mosley says the rejuvenated public space will provide a place for new businesses to grow and become a hub for community gatherings.
