Tom Eschen
Nov 30, 2023
"They were in various bank and tax foreclosure states, and it took a long time to get foreclosure of all of them. But, now that we have them, we're confident that we're going to be able to put something here that's going to make Cohoes proud. We're going to be putting out for a request for proposals to see what the developers or individuals want to bring forward what they want to build here."
Cohoes — Thursday marks the 6-year anniversaryof the fire which destroyed four buildings on Remsen Street in Downtown Cohoes.
Since the fire, the city has faced challenges in redeveloping the property, but in early November, they closed on the final parcels of the property, setting the stage for the next step in development.
"These things take time," Steve Napier, City of Cohoes Director of Community and Economic Development, says. "They were in various bank and tax foreclosure states, and it took a long time to get foreclosure of all of them. But, now that we have them, we're confident that we're going to be able to put something here that's going to make Cohoes proud. We're going to be putting out for a request for proposals to see what the developers or individuals want to bring forward what they want to build here."
In March, the city was awarded $10 million as a part of the State's Downtown Revitalization initiative, and in the effort of capitalizing off of those funds, they city sent out requests for development of the property. But, at that time, the City didn't have full ownership of the entire half-acre of the property, which stifled interest. Now, they're reopening the process, but without the DRI funding.
"The DRI projects would have had to be already submitted at this point, but that doesn't mean there aren't other resources out there to really make this a worthy project," Napier says.
He says information gathered during public forums and input will be factored in when considering development applications, of which residents said they are hoping a new structure fits historic architecture of the street, and that serves the community.
Businesses and residents expressed a variety of views on the site's future on Thursday, some saying they were frustrated at the lack of anything done over the years, just hoping something would happen to the property sooner than later. Others have seen the value in the property's availability for parking, especially during major events like the Macaroni and Cheese festival or Soup Stroll.