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Knock Chalmers down The city's Common Council will vote tonight on a proposal to give a Long Island developer an option for the possible purchase of the former Chalmers Knitting Co. buildings on the city's South Side, targeted for demolition this year.
Uri Kaufman, of Albany Tech, LLC, would reportedly have a year to prepare his plans to turn the vacant mill into luxury apartments and arrange the funding, after which he would pay the city $138,000 for the property.
On April 15, Kaufman presented his plans to the council and other local officials and asked for an option to purchase the property. The council discussed the proposal and is scheduled to vote on the matter tonight.
Previously, Kaufman converted the former Harmony Mills in Cohoes into apartments and is currently working on a similar project in the Saratoga County village of Victory.
Kaufman's proposal would have appealed to us before grant money was secured for the demolition of the property, but now we think it's time to move forward and clear the property.
Chalmers sat vacant for years, an eyesore that delayed the redevelopment of Bridge Street. It took a great deal of effort and the coordination of local and state officials to come up with the funding for the Via Ponte project, which includes the demolition of the Chalmers building.
We are amazed the city would even consider jeopardizing these plans by voting on Kaufman's offer. If approved, the building could sit idle for at least another year before Kaufman decides he's not interested. Worse, it could drag on further should remediation efforts become complicated or he runs out of money and never completes the project.
There are many other sites city officials can offer to Kaufman to develop into luxury apartments.
A public hearing on proposal will held at City Hall at 7 p.m. prior to the scheduled vote on the issue. We urge residents to attend and share their opinion with Mayor Ann Thane and the council.
We strongly believe it's time to move forward and clean up Bridge Street and the sooner the better.
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