Troy ZBA approves variances for 73-unit senior affordable housing at 2751 Fifth Avenue

The Troy Zoning Board of Appeals on Aug. 6 approved five area variances to allow Home Leasing to build a five-story, 73-unit affordable senior housing development at 2751 Fifth Avenue, a condemned brownfield site in North Central Troy.

The variances approved cover building height, front setback for exterior parking, orientation of the main entrance, ground-floor transparency and roof form. Board members voted to approve the height variance in a 3-1 vote. The applicant said the building would be 58 feet, 6 inches tall in a zone that allows a maximum 40 feet (three stories).

The applicant team — represented by attorney Andy Brick and joined by project engineer Kelsey Carr, developer Sameet Gupta of 5 Corners Development and Angela Eichholtz of Home Leasing — told the ZBA the site constraints require more height to make the financing work. Brick said the project would provide 73 affordable units for residents aged 55 and older and would remediate the underlying brownfield.

Why it matters: The applicant said the additional stories spread fixed construction and remediation costs across more units and make the project viable for New York State Housing and Community Renewal (HCR) financing and low-income housing tax-credit underwriting. The board’s approval clears…