The Troy Planning Board on Monday approved a revision to the Kings Landing 2 redevelopment after the city ordered the immediate demolition of a structurally unsound building at 2129 Fifth Avenue and residents demanded answers.

Cosmo Marfione, managing partner for BDC Group, told the board the developer had tried to salvage three existing structures on the site but that recent engineering work showed the foundation and outer brick wall at 2129 had deteriorated to an unsafe condition. City engineer Russ Reeves said a site inspection in August and a follow-up inspection the previous week found “a highly unstable dangerous condition that required the immediate removal of the structure.” That assessment, Reeves said, left the city little choice for public-safety reasons.

BDC proposed instead to eliminate two small infill buildings from the earlier plan and convert that footprint into a gated pocket park that would also host a secondary utility transformer. The developer said the revision keeps the overall building footprint and impervious area similar to the previously approved plan while shifting the unit mix: the proposal reduces the total bedroom count by 10 but increases overall units by 10 through more studios and one-bedroom apartments. Marfione said the change made the project financially workable while reducing the number of multi-bedroom units.

Neighbors accused the developer of inadequate communication and questioned whether the demolition was preventable. "It looks like the plans to demolish were not an emergency, but made well in advance," said a spokesperson for Neighbors Protecting Neighborhoods, who asked the board to scrutinize the developers work. Several residents said the neighborhood had spent years negotiating the projects scale and architectural details and expressed anger that a promised house had been removed without earlier community notice.

BDC and the city disagreed with suggestions of deliberate undermining. Marfione said the firm had invested in roof repairs, selective demolition and structural stabilization for the other buildings and denied receiving any fines or citations related to the excavation. He said the contractor excavated under engineer direction to inspect the foundation and that exposed conditions were worse than anticipated.

The board approved the developers requested site-plan modification by voice vote, with conditions: the developer must work with the neighborhood and the city on a period-appropriate architectural treatment for the Federal Street facade and return to the board with materials and final facade design before cladding is installed. The board also set a follow-up review target for the February meeting. City staff recommended the conditions, citing the need to address neighborhood character while allowing the project to proceed with public-safety remediation already completed.

The developer said the pocket park will add green space and screen the utility equipment with plantings and removable planters. The boards approval allows foundation and other non-cladding construction to move forward, but requires a subsequent materials-and-facade review that staff said would prioritize designs compatible with the historic street wall.

Next steps: BDC will hold meetings with neighbors and submit facade renderings to staff and the planning board; the board will revisit the cladding and architectural details at a future hearing.