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Developers seek multiunit variances for two Albany infill sites; neighbors press for smaller scale and firmer financial evidence
Summary
Two developers presented plans to restore historic facades and build infill apartments at 41 Tenbrook Street and Madison Place, arguing construction and site constraints make larger-unit counts necessary to secure financing. Neighbors raised concerns about scale, parking and incomplete financial analysis; the board tabled both applications for more documentation and outreach.
Developers seeking to redevelop two long-vacant lots in Albany’s historic neighborhoods presented designs and financial projections Tuesday but left the zoning board unconvinced that the variances requested were the "minimum necessary" under the city’s use-variance rules.
At an initial presentation for 41 Tenbrook Street, the applicant team outlined plans for a four-story, nine-unit building that would preserve a historic brick front while building new apartments above and behind it. The proposal, the development team said, responds to structural constraints (an existing steel frame tied to a long-standing brick wall), difficult site grades and what the applicants called high construction and remediation costs.
"We take s--- and we shine it," one presenter said, describing the group’s approach to rehabilitating difficult properties. The project’s architect, Keith…
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