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NYS Department of Health to lease office space at Capital Region Health Park; board reviews landscaping and sidewalks
Summary
Healthcare Realty seeks a tenant fit‑up to lease roughly 37,860 sq ft to the New York State Department of Health in an existing ~259,000‑sq‑ft building; the Planning Board reviewed proposed landscaping, bike racks and connections but did not take formal action, asking for more detail on employee counts and frontage trees.
The Town of Colonie Planning Board reviewed a tenant change application for 711–713 Troy Schenectady Road on July 7, where Healthcare Realty proposes that the New York State Department of Health lease about 37,860 square feet of existing office space in an approximately 259,000‑square‑foot building.
Brian Osterhout of Environmental Design Partnership told the board the building, on about 17.6 acres, would be fitted to tenant needs and that the applicant proposes roughly 100 new plants, trees and shrubs, benches, picnic tables and bicycle racks to improve the employee experience. "We're happy to take a look and answer any questions tonight in terms of what they're proposing," Osterhout said during the presentation.
Planning staff said tenant changes of this size are usually handled administratively but recommended board review given the square footage involved. Staff also flagged sidewalks along Forts Ferry Road as a possible future improvement and asked the applicant to consider how site landscaping could better buffer the Stewart's/Route 7 frontage.
Board members pressed for an employee headcount; the applicant said it had requested employee numbers from the tenants but had not received a final count. The project team said the site currently has significant parking—"over 1,500 spaces," according to the applicant—and that some exterior work (planting and furniture) could proceed while fit‑outs for other future tenants are paced over the next season.
Several board members urged larger‑caliber initial plantings and more trees in parking islands to deliver immediate shade and screening rather than relying on long‑term growth. The board did not vote and the item will return if and when additional approvals or permits are required.
