City heading for a perfect commercial storm

TROY -- This riverside city is about to experience a "perfect storm." Anyone familiar with the 2000 motion picture of that name knows that is not a good thing.

First, the good news:

• The once down-at-the-heels Troy Plaza shopping complex, located on Hoosick Street (Route 7) just a quick hop from the Collar City Bridge. is bustling with shiny new businesses and signage under the name its new owners put on it, the Hudson River Commons.

• A Starbucks, the first such stand-alone venue in the city, is under construction at the Commons.

• A Sonic Drive-In will, if current contract negotiations come to fruition, be built on the Commons near the Starbucks project.

Now, the bad news:

• Hoosick Street itself.

Current traffic comes to a standstill from the bridge all the way out to the Brunswick town line and beyond despite a road-improvement project that took place on the eastern end of the road some years back. Getting in and out of many of the businesses that line the bustling thoroughfare -- a main route for suburban commuters, city dwellers and Vermont-bound motorists alike -- is a crapshoot, particularly during heavy commuter hours.

Starbucks undoubtedly will be a major draw once completed. It always is. Judging by the nearly orgasmic consumer and media response to the recent opening of the Sonic Drive-In in Latham, the first of many scheduled for the Capital Region, the crowds will appear when the Troy venue opens. 

Preliminary plans call for improvement of vehicle access to the Commons. That's a given and a necessity. Even the developers of the McDonald's just up the street had to come up with some convoluted traffic solutions to projected congestion before their project received City approval.

What is not a given is the condition of Hoosick Street itself. The City's propensity for ignoring the horrendous conditions of the road surface there despite the cracks, potholes, fissures and gaps that dominate it, particularly at the foot of the bridge, borders on the criminal. Small children could disappear into some of the crevices there; certainly major increases in traffic will not do it any good.

There is a plan in the works to do some repairs, but until we actually see something being done, it's nothing to be excited by. Also, any bets that within less than six months of any resurfacing we won't be seeing work crews digging up spots for some overlooked utility or other work, patching them in a slapdash manner and then watching those areas begin to erode, taking the new surface materials with them? Since that is such a common occurrence throughout the area, count on it being replicated in Troy where street conditions rank 10th on a list of three things to do.

Commercial expansion outside of the bustling downtown area usually can be a good thing. But it should be predicated on the area being able to handle it. A Starbucks AND a Sonic, with their known-consumer traffic drawing power, virtually next-door to each other alongside a pockmarked road that resembles a target range? It will be interesting to see how the City administration, elected and appointed, handles this one.  

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Charter panel seeking more public input

The Troy City Charter Review Commission, of which I'm a member, is diligently working on overhauling our city's long-outdated governing document. Our final recommendations will be up for your "yes" or "no" vote in November.

We have had numerous public hearings at which we have received a decent amount of testimony from City officials, City employees, Council members, administration, etc. Unfortunately, there has been very sparse turnout from the general public throughout the months-long process.

During the Commission's many other working sessions, we have been able to find ways to eliminate a lot of outdated, unnecessary and redundant material contained in the current Charter. And, we have been able to include in our draft documents suggested improvements in the makeup and scope of city agencies and procedures as well as recognition of modern technologies and forms of communication to reflect today's fiscal, legal and practical factors.

However, we're looking for more public input in several areas.

One of the items we'd appreciate people weighing in on is the matter of City Council size and term length.

We currently have three at-large seats plus six district seats and no specific direct election of president. Should we reduce the size of the Council from 9 to 7 members (six district seats and one Council president elected on an at-large basis) to reflect the smaller city population and save at least $30,000 in taxpayer money on Council salaries?

Another question is whether we should retain the term limit of four consecutive two-year Council terms (8 years) or change it to two consecutive four-year terms (8 years). Such a change would eliminate the expense and effort of having candidates run every 24 months. On the other hand, it would not give voters the opportunity to change Council members as often.

Your thoughts are welcome. After all, the Charter is meant to serve the citizens of Troy.

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When truth isn't sexy enough, crank up the rumor mill

After announcing my withdrawal early this week from seeking an at-large seat on the Troy City Council in November, citing unexpected health issues, I received a surprisingly large number of very nice, supportive notes from people across the spectrum.

I also received what I see as an amusing message from a connected local observer, saying, "Sorry to see you leave the race. I think you would have been good on the Council. Just so you know, the rumor that's ripping around is you are getting out because you bashed Reid either on Facebook or on your blog and because of that the GOP is refusing to give you the Independence and Conservative Party lines."

That's a reference to a commentary I wrote in mid-January concerning Martin Reid, chairman of the Rensselaer County Legislature, who, as I said, "has been sucking money out of taxpayer-funded coffers under false pretenses. Essentially, he lied about his work status so he could get unemployment benefits to which he is not entitled."

You can read the whole commentary, which also deals with the reluctant attitude of new District Attorney Joel Abelove, by clicking here. What you'll find is that I'm not a lock-step party member. I have a history of independent thought, something that frightens those who put more value in labels than in thoughtful public service.

My response to the local observer:

As to rumors, in this town they are as numerous as rectal orifices. And, come to think of it, so are the morons who start them. Apparently, accepting the simple fact that someone is telling the truth is too much for them to absorb.

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Withdrawing my City Council candidacy

NEWS RELEASE:

DOWD WITHDRAWS TROY CANDIDACY

For immediate release: May 12, 2015


William M. Dowd, the former newspaper editor and columnist who had announced his candidacy for an at-large seat on the Troy City Council, today withdrew from the race.

Dowd, citing health issues, said he made the decision with regret, but thought it best to do so before the stress of the necessary petition drive and subsequent rigors of campaigning began.

“I am honored that the Republican Party had sought me out as a candidate,” he said, “but I do not feel I would have been able to be the robust candidate necessary for this important role. Thus, I decided to step aside now to give the party ample opportunity to find another qualified candidate at this early stage in the process.”

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'Hidden Garden Tour' takes you behind the fences

Most visitors to Troy remark about the abundance of Victorian and brownstone architecture but don't get to see the beauty behind the scenes -- or behind the walls, fences and other visual impediments.

That can be remedied by taking part in the 16th annual "Hidden Garden Tour," this year scheduled for  4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21. 

The self-guided tour, featuring the handiwork of 20 backyard gardeners, is a benefit for Prospect Park. Participants will have the opportunity to visit a wide variety of gardens at homes in the Washington Park area, around Russell Sage College, and in several nearby neighborhoods.

“Most people only ever see the facades of our brownstones from the streets,” said Peter Grimm, president of the Friends of Prospect Park. “This is a special kind of event that invites visitors into the hidden, green spaces of our city. It really showcases the humanity and livability of Troy.”

Admission to the tour is $10. Tickets are available in advance online or on the day of the event at the check-in table at the Sage College parking lot at First and Division streets, where free parking will be available. Visitors are asked to refrain from bringing dogs into the gardens.

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Election platform: Expanding the spirit of revitalization

"Expanding the spirit of revitalization to every part of the City."

That is the message I plan to carry to all voters of Troy as a Republican Party candidate for an at-large City Council seat in November. My message stems from a dose of excitement tempered by the fact that City government itself needs to play a more emphatic role in fostering development.

The excitement comes as I see the interest in creating businesses  -- and, therefore, jobs and taxpaying entities -- that continues at a strong pace in Troy's resuscitated downtown. In just the past week, three separate projects have been announced, all by energetic young entrepreneurs who see value in being in Troy.

Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine, the husband-wife team who have been setting a great example of what you can do with good ideas, targeted building selection, and a lot of sweat equity, have announced yet another project. Not content to rest on their much-deserved laurels after rehabbing decrepit buildings to create the Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar, The Market grocery and the restaurant-tavern Peck's Arcade, all in the Monument Square neighborhood, they have submitted plans to the city to rehab a long-vacant three-story building at 22 Second Street to house a shop selling small-batch boutique wines such as they offer at their wine bar.

Spurred by their example, Cory Nelson, a comparatively new resident of Troy who moved here from Brooklyn, has announced plans to convert the former Union National Bank building at 50 4th Street into a "gourmet food court." It would include four separate food vendors, a wine and beer bar, and a coffee bar.

And, Emily Petersen, who works as a butcher in Saratoga County, has announced the start of an online fundraising effort to raise $35,000 so she can create a butcher shop in the old Sentinel Building at 255 River Street, an office building just off Monument Square. The Sentinel, a semi-weekly newspaper published from 1823 to 1832, is best known for being the first to publish the beloved poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas," commonly called "The Night Before Christmas," on December 23, 1823.

In addition, Sarah Fish, an entrepreneurial chef and social activist who once ran The Hungry Fish Cafe & Country Store on Pawling Avenue, recently opened Annie Patterson's Fancy Shop, a vintage/thrift/consignment/memorabilia store, with partner Josh Sheehan in a renovated building at 336 Congress Street.

What they all have in common is the fact they are young, entrepreneurial, willing to take on very hard tasks -- and they love Troy.

I would like to encourage that sort of attitude and innovation throughout the City, so we are not self-limiting ourselves and excluding some of the community's ugliest and least-appealing neighborhoods.

That begins with a City Council and a mayor who are in sync with the very basic needs -- excellent code enforcement, energetic department heads, the removal of petty political bickering and backbiting, and a willingness to communicate. All of that has been lacking for years.

It has taken a long, long time for Troy to mount a comeback of this magnitude. Even though its past fiscal problems will keep it under close state scrutiny until 2020 and, thus, result in operating on an austerity budget, ideas, hard work and a cooperative spirit often can do what money cannot.

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Downtown butcher shop fundraiser under way

Emily Petersen

Only $33,725 to go as of this afternoon.

That's the dollar count on Emily Petersen's $35,000 fundraising effort to create a butcher shop in downtown Troy -- yet another example of the entrepreneurial spirit younger businesspeople have been injecting into the Troy scene.

Peterson, currently the head butcher at Healthy Living Market in Wilton, Saratoga County, says in a video on the online fundraising site called gofundme :

"I want to put a butcher shop in Troy NY called 'The Sentinel Butchery' using local farms and slaughter houses. My goal is to source from ethical, sustainable, humane farms that pasture raise animals without the use of growth promotants and preventative antibiotics. ... Classes, meat shares, catering and restaurant consultation are all on deck to round out our list of services."

If it comes to fruition, the butcher shop will be located on River Street in a building that long ago housed The Sentinel newspaper. That 19th Century semiweekly newspaper was famous for first publishing the now-iconic poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas," also called "The Night Before Christmas."

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Charter Review Commission hearing Friday

Employees of the City of Troy have been invited to address the city's Charter Review Commission beginning at 10 o'clock Friday morning at City Hall.

I am one of nine members of the bipartisan Commission charged with offering an updated, modified version of the document to voters on the November ballot. Members of the Commission are not compensated for their work in any way.

The public is welcome to attend, as it is for all meetings of the Commission. This is the fourth of five planned hearings. The first three were (a) open for public comment, (b) open for comment from the mayor and city department heads, and (c) open for comment from members of the City Council.

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Christopher-LaVine umbrella to cover wine shop

The news that Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine are planning to open another downtown Troy venture is not surprising. Their track record of revitalizing decrepit buildings and turning them into vibrant places of business is well know.

Proposed shop site.

Their latest project is a "retail boutique wine shop," according to plans they submitted to the city on Tuesday. It would be located at 22 Second Street, not far from their Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar which is located at No. 12.

The plan is to offer only small-batch wines from small makers, the sorts of wines that have proven popular at their wine bar.

The plan for redevelopment of the long-vacant building is similar to the process the husband-wife team used to create their wine bar, The Grocery food market and their tavern-restaurant Peck's Arcade: Stabilize the building throughout, then concentrate on street-level renovations to create the business space.

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Downtown 'gourmet food court' in the works

TROY -- A Brooklyn transplant has big plans for an entrepreneurial food court in downtown.

Nelson at the 'food court' site.

Cory Nelson has unveiled the floor plan for what he is calling "Troy Kitchen: A Gourmet Food Court" at 50 4th Street. It would include four permanent food vendors, a wine and beer bar and a coffee bar, according to Nelson's Facebook announcement on Tuesday. He is hoping to have tenants in all the venues by early fall.

The former Union National Bank building includes original marble and brass elements, and a grand lobby with walls rising 32 feet to a glass ceiling.

The coming attraction is located a block from the Franklin Plaza Ballroom, itself housed in a former bank building, and just steps from the multi-level Uncle Sam Parking Garage. The lower level has a vault Nelson refers to on his plans as a "secret basement."

Nelson, 26, who moved from Brooklyn to study computer science and chemistry at Howard University in Washington, DC, now lives in Troy.  He is partnering with Kyle Engstrom, about whom he says, "I couldn't have asked for a better partner in this venture."

"[And} thank you," he says, "to the entire city and region for all the positive words and support thus fa. It means the world to us. We will continue to keep everyone updated of our progress. Also, feel free to reach out if you have a questions or just want to say hi. This project doesn't belong to me or Kyle, but to the entire city, so we want everyone to feel involved and excited about it just as we are."

Nelson has given major credit for inspiring his project to the example of local husband-wife entrepreneurs Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine. They have revitalized three once-crumbling buildings to create the Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar, The Market grocery, and the restaurant-tavern Peck's Arcade, all in the Monument Square neighborhood.

Although no details have been announced on potential tenants, if one is inclined to read the Facebook tea leaves, Brian Bowden may be involved in the new "food court." The well-regarded and well-traveled chef just left his position as founding chef at Mingle On the Avene in Saratoga Springs. And, he is a resident of Troy. Bowden has posted mention of the project on his Facebook page, and recently "friended" Nelson.

Bowden's resume includes stops at such popular restaurants as The Ginger Man in Albany, Creo' in Guilderland, and Javier's Nuevo Latino in Saratoga.

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