The new Opera House Apartments in downtown Albany have been in the works for years. Now the long-running transformation of the building at 222 First Avenue S.E. looks like it’s nearing the finish line.
I’ve been following the fate of this black walnut since it figured in a land-use decision about new townhouses in downtown Albany last summer. Now the tree is down, but the wood won’t go to waste.
Scott Lepman, the Albany real estate investor and developer who has tackled several big restoration projects, has come up with an even bigger one. His organization will save the former St. Francis Hotel downtown and also restore the former city hall building if the urban renewal district, CARA, will help him lower the financial risk.
The Albany Planning Commission has given its approval to a project by the Scott Lepman Company to build eight three-story townhomes in the 200 block of S.E. Third Avenue. A big old walnut tree in the corner of the site will have to come down, the commission agreed.
On July 19, three members of the Albany Planning Commission objected to construction of eight single-family townhouses on Third Avenue downtown because it would take down a walnut tree in the corner of the site. On Monday the commission will get a chance to undo that action because, as it turns out, the city development […]
The continuing renovation of the “Spruce Apartments” in downtown Albany has cleared a procedural hurdle with the approval by the city’s Landmarks Advisory Commission.
St. Francis: A new chapter starts downtown
Another page is about to be turned in the continuing story of changes in Albany’s downtown. Pride Printing has occupied the ground floor of the former St. Francis Hotel for about 50 years, and now the business leaving.
Tags: CARA, downtown Albany, Historic buildings, Pride Printing, Scott Lepman, Scott Thorn, St. Francis, urban renewal