Common Council Agendas and Minutes

COMMON COUNCIL WORKSHOP SPECIAL MEETING Tuesday, April 08, 2025 - 7:00 P.M. Common Council Chambers Roll call was taken. PRESENT: EXCUSED: Mayor Keeler Council President Biggs Council Member Izzo Council Member Higgins Council Member Soloyna Council Member McCarthy Council Member Trudeau Public Comment: Theresa Bourgeois- See Attached Patricia Siblia-Cohoes resident- I am so an employee of United Group the company the built Apex at Crossgates as well as a lot of residential communities. I understand it was unanimously agreed to pause to look at this sale and I was happy to hear that. I’m curious as to why this came to Special meeting instead of proceeding at the regular pace. So why do we have a Special meeting tonight is there something that is rushing this, rather than just have it at the next meeting? Mayor Keeler- because it was tabled, and the understanding was there would be a Special meeting in a couple weeks and we would vote on it then. Also as Theresa mentioned there are tariffs that are coming so Carl is locked n at a price through his supplier and that price comes from Canada and South America and its going to go up dramatically we all know that. Patricia Sibilia- Understood- but why was the property sold at auction? Why didn’t we do it with market listing and get market price instead of auction? Mayor Keeler- it didn’t go at auction. We put out a Request For Proposals. We walked major developers through there. There was only 1 reply to the Request For Proposals and that was Carl and Bryon Diaz. Patricia Sibilia- At this point this is their first development project from what I can see with that there are some concerns that come to mind. So first is their target market is professional workers looking to rent upscale apartments. The size of the units that he is proposing s so much smaller than average. A 1 bedroom unit is 550-650 that is extremely small. His 2 bedroom unit are smaller than typical 1 bedrooms. Is he going to be able to fill the units? Those are very small units. Mayor Keeler- from the developer I spoke to recently the one that did St. Agnes told me the smaller apartment is what people are looking for now. The micro apartments on Remsen St are occupied there is a wait and demand for those apartments. Patricia Sibilia- I’m concerned about financial. Its great that it is self-funded but I would be cautious until we really do the homework. Understand that we still do need a home for the library. Danielle Cherniak- Vliet Blvd- I’d like to touch on some earlier comments about adaptable use of Churches. Churches are much more complex because of the roofs and windows. I wonder if they are keeping the exterior structure. It is really important that it is not changing. It is really important that you consult with the State Historic Preservation Office. They have experts there. Mayor Keeler-Carl you worked with Danielle on the 4 unit on Vliet St didn’t you? Carl- Yes Mayor Keeler- I want to say that this 150 year old building is architecturally beautiful. Everybody wants to save the building. The goal of this Ordinance is to save the building. Since 2015, the city has spent $350,000 in taxpayer money repairing the building.. Without additional funds, the building will continue to deteriorate. The building serves No Municipal use. The beautiful building is a money pit & liability. Kids are breaking windows, people are breaking in to steal copper water lines, drug users are shooting up and leaving needles all over. The slip and falls concerns in he winter. With the repeated calls our insurance carrier will cancel coverage soon. And like the former Harmony Mills which had fallen into disrepair by the 1970’s the building is also a Fire Hazard. With all tat in mind, we have a rare opportunity to save the beautiful building. Again, like Harmony Mills, the only viable answer is to sell the building to a private developer willing to invest Millions of dollars to restore the building. We put out an RFP seeking just that. Not a quick sale but a developer who shares our vision of Preservation and Restoration. There was a single bidder, a qualified developer Bryon Diaz well known and highly regarded among developers. He is totally self funded. He paid a fair price and most importantly, this developer will Preserve and restore the building while adding it to the property tax roll and adding vibrancy with the addition of 25 market rate apartments. Harmony Mill Lofts got a 30 year PILOT there is no such as here. Two of my alma maters present case studies : St. Agnes School and Keveny Memorial Academy. St. Agnes is lovely apartments and Keveny is not a parking lot. Tonight, the fate of the former St. John’s Church building is in your hands. This is one of the more consequential votes during your times on the Common Council. As Council Pres/VP, Joe Koval/ George Primeau led the body in support of the Harmony Mills sale and restoration. They are fondly remembered for their efforts, and George was later elected Mayor. Be remembered for your vision that preserved St. John’s Church, and not the vote that condemned it. Shawn Higgins- I will speak for myself. I would like to table this for 2 more weeks. I apologize to Carl I was out of town and I would like to do a little more research. I can tell you I will have a decision at our next meeting. I am not prepared to make a decision . Adam Biggs-I put a motion on the floor to table this to vote at the next meeting. Ordinance No. 2 for the year 2025 An Ordinance approving the sale of a city- owned parcel. TABLED At 8:47 PM Council Member Higgins made a MOTION to adjourn. Council President Biggs seconded the motion. All members voted “AYE.” The Common Council Meeting concluded. ______________________________ Roni Miorin, City Clerk