City Council

Minutes of the Planning and Economic Development Meeting Troy City Council Wednesday April 5, 2017 6:00 PM The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Committee Chairman Dean Bodnar. Roll Call: Council Member Gulli, Council Member Kim Ashe-McPherson, Council Member Mark McGrath, Council Member Lynn Kopka, Commissioner of Planning Steve Strichman, and Corporation Counsel Jim Caruso. Also in attendance were Mayor Patrick Madden, Deputy Mayor Monica Kurzejeski, Council Member Erin Sullivan-Teta, Council Member Robert Doherty, and Council President Carmella Mantello. Committee Chairman Dean Bodnar introduced Commissioner of Planning Steve Strichman and the Bonacio Company in order to give a presentation and a general plan for the development of the Monument Square parcel. The agenda for this meeting was for the purpose of reviewing the Land Development Agreement (LDA) for this project. The LDA, however, was not finalized and Committee Chairman Dean Bodnar proceeded with an overview of the project by the development team. Commissioner of Planning Steve Strichman introduced himself and the Bonacio Company, which included Sonny Bonacio, president of Bonacio Construction, Joe Masher, Chief Operating Office of Bowtie Cinemas, Larry Novik, Director of Operations with Bonacio Construction, and Chris Pereira with CPA Architecture. Steve Strichman spoke briefly about the project by stating that the Bonacio team created a plan that supports an 18-hour downtown. The project includes construction of a nine-screen theatre at monument square in conjunction with the tenth screen at American cinema. This project has been moving forward and is expected to start soon. One of the project requirements includes that the building will be constructed to allow for future expansion upwards. The sale price is $600,000, with a $60,000 deposit. The city retains 50 feet of riverfront and there will be one level of parking on the riverfront park level. Concerning the bicycle trail, the team has already met internally with the water department, the fire department, and they are familiar with the requirements. Front Street will remain open to the public. Steve Strichman said that they want to keep this project moving forward. The city has three grants. They met with Empire State and the Department of State, the funding sources for the project, to ensure that the funding will be accessible in an efficient manner. The total amount of funding is $3.8 million. The Bonacio Company is looking to have this project completed by the holiday season in 2018. Steve Strichman introduced Joe Masher, who has been the Chief Operating Officer of Bowtie Cinemas for 13 years. He is a native of Troy and a graduate of Catholic Central High School. Bowtie Cinemas is a four-generation, family-owned company and is the oldest theatre circuit in North America. They started in 1900 with Nickelodeons in the New York City area. Currently, they have 43 locations, 280 screens across six states; New York, Connecticut, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. In Upstate New York, Bowtie is the second largest exhibitor after Regal, with theatres in downtown Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and in the Wilton Mall. The capital district has proven to be a very successful market. Joe Masher said that the momentum is right and the time is right to build a Bowtie Cinemas in Troy. Part of this project includes reopening the American Theatre. Between these two theatres, Joe Masher said they are looking to have about fifty jobs. This project on the monument square property will provide the only luxury theatre in the capital district, which includes electric recliner luxury seating, and a full restaurant and full bar on premises. Luxury seating spreads movie-going out to a 7-night per week experience. On a weekly basis, Bowtie Cinemas is looking to attract over 10,000 people to the city. In Saratoga, Bowtie Cinemas has worked well with their restaurant partners. Bowtie will only play the best first-run product. City Council President Carmella Mantello asked a question. “How were the sales in Schenectady and Saratoga, and how will they look in Troy?” Joe Masher provided the response. “The theatres in Schenectady, Saratoga and the Wilton Mall have seen constant increases in sales since the theatres opened. Movies have cyclical years. If we know that the movie industry is going to have a down year, then we will work closely with partners to bring in outside business. We try to work with schools and universities, and other arts organizations to showcase and do film festivals. In Troy, Bowtie Cinemas has considered working with the Farmers Market.” Council Member McGrath asked a question. “Will the city of Troy be able to support ten screens? Will there be enough customers?” Joe Masher provided a response. “The population of Troy is close to double the population of Saratoga. In addition, the towns of Brunswick, Cohoes, and Watervliet surround Troy. This trade area is conducive in a market study that we did to conclude that we would draw roughly 10,000 people per week to Troy.” Council Member Ashe-McPherson asked a question. “You touched on serving alcohol during the movies. Is there a law that must be passed in order for this to happen?” Joe Masher responded by saying that he is the president of the National Association of Theatre Rooms in New York State, and for the past five years he has been in Albany, fighting to allow alcohol into motion picture auditoriums. Currently, the two methods to achieving this are by having taverns or restaurants. Council Member Ashe-McPherson asked a question. “How would you approach underage drinking?” Joe Masher stated that Bowtie Cinemas has a zero incident record with regard to underage drinking. They have specially trained ushers and clear cups. Council Member Jim Gulli asked a question. “Are there any plans for having a stage or multiple stages for live shows or plays, or is it strictly for theatre? Joe Masher stated that their plans are strictly for theatre. With luxury seating, there simply isn’t enough space. Council Member Bob Doherty discussed his concerns about parking. Five years ago, the city of Troy performed a parking study and there were several recommendations. One recommendation included the posting of signs in certain locations. Council Member Doherty said that as we progress downtown, we have given parking permits for the Hudson Program and the CDTA plans to renovate the bus garage. This will remove more parking spots. There have been discussions about establishing loading zones on every block, which will remove more parking spots. Have you taken that into effect, and if so, in what matter? Larry Novik, Director of Operations with Bonacio Construction, provided a response. He stated that the team has spent a significant amount of time reviewing the parking report and they are very familiar with it. The team concluded that timing is everything. The major underutilization of parking in Troy typically happens in the evenings, which is the prime time for movie-going. The Bonacio Company will provide about 112 spots underneath the building. Mr. Bryce has gracefully mentioned that his garage will be available in the evenings, and there are underutilized parking spaces on the streets. Committee Chairman Dean Bodnar reintroduced Chris Periera, a representative of CPA Architecture, to further discuss the plans for Monument Square. Chris Periera stated that CPA Architecture is located in New Jersey and has been working with Bowtie for ten years. Through use of a poster presentation, Chris identifies how parking will be constructed on the lower level. Front Street will continue past the building and follow as it does currently. Under the building, there will be 112 parking spaces, which also include parking spaces for bicycles and motorcycles. Chris Periera also stated that in an efficient manner, the building includes a center-loaded corridor with movie theatres on the inside. Similar to an apartment building, you have a corridor with apartments on both sides. For the movie theatres, this approach allows for the maximizing of seating. On his renderings, Chris demonstrates how his architectural approach supports the visibility and accessibility of Riverfront Park from the back of the building. On the inside, seating faces the river and a bar will be located in the center area. Chris also discusses the balcony, restrooms and corridors. Bowtie takes pride in maximizing the experience for everyone. Chris Periera also discussed his approach to constructing steps that lead down to the Riverfront. Instead of 18 steps going down, he designed a handful of steps that end on a platform with seating areas. This approach includes 26 feet at the back of the building and the view will be very inviting. In another rendering, Chris displays the view of the building from Broadway, which includes the main entrance and the marquee. On the outside of the building, you will see manually changed movie titles. If you park downstairs, there is an elevator shaft that will bring you up 18 feet, which is helpful for ADA patrons. Along the sidewalk, there will be movie posters with coming attractions. On the floor-plan rendering, Chris showed how a section of the building was curved to make more space on the sidewalk. This supports the use of a drop-off area, which is protected from incoming traffic. CPA Architecture’s intention is to bring people to the park, invite people to the downtown, and create a safe circulation for cars and emergency vehicles. Improvements will continue. Council Member Mark McGrath asked a question. Currently Front Street is closed. Is your plan to re-open the street? Chris Periera said yes. Joe Masher noted that they are still considering whether a one-way or two-way street would be best. Council President Carmella Mantello asked a question to Chris Periera. Regarding the stairs going from River Street downward, do you plan to incorporate any ramps for ADA? Chris Periera stated that it is very steep and it cannot be accomplished. In the parking lot, however, there will be an elevator with a lobby. There will be four ADA parking spaces near the elevators. Council President Carmella Mantello asked about the timetable for this project. The Bonacio team said that they want to move fast. Council Member Ashe-McPherson asked if anything else will accompany the movie theatres and parking lot. The Bonacio team said no, but the building will be constructed to allow for expansion upwards. They also stated that their goal is to be completely finished with the building by next October. Committee Chairman Dean Bodnar asked if there were any other questions. Adjournment Motion to Adjourn by Council Member McGrath, seconded by Council Member Ashe- McPherson. Meeting adjourned – 7:03 PM.