ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — When the College of Saint Rose closed its doors in June of 2024 it left the community wondering what’s next for dozens of buildings suddenly left vacant. A set of public workshops, “Reimagine Saint Rose” kicked off Wednesday evening.
Community members packed the former Lally School of Education building. They were invited to list their ideas on sticky notes and then post them on message boards throughout the room.
“It’s a great opportunity. Everybody should participate,” said one community member at the workshop.
The Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority (ACPHLA) said the workshops are designed to allow residents of the county to voice what they want for the next chapter of the Pine Hills neighborhood.
Some who attended said they would like to see a “Cultural center, a recreational place, senior housing, their care, maybe coffee shops and other businesses where you could shop and buy things, very mixed use.”
A former Saint Rose board member and graduate told NEWS10’s Reporter James De La Fuente she would like to see some things remain the same. “I would love to see the Massry Arts Center stay exactly the way it is. Invite art groups and Empire State Youth Orchestra rehearsals for Albany Symphony.”
And the folks from the Episcopal Church next door said they want more for the kids. “I’m interested in seeing the character of the neighborhood retain from when it was a college. That is to say that the campus should incorporate things that young people will be attracted to,” said Frank.
And they shared their concerns as well. “I’ve seen in other places multi kind of multi-income level housing going in, which often breaks down like the barriers that sometimes exist economically within communities and neighborhoods,” said Martha.
One of the community members said her biggest concern is, “We don’t move fast enough. I don’t want to because I live in this neighborhood. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 30 years. I don’t want to see anything bad happen here.”
Community leaders at the meeting provided their input, as well. “I really want to see this become a community center, a community space. I live in the neighborhood. I work in the neighborhood. This is my commute. And it’s been really strange seeing it desolate over the last year,” said Daniel Butterworth, Executive Director RISSE.
City officials feel this opportunity will not knock again. “This is going to be a once in a generational opportunity and we want to empower our community to voice their concerns, voice their opinions. We want to hear their hopes and dreams. No dream is too small, or too big. We want to hear from you. At the end of the day, these are your tax dollars going into use,” said Albany Councilman Owusu Anane.
There will be two more “Reimagine Saint Rose” workshops in the coming months, September 25th and October 29th.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
