Another Empty Lot

Remsen Street Parking Lot (near Smith's)

The one thing Cohoes does not need is another parking lot.

The city of Cohoes is blessed with a half-mile strip of beautiful 19th and early-20th century architecture. Main streets, as they were designed, were for walking and window shopping. Remsen Street is a perfectly designed main street, just off the principal roads, making it a pleasant street to stroll and shop.

The mid-20th century, with its automobile revolution, was unkind to main streets. Shoppers moved out to the suburbs. Strip malls, with their ease of car access, replaced the walking main streets. With strip malls now being abandoned, main streets have seen a wonderful renaissance. From Saratoga Springs to the north to our sister city of Troy to the east, people are leaving their cars behind and walking downtown streets. The idea of a main street is rooted in the theory that people who are headed to one business will walk by other stores and stop in to browse. This organic approach is coming back all over the country and one would hope to our lovely main street as well.

Another Remsen Street Parking Lot

A trip down Remsen Street these days shows that although the main street may be coming back, there are too many parking lots to encourage customers to do a little walking. Right now if you were picking up a prescription at Marra's and then wanted to look at new dining tables at Table Chairs and More, you would drive to each store (park right out front) and miss the amazing eateries popping up along Remsen Street. An abundance of parking is not only bad for business, its bad for Cohoes.

So how many parking lots do we already have? A quick count on Google maps shows Remsen Street in Cohoes has 7 parking lots and another 8 unused open spaces.

Sea of parking south-west of Ontario and Remsen Streets

This is in addition to the following parking lots within a one-block radius of Remsen Street:

• Cramer's Armory lot
• Howard Street lot
• White Street lots (2)
• Keveney lot
• Lingual Linx lot
• Rite Aid lot
• Spindle City Market lot
• First Niagara lot

With a minimum of 16 parking lots, not-to-mention plentiful free street parking, downtown Cohoes seems to have too much parking to support its current business environment. The recent closing announcement of Bread and Jam is just one unfortunate casualty of that current business environment.

This brings us to our sad little tale of the Cohoes Theatre. Located on the corner of Remsen and White Streets it too is destined to be another empty lot. Although it has not been said publicly, it is understood that the developer who looked at the property last week is not interested in the building. On a more positive note, they did say that Cohoes has a lot of potential and they might be interested in the city in the future. It seems for now, the residents of Cohoes will be looking at yet another empty lot in our historic city.

More parking at the old Cohoes Manufacturing

Parking in today's modern environment is obviously a tricky subject of which there are many studies and reports to pull from. The EPA has an excellent report on Smart Growth and Parking and UCLA has a short piece on Quality over Quantity of parking as well. The National Trust for Historic Preservation also dedicates a large section of their work for the research, promotion and preservation of America's historic main streets. Parking is just one important issue in the future success of the city of Cohoes and we can only hope the Cohoes Theatre is not destined to be just another parking lot.

What's Next for Cohoes

Cramer's Armory in Cohoes

In thinking about the upcoming vote on the demolition of the Cohoes Theatre on August 24th, it makes me wonder what's next or what could be next for the city of Cohoes. Cohoes has seen a number of highs and lows in the past few years concerning historic buildings. Although recent successes like the Harmony Mills Lofts and the preservation of 103 Remsen Street are positive advancements, demolition has continued with the loss of the original Cohoes Manufacturing Building and Keveney Academy. By all accounts Cohoes seems like it's on an upswing, but with businesses moving out as fast as they move in my question is; what's next for the city of Cohoes?

My opinion is it all hinges on what happens to the beloved Cohoes Theatre. Once a beacon for entertainment and life on Remsen Street it has sat vacant for the better part of thirty years. Now its fate lies in the hands of the Cohoes Common Council. Barring any new developments, the vote on Tuesday night will not go well for its preservation. Our best shot in saving it is an outpouring of community support at the meeting.

If the Common Council does call for the theatres demolition and it's torn down by years-end, Cohoes will have another huge empty lot on the corner of Remsen and White. Not only will Remsen Street have three parking lots in a one-block range but White Street will add it's third as well. Likewise, the building on the south-west corner of White and Remsen is boarded up from a fire not so long ago. The building is in terrible condition and with another parking lot across the street, what's the motivation for fixing up that building too?

That brings us around the corner to the next big fight: Cramer's Armory. Built more than one hundred years ago and abandoned for the last ten years, Cramer's Armory is in bad shape. Like the Cohoes Theatre, Cramer's was a mainstay for local business in Cohoes and the region for decades, and is a beloved icon of our city. It too has parking on three sides of it and is in need of repair and a new owner. I wonder if the Cohoes Theatre goes, what's to save the Armory? The answer is probably not much.

I'm not a glass half-empty kind of person so instead let's imagine how the preservation of the Cohoes Theatre could transform our other treasured buildings. If the Cohoes Theatre is saved and a new theatre is opened, there will be a whole host of new foot traffic in downtown Cohoes. Not only will there be movies but people will want snacks or even a late night slice of pizza. People will be out during the day and at night, which is currently not the case unless the Cohoes Music Hall is in performance.

Maybe I'm too pie-in-the-sky, but all this new foot traffic makes me think Cramer's Armory will then be prime real estate for development. But what does Cohoes or the Albany region need? I'll tell you, Trader Joe's. And from what I know, they're looking. Trader Joe's would be a perfect fit in Cramer's Armory. It's certainly big enough and with a new theatre, Cohoes would be bustling with new activity and more importantly, tax revenue!

So what's next for Cohoes? Right now I'm not sure. I think if we can show the city of Cohoes we care about our heritage and the Cohoes Theatre, better things will come. Please show your support by attending the Cohoes Common Council Meeting on August 24th at 7pm.

For more coverage on Cramer's Armory visit the Cohoes Blog of the Times Union.

Cohoes Common Council Workshop Recap

Cohoes Theatre, August 2010

The Cohoes Common Council met Tuesday night in a steamy City Hall. The Mayor, five of the six Council persons, and a little more than a dozen concerned citizens sat in an unairconditioned room for more than two hours to discuss the beloved Cohoes Theatre demolition.

After other business was discussed, the Mayor went into a 30 minute preamble on the ways in which the city has done everything in their power to save the Cohoes Theatre. He went on to say the demolition is based on two visual assessments, one in 2008 and one in 2009. Neither of the reports are technical in nature. The reports merely state that the building is unsafe but not necessarily in imminent threat of collapse. The Cohoes Theatre is perhaps a sound building but asbestos in the roof make it unsafe. To date, the city has yet to prove exactly why the Cohoes Theatre needs to be torn down now. Which leads me to believe the current administration no longer feels the need to continue fighting for the city of Cohoes, its citizens and our history.

The evening went on to include a number of interesting points from fellow citizens on the ways in which demolition could be avoided. One such point was about the city of Albany taking ownership of properties on demolition lists. Instead of demolishing the buildings, the city turns around and auctions them off to the public for small sums such as $5,000. The Mayor was asked repeatedly why Cohoes could not do the same and each time he refused to directly answer the question or make any type of concession that he would look into it. If another municipality in Albany county can do it, why can't Cohoes?

All in all, the city gave no concession to halt or put off the demolition schedule of the theatre. With a demolition price tag of $46,600, the Mayor eloquently stated, the Common Council was no longer required to discuss the demolition because the bid was under $50K. The Mayor of course graciously allowed the discussion to occur on Tuesday night but it was clear nothing other than demolition was being considered.

The Common Council votes on the fate of the Cohoes Theatre on Tuesday, August 24th. In the meantime, please consider coming to the meeting and joining the fight to save the Cohoes Theatre. We are actively looking for help getting the word out that the Cohoes Theatre does not need to be torn down. If you are interested in getting involved, post a note on the blog and we will get in touch with you. We have perhaps only two weeks to save the theatre and we need every ones help.

Common Council to discuss demolition bids

Come out and support the preservation of the Cohoes Theatre this Tuesday, August 10th. The Common Council will discuss the demolition bids for the theatre at 7pm in City Hall. Come join us to speak out for the legacy of our city and the preservation of this historic theatre!