Downtown 'gourmet food court' in the works

TROY -- A Brooklyn transplant has big plans for an entrepreneurial food court in downtown.

Nelson at the 'food court' site.

Cory Nelson has unveiled the floor plan for what he is calling "Troy Kitchen: A Gourmet Food Court" at 50 4th Street. It would include four permanent food vendors, a wine and beer bar and a coffee bar, according to Nelson's Facebook announcement on Tuesday. He is hoping to have tenants in all the venues by early fall.

The former Union National Bank building includes original marble and brass elements, and a grand lobby with walls rising 32 feet to a glass ceiling.

The coming attraction is located a block from the Franklin Plaza Ballroom, itself housed in a former bank building, and just steps from the multi-level Uncle Sam Parking Garage. The lower level has a vault Nelson refers to on his plans as a "secret basement."

Nelson, 26, who moved from Brooklyn to study computer science and chemistry at Howard University in Washington, DC, now lives in Troy.  He is partnering with Kyle Engstrom, about whom he says, "I couldn't have asked for a better partner in this venture."

"[And} thank you," he says, "to the entire city and region for all the positive words and support thus fa. It means the world to us. We will continue to keep everyone updated of our progress. Also, feel free to reach out if you have a questions or just want to say hi. This project doesn't belong to me or Kyle, but to the entire city, so we want everyone to feel involved and excited about it just as we are."

Nelson has given major credit for inspiring his project to the example of local husband-wife entrepreneurs Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine. They have revitalized three once-crumbling buildings to create the Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar, The Market grocery, and the restaurant-tavern Peck's Arcade, all in the Monument Square neighborhood.

Although no details have been announced on potential tenants, if one is inclined to read the Facebook tea leaves, Brian Bowden may be involved in the new "food court." The well-regarded and well-traveled chef just left his position as founding chef at Mingle On the Avene in Saratoga Springs. And, he is a resident of Troy. Bowden has posted mention of the project on his Facebook page, and recently "friended" Nelson.

Bowden's resume includes stops at such popular restaurants as The Ginger Man in Albany, Creo' in Guilderland, and Javier's Nuevo Latino in Saratoga.

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Update: Joan Richardson fills vacancy

UPDATE: Joan Richardson has stepped up to fill the board vacancy announced in the following posting.

(Originally published 3/24/15)

Amy Willard has resigned from the THCA Board and her position as first vice president.

If you are interested in being considered for appointment to the Board, please contact President Claire Steiner.

As the population of the Terrace continues to undergo major change -- barely a third of households are original owners -- it is becoming more difficult to maintain institutional memory and the sense of how the community was created.

Please remember, we have been able to keep Association dues low over the 20+ years of the Terrace's existence because residents volunteered their time and talents to handle the business of the organization. Should that spirit of community involvement not remain strong, we face the very real possibility of having to hire an outside management company to do that work at a price at least triple what we now pay.

Please consider serving your community in some way.

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Lawn repair under way

Workers today began repairing lawn damage caused by snow plowing this winter.

Heavy rains and lack of frost just before the first of our major snowfalls kept the ground soft. That meant the plowing trucks sunk a bit into the dirt, tilting the  plow blades, thus resulting in much of the damage.

After removing clods of dirt and loose stone, fresh soil was applied, and a bluegrass seed mix will be sown.

Thanks to Grounds Committee Chairman John Victor for working out the repairs with the vendor.

Here's a look at what went on today:

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Midnight P.O. deadline for 2014 tax returns

If you have not yet filed your state and federal income tax returns for the 2014 calendar year, you're running out of time!

Returns filed by mail must be postmarked no later than midnight tonight, April 15, to be considered filed. Or, there's always the option of filing electronically. Then you don't have to worry about a mad dash to the post office.

Of course, if you already have done your annual chore, congratulations. You can relax and watch the procrastinators flitting about.

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Troy seeks comment on 'Action Plan' grants

The City of Troy is in the midst of a 30-day public comment period on its annual "Proposed Project Funding 2015 Annual Action Plan."

That document -- sometimes referred to as the "One Year Annual Action Plan" -- covers a wide range of potential grants all over the city. You can see it in its entirety by clicking here.

If you would like to make comments about any or all parts of it, the process is simple. Until Friday, May 8, "All residents. property owners, and other stakeholders of the City of Troy are encouraged to submit written comments or questions regarding the draft One Year Annual Action Plan to the Department of Housing & Community Development, 433 River Street, Troy, NY 12180, or e-mail to tim.mattice@troyny.gov."

There also is a public hearing scheduled for 5:30 p.m. this Thursday at City Hall, which this week remains located at 433 River Street on the fifth floor of the Hedley Building..

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'A Taste of Troy' fundraiser coming up

A fundraiser for the Hope 7 Community Center has drawn 18  restaurants to support the cause.

The community center, which also runs a food bank, will hold its 5th annual "A Taste of Troy" from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday (April 14) at the Franklin Terrace Ballroom, 126 Campbell Avenue. 

Cooking demonstrations, live music, auctions and specialty vendors will be part of the event, along with a tasting of wines from Victory View Vineyards.

The restaurant lineup: 

• Bootlegger’s on Broadway
• B-Rad’s Bistro & Catering
• Brown’s Brewing Co.
• Defazio’s Pizzeria
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
• The Eatery at Carol’s Place
• Franklin Terrace Ballroom
• The Greek House
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Infinity Café
• Jack’s Drive In
• Muddaddy Flats Quesadillary
• Red Front Restaurant
• The Ruck
• Slidin’ Dirty Restaurant & Food Truck
• Spill’n the Beans Coffeehouse & Bistro
• Ted’s Fish Fry
•  Villa Valenti

Tickets, priced at $25 in advance or $30 at the door, are available online, or $30 at the door, also are available at Hope 7, 936 Pawling Avenue; Carol's Place, 536 Pawling, and Bob DeMeo's Wine and Liquor, 501 Campbell Avenue.

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Don't block that hydrant

See that sign over there ➜ ? We don't have such signs on the Terrace. However, we do have fire hydrants.

A friendly reminder: It is illegal to block access to a fire hydrant by parking a vehicle in front of it. That prohibition is in place whether or not there is a sign posted by the City of Troy.

In addition to residents and visitors, if you have any tradespeople coming to your home and see them blocking a hydrant, please politely ask them to move their vehicle. That makes it safer for everyone.

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'Brunswick Meadows' -- Here's a look at our new 'neighbors'

Project location as it relates to the Terrace.

For those of you who have seen the string of "Brunswick Meadows" signs posted along the east side of Oakwood Avenue (Route 40) and wondered what's going on, here's the rundown according to documents filed with the Town of Brunswick.

(For the benefit of our newer Terrace residents, Oakwood Avenue roughly separates Troy from Brunswick, so what you see on the other side of the street as you leave the Terrace is in Brunswick.)

The proposed development project originally was submitted on January 13, 2005. Its current configuration was submitted to the town in 2008 as a "PDD" (Planning Development District) consisting of 34 condominium buildings with a total of 136 living units. A series of followup modifications reduced the project size to 31 buildings/124 living units, then to 28/112, then to 26/104, and finally to 23/92.

The developer, identified originally as "J.P.J. Partnership" but now referred to in Town of Brunswick documents as "Oakwood Property Management," describes the project as a "residential condominium community" on an 18.3 acre parcel that itself is "a portion of a larger 97.6 acre parcel." Interestingly, the proposal states there are no plans for development of the remaining 79.3 acres.

The project site is located off Grange Road (NYS Route 142), approximately 200 feet east of the Town of Brunswick and City of Troy municipal boundary. It will include roads, infrastructure and storm water management systems. Access to the development would be from Grange Road.

The proposed buildings will measure approximately 84 feet by 60 feet, consisting of approximately 6,278 square feet. There also will be 256 off-street parking spaces -- 92 garage spaces, 140 driveway spaces and 24 unassigned spaces spread throughout the site "in small landscaped parking areas. The result is 2.8 parking spaces per condominium unit."

The layout below was submitted in 2006, so some changes have been made since then. However, it does show the general design.

Click on map to see proposed building layout.

If you want to see other materials on file with the Town of Brunswick -- testimony, proposals, environmental review, architectural drawings and the like -- you can access them by clicking here.

-- Bill Dowd
Webmaster

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About that snowplowing damage ...

It takes only a glance around the Terrace to see what some residents term the most extensive snowplowing damage we've ever experienced.

However, Grounds Committee Chairman John Victor is on the case. He reports in a mailbox bulletin board notice that the Wade Co. that did the plowing will be assessing the lawn damage, and will repair it at its costs.

No decision has yet been made, according to Association President Claire Steiner, about driveway damage caused by the plowing. However, Claire did say she would speak with John to see what steps should be taken to address the problem.

If you have particular concerns, please contact John or Claire.

-- Bill Dowd
Webmaster

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