Skip to main content
Enter search terms below…

Member News

“Rensselaer Rising” Revitalization Plan Draft Ready For Review



RENSSELAER, NY (January 13, 2025) – Over the past 18 months the City of Rensselaer has been engaged in a planning effort that sets a vision for a major portion of the city. The study area encompasses the Hudson River waterfront, the downtown business district, the Amtrak Station and its surrounding land, the Fort Crailo Neighborhood, and the Columbia Turnpike corridor.

The planning effort included numerous opportunities for the public to share ideas about what they want to see in Rensselaer. This included a Visioning Survey that received 239 responses, a survey of employees at the NYS Office of Children and Family Services that received 78 responses, a Public Visioning Workshop early on in the process (March 2024) as well as various outreach events between April and October 2024 including a joint meeting with the Albany Riverfront Collaborative and NYS Department of Transportation regarding Reimagine I-787 and the replacement of the Dunn Memorial Bridge, Rensselaer Night Out, the Riverfront Park Farmer’s Market and a collaborative meeting at the Rensselaer Public Library regarding Rensselaer Rising and our Downtown Revitalization Initiative application. Meetings with Property Owners, Developers and other Stakeholders were also held over the past year.

 

Over the past few months City Staff, the Steering Committee and our Consultants from LaBella Associates and LAndArt Studio have been reviewing all the information gathered and to create a Revitalization Plan that includes a Vision Statement and Goals, a thorough Analysis of the Study Area, a Revitalization Strategy and an implementation Plan with Conceptual Renderings.

 

The first Public Presentation of the draft Rensselaer Rising Revitalization Plan will occur on January 23, 2025 from 6:00PM to 7:30PM at Rensselaer City Hall (62 Washington Street, Rensselaer, New York 12144). The Public and the Media are invited to learn about what is planned for the City of Rensselaer and to share comments on what is being proposed.

 

“Rensselaer Rising has been a monumental effort to develop a Revitalization Plan for the City of Rensselaer,” said Rensselaer Mayor Mike Stammel. “The Community, the Planning Department and our Consultants are to be commended for all the work that has been put into this process. We are all looking forward to reviewing the plan with the public and hearing comments about our efforts and ideas,” concluded Mayor Stammel.

 

Rensselaer Rising is funded through an $85,000 Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) grant from the New York State Department of State. While historically focused on brownfields, the program has evolved and now looks at opportunities for investment and revitalization of underutilized, abandoned, or vacant sites.

 

For more information about “Rensselaer Rising,” and to get a preview of the Draft Revitalization Plan, visit the Rensselaer Planning Department’s website: https://www.rensselaerplanning.com. Interested parties can also contact Thomas Hulihan, City of Rensselaer Planning Director, at 518-462-4839 x 1527 or [email protected] or Norabelle Greenberger, AICP, Senior Planner at LaBella Associates at (518) 824-1922 or [email protected].

Contact: Thomas Hulihan, City of Rensselaer Planning Director

518-462-4839 x 1527 or [email protected]

Norabelle Greenberger, AICP, Senior Planner at LaBella Associates

(518) 824-1933 or [email protected]

Public Presentation of the draft Rensselaer Rising Revitalization Plan will occur on January 23, 2025 from 6:00PM to 7:30PM at Rensselaer City Hall 62 Washington Street Rensselaer, New York 12144

“City of Rensselaer is 1 of 10 Communities in New York State to Receive US EPA Grant”   RENSSELAER, N.Y. (March 19, 2025) – The City of Rensselaer recently learned it is one of ten communities in New York State to receive a Brownfield Assessment and Clean Up Grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency. "The brownfield grants are essential…
-Commencement Broll: https://tinyurl.com/3rry38n2 -Additional Commencement Photos: https://tinyurl.com/352drb55   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward Parham VP of Public Relations  Rueckert Advertising & Public Relations, Inc.  (518) 446-1091   MARIA COLLEGE MONARCHS SPREAD THEIR WINGS AT 63RD ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT AT SPAC   Albany, N.Y. (May…
We are offering a comprehensive five session health literacy program for adults every Tuesday for the month of June. The classes are aimed at intermediate level speakers who are able to understand, read and write basic English. Topics: Health care - Learn about health insurance and coverage, make a medical appointment, request an interpreter…
Jun
05
The Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Alzheimer's Association to host an educational program for Understanding…
Thursday, June 5th, 8:30-9:30am
Jun
11
The 1 Million Cups Monthly Meetings are happening throughout 2025 in the Chamber's 1st Floor Conference Room! Held every second Wednesday of the month,…
9:00am-10:00am
Jun
12
Join us for a special combined anniversary celebration as the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce marks 125 years and the Colonie Chamber of…
Boarding: 5PM | Ride: 5:30PM-8:30PM