Pine Hills Land Authority looking for applicants

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Local leaders have stressed the urgent need to fill the vacancies on the newly formed land authority, after an attempted burglary on Saturday. The Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority was created because local leaders said they want to prevent the neighborhood from becoming lifeless and buildings from being underutilized. 

One of the biggest questions right now is, how will the College of Saint Rose sell off properties? Will buildings be sold off, one by one or will there be an opportunity for one entity to purchase the properties on campus? 

Local leaders hope for the latter, that’s why the land authority was formed. They want Pine Hills residents to apply for a seat.

Roslyn Jefferson, the chair of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association’s (PHNA) committee on the Future Reuse of the Campus at the College of Saint Rose, applied for the new authority because she wants the community’s voice to be heard.

“Pine Hills Land Authority, once it’s formed and everyone is appointed, could do formal surveys of our neighborhood and get other ideas, as opposed to out of state developers coming into our neighborhood who don’t have a knowledge of our community,” said Jefferson.

She wants to repurpose the campus to offer a robust senior services center and afterschool programs. She wants the pool and gym to be open to the public and has other suggestions.

“Some of the classrooms could be used for adult training that could offer professional certificates in HVAC, electricians, green tech fields, the health field…etc..And opportunities perhaps for retail businesses,” said Jefferson.

The association rallied on Monday morning and urged more people, like Jefferson, to apply. 

Dannielle Melendez, the president of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, said they’ve run up against challenges with the college’s board of trustees.  

“We find that the process is pretty closed off from the public, so we want to continue to urge transparency, continue to push our thoughts and continue to share neighborhood voices moving forward in the process.,” said Melendez.

And others, like Albany Common Council Member Owusu Anane and Pine Hills residents, echoed those concerns.

“We would like to continue with more transparency, open communication with all the stakeholders –  on the local, county and federal level – to make sure we continue this wonderful gem in our neighborhood. This is a blank canvas that could offer so many opportunities,” said Anane.

He said stakeholders need to come together and get this right because Pine Hills is the geographical center of the city.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the city of Albany,” said Anane. “What happens in the neighborhood has a ripple effect throughout all of the city and the Capital Region,” said Anane.

Many said they’d like to see campus buildings converted into more affordable housing, including Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

“There are a number of homes that were taken off the market and turned into dorms, and into administrative offices, that might be able to be converted back into housing. And we certainly have a need for housing,” said Sheehan.

The land authority will have seven members who will be appointed by the city and county. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy will appoint four members, the County Legislature Chairwoman Joanne Cunningham will appoint two and Mayor Sheehan will appoint one. 

“We’ve all been focused on the same goal, which is let’s get some smart, community minded, thoughtful, creative thinkers to join this authority and put them together, start the process. Make sure you get a lot of community input. So everyone’s goals are aligned,” said Cunningham

She said they are working closely with the county executive to ensure their selections compliment each other. Cunningham said the county legislature's deadline has passed but they will still consider applications that come in.

“We’re very happy with the group of resumes that we’ve gotten. There’s a lot of local leaders from the Pine Hills community and in my mind some of those voices will add value to the authority’s work,” said Cunningham.

The city is seeking applicants to fill its one position on the board. Applicants can not be employed by the city or the county but must be Albany county residents.

Sheehan said the ideal candidate lives in Pine Hills and has economic development, commercial real estate, or planning and zoning experience.

“We need people on the board who have the business acumen and the ability to really understand what it takes to get something redeveloped so that when plans are put forward, we can have that critical eye and make the best decisions possible for the neighborhood,” said Sheehan.

The is accepting applicants until Friday August 23. Interested candidates are asked to submit a letter of intent describing their qualifications and must include a resume. Submissions can be sent directly to the mayor via email, mayor@albanyny.gov, with the subject line “Albany County Pine Hills Land Bank Authority” or mailed to City Hall, 24 Eagle Street, Mayor’s Office, Room 103, Albany, N.Y. 12207.

There is no compensation for serving on the land authority.