Initial plans The plan originated with Albany Mayor
Gerald Jennings and various supporters in 1994, though progress was not actually made until 2002 when the mayor put out a "request for expressions of interest", with which the mayor requested possible locations for the convention center as well as preliminary designs and cost estimates. The complex was initially expected to cost between $140 and $160 million. The incentive for such a plan was based mainly on the lack of significant convention space in Albany and potential profits that could be generated from such a center in the state capital. Early plans suggested a 400-room hotel and up to of convention space, large enough to accommodate 5,000 to 7,000 people. Plans expanded quickly and by early 2003, estimates had reached $185 million with and parking for up to 1,500 cars. By this time a Jennings-appointed convention center task force had yet to decide on a site. The top two locations were west of the
Times Union Center between State and Beaver Streets and east of the Times Union Center in the area bounded by Broadway, Beaver Street, and Green Street.
Government support In June 2004, with the support of Governor
George Pataki, Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver, and Senate Majority Leader
Joseph Bruno, the
New York Legislature established the Albany Convention Center Authority (ACCA), the public body entrusted with developing the convention center. The outcome was not that preferred by Jennings: his initial plan sought a development authority with greater power and the ability to finance up to $500 million with state backing. As created by the Legislature, the Authority was a group made of members to be appointed by a number of different state officials, with a finance limit of $185 million. In 2005,
Albany County's three-percent hotel tax was increased to five percent; a year later, it was increased to six percent. The additional tax was expected to raise $3 million annually in an effort to pay off the ACCA's $8.5 million estimated annual cost. Many local hotel owners and managers opposed the increased tax since the proceeds were funding a future competitor. Many locals opposed the plan as wasteful spending; in contrast, a February 2008
Times Union editorial indicated its support saying, "This is a state project, not a city project and one entirely deserving of a commitment even larger than the $205 million that's been approved already." With the state only approving about $200 million (including a $75 million grant from Governor Pataki), the ACCA made it clear in April 2008 that state tax money should pay for the difference ($190 million) in funding the project. In response, the new
Paterson administration contracted with
PricewaterhouseCoopers to review the viability of the project. By this point the project had spent only $2 million of the $75 million allotted by former Governor Pataki. The funding could only be spent on master planning. While waiting for approval from the State, the project was given permission to begin archaeological digs around the preferred site between Broadway, Hudson Avenue and the South Mall Arterial. Various relics from Albany's Dutch past were uncovered and catalogued for inclusion in future museum displays. While ACCA board member (and Albany Assemblyman)
Jack McEneny stated his belief that the ACC would eventually pay for itself through its revenue, the
Empire Center for Public Policy described it as "a white elephant from the start. Here at a time where our borrowing is already excessive and our state budget is already overcommitted, you're talking about bailing out a project that was unnecessary to begin with." A study sponsored by the ACCA projected that the ACC would bring in 50 to 85 events annually, each lasting one to four days; 100,000 to 185,000 more annual visitors are expected to the city as a result. In November 2009, the ACCA revealed its design for the ACC, developed by
HNTB. The ACCA was able to reduce its earlier $400 million estimate by turning hotel and parking garage development over to private developers. This brought the cost estimate down to between $225 million and $240 million. After considering the cost of goods and commodities during the economic recession, the estimate dropped again to $220 million. Because the project was not
shovel-ready at the time, the ACC was not eligible for
stimulus funds. Amid large cuts proposed by
Andrew Cuomo in his 2011 budget, the original funding for the ACC remained.
Procuring land A site between Broadway, Hudson Avenue, and the South Mall Arterial was selected as the location of the Albany Convention Center. As of 2010, the proposed site consisted mostly of surface-level parking lots. In late 2008, $10 million (part of the original $75 million promised by Governor Pataki) was released by Governor Paterson to begin the acquisition of the land necessary for the project. The first piece of land, a parking lot, was bought in July 2009 from
Greyhound Lines at a cost of $469,673. In August 2009, the Albany County Legislature approved the sale of nine vacant county-owned lots—totaling —to the ACCA at a cost of $453,000. In February 2010, the ACCA bought about of land, which brought its total to about .
Proposed design The proposed design of the Albany Convention Center called for a brick and glass structure with an exhibition hall, two ballrooms and other various meeting spaces totaling about . The
Van Ostrande-Radliff House, which is believed to be the oldest building in the city of Albany, is located within the proposed footprint of the ACC. The house was built by Johannes van Ostrande around 1728 and is a rare example of Dutch architecture from its time. Owner Brian Parker reached an agreement with the ACCA that the building would be saved, possibly making use of it as a visitor center.
Controversy There was significant opposition to the proposed Albany Convention Center. Some opponents argued that Albany did not need a new convention center at all, others suggested that the ACCA consider expanding current convention facilities, and still others proposed moving the project to the
University Heights neighborhood, the
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering campus, or the
Harriman State Office Campus. Some opponents suggested that the ACC funds be to buy up vacant buildings and renovate them as a stimulus for the downtown economy instead of being used for a convention center. Opponents also questioned the cost of the project
Albany Capital Center In December 2013,
Governor Andrew Cuomo approved plans for a different, smaller convention center to be built at the intersection of Howard and Eagle Streets. That convention center became known as the Albany Capital Center. The Albany Capital Center, which cost $78 million and was largely paid for using the $75 million state grant that had been set aside for the ACC, opened on March 1, 2017. The Albany Capital Center is a meeting, ballroom, and exhibit venue.
Abandonment of project and later developments As of November 2016, there were no plans to develop the proposed site of the Albany Convention Center; the ACCA had reportedly "spent $8 million for the properties, and another $3.8 million on site costs for the $220 million-plus convention center and hotel that never happened." ==Notes==