In praise of luxury apartment development in downtown Albany

The Business Review (Albany) - April 27, 2007

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To the Editor:

On Thursday, April 19th, Susan Holland and I were present at the ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of Luxury on Pearl Apartments, the six new apartments above Jonathan's Pizza at 33 N. Pearl St. Converting these long vacant upper floors into quality housing is part of The Community Preservation Corp, and the City of Albany's Downtown Housing Initiative to create residential space in downtown Albany.

Like the redevelopment of 74 State, the new apartments at 33 N. Pearl St. are an excellent example of the potential for the many vacant and underutilized historic buildings of downtown Albany. Using existing historic structures is not only cost-effective compared to new development, but also ensures that Albany preserves its historic character.

We'd like to applaud all those who participated in the 33 N. Pearl St. project, from the owners Michael and Antonella Urgo and Andrea Urgo, to the organizations that helped finance the project. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, please take a moment to admire this wonderful building, specifically the beautifully restored wood windows that were done by local carpenter and friend of HAF, Devin Dascher.

We hope that this project, along with similar projects, will help to inspire others to preserve Albany's unique historic resources. Please spread the word about the success of Luxury on Pearl Apartments to encourage more historic rehabilitation projects in Albany.

Christiana Limniatis, Communications Coordinator, Historic Albany Foundation