In the News

 

Editorial First published: Monday, October 9, 2000

Don't raze Albany buildings

Lombardo's Restaurant at 121 Madison Avenue in Albany is one of the city's landmark Italian restaurants, located at the gateway to the historic Mansion neighborhood. But as anyone who's ever eaten there probably knows, parking in that neighborhood -- just a couple blocks from the Pepsi Arena -- can be dicey.

Last year, proprietor Paul Mancino bought three dilapidated buildings across the street from his restaurant, he says with the intention of fixing them up. But within a few months, the city declared them unfit for occupancy and Mancino asked for permission to tear them down. They appear to be of less historical value than the fine brick ones they abut, but they could probably be made to fit in better with the right architect and some money. Unfortunately, Mancino doesn't want to fix or even replace them. He wants to pave over the lots and give his restaurant patrons more room to park.

It's an awful idea that the city's Historic Resources Commission rejected last December. But Wednesday, it reversed course -- and now all that stands in the way of an unsightly, gaping hole being created in the middle of an historic urban neighborhood is the Board of Zoning Appeals. 

Mancino says he paid $87,000 for the buildings. The engineer, real estate agent and accountant he hired say that to rehab the buildings would cost $350,000; but that his rents wouldn't be enough for him to recover his costs. Instead, they estimate he would lose $50,000 a year, which the historic commission agreed constitutes a hardship.

The buildings may not be much to look at, but they're far preferable to a surface parking lot. This is an important entranceway into a neighborhood that's beginning to rebound, into the city itself. The continuity of the streetscape will be disrupted if the buildings -- which, like others on the traditional urban block, are built out to the sidewalk -- are replaced by empty space.

These buildings likely would have been a problem for anyone who bought them, so some sympathy by the city is understandable. What it could do if it really wants to bolster the block is find Mancino some money to fix the buildings. Granted, Albany doesn't have a lot of that kind of money around. But state legislators are known to hang out at Lombardo's; maybe one or two can spare a member item to advance the cause.

Parking near Lombardo's may not always be easy, but with some effort, it's usually possible -- and free.