Albany commission defers Land Bank demolition request for 45 2nd Avenue, asks for full structural report and cost breakdown

The Albany Historic Resources Commission deferred an Albany County Land Bank Corporation request to demolish a corner building at 45 2nd Avenue in the South End/Groesbeckville historic district, asking the Land Bank to supply a full structural report and a rehabilitation/stabilization cost estimate specific to that property.

Land Bank representatives Jason Jocarne (development specialist) and Lynette Terrence (director of operations) told the commission the Land Bank acquired the property from Albany County in 2019 and that asbestos and structural surveys have raised safety and stability concerns. Jocarne said earlier evaluations found asbestos in roofing and flooring materials and, in later site visits, evidence of water damage, leaning walls and compromised floor framing.

Jocarne described the Land Bank’s attempts to market the property: it was relisted in 2023 and again in 2024, receiving several applications but no approved buyer, in part because applicants lacked sufficient funding to stabilize and rehabilitate the building. The Land Bank presented prior rehabs as comps and cited an estimated rehabilitation cost (including stabilization) in the low‑to‑high seven‑hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Commissioners and members of the public pressed for a more quantitative, site‑specific analysis. Planning staff recommended deferral and requested a comprehensive structural report (with identified stabilization activities and costs) for 45 2nd Avenue rather than relying on comp figures from other addresses. Several public commenters, including neighborhood preservation advocates and a resident identified as Lee, urged the commission to explore stabilization and partial removal of hazardous additions (for example, a failing chimney or back addition) rather than full demolition; Lee said he opposed demolition and recommended targeted stabilization while the Land Bank pursues sale or rehabilitation.

A motion to defer the Land Bank’s demolition application pending submission of a full structural report, a detailed cost evaluation for stabilization/rehab specific to 45 2nd Avenue, and outreach to the South End neighborhood association was made, seconded and carried by the commission. The Land Bank said it would provide the requested documentation for the commission’s review at a subsequent meeting.