Albany, N.Y. – Today, New York State Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany) and Assemblymember Gabriella Romero (D—Albany, Guilderland, New Scotland) released the following statement regarding the omission of language and legislation (S.1613 Fahy/A.5918 Romero) to begin redeveloping Albany’s Harriman State Office Campus and Uptown Parking Lot District in the FY2025 state budget:

"We are deeply disappointed that the final FY2025 State Budget will fail to include our legislation, S.1613, allowing for mixed-use redevelopment on a 7-acre portion of the Harriman State Office Campus to begin redeveloping Albany’s Uptown Parking Lot District. Despite the transformational $400M we secured that will help revitalize downtown Albany, after years of advocacy, community engagement, coalition-building, and engagement with the Governor’s office, this is a missed opportunity—not just for Albany, but for our broader Capital Region.

We are investing $1.7 billion in a new, world-class, state-of-the-art Wadsworth Public Health Laboratory; a crucial, overdue investment that I’ve long supported. At the same time, New Yorkers and Capital Region residents are facing a massive housing affordability crisis and shortage. That’s why we proposed a vision allowing for housing, commercial or retail space on 7 acres of land that would otherwise remain or be converted into parking spaces, with a comprehensive plan to consider the entire Harriman Campus’ future. That vision was supported by local leaders, community groups, organized labor, and economic development experts who all agreed: we must think bigger when it comes to public investments of this scale and size.

The Harriman Campus is one of Albany’s largest underutilized parcels of land, with hundreds of acres locked behind outdated, car-centric planning decisions from the 1960s. This effort represented a chance to finally start breaking that mold and create a walkable, connected, mixed-use area that builds on the momentum of Albany’s transformational $400M investment for downtown Albany and attracts the workforce of the future to our area.

Despite this setback, we remain committed to working with our coalition, my colleagues, and more to advance our vision in the months ahead in what we hope will be more fruitful conversations with the Governor’s office. The support from more than 75 elected officials, community leaders, labor unions, neighborhood associations, and developers underscores the momentum for finally reimagining the Harriman Campus. We cannot afford to keep thinking small when the stakes are this high: do we want another 5 decades of a disconnected, sprawling Harriman Campus stuck in the 1960s, or a fully integrated one with space for housing or small businesses that connects seamlessly with our neighborhoods?"