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Old St. Joseph's Academy gets an interior makeover

It's a familiar site at the corner of North Swan and Second Streets in Arbor Hill. The old St. Joseph's Academy building has been here since 1906, but on the inside this building is getting an extreme makeover.

Albany Barn Inc., a private non-profit organization, has joined forces with the Albany Housing Authority and is changing the interior into an artist incubator.

”The creative arts can be visual artists, painters, writers, musicians, and chefs,” says Jeff Mirel, president of the Albany Barn Project.

Mirel says the artists will not only be working here, they'll be living here in  22 subsidized apartments with studios. There will also be an additional 15,000 square feet of studio space.

Organizers hope the changes on the inside will lead to changes on the outside -- bringing businesses back to the surrounding neighborhood.

Zoning Board schedules next meeting

Zoning Board schedules next meeting

The Guilderland Zoning Board will meet on Wednesday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room.

There are several items on the agenda. The board will discuss allowing the construction of a covered front porch, a special use permit request to modify a parking field, and other items.

To see complete agenda, click here.

Survey shows slight decline in real estate pessimism

ALBANY- New Yorkers' pessimistic outlook on the housing market is slowly improving.
    
The Siena Research Institute released its quarterly survey on real estate sentiment Thursday morning.
    
It finds that although the sales are still down, homeowners are feeling that property values are starting to creep up.
    
There was improvement in upstate New York, but not much change in New York City.

20 Mall becoming Hamilton Square

20 Mall becoming Hamilton Square

The Lia family, owners of the 20 Mall shopping center in Guilderland, has announced plans for a multi-million dollar renovation of the plaza Tuesday. 

As part of the improvements, the shopping center will have an updated facade, re-designed parking, new lighting, landscaping, and a new name.

Upon completion of the renovation, the local Guilderland shopping center will be renamed “Hamilton Square” in honor of the areas history. The site located along Route 20 was settled by the Dutch and was once known as the Village of Hamilton.  Prior to being named 20 Mall, the center was formerly known as Loehmans Plaza and Guilderland Barkers Center.

"We are excited about the transformation of 20 Mall to Hamilton Square," said William Lia Jr in a prepared statement. "The renovations will make the shopping center a proud landmark that it once was for the Town."

Second tax bill sent in error, says town

Second tax bill sent in error, says town

Guilderland officials are telling residents who received two property tax bills this month that the second bills were sent in error, according to the town's website.

A number of Guilderland property owners have received two property tax bills this month. The second bill references taxes in arrears, and directs recipients to contact the Albany County Tax Office. These second bills resulted from a processing error at the vendor who produces Guilderland’s tax bills.

If the school and property tax bills on your property have been paid, there are no arrears and you should simply pay the initial bill you received, which contains no arrearage notice.

You may confirm the tax status of your property by: calling the Albany County Tax Office at 447-7082; calling the Guilderland Tax Office at 356-1980, ext.

Board discusses animal and zoning laws at meeting

Board discusses animal and zoning laws at meeting

Guilderland's Town Board will host two public hearings at their meeting on Tuesday, December 7.

The first will discuss the amending the zoning law in regards to mixed use development and customary home occupations. The second will ask for residents' opinions on the Town's animal control law.

Also on the agenda is consideration for a request by the library to relocate an existing sanitary sewer, a discussion on a request to enter into an executive session, and more.

To see the full tentative agenda, check out the town's website here.

Zoning board meets

The Zoning Board of Guilderland will be holding a meeting Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room.

There are several items to be discussed on the meeting's agenda. There is a special use permit being requested for the opening of a yoga studio. There is also a request to convert a photo studio into a professional office space.

To see all the items on the agenda, check out the town's website here.