COLONIE — One project in town was awarded money in the latest round of the state’s “Hunger Games” economic development incentive funding and one was not.
Soldier On was awarded $100,000 to help its ongoing effort to convert the years vacant Ann Lee Nursing Home to a full service homeless veterans campus to provide education, training and other support to veterans.
The at least $25 million project to renovate the former nursing home and construct out buildings for 220 units of permanent housing on the side located off Albany Shaker Road. The Soldier On website says the project is in the “pre-development” phase.
Last year, the Albany County Legislature agreed to lease the property to Soldier On for 50 years.
The request for $5 million to build a connector road between Routes 9 and 9R, however was not as lucky.
The road is called a critical component to developing the old 57-acre Starlite site.
In October, the Galesi Group announced phase one of the plan that would construct a 150,000-square-foot office building to house Ayco, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs.
David Buicko, president and CEO of the Galesi Group, has said the project would continue with or without state funding for the road.
This year, in the Capital District, 110 projects received $85 million as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council Awards announced last week.
