City of Troy Franklin Alley
Placemaking Turns Troy Alleyway Into a Creative, Event-Ready Space
LaBella worked hand-in-hand with the City of Troy, Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID), and the Arts Center of the Capital Region to reimagine the underutilized yet essential Troy public space known as Franklin Alley. At the heart of Troy’s business district, Franklin Alley was a pilot project for alley redevelopment in the City—transforming neglected back-of-house space into safe, creative, event-ready, and animated public passages.
Franklin Alley was previously used as storage for dumpsters, garbage collection, and access for delivery vehicles to restaurants, bars, a bakery, shops, residential units, and commercial tenants.
LaBella played a large role in the overall design, precedent research, refuse management, stormwater strategy, lighting, and stakeholder presentation. Over the course of one year, the project team met with various business owners and stakeholders in an effort to generate design direction, awareness, and support for the project. Midway through the design process, the Arts Center of the Capital Region was awarded grant funds to contract an artist to provide public art that would further enhance the sense of place and history while celebrating the arts.
With City and private funding in place, Phase I of the project (between River Street and Broadway) was completed in the fall of 2020. Artwork now adorns Franklin Alley’s walls, café lights give the space warmth and security, and residents and visitors can safely stroll through the passage or attend intimate outdoor gatherings.
