Troy One Monument Square
A Vision for a New Destination Reconnecting Troy With Its Waterfront
The Hoboken Brownstone Company envisioned a plan for a public-private partnership with the City of Troy, NY, to revitalize the downtown through urban redevelopment of a signature waterfront property along the Hudson River in the heart of Troy. The former City Hall property has stood vacant for many years and has long been identified as a significant component of Troy’s urban redevelopment strategy.
The design goal for the project was to construct a multi-story, mixed-use residential structure with a large public access podium and parking below, and a strong physical connection to the City’s riverwalk and riverfront park, linking the downtown streetscape with the waterfront.
The One Monument Square vision creates a new destination within the City’s core by capturing opportunities to host a variety of civil functions within the plaza, create smaller interactive and contemplative spaces, and move people throughout the space in an experiential way.
A wide, activated riverwalk will connect the podium level with accessible routes. A grand staircase will create a dramatic vantage point of the river. The green roof podium will feature planting islands, flexible furniture, and large planters to define public space and outdoor rooms.
LaBella led the project design, responsible for coordination of the site work of the land surveyors, civil engineers, mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineers, and structural engineers. We also coordinated the environmental review and permitting process, and designed utility network modifications to support the future building/parking and stormwater infrastructure for MS4 compliance and separation of stormwater within a combined sewer area.
One Monument Square is also designed to complement Riverfront Park, the adjacent site along the riverfront.
Complex Site Conditions
Numerous alternative design solutions were crafted to best match the site’s opportunities and challenges with the client’s objectives. The site has a large grade differential between the street and river with a 20-foot-high retaining wall propping up River Street and no access between downtown and the river. Design with and around the over 300-foot-long foundation wall required careful consideration for its adaptive reuse and fortification.
The entire lower level of the site is approximately four feet below the 100-year floodplain and has experienced flooding in the past. The design team was challenged to create a resilient riverwalk design that rises to the street level while adhering to the necessary infrastructure controls for floodplain management.
Infrastructure for many utilities was below grade and dominated the underbelly of the site. It was key to relocate a large high-pressure water main around the proposed podium/parking area to enable redevelopment of a financially feasible scale. Designing an attractive and vibrant setting over the complex utility systems that is constructable and maintainable was a challenge our design team successfully met.
