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| 11/23/2008 6:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Editorial
Moving forward on Via Ponte
The Via Ponte South Side redevelopment project took a step closer to becoming reality last week when the city's Common Council approved a resolution to hire Saratoga Associates as project engineers.
Work that was originally scheduled to begin in the spring of 2007 may actually start this spring, according to Mayor Ann Thane and a representative from Saratoga Associates.
The goal of the Via Ponte project is to transform Bridge Street into a vibrant commercial zone. Grants totaling $750,000 will be used to pay for new water and sewer lines, new sidewalks, paving, landscaping and ornamental lighting.
Unfortunately, work has been delayed for several years due to issues regarding the site of the former Chalmers Knitting Factory, located on the north end of Bridge Street, along the Mohawk River. Originally, city officials wanted to raze the buildings on the site before beginning street work, but that was complicated due to environmental concerns because of possible soil contamination on the Chalmers property. These problems were eventually rectified, but the project was further delayed when earlier this year the city council voted to give developer Uri Kaufman a last-ditch opportunity to convert the abandoned mill into condominiums.
Now the city is ready to proceed with the Via Ponte work, hopefully beginning in the spring, and we couldn't be happier. Within a year Beech-Nut should be ready to open its new headquarters in the Florida industrial park alongside Target's largest distribution center in the Northeast - both within a few miles of Bridge Street.
The project is crucial to the city's redevelopment efforts. For Via Ponte to succeed it will require both tenacity by city officials to make sure it stays on schedule, and careful planning by economic development experts to ensure new commercial ventures will be put in the hands of legitimate operations. If any public money is involved with enticing businesses to Bridge Street or Main Street, officials will need to choose wisely or they may find themselves with another Cliffside Restaurant situation on their hands.
Via Ponte was conceived and developed during the administrations of former mayors John Duchessi and Joseph Emanuele. Thane now has the opportunity to make this plan become a reality during her administration.
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