ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to spend $400 million on the revitalization of New York’s capital city, including $150 million for a remade State Museum and $200 million for unspecified downtown projects.
The proposal, expected to be unveiled as part of Hochul’s scheduled State of the State address on Tuesday, is aimed at combating what the governor’s office describes as Albany’s “struggles with perceptions of public disorder and elevated crime” and an overall lack of vibrancy. In a preview of the plan obtained by the Times Union, the governor’s office says that “for the first time in the city’s long history, Albany will have a true partner in New York state.”
Hochul is also proposing to spend $35 million for a study that would lay out the next phase of planning for Interstate 787, including options that would open Albany’s riverfront, and $1 million to combat crime as part of an “Albany Public Safety Surge.”…