Traveling the ring roads of the Harriman Campus in Albany, you can’t help but feel like you’ve stepped into a different era. As Chris Churchill of the Times Union describes it, the campus resembles a “Soviet-style wasteland stuck in the 1960s” rather than the future home of a prestigious public health laboratory complex that played a crucial role in navigating the pandemic.
With the upcoming $1.7 billion consolidation of the Wadsworth Public Health Laboratory, we have the opportunity to enter a new era for the Harriman State Office Campus. However, it begs the question: Will we embrace the 21st century or repeat the design mistakes of the past?
Let’s seize this opportunity presented by one of the largest public investments in the Capital Region to not only accommodate world-class labs but also transform the 330-acre Harriman Campus into a vibrant hub that integrates seamlessly with the community and generates much-needed tax revenue for Albany. It’s time to leave the 1960s behind.
To attract the workforce of tomorrow, we need to create a shared vision that goes beyond the borders of the Harriman Campus. This means developing a mixed-use district with residential, retail, and recreational spaces. We should welcome commercial and residential properties to attract spin-off businesses and prioritize pedestrian and cycling infrastructure to connect with surrounding neighborhoods. By removing and repurposing the outdated “ring roads,” we can unlock valuable acreage that can be integrated into the community.
This is not a new or abstract idea. Comprehensive studies conducted in 2007 and 2008 have proposed similar plans in the past.
We must avoid the mistake of adding more concrete and parking spaces to an office campus that encourages a swift escape to I-90 and out of Albany. We want to create a research hub in our own backyard, attracting institutions like the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering to Albany, consolidating the Wadsworth Public Health Labs, and co-locating the UAlbany School of Public Health. This will spur the development of a life sciences and technology-based “Research Triangle” in the Capital Region.
The success of North Carolina’s “Research Triangle Park” demonstrates the importance of this approach. By creating a vibrant and integrated community where workers can live, work, and play, the Triangle has attracted leaders in science, technology, and business. With over 800 highly skilled jobs tied to the Wadsworth project, we need to capitalize on the multiplier effect of the “innovation sector” and attract businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs to foster economic growth.
While we are eager to break ground on the Wadsworth project, we must also use this opportunity to update the plan for the entire campus. We’ve already started fixing the mistakes of the past with the reimagining of I-787. Now it’s time for a big vision for Albany, and a revitalized Harriman Campus will serve as a catalyst for a broader transformation. Let’s leave the 1960s behind and propel our capital city into the 21st century.
Patricia Fahy represents the 109th Assembly District in Albany. Neil Breslin represents the 46th state Senate District in Bethlehem.
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