Tutunjian to sell "Kennedy Park"

It is inconceivable to me that the City of Troy could possibly interpret that the 2+ acre property at the corner of Federal Street and Sixth Avenue is not designated a city park. The attached City of Troy tax map clearly identifies the parcel as "Kennedy Park".

This parcel was constructed by the Troy Urban Renewal Agency back in the early 1960's. The development of Kennedy Towers by the Troy Housing Authority required a three part agreement among the THA, the City of Troy and the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal that specified that the corner property was to be park area associated with the construction of the Kennedy Towers.

These facts were identified during the title search associated with the renovation of Kennedy Towers by Omni Development. The fact that the property is designated as a park is commonly known by the Troy Housing Authority.

How then can the City of Troy declare that they can sell this property to anyone without first getting authorization to do so from the New York State Legislature???? (Selling any park land requires State Legislature approval and designation of a separate property of equal size for park purposes.)

I was told that this evidence was presented to the administration. The administration however, decided to ignore the truth and proceed with the plan to sell the property regardless of the legalities. As a result, the City is ignoring the law and will risk the embarrassment of having a major development in the City of Troy fall flat on its face because of it's unwillingness to follow the proper procedure.

It is not my intention to throw cold water on a good development program for the City of Troy. SEFCU's plans to locate in Troy and build a new headquarters in Troy is good news. Such projects should be helped by the administration. But you can't ignore the process. The ends do not justify the means.

I also want to ask - Where is the press? How can they simply accept news releases without curiosity or editorial investigation. Do they believe everything they are told by this administration? It didn't take me ten minutes to check the tax map. Did anyone else - especially the press - even try?

Just like the sale of City Hall, this administration can not sell public assets in a private manner - EVEN IF IT IS A GREAT PROJECT.

My advice is to start again and do it correctly! Get authorization to sell the site from the State, establish the appraised value of the property, conduct a public solicitation of proposals according to the City's existing process and ask the City Council to select the best offer. That's the way it works. Just like the sale of City Hall, they can't cut corners.