Henry Johnson Boulevard and Clinton Avenue
Co-Development Cluster

City of Albany

The corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and Clinton Avenue is a major intersection and gateway to the City of Albany. The Albany County Land Bank and Albany Community Development Agency are partnering with Home Leasing to redevelop 22 vacant properties on Clinton Avenue, Henry Johnson Boulevard, and First Street near this intersection.

This project is the third phase of redevelopment in the corridor by various partners committed to community development.

Developer: Albany County Land Bank Corporation (ACLBC) and Home Leasing

Partners: Albany Community Development Agency, New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

Background

The project is making its way through the City's Planning Board and project documents are available on its site using the link in the button below.

The project consists of three Major Development Plan Review applications before the city's Planning Board which consist of:

• DPR #0202, known as Henry Johnson Townhouses, is a proposal for construction of five townhouses with 2 dwelling units in each along Henry Johnson Boulevard with an accompany parking area with access via First Street;

• DPR #0203, known as known as Mixed-Use Building proposes construction of a ±42,903 square mixed-use building to accommodate 38 dwelling units, ±2,550 square feet of general retail space and accompanying parking area at the corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and First Street and

• DPR #0204, proposed demolition of an existing building at 180 Clinton Ave and construction of 4 townhouses with 3 dwelling units each. The five minor DPR consist of new construction of townhouse and rehabilitation of existing townhouses.

About the Sgt. Henry Johnson Mural

In 2018, artist Samson Contompasis approached the Albany County Land Bank about an opportunity to honor Sgt. Henry Johnson who fought with valor in World War I with a mural that depicted Sgt. Johnson and members of his 369th Infantry Regiment. He and his regiment saw front-line combat in France. For his efforts, he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme, France's highest award for valor. He was awarded the Purple Heart in 1996 and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002, both given posthumously.

The mural was installed on 337 Clinton Avenue and remained until January 2025 when the vacant building it was installed on was determined to pose a risk of collapse due to the long-term deteriorating interior conditions of the building that pre-date the Land Bank’s ownership. Despite efforts to preserve the building and the mural, it was determined that they could not be salvaged safely. The Land Bank and its development partner, along with the artist are interested in restoring it as part of the redevelopment project.

About Corner Canvas Murals

In 2019, the Albany County Land Bank, in partnership with Albany Center Gallery’s Corner Canvas program and 4th Family, provided student artists in Albany with the opportunity to turn vacant buildings into a canvas for public art. Here, this resulted in installations on two buildings at Clinton Avenue and Henry Johnson Boulevard.

The mural installed on 337 Clinton Avenue remained until January 2025 when the vacant building it was installed on was determined to pose a risk of collapse due to the long-term deteriorating interior conditions of the building that pre-date the Land Bank’s ownership.

Learn more about the project in this article from the Times Union.