MALTA — A plan to build retail stores and hundreds of residential units on the current site of the Albany-Saratoga Speedway was met with resistance at a Malta Town Board meeting earlier this month.
During the June 3 meeting, representatives from Five Corners Development and The NRP Group delivered a lengthy presentation about their proposed mixed-use Camber Ridge development during the public comment period, which is usually reserved for town residents to make three-minute statements. The NRP Group’s Jonathan Gertman said he hoped the presentation would “shock and delight” the town.
After the presentation went on for about 20 minutes, Councilperson Barbara Conner interrupted to say that she had no idea the presentation was going to happen and that discussion of the Camber Ridge development wasn’t on the agenda. “I don’t know anything about this and I feel a little blindsided,” Conner said. “I’m looking at some of our friends and neighbors out there who have things to say to us and I don’t think this is the right time, and I would’ve appreciated knowing we were going to have this kind of presentation.”
A meeting attendee blasted the developers’ presentation, calling it “totally inappropriate” and “absolutely ridiculous.” The presentation had interrupted many Malta residents who wanted to speak about a proposed State Police barracks in the town’s Luther Forest neighborhood.
The nearly 50-acre Camber Ridge development is set to include “some element of senior housing, some element of multifamily housing across mixed incomes, as well as the potential for affordable home ownership,” according to the June 3 presentation.
A conceptual plan showed buildings that would house a brewery, commercial space, apartments, townhomes, green space, and a courtyard/amenity area.
“This multiphase mixed-use project aims to transform the recreational site into a vibrant community consisting of housing, retail, community amenities, and walking trails,” said a statement on the Camber Ridge website.
The development would replace the Albany-Saratoga Speedway, where racing may no longer occur after the 2025 season. The developers said they planned to keep the track’s legacy alive to “appease race fan enthusiasts.”
It will be some time before the project can be fully approved by the town. The developers are making a formal proposal this summer and hope to reach the site plan approval process by the end of next year.
