Albany BZA approves six Hamilton Street apartment variances.

The City of Albany Board of Zoning Appeals approved six related area-variance applications on August 5, 2026, for properties at 295 through 307 Hamilton Street. The applications concern conversions from office space to prior residential apartment configurations.

Six applications, one recorded vote

Arrowhead Estates Inc. sought relief for 295, 297, 299, 301, 305, and 307 Hamilton Street. All six properties are in the Mixed-Use, Neighborhood Edge district. The City's agenda describes a minimum requirement of 750 square feet of gross floor area per dwelling unit in that district.

The proposed average floor area differed by building. The applications ranged from 732.50 square feet per unit at 307 Hamilton Street to 483.33 square feet per unit at 297 Hamilton Street. The Board's minutes record a single motion approving applications AV-2026-6, AV-2026-8, AV-2026-9, AV-2026-10, AV-2026-11, and AV-2026-12 by a 3-0-0 vote.

A unit-size condition

The approval was not unconditional. The minutes state that each dwelling unit must contain at least 400 square feet. That condition creates a floor for individual units even though the variance applications were framed around average gross floor area per unit within each building.

The distinction is useful. The underlying zoning standard and the requested variances addressed building-wide averages. The condition applies to each dwelling unit. The minutes therefore show the Board allowing the proposed reuse while retaining a separate minimum for the resulting apartments.

What the record does and does not establish

The posted minutes establish the motion, condition, and vote. They do not, by themselves, describe the number or layout of apartments in each building, the construction work required for the conversions, or any additional permits that may be needed. Those details should be confirmed through the project files and later permit records.

The approvals are nevertheless a concrete step for a group of existing buildings in a mixed-use neighborhood. They also illustrate how variance relief may be paired with a condition directed to the form of the resulting residential use.