Capital Region legislators announced Thursday they were introducing a bill requiring New York state to dedicate seven acres of the Wadsworth lab project on the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany, to commercial, retail and residential development. 

New York state is redeveloping the Harriman campus office park with the $1.7 billion Wadsworth project which brings the Wadsworth labs together on 27 acres of the site.

But citing a need to “move beyond the design mistakes of the 1960s,” state Sen. Pat Fahy announced she was introducing legislation with state Assemblymembers Gabriella Romero and John McDonald that would require the state Office of General Services to reserve nearly one-quarter of the project site for additional uses to maximize economic development. 

“New York’s $1.7 billion Wadsworth Labs project is the largest state investment in the Harriman Campus since its construction and represents an opportunity for a bolder, broader vision as part of this project," Fahy said in a statement. 

The legislators called for using seven acres of the project to provide new housing and development options to reconnect the area with surrounding communities and help undo a car-centric area.

Romero said, "the redevelopment of the Harriman Campus offers a unique opportunity to transform the heart of Albany into a vibrant, mixed-use community.” 

The effort would help expand Albany's tax base by developing land that's been off the tax rolls for generations, McDonald said. Sixty-three percent of the city's properties are considered tax exempt, including the Harriman campus, Fahy noted.

Dedicating seven of the project's 27 acres would not impact the footprint of the Wadsworth design, she said.