Letters to the editor can be submitted by sending an email to tuletters@timesunion.com or completing this form. See our guidelines on letters.

I am writing with thanks to Albert DeSalvo, who wrote a compelling letter to the editor in the Oct. 10 Times Union ("Soccer stadium is not the right choice for downtown Albany"). I read his letter with great interest and enthusiasm, as it is the first proposal I have seen that, as he writes, "enhances the livability and viability of downtown Albany." When I read Mr. DeSalvo's proposal, I uttered aloud a resounding "Yes," and even punctuated it with a quiet little fist punch in the air.

No soccer stadium, no convention center, and certainly no aquarium (where did that come from?) is included in Mr. DeSalvo's proposal. Instead, he presents a carefully planned mixed-use neighborhood that includes community spaces, parks, easy walking/biking access to the Hudson, many different housing opportunities and attractive commercial venues, including, hopefully, more than one grocery store.

This neighborhood could be a nationally recognized model community, and I agree with Mr. DeSalvo's vision. In fact, it is exactly the kind of neighborhood that I would like to support and perhaps live in.

Albany is one of the more depressing cities I've ever visited, and this kind of thoughtful development, if well planned, could be a game-changer by attracting interesting businesses, interesting and diverse residents and visitors alike.

I hope Mr. DeSalvo's letter caught the eye of those who can make change happen, and not just those of an upstate woman who misses thriving in the vibrant city where she lived for 40 years.

Published Oct. 20, 2025

I agree with Mike Fazio's demand that New York phase in electrification "responsibly," but we disagree about what responsibility should look like ("All-electric mandate will exacerbate the housing crisis," Sept. 12).

Mr. Fazio suggests that we should let the All-Electric Buildings Act go into the dustbin with the other environmental laws that the state has failed to enact.

But there is no getting around the fact that a third of the state's fossil fuel emissions come from heating and cooling buildings, mostly with gas. It would be nice to retrofit all our buildings for electric heating and cooling, but of course that would be too expensive. The All-Electric Buildings Act, by focusing on the construction of new homes, is the responsible path forward.

If the state's 2025 draft energy plan were more in........

© Times Union