Property on the former campus of The College of Saint Rose in Albany is seen Dec. 12, 2024.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy speaks in August during the a workshop exploring potential reuse of the former College of Saint Rose. Flanking him are Joanne Cunningham, chairwoman of the county Legislature, and Kevin O’Connor, CEO of the Pine Hills Land Authority.

The announcement that two buildings on the former campus of The College of Saint Rose might be sold to the Henry Johnson Charter School came as a surprise to a large number of people. Among them: the community that surrounds the shuttered campus, and state Sen. Patricia Fahy, who represents the neighborhood and last year sponsored the legislation that created the Pine Hills Land Authority.

The authority now controls the ex-campus, which it purchased a year ago for $35 million with bonds backed by the county. And it has been moving with great speed to offload the properties — such as allowing Albany County itself to purchase five buildings for $6 million. Since the seven-member board of the authority includes four members appointed by county Executive Dan McCoy, one imagines the negotiations were not contentious.

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