Michael DeMasi reports for the Albany Business Review that Rensselaer city officials are currently in talks with a large property owner about a proposed $15 million hotel project to be located on the opposite side of the railroad tracks from the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station. The 110-room establishment would be the first hotel to be located next to the station, the 8th busiest Amtrak station in the nation. The station was accessed by 640,353 travelers during the 2022 fiscal year, according to preliminary figures. Brothers Bill and Bob Brayton bought the approximately two-acre parcel about six years ago and later learned the zoning allowed for a hotel. Bill Brayton said the COVID-19 pandemic and other priorities delayed their plans, but they now want to press forward. "We plan on putting up a hotel or at least getting it shovel-ready," Brayton said. The developers are working with a surveyor and engineer and have received positive feedback from officials, but have yet to formally seek approval from city hall. The Braytons recently acquired three adjacent city-owned parcels to allow for access to the site from Washington Street. The hotel proposal would include plans for a short pedestrian bridge to link that buildingl to the Herrick Street bridge that spans the tracks. Read the full story in the Albany Business Review.