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SCHENECTADY
Housing program aimed at workers
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    Dilapidated housing, absentee landlords, parking problems around major employers in the city — these and other problems would be tackled through a pilot homeowner program under development by the city and community service organizations.
    The program, based on the concept of “live where you work,” would provide a down payment or other incentive to encourage people to buy homes near their workplaces. It would encourage employees of the Golub Corp., Ellis Medicine, Union College and other large employers to move into the city, nearer to their jobs.
    “The hope is to encourage homeownership in a neighborhood that is tending to be more rental, to stabilize the neighborhood and to encourage greater security. It also promotes the green concept where people can walk to work and reduce their carbon footprint,” said the Rev. Phil Grigsby of Schenectady Inner City Ministry.
    SICM is working with the city, the Chamber of Schenectady County, Habitat for Humanity of Schenectady County, Better Neighborhoods Inc., the Community Land Trust and the Northside Business Association to develop the program.
    City Council President Gary McCarthy said the live-where-you-work program (currently a working name only) has the potential to solve a lot of problems. It would alleviate the need for additional surface parking at Ellis Hospital, Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital, Union College and any expansions that occur at the Golub headquarters site on Nott Street, and “further down it brings in owner-occupied housing, which is what we need,” he said.
    McCarthy said curing blight in the city is a long-term process “but we hope to make some programmatic changes that can be implemented in the next year to 18 months.”
    Mike Aragosa, president of the Northside Business Association, said the program would initially target a portion of the Goose Hill neighborhood that runs north of Nott Street to Lenox Road, across to Mason Street and down Van Vranken Avenue to Seneca Street. City officials said the pilot program could eventually cover the entire city.
    “We want to get people who work here to live here and own houses. In some cases, they are renting but can’t buy a house because of marginal income or a bad past credit history,” Aragosa said. .................>>>>......................>>>>.................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01300&AppName=1

The new City Garage could house a couple hundred "workers". This has got to be the worst idea yet. Instead of wasting time on this come up with some significant budget cuts to fix the $13 MILLION deficit Stratton created. How did the early retirement go? lol.

     Try lower the property taxes before expecting anyone to move in. Goose Hill "renaissance" is in total collapse. Check out the two boarded up restaurants on Van Vranken. BTW a sign of times right near the Taj Mahal City Garage on Seneca Street. 4 FAMILY HOUSE! MUST SELL! Only $40,000! This bargain should be snapped up by one of the illegal alien City "workers".

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   “We want to get people who work here to live here and own houses. In some cases, they are renting but can’t buy a house because of marginal income or a bad past credit history,”

I couldn't believe this when I read it. Is the city going to give them a temporary tax break? What happens when the full value kicks in? And are they saying that they will be entertaining folks with a 'risky' past and present credit history? I believe that is what caused the housing market collapse in the first place.

Yup.....there goes good old schenectady.....lower the bar and dumb 'em down!!!

All the businesses get the tax breaks so why not give it to the residents? This is a good try by McCarthy but it won't be enough to get him elected, people remember the past.

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Living where you work better all around in Schenectady

    The best programs are those that can solve a number of problems at once, and “live where you work,” a new demonstration project being developed by the city of Schenectady and a number of housing and community service organizations, appears to be such a program. In fact, living where you work used to be the norm in Schenectady and elsewhere around the country; the loss of it, with suburbanization after World War II, is a big part of what ails cities today. We need to get back to it.
    The pilot project would target the Goose Hill neighborhood, also known as the North Side. That neighborhood isn’t the worst in the city, but it’s one that is headed in the wrong direction, with about 50 percent of the houses owned by absentee landlords. There’s an increasing amount of drug activity and other crime, run-down houses, graffiti, etc. But it still has plenty going for it, including tree-lined streets, backyard gardens, shopping and restaurants on Van Vranken Avenue and, for the purposes of this project, proximity to major employers like the new Golub Corp. headquarters, Ellis Hospital and Union College, all located along Nott Street.
    People moving into the neighborhood would be able to walk to work, freeing up parking spaces on and around those workplaces (Ellis employees taking up spots on the surrounding streets is a real sore point with neighbors), while reducing their transportation expenses as well as their carbon footprint.
    Owner-occupants would also stabilize the neighborhood and make it safer. They are more likely than absentee landlords to keep their house in good repair, the lawn mowed, the garbage cans out of sight. And to see and report criminal behavior.
    This program, which would provide a down payment or other incentive to buy houses in the neighborhood, fits in well with the City Council’s goal under President Gary McCarthy of addressing blight in the city. It has the support of the neighborhood association and the Chamber of Commerce, which says it will work with member businesses to help provide incentives. For its part, the city must do more than provide tax breaks and make available houses taken through foreclosure. It must address quality-of-life issues like run-down houses, noise, graffiti and the neighborhood’s (and city’s) rapidly deteriorating roads. .....................>>>>................................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00502&AppName=1

OMG!! Just last year this was a neighborhood in "renaissance" according to a front page puff piece in the snooze. BT could not be more correct. The last thing we need is a program to give those that do not qualify for loans-loans. That's what started the recession. Let's wait until more test scores are released before proclaiming the worst schools in the area fixed. They still seem deaf to the message that the taxpayers are tapped out and they need to start streamlining course offerings and slash busing.

     The Source is also on target. Since so many businesses that could pay full taxes are paying a much lower PILOT-the residential sheeple have to pay more. What is needed is a across the board 20% property tax cut to fill empty businesses and homes. Programs like this never work and can't work. But Democrats like to propose them to act like they are doing something.

This is how they (liberal socialists) dumb down the electorate. These people who allow themselves to be dumbed down are the ones who will fall victim to the government handout manipulation.

Has anyone talked to any of the city or county officials? I mean actually 'talked' to them and 'listen' to them respond to you? I have asof late....it is scary! They honestly do not have a thread of intelligence! REALLY!! I walked away in total disbelief!

Who the hell dumbed down our local officials?