Schenectady business accelerator wins $300,000 grant

Oct 24, 2014, 1:04pm EDT

NYBizLab, a business technology accelerator under construction in downtown Schenectady, New York has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the business accelerator wins $300,000 grant from the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority.

The project is the brainchild of Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella who constructed a $7 million headquarters for his transportation software development company in Schenectady last year.

Civitella is developing the NYBizLab to attract early-stage technology companies to the city.


See Also
NYBizLab accelerator takes off

Civitella is creating the business accelerator in conjunction with Schenectady County Community College through the Start-Up NY tax incentive program focused on attracting new companies to the state and encouraging others to expand.

Metroplex awarded a $300,000 grant for the project this week. The NYBizLab will be located at 251 State St., a property that Civitella purchased from First Niagara Bank last year.

The building is undergoing a $1.8 million renovation, according to Metroplex. The 25,000-square-foot building could be ready for the first tenants to move in within the next three months.

At least 10 area contractors have been involved in renovations including Re4orm Architecture in Schenectady, C2 Design Architecture in Schenectady, C.T. Male in Latham, Hudson Montana in Latham and Jackson Specialties General Contracting Services in Mayfield.



http://www.bizjournals.com/alb.....Feed%3A+bizj_albany+(Business+Review+of+Albany)

So right firefox.


Just watch that big (in more ways than one) cheerleader voice of poop come on here proclaiming this is wonderful news, blah, blah blah, saying the city is in a renaissance but he just can never explain why:

--  if the city is in a renaissance, why is city's tax base is falling and
--  if the city is in a renaissance, why are people's home values are falling and
--  if the city is in this renaissance, why are so many people putting their homes up for sale and leaving the city and
--  if the city is in a renaissance, why are homes not selling, and when they do sell, why do they sell for only 1/3 to 1/2 lower than the asking price and
--  if the city is in a renaissance, why do the millionaires and billionaires need a handout from the taxpayers in order to set up shop and
--  if the city is in a renaissance, why do millionaires and billionaires need to be totally exempt from taxes in order to remain downtown and
--  if the city is in a renaissance, why are the city's finances in such turmoil that they have to cut essential services to the residents and taxpayers in their neighborhoods while at the same time raising taxes.


Nope, the dem chicken voice of poop will never address these issues, but how would he know these exist when he barely puts a pinky toe in the city on one little square floor tile in his room where he sits in a chair all day.

Quoted from firefox

METROPLEX NEEDS TO BE REFORMED TO SERVE THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

It DOES NOT need to be reformed!!!!

It needs to be ABOLISHED!!!!!

Exactly right, bt.

After "they" all get "theirs", we may get ours.

Does he have to pay back 300,000,I also heard other businesses downtown have recieved facade grants up to 500,000 from metroplex.

Quoted from MOONGLOW

After "they" all get "theirs", we may get ours.

not in any of our lifetimes...

Quoted from bumblethru

It DOES NOT need to be reformed!!!!

It needs to be ABOLISHED!!!!!

You'll get no opposition from me on this.

For those individuals that support for Metroplex, I think perhaps I could have gone along with it being set up for a specified period of time, such as 10 years, that's it, no extensions.    But come on, it's been 15 yrs already?   When does it end?  

At what point do we expect businesses to stand on their own two feet?

Are our grandchildren going to be paying higher taxes to continue funding private businesses 40 years from now?

Listen Schenectady high school has their IB program, tons of AP classes, and many classes that really should be left for college once they decide a major.  Schenectady has Union College which has prestige to it.  The city has Central Park which should be an attraction year round and it has the rose garden which volunteers (understandably as why should taxpayers pay for flowers) take care of and it's a nice place for weddings.  Proctors (for all we can justifiably criticize the tax thief Morris) while too expensive for most families in the city, is a beautiful theater inside and yes, they have good shows and should cause people to want to come to the city.  The Stockade has it's history for those who are history buffs and should be attractive to people who like the style of houses there to buy houses.

So you would think Schenectady would be a destination place.

But, there is NO PLACE in the city to buy a car, no place in the city to buy clothes for the family, no place to buy things for the home (except the rich people buying at Experience), no place with a good supply of books, music, video, computers, and all the other electronics.  Where IN the city can you buy bathing suits and towels to use at the city pools?  Where IN the city can you buy a coat for your dog so you can take a walk in colder weather?   Where IN the city can you buy a lawn mower or a snowblower?  Is there even anywhere IN the city that you can buy a rake with which to rake leaves (other than a piece of junk in a grocery store?

No businesses are coming into the city to open that people would use, heck the city can't even attract a department store WITH taxpayer handouts!  The city can't even attract a Walmart.  

And GE obviously would be totally moving out if not for it's total, 100% exemption from paying property and school taxes.  


The city cannot and will not exist and have a future on taxpayer funded gin mills.

The taxes are way to high, that prevents people from coming here to buy a house and live.  I mean, really, nice houses for sale IN the city, asking prices below $100,000 and still people won't remotely consider it.   But they are willing to spend $200,000, $300,000 or more in Saratoga Co.  That should be a dead giveaway to the city and county leaders--people are NOT willing to buy a house in a city where they have to pay their own taxes PLUS the taxes of millionaire political cronies of the municipal leaders.   And people are NOT willing to buy a house that will lose value which is the normal in Schenectady.

I bet if you ask anyone in the city and county to state a year when Metroplex will end, they will NOT have an answer.


So for the sake of the city's future and the very existence of Schenectady, abolish Metroplex NOW, end ALL taxpayer handouts to private business, and IMMEDIATELY remove ALL tax exemptions for private businesses!

Quoted from deadfred

Does he have to pay back 300,000,I also heard other businesses downtown have recieved facade grants up to 500,000 from metroplex.

Facade grants were matching grants. The owners had to match it while doing the improvements.


Grants are not required to be paid pack.

That would be a loan, which is zero percent interest most of the time.