Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy said Tuesday that nine more blighted buildings in the city will be torn down. Six of the nine buildings were acquired using assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The loan from HUD will be repaid using sales tax revenues.





The six buildings are at 2934 Albany St.; 1150 Cutler St.; 206 Division St.; 12 Grove Place; 107 Henry St.; and 1055 Pleasant St. The city is currently seeking bids to demolish these buildings. They are due Nov. 26. Demolition is expected to begin in late December.

Another two buildings will be demolished using funding from the City of Schenectady Industrial Development Agency. They are at 2 Nott Terrace Heights and 858 Eastern Ave. Finally, the owner of 730 Eastern Ave. will undertake the demolition of that building The three buildings are slated to be demolished by the end of December.

Building demolitions and renovation work will continue next year as part of the mayor’s HOMES Program, which seeks to increase home ownership and improve Schenectady neighborhoods, according to a press release from Mayor McCarthy’s office.

The announcement drew praise from U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, who said it was “great news from Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy today that nine more blighted buildings will soon be torn down, many of them with the HUD loan that we worked so hard to secure.

“The mayor was indefatigable in getting the funding so that he could start this effort, because he knew how dangerous a number of these properties are,” Schumer said. ”And I am gratified to see him move so quickly now that the funding is in place.”


http://blog.timesunion.com/business/schenectady-blight-battle-nine-buildings-to-be-demolished/62479/

I agree that unsafe buildings need to be demolished but not at the the taxpayers expense and a $500,000 giveaway to the Galesi Group for the DSS building on Nott. This is a short term solution to a widespread problem of abandoned properties in the city of schenectady. 9 down 700 more to go! Abandonment is caused by too much government intervention in the real estate business in Schenectady (McCarrthy Realty/ H.O.M.E.S program) which is a total failure and high taxation. No one is buying real estate in Schenectady. McCarthy knows it! The people are to blind to see it. They only see shiny downtown! #fooledcitizens

Tenants will find it very hard to find affordable housing and clean safe housing in the city of Schenectady. There is more abandon houses than ones that are livable in the City of Schenectady. Thank You McCarthy and his DEMS TEAM! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK DRIVING PROPERTY OWNERS OUT OF THE CITY OF SCHENECTADY! GOOD LUCK TENANTS TO FINDING A PLACE TO LIVE!

And I heard on the news some will be paid for from sales tax, thus less sales tax spent on what the city is supposed to use it for like operations of the city, e.g., road paving, snow plowing, code enforcement, etc.


And other demos from taxpayer money paid to the IDA.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy are excited watching a city crumble and decay so they get to borrow millions from the future to spend and pilfer now.

I'm truly surprised that Galesi only got a half a million.

The city will probably give all the other properties to Metrolpex after the demolitions.

Quite a racket, take more houses and get more free money from the future to pilfer.

These politicians show great creativity in all the different ways to work around a tax cap.

Home revaluation, fee's added and borrowing from the future.

I'm glad we waste time with limits that mean absolutely noting.

The tax cap was created to limit spending.

It merely caused the professional spenders to invent new sources of debt to finance their never ending increases in spending.

Does Galesi own or lease this bldg now?, or is the city selling him the property after it's torn down? Are the city taxpayers funding demolition for Galesi using part of the loan? Did some searching, found lots of articles with lots of hot air far back as 08 talking about Galesi leasing and renovating this place for corporate apartments. All these years later, what?

Quoted from Dirt2

Does Galesi own or lease this bldg now?, or is the city selling him the property after it's torn down? Are the city taxpayers funding demolition for Galesi using part of the loan? Did some searching, found lots of articles with lots of hot air far back as 08 talking about Galesi leasing and renovating this place for corporate apartments. All these years later, what?

Yes, Galesi has the city taxpayers covering the half million dollars that they will share with whoever demolishes the building.

And yes, so they can build upscale apartments.