SCHENECTADY Alco site plans make progress Environmental draft OK’d BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The Metroplex Development Authority on Wednesday took a step closer to redeveloping the former American Locomotive Company site on Erie Boulevard. The Metroplex board, acting as lead agency, adopted a draft environmental impact statement on the proposed project, a prerequisite to accepting a $4 million grant from the Restore New York program. “This really kicks off the process,” said Jayme Lahut, Metroplex executive director. The next step is a public hearing scheduled for March 1. Public comments will be taken through March 12. The board plans to adopt a final impact statement on April 12 and will issue its findings April 28. Metroplex will post the draft impact statement on its Web site prior to the March 1 hearing. Metroplex will use the Restore New York grant to demolish dilapidated buildings on the 60-acre site, now called the Nott Street Industrial Park. Removal of the buildings will open a 1.5-mile stretch of the site to the Mohawk River waterfront. The plan is to build housing and a 60,000-square-foot office complex in this area. Private investors will tackle these projects, Gillen said. Current tenants STS Schenectady, Automated Dynamics and Advanced Energy Conversions will remain on the site following its redevelopment, he said. ............>>>>...............>>>>................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01103&AppName=1
The plan is to build housing and a 60,000-square-foot office complex in this area.
I trust that this will be public (municipal) housing? The low income residents of the city of Schenectady are being displaced (to Rotterdam) by these developers. These residents deserve to have nice and expensive green homes on waterfront lots provided to them. They should not be responsible for paying the property taxes on the homes because they can't afford them. (TIC)
This county is being flushed right down the 5hithole by the elitists in government who think that they know better what we need than we do.
Instead of expanding industrial development they plan housing? For you sheeple-not them-they all live in Niskayuna. Over a toxic waste dump, which might contain nuclear waste?
More Office Space! Maybe you could find an initial tenant for empty "Clinton's Square" before you burden the taxpayer with more vacant office space? More cheerleading from the usual suspects-meanwhile the ALCO works collapses.
Schenectady should save at least one old building at ALCO
Schenectady, “The city That Lights and Hauls the World, “ it used to be called. You don’t hear that phrase anymore. I guess it’s due to the fact that American Locomotive (Alco) is gone and the General Electric Co. locally is called the GE Energy campus. Manufacturing of generators is done in one building. In years past, before moving out of Schenectady, this plant manufactured small motors, large motors and gas turbines to power those generators. Hopefully. there is a brighter future on the horizon. Even with new technology moving in, I don’t believe you will hear that phrase again. I grew up in Schenectady, spent my whole life there, with the exception of four years of military duty. As a child, I loved going for a walk with my dad to the end of Broad Street to watch the steam locomotives go by. Our city played such a big part in the growth of our country. This was always a regular stop for presidential candidates, but that has sure changed. I guess it was around the time ALCO closed in 1969 when things around here started changing. For me, it was for the worst. I saw a number of landmarks come down. Oh, I’m one for progress, but there were a number of blunders in the not-sodistant past. It broke my heart to see The Plaza Theater come down, but worse than that was the destruction of our beautiful railroad station. Look what we have now! The downtown area today is coming together, and my hopes for seeing Lower State Street, Erie Boulevard and, hopefully, another, grander rail station constructed are high. With all the talk, and I’m sure hard work, that is being put forth on the new project at the old ALCO plant, it bothers me that there is still no thought going forward to at least saving the one building still identifi ed with our great past. What a great opportunity to have a railroad museum on the former site of American Locomotive. You can still clearly see the words fading to the elements atop that building. Schenectady, don’t let another opportunity flounder.
SCHENECTADY Alco redevelopment gets mixed reviews Major tenant at site expresses concerns BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The Metroplex Development Authority’s proposed $200 million, 10-year redevelopment of the former Alco site on Erie Boulevard was endorsed Monday by environmental advocates but got only a lukewarm review by the site’s major tenant. Metroplex held a public hearing Monday night at which five people addressed a report on the plan. Public comments will be taken through March 12. The Metroplex board plans to adopt a final impact statement on April 12 and will issue its findings April 28. Metroplex has posted the draft impact statement on its Web site. Ruth Bonn of the Schenectady County Environmental Advisory Council endorsed the redevelopment of the site, which she called a wasteland at the entrance to the city of Schenectady. She also urged Metroplex, which is serving as lead agency on the environmental review, to exercise care in cleaning up the site. A majority of the site contains petroleum contamination and a portion of the site contains chlorinated solvents. The contaminated materials have to be dug up and removed off-site before any construction can begin, according to the report. Jim Stori, president of STS Steel, a major tenant at the former Alco site, now known as the Nott Street Industrial Park, said he is concerned the project could hurt his company in the long term. His company has options to buy land at the site reserved for retail and commercial buildings under the redevelopment project. “We are not against progress, but progress should not be at the expense of local jobs,” Stori said. STS fabricates steel and employs 60 people. ............>>>>.................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00700&AppName=1
Instead of expanding industrial development they plan housing? For you sheeple-not them-they all live in Niskayuna. Over a toxic waste dump, which might contain nuclear waste?
More Office Space! Maybe you could find an initial tenant for empty "Clinton's Square" before you burden the taxpayer with more vacant office space? More cheerleading from the usual suspects-meanwhile the ALCO works collapses.
Nothing changes. But BRAVO to Jim Stori of STS Steel who also cares about jobs and not idiotic Metrograft housing schemes. Nobody wants to buy a condo over a toxic dump in overtaxed Schenectady. No stores, no school, no services.
First they will drive the business out, then they can let it sit vacant for a long, long time, then after a 40 million (tax payer)dollar clean up where they replace all the dirt in the ground, they can let it sit vacant several more years. A total win-win for the Democrat/Conservatives, state workers, paid Metroplex bureaucrats, environmentalists, clean-up firms and press conference organizers who will excitedly proclaim "PROGRESS" and "RENAISSANCE!"
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
I thought the whole idea of Metroplex was to increase the tax base through helping businesses so that additional sales tax can be raised. How much additional sales tax will result in apartments being built?
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
...but try not to mention it. The Democrat/Conservative party doesn't want to hear it. They just want to be in "power."
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
I thought the whole idea of Metroplex was to increase the tax base through helping businesses so that additional sales tax can be raised. How much additional sales tax will result in apartments being built?
First they will drive the business out, then they can let it sit vacant for a long, long time, then after a 40 million (tax payer)dollar clean up where they replace all the dirt in the ground, they can let it sit vacant several more years. A total win-win for the Democrat/Conservatives, state workers, paid Metroplex bureaucrats, environmentalists, clean-up firms and press conference organizers who will excitedly proclaim "PROGRESS" and "RENAISSANCE!"
What kind of economic development "planner" refuses to listen to the largest employer at ALCO? They haven't wasted enough on State St. Now they want to flush another $200 MILLION in YOUR sales tax money on this stupidity. Clinton's Square sits totally empty on State St and they want to build more office space? For who? County workers? Where is the IUE? Where is AFL-CIO? Sickening.
Logged
Instead of expanding industrial development they plan housing? For you sheeple-not them-they all live in Niskayuna. Over a toxic waste dump, which might contain nuclear waste? 
