Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The awesome thing about this new project on the old ALCO site is that finally Schenectady is embracing its
place on the Mohawk River.   Once we get the Bicentennial Park built in Rotterdam Junction -- along with other
improvements in that hamlet .....   Just like as string of pearls  -- we will have a string of wonderful places
along the river in Schenectady County  from Rotterdam Junction  down river to the City of Schenectady and
Village of Scotia and further on down to Niskayuna.

This is a great and exciting time to be a resident of Schenectady County.

REally?

With higher taxes and people fleeing the area?    Tell us about all the businesses to shop downtown.     Where are the department stores downtown, DV?   Where's the music stores?   Where are the clothing stores?   Where are the stores to buy things for ones house?   Where's the electronics stores?


Downtown is a bunch of taxpayer funded gin mills, some habib stores, head shops. and a book store that charges more than the big stores and doesn't carry a tiny fraction of what the others carry

MC1, all the stores for shopping that the residents that buy a condo in the AL co development need are in Glenville, Niskayuna, and Rotterdam where it's safe to get out of your car to shop. High taxes and crime have pushed most all the stores right out of downtown.

If schenectady was a tourist attraction, there would be businesses knocking down the doors of schenectady county. Are they? Of course not, because SOME businesses folks are business smart.

The ONLY businesses that move into downtown are the ones that the plex and savage BEG to come in or relocate. And while begging them,they are offering them a 'tax free' environment and zero to low interest loans that they are welcomed to default on. Hell, the taxpayer's will actually pay to relocate a business from one end of town from another....and the plex and savage and the gazette calls that progress!!! COUGH COUGH.

And where does all of this 'business created monies come from', you might ask? THE TAXPAYERS!

And when these PILOT tax freeloaders buy a box of nails at Home Depot-it's sales tax free! Some here need to take an economics class. A park where a worldwide industrial powerhouse once stood is hardly progress. It's like "arts" where stores that generated sales tax and property tax revenue once stood on Jay and State St. Stop confusing motion with progress. The City can't even pay to have the grass cut. But it sure can fund a pension!

     "Renaissance" idea-bring in some sheeple to graze at the new ALCO parkland. Plenty can be found hanging around City Hall, especially in the City jerks office. The same sheeple that refuse to read a City budget and think Stratton has done "a job".

The awesome thing about this new project on the old ALCO site is that finally Schenectady is embracing
its place on the Mohawk River.   Once we get the Bicentennial Park built in Rotterdam Junction --
along with other improvements in that hamlet .....   Just like as string of pearls  -- we will have a string
of wonderful places along the river in Schenectady County  from Rotterdam Junction  down river to the
City of Schenectady and  Village of Scotia and further on down to Niskayuna.

This is a great and exciting time to be a resident of Schenectady County.

Being a person who pays taxes in the City of Schenectady, it is NOT a great time to be living here. On the contrary, trying to rent an apartment to a prospective tenant is a nightmare! If it's a family, the first question is "Is the apartment in the Schenectady School system?" When I say yes, they hang up. Or the first question is "Do you accept public housing or section 8...do you allow dogs (btw 'mixed breed' is usually a pit bull).

So, ALCO can set up rows and rows of condos. You won't see many families move in (unless they could care less about their children's safety or education). The well-off people would never want to pay the type of property taxes in Schenectady.

It's so easy for people who do not live in the City or pay the taxes we pay to take such an optimistic stance. Metroplex has stolen the taxpayers money and have given it to very few. The projects funded are for Plex friends and political cronies. It is very easy to spend someone elses money...and when that money comes from over 60,000 City taxpayers....well, there's more to spend. Before telling me that I'm a pessimist, try paying my tax bills for a year...your cheerleading would quickly end.

Hey maybe some of those heftily paid retired Rotterdam PDs can do a public service and POLICE this area.  Some did a really good job protecting a former Rotterdam Town Supervisor!

The Alco area is a brownfield and a good site for the brownfield cleanup program.  It gives incentives to redevelop these wastelands.  Unfortunately, most of the really big bucks in tax credits went downstate to develop areas that would have been redeveloped anyway in primo real estate areas.  Now that we have already given mucko bucks back to the rich developers, out little community is benefiting from this program at a time when we just cannot afford it.

State programs need to be trimmed.  Metroplex needs to be reined in also.  We just can't afford it.

Downtown will never be a shopping attraction again.  It's resurgence is due to forced relocation of state agencies as in DOT and Lottery.  Those agencies are on the tax roles, not like the state campus.  MVP did a lot to put working people back on the streets too.

There is nothing attractive about the City.  As soon as I can, I am moving my business out of there.

Quoted from rachel72

Being a person who pays taxes in the City of Schenectady, it is NOT a great time to be living here. On the contrary, trying to rent an apartment to a prospective tenant is a nightmare! If it's a family, the first question is "Is the apartment in the Schenectady School system?" When I say yes, they hang up. Or the first question is "Do you accept public housing or section 8...do you allow dogs (btw 'mixed breed' is usually a pit bull).

Maybe 7-8 years ago, me and a friend of mine was thinking of buying a place for rental income.  A place near Union, figuring there would be demand from students seeking off campus housing.

It has maybe 5 units or so in it.  I remember a few years later driving by seeing "Appt for Rent" sign up.  This was before the glut of houses really peaked.

I am so happy I didn't buy...  While it probably generates some income, not nearly enough to put up with the hassles, and ever rising taxes necessary to fund the "miracle"

And despite the naysayers ... others are moving to Schenectady County and investing for the future.

For those who don't want to stay ... that is your decision .. and I won't dissuade you from leaving.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

For those who don't want to stay ... that is your decision .. and I won't dissuade you from leaving.

Thanks, that's very comforting.  It makes it that much easier knowing I don't have to worry about changing my mind because of your compelling arguments on why I should stay in this $hithole.

The Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity can't leave soon enough  ...  IMHO.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

And despite the naysayers ... others are moving to Schenectady County and investing for the future.

For those who don't want to stay ... that is your decision .. and I won't dissuade you from leaving.

Uh, moving and "investing"    ROFL.   WHAT are they investing?????    They are living off the taxpayer, having the taxpayers pay their property tax and school tax bills!!!   WHEN are you going to admit to that UNDISPUTABLE, UNDENIABLE FACT, DV.   I have provided proof of MANY well heeled owners downtown who are 100% exempt from using their own money to pay the taxes.  The move their employees from one street in the county to another, that is NOT investing.  They TAKE from the taxpayer -- that is NOT investing.  Whatever they sell get's charged sales tax----again, paid by the taxpayer/consumer and is NOT investing.   There is way far more money of taxpayer money spent on handouts to the well-heeled than money derived from sales taxes.  

So, tell us DV, if Bombers sells a drink for $4.00 and collects 4% county sales tax, then that's a pittance of 16 cents in sales tax (that Bombers doesn't even pay out of their own pocket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).   So collect 16 cents times the number of drinks and burritos, etc.    Now, you think that's a lot of money coming in?????   How about showing us with numbers, DV.  After you show us how much sales taxs is collected, then tell us how much taxpayers cover their property and school tax bill.  THen tell us how much taxpayer dollars were used to fix up the place.  Then tell us how much of a check the city, county, and school district write to them each year because they get a 150% tax exemption, which means they get money back.    Then, on top of that, DV, tell us how much in dollars is the staff time, benefits, and OT of the police that have to be called there for the brawls and the shooting (or was it stabbing, can't remember now).  Well?  

How about that Hotel Foster.  $250,000 paid to a pair of tax delinquents rather than seizing it by eminent domain.    After that Alsdorf jerk cause a million dollars in damage---to the Foster building--10 years ago because he willfully and deliberately was too cheap to provide heat for the building, tell us how much it cost the taxpayer in city services to handle an emergency of water flowing down State St in the dead of January in the freezing weather, huh?   How much DV?  

Then, DV, with the taxpayers footing the bill for city services for clean up, then the taxpayers having to pay for fixing up the building (because he caused a million in damages and hasnt' put a penny into the place).  And then the taxpayers have to reward the jerk with a quarter of a million dollars to buy the building------when the jerk owes oodles of delinquent taxes, probably on the hotel AND on numerous other properties!   How is that good for the taxpayers?

And WHO else is coming to "invest" in the city?   What, a bunch of scum absentee landlords buying up properties, allowing code violations, not fixing up the buildings, renting to druggies?   And these are the people YOU say are "investing" in Schenectady!    

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

And despite the naysayers ... others are moving to Schenectady County and investing for the future.

For those who don't want to stay ... that is your decision .. and I won't dissuade you from leaving.

So let me get this straight - NY is experiencing a population loss...  In fact we are losing one congressional representative...  But despite NY losing population, your thesis is that Schenectady County is experiencing population growth?

Now personally I wouldn't mind seeing condos at ALCO, even though it is sad that it is an old manufacturing site that would forever be essentially banned from ever becoming manufacturing again...  But in a growing area, condos on a riverfront could be nice.

However I'm too much of a pragmatist to think it makes any real sense.

There is a glut of housing, high crime, poorly managed city, and ever increasing taxes.  Oh - and NY State isn't growing, people are leaving because of high taxes and it's not a "right to work" state.

Whoever puts up the millions to build such a place...  is going to regret it.

Quoted from JackBauer

Whoever puts up the millions to build such a place...  is going to regret it.

We regret it already.  WE taxpayers will be footing the bill for much of it