Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
AAA to remain downtown through deal with Metroplex
BY BETHANY BUMP Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Bethany Bump at 395-3107 or bbump@dailygazette.net.

    After considering locations in 10 counties, AAA Northway decided to keep its corporate headquarters in downtown Schenectady, where it has had a presence for more than a century.
    The Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority approved the plan at its Wednesday board meeting and announced it would purchase the company’s existing building at Railroad Street to further its goal for expanded development in the lower State Street area.
    AAA Northway will relocate to the third fl oor of the Center City Building across from Proctors on State Street in the spring.
    It has been located in downtown Schenectady since 1907, so the move will retain 45 jobs in the city and create five new jobs due to what company President and CEO James Phelps said was inevitable expansion.
    Its office on Railroad Street was damaged by the flooding from Tropical Storm Irene, which forced the company to begin looking for alternate space.
    “Growth of AAA Northway’s membership base and expanding product offering prompted us to begin planning for relocation of our headquarters due to the need for more office space,” Phelps said. “Flood damage sustained this summer simply accelerated our plans.”
    The company, which serves 146,000 members in upstate New York with various products, including 24-hour, seven-day-a-week emergency road service, will move its executive offices and member call center to the Center City space. Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen said the 200,000-square-foot offi ce complex is an ideal location for the company.
    “It’s brand new, it’s beautiful, it’s class A office space,” he said, “so it’s a nice, modern, new place for them. I know for certain they were looking in multiple counties for 10- to 11,000 square feet with parking and amenities, so they could have gone anywhere. We worked with them because we didn’t want to lose them.”
    As part of an incentive to stay in Schenectady, Metroplex approved an $84,000 grant Wednesday to help the company with the cost of relocating to the 11,000 square feet it will lease at Center City.
    The company also plans to lease 50 parking spaces from Metroplex, which will in turn provide Metroplex with a recurring revenue stream.
    “Our project, if done correctly, will pay back in many ways,” said Gillen.
    “The $84K we are giving in grants we will recover fairly quickly from the parking fees. So as we move these people downtown, we create more parking revenue for ourselves. Its corporate headquarters is just something we did not want to lose.”
    Metroplex will pay $138,000 toward the $175,000 purchase price of the existing Railroad Street building and one acre of land at 112-114 Railroad St. and 10 State St. Gillen said it’s a good price for Metroplex, since it doesn’t plan to “just sit on the building.” Instead, it wants to incorporate the site into its redevelopment plans for lower State Street, which include the new Gateway Plaza. ...................>>>>..................>>>>................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01400&AppName=1

The lot is assessed at $64K and the building at $376,300 - a loss of over $20,000 from the taxbase.

$20,000 loss from the taxbase (property AND schools)
$84,000 relocation grant
$134,000 purchase price of a building assessed at $367,300 (wow, is that depreciation or could it be simply an illegal-over-inflated assessment....)

If AAA went to another county, it would have saved the taxpayers $214,000. Bet the other authorities weren't stupid enough to throw money at AAA.

These businesses aren't stupid, only Metroplex is.

Assessed at $367,300 but sold to Metrograft at $134,000! Keep the DEM implosion going!

Now Metroplex can say it created more jobs by moving them closer to Proctors.

Ahh yes, another taxpayer give-a-way...Just remember...When you are shopping for xmas this year, the sales tax you pay on your purchases in Schenectady County will be used to bribe AAA to stay in the City of Schenectady.  And successfully bribing ANOTHER business from defecting from Schenectady is the real xmas gift to all the residents.  

So when you see your County elected representative, tell them – Thank You – for giving more of my money to multimillion dollar businesses.  Because as we all know, it is always better to give than receive.

In return to thank you for your generosity the city officials will give you a big tax increase.

Metroplex is yet another slumlord in Schenectady.

Quoted from Shadow

In return to thank you for your generosity the city officials will give you a big tax increase.

Thank you Death Ray! Home owners can pick up the slack. How much is the rent give away for County taxpayers to pay in addition to the building that no one wanted? AAA moved most functions to Upper Union years ago. But it gets better. According to Death Ray more room for SCCC dorms! He hasn't even rented out the first dorm, doesn't know demand, but is planning more here and at Gillen's Gulch. Every empty store should be a new dorm. Keep building Death Ray even if no one comes. It smells like renaissance. All permanently off the tax rolls. Keep the DEM implosion going.

This is awesome news -- it keeps AAA's offices in Downtown Schenectady and allows Metroplex to continue to assemble properties for the redevelopment of the "triangle" between State Street, Washington Avenue and Erie Blvd.   Something big is "in the works" for this area --something that will continue the RENAISSANCE of the Downtown NEIGHBORHOOD and of Schenectady County.

Great work - Metroplex !!!

If something is in the works by Metroplex it means adding another hundred dollars to my property tax bill.

End the Metroplex, combine ALL the IDA's in the Capital District and start bringing real development to our area, not simply bribes and shady business dealings.

AAA has been located there since 1907, and they show their debt of gratitude by leveraging Schenectady's position of weakness to squeeze money out of the taxpayers?  Good to see the Schenectady renaissance has strenghened their position when negotiating with businesses.  Seems as if the business and the Democrat party win everytime, and the resident homeowner foots the bill.

Metroplex needs to be disbanded.....immediately.....

metrograft, dems idiots, blah, blah blah

squeeky records, lousy posts, stupid comments, in other words, same old, same old

ho hum dull, dull dull

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

This is awesome news -- it keeps AAA's offices in Downtown Schenectady and allows Metroplex to continue to assemble properties for the redevelopment of the "triangle" between State Street, Washington Avenue and Erie Blvd.   Something big is "in the works" for this area --something that will continue the RENAISSANCE of the Downtown NEIGHBORHOOD and of Schenectady County.

Great work - Metroplex !!!

Typical comment from the welfare cheerleader, who has no job, no house, living off taxpayer money (not stating the source), so poor that he wears a tie leftover from childhood, and so envious of people who own a home, have a spouse and children, that he wants to see them taxed to the nth degree so they lose their homes and have to come down to.

Hike the taxes on the homeowners even more is EXACTLY what you are cheering for in this!!!!!  

way to go metroplex, another deal done well and another boost to the community, thank u metroplex.