GLENVILLE Second hotel planned on river Popolizio: Proposal has attracted interest from national chains BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
A second hotel project has been announced for Schenectady County’s riverfront. The Waters Edge Lighthouse owner Pat Popolizio said Tuesday he is talking with interested national chains to build a three- to four-story hotel with 80 to 110 rooms between the restaurant and his banquet facility on the shore of the Mohawk River off Freemans Bridge Road. He does not yet have an estimate of the cost and did not say what hotels are under consideration. “They are very interested. We have not fi nalized anything,” he said. Last week, the Galesi Group announced a multi-story hotel and upscale riverfront apartment complex for the former Alco industrial site on Erie Boulevard in Schenectady. Popolizio said he believes it is the right time for the project, with the area’s economic growth, including expansion at GE and the arrival of GlobalFoundries, a new Target under construction on Route 50 and the proximity to Schenectady County Airport. “We’re in the center of many industries and large businesses and the fact that the water traffic has been excellent in the last few years. The Mohawk River is cleaned up. It’s becoming more of a destination place for people,” he said. Popolizio hopes to begin the approval process in a couple of months. He said he didn’t know whether the project is eligible for tax credits. Popolizio has owned the property since 2004. He renovated the former Riverside Restaurant and opened the Waters Edge in 2005. In 2009, he added a 5,300-square-foot, $1.5 million banquet facility that can seat 240 people and a fi veroom inn above the restaurant. The property also includes a 60-slip marina and is also home to a 9/11 memorial featuring two beams from the fallen World Trade Center. WATERFRONT RESOURCE Saratoga Associates, which worked on Riverlink Park in Amsterdam, is handling the design of the hotel. President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Shearer said the company enjoys doing waterfront projects. “I think it’s an undertapped resource in the Capital District. It’s a nice thing when we can get back to using our waterfront in a sustainable manner,” he said. He met Popolizio because both serve on U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko’s Mighty Waters Task Force. Popolizio contributed his input to the design, according to Shearer. “He wanted something that absolutely fit in the context of the whole Waters Edge property. I think when that hotel is up, it really completes the waterfront on the Glenville side,” Shearer said. News of the pending development pleased town offi cials. “We think this is huge for Glenville,” said town Supervisor Chris Koetzle. “We know by the past investments that Pat has made in our community that this is going to be a first-class showcase hotel in the area.” ..........................>>>>.........................>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1
I notice which side of the river they are building it. Do you?
"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."
Private businesses will only build on the low tax side of the river. The connected businesses that get tax breaks for decades, and Metroplex handouts will build on the high tax side.
It's in Glennville... that would be the Scotia side, right?
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Let's all build in FLOOD ZONES!!! YEAH!!!The true meaning of taxpayer money being sent down the river.
Or flushed down at Big Macs socialized pollution plant. Now two hotels are being proposed. One on the low tax Glenville side {where the bond rating was upgraded} and one on the Metrograft/DEM implosion side. My money's on Glenville. Check out the mess on lower State or the falling plaster off Death Ray's DSS. Death Ray has talked to a national hotel chain! Motel 6 or Governor's? Meanwhile the insane DEM tax giveaways and non profit takeovers continue full throttle. Meanwhile the Gazetto prefers the nitwit ALCO plan because of DVR's bike trail. You can't make this up.
the fact that the water traffic has been excellent in the last few years. The Mohawk River is cleaned up. It’s becoming more of a destination place for people,” he said.
Seriously??? He REALLY went there?
I'm not surprised this is in the local Pravda ..
water traffic excellent? For what, floating logs, homes, debris? River is cleaned up? Ya, I'm sure there's gonna be no storm debris left in the water, and of course it's safe to swim and eat fish from.
Destination place??? Ok, if you're talking about FEMA workers and $42/hr tax subsidized jobs ... other than Jumpin Jacks and those without enough cash to get their boats to Sacandaga or out of state. A "destination"? REALLY? Let's see how many boats are out there this year with the price of fuel and oil, IF owners have time from their 2nd and 3rd jobs to even enjoy the small piece of waterway that's cleaned up.
water traffic excellent? For what, floating logs, homes, debris? River is cleaned up? Ya, I'm sure there's gonna be no storm debris left in the water, and of course it's safe to swim and eat fish from.
Destination place??? Ok, if you're talking about FEMA workers and $42/hr tax subsidized jobs ... other than Jumpin Jacks and those without enough cash to get their boats to Sacandaga or out of state. A "destination"? REALLY? Let's see how many boats are out there this year with the price of fuel and oil, IF owners have time from their 2nd and 3rd jobs to even enjoy the small piece of waterway that's cleaned up.
Instead of going to the South of France the jet setters are going to Schenectady for the smelly Mohawk. When will the swim in-swim out rooms be ready? Nobody believes this blarney. Schenectady also made VANITY FAIR last month! As a put down of course. Hampton property owners who can't get beach views are fleeing in shame to SCHENECTADY! Of course the bike trail is also going to create "renaissance" and "rebirth".
I don't think anyone knows when the Mohawk River will be totally clean again after the fuel oil, manure, human waste, motor oil, gasoline, and whatever else was washed into the river during the flooding last year.
Compared to when I was a kid... the Mohawk is very clean. I remember seeing a dead calf float by while on the river. Oil, industrial waste, city sewage, and at every lock, there was a huge area that was always covered with a thick foam. The Chuctenunda creek that ran through the carpet mills in Amsterdam would be red, blue, grey... depending on what dye they were using on the carpets that day... it emptied into the Mohawk. The Cayadutta Creek in Gloversville and Johnstown, smelled like a dead animal most of the time as it drained all the rinse water from the Leather mills... it emptied into the Mohawk. The Mohawk is now a (relatively) clean river compared to most in the USA.
Don't discount the value of the Mohawk River as an asset to our area.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I have to agree with Box. I can remember as a kid in the '50's and '60's riding in the car across the river and it smelled like a sewer, we used to joke you probably could set it on fire. I lived in the Stockade on Washington Ave. from '73-'75 and started fishing there and you could catch plenty, just not a good idea to eat 'em, but you could see something good was starting to happen.
Didn't spend much time there 'til the late '80's when I started fishing there on a regular basis and the difference in water quality was unbelievable. One thing that was happening though was there was an invasion of zebra mussels. You'd think you'd have a fish on but instead a huge clump of mussels would be on the hook. Some folks seem to think that the zebra mussels were contributing to the water quality getting better. In the mid '90's I finally bought a fishing boat and spent an incredible amount of time on the river. One thing I noticed was there seemed to be fewer mussels, and some suggested that the bass had found them to be a food source. Once again I can't document that but it does make sense to me.
The number of people that were using the river for recreation (swimming, boating , fishing etc.) was huge. And the water was incredibly clear. It wasn't uncommon by late summer to be able to see 10-12ft down with no problem.
Now I would never advise anyone to eat the fish out of the river, although I know many who did and still do, but my point is the river is leaps and bounds better than it has ever been in recent (40 yrs) memory. Did the floods screw things up? Sure, but that river will eventually clean itself up. So as a recreation resource it really is a good thing. Take a walk on the bike path in the warm months and see just how many folks are using it.
Box, you do remember just a little while ago when we were flooded...right...that little incident which submerged Jumping Jacks, flooded many Stockade and Rotterdam Junction homes? Lots of raw sewage ....
There hasn't been ample time to figure out how much garbage is currently in the Mohawk from this flood, so let's not get on the merry Metroplex hee haw wagon and begin building more crap we don't need.
How about a shopping plaza in MP where the old Marcellas used to be? Could help an entire neighborhood get back on its feet? But that might be a practical use of revitalization money.
Box, you do remember just a little while ago when we were flooded...right...that little incident which submerged Jumping Jacks, flooded many Stockade and Rotterdam Junction homes? Lots of raw sewage ....
There hasn't been ample time to figure out how much garbage is currently in the Mohawk from this flood, so let's not get on the merry Metroplex hee haw wagon and begin building more crap we don't need.
How about a shopping plaza in MP where the old Marcellas used to be? Could help an entire neighborhood get back on its feet? But that might be a practical use of revitalization money.
I stand by my post. The river was no doubt polluted by the floods, but the Mohawk has a strong current and much of the pollution was temporary. I wouldn't advocate eating the fish, or drinking the water, but compared to many rivers in the USA... the Mohawk is very clean.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Logged
Or flushed down at Big Macs socialized pollution plant. Now two hotels are being proposed. One on the low tax Glenville side {where the bond rating was upgraded} and one on the Metrograft/DEM implosion side. My money's on Glenville. Check out the mess on lower State or the falling plaster off Death Ray's DSS. Death Ray has talked to a national hotel chain! Motel 6 or Governor's? Meanwhile the insane DEM tax giveaways and non profit takeovers continue full throttle. Meanwhile the Gazetto prefers the nitwit ALCO plan because of DVR's bike trail. You can't make this up. 
