The only difference is the new casino dorms will have a parking garage.
I wonder if the new plans were based on the contamination. They couldn't very well carve a huge harbor trench through the chemical wasteland.
I might be misreading your post, and if so I apologize, but the way I read the article, the harbor is still in the plan. The casino building is all that's being changed. Just saying.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
My God that is ugly as sin, as much as I'm against the casino I actually liked the original design with the lighthouse, that new design as said above was made for some other purpose
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
It looks like they threw any kind of style to the wayside in lieu of more parking spaces. It reminds of the back of Mohawk commons (Target, Bed Bath and Beyond) with a parking garage on the end. Hardly the look of a vegas or AC style destination
Fits the local target audience. Minimal aesthetics as they know they will come regardless of the look. People will bet slots in the middle of a field with just an extension cord supplying power to the slot device. Bettors are not highly respected by casino operators only to the extent of what it takes to seperate the customers from their $.
When they first put the intial picture out, I looked up the other casinos they owned, and sure enough they are cheap, plain, big box looking buildings. The new design is clearly cheaper than the old, looks like the first one was strictly done to sell the bid. It also appears that the state didn't put any language into their process preventing the "winners" from changing what they promised. Nice job NYS lol
The developer says the new design reflects the look and feel of the Schenectady community.
I might be mistaken, but I thought the photo at the top was the so called "harbor" with those condos and apartments that few will buy/rent. Which building in the "original" photo was supposed to be the casino (and I thought hotel attached to it).
Seeing the "new" photo at the bottom, first it definitely looks like a shopping mall. However, where is this "harbor?" I don't see any water.
Just curious.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
I might be mistaken, but I thought the photo at the top was the so called "harbor" with those condos and apartments that few will buy/rent. Which building in the "original" photo was supposed to be the casino (and I thought hotel attached to it).
Seeing the "new" photo at the bottom, first it definitely looks like a shopping mall. However, where is this "harbor?" I don't see any water.
Just curious.
The artists rendering doesn't show the harbor. However, as I posted somewhere else on the topic, the only changes to the project are to the casino. The harbor is still being built.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
How the hell do they make ONE presentation and them CHANGE it in midstream??????? Isn't that false representation...aka fraudulent? I'm personally not in favor of ANY casino....but they clearly cheapened this one up!! It no way in hell looks or remotely resembles the one they sold scammed everyone on!!! And when is the opening date? Didn't Cuomo tell them it had to be up and running by a certain date? And what about the air quality? Is that even being addressed?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Chris Churchill: Redesign of Schenectady casino is a dud
Chris Churchill
Updated 10:12 am, Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Schenectady
Anyone who has dabbled in online dating quickly learns that photos often don't match reality. The person you meet on a first date is sometimes entirely unrecognizable.
I was reminded of that lesson from my single days by, of all things, the casino planned for Schenectady.
The casino we were shown in renderings months ago was a glitzy and glamorous knockout. Man oh man, how could we not be intrigued?
But now we're learning that the reality will likely be something very different. New renderings released by Rush Street Gaming seem to show a casino that looks as ordinary and boring as a shopping plaza.
The knockout of a project has morphed into a plain Jane or, if you prefer, John.
It's hard not to feel a little duped. It's hard not to sense a classic bait-and-switch.
The casino's developers showed us the beautiful design — the one that looked like a modern art museum — when they were wooing us and trying to build the community support that the state gaming commission wanted to see. Now that they've won the competition, they seem to have ditched originality for banality.
Gone is the sleek design that featured big walls of glass. In its place is a nearly windowless brick box neighbored by a parking garage and fronted by a massive parking lot. This is interesting architecture only to someone who's never been to Target. It's boring at best.
The redesign, of course, also looks much less expensive than the original.
Could that be the real reason for the change?
I couldn't get someone from the casino team to talk on the record about the redesign on Monday. David Buicko, chief operating officer for the casino's developer, Rotterdam-based Galesi Group, did not return a request for comment.
Rush Street Gaming head Greg Carlin released a written statement in response to questions.
"Rush Street Gaming develops and operates regionally relevant casinos that are designed to complement the community where they are located," Carlin said in the statement issued Monday. "For the Capital Region, we've collaborated with architects and designers with extensive experience in gaming and entertainment and our local partners to create a design that celebrates Schenectady's industrial heritage, makes great use of the waterfront and will provide a superior customer experience."
It's worth mentioning that not everybody loved the original design. Some found it too modern.
And certainly it's true that the look of a project of this importance and magnitude will never please everybody. Meanwhile, the average gambler probably couldn't care less about the design of the building.
Still, I think many people liked that the original design represented something different for Schenectady. It was unique. It felt significant.
But as the Daily Gazette noted in an editorial objecting to the change, the revised design looks quite a bit like the casino that Rush Street Gaming built in Des Plaines, Ill., outside of Chicago. That makes it seem as though Schenectady is getting just another franchise.
And what's good enough for the Des Plaines site isn't good enough for a Schenectady site of prime importance to the future of the city.
I took a virtual tour of the area around the Illinois casino Monday, thanks to the miracle of Google Streetview. It sits on an anonymous suburban strip of faceless office parks. Unless you're going to the casino, it isn't a destination.
The Schenectady site, by contrast, is riverfront land in the heart of the city. It demands more. The architecture needs to be appealing even to those who will never step foot in the casino.
Rush Street and Galesi have promised to build a real neighborhood that's lasting and respectful of the Mohawk River. In the face of criticism that a casino would only be about extracting money from the region, they talked a project that would be of value to the entire city and region.
The redesign isn't up to snuff — at least as depicted in the renderings we've seen.
The Schenectady Planning Commission is expected to review the casino's design and layout at its June 17 meeting. Considering the pressure the board is under to get the project under way, it would take considerable courage to tell Rush Street that the design isn't good enough.
In fact, commission would probably approve the casino if it looked like a giant Taco Bell.
But the city should demand better. The casino is a once-in-a-lifetime project and opportunity.
It's too important to get wrong. It should be a knockout.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
This rendering depicts Galesi Group's 295,000-square-foot apartment building with 191 apartment units and 50,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor at Mohawk Harbor.
The city Planning Commission approved housing and retail for the old Alco site as part of Galesi Group’s development of the 60-acre riverfront property.
The design of the apartment building with retail on the first floor and a condominium building plays into the city’s industrial history with brown exterior and heavy steel, said J.T. Pollard, owner of Re4orm Architecture.
The 295,000-square-foot apartment building includes 191 apartment units and 48,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor.
The condominium building will be 100,000 square feet and five stories tall. It will have about 50 units, which could vary based on market demand, said Paul Fallati, vice president of Galesi.
The commission approved the project unanimously, with one abstention.
Both buildings will be situated along a 50-slip harbor, which will start to take shape this summer. The buildings are at the northern end of the site, closer to Freemans Bridge Road.
“The harbor walls will be 17 feet tall and include a decorative sturdy railing on top of it so no one falls over,” said Dan Hershberg, of Albany engineering firm Hershberg & Hershberg. “Harbor piles are on their way and we’re ready to get them on site and start installing the harbor. There will be some excitement shortly.”
Both buildings will include crosswalks and access to the the harbor. Hershberg said the walkways would be susceptible to flooding, but that the buildings will be above the floodplain.
The apartments and condominiums will have patios and views of the Mohawk River. Parking for residents will be underground.
Retail tenants on the first floor of the apartment building are unclear at this time, but Pollard said the developer is looking to have restaurants occupy some of the space.
“Retail has storefront on both sides of the building,” he said. “We’re really excited about getting restaurant tenants in the apartment building to utilize the plaza space by the harbor. The condo building does not have retail on the first floor.”
The bike path will run along the front of the two buildings. It will be painted with green surface paint, Hershberg said. The path will also run around the harbor by the river.
Smaller trees will be planted in front of the apartment building, Hershberg said. A patio area will be in front of the condominium building along with a pier area by the harbor.
“The closest access to the river will probably be by this building,” Hershberg said of the condominium building. “We thought it was important for people to get close to the river with staircase access down. It’s also handicap accessible.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, one person expressed concerns about Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s small nuclear reactor on the site by the harbor and housing.
The reactor is used by students in RPI’s nuclear engineering program for research and training. The facility is expected to remain on site as part of the development, although the option of decommissioning it has been discussed.
Hershberg stressed that the facility is not a power-producing reactor but a teaching reactor. He said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has federal regulations for protection and security.
“We have been in discussions with RPI,” he said. “A concrete wall on the harbor side will surround it. We’re putting new fences around it and we will put landscaping around the fence.”
Hershberg said Galesi’s previous proposal to disguise the reactor as a lighthouse has been scrapped. The plan now is to remove the smokestack and draw as little attention to the building as possible.
“We will make some changes to make it look more attractive,” he said. “We want to make it less noticeable. Any changes to the building will require NRC approval.”
Galesi is also considering another two residential buildings with retail on the first floor on the opposite side of the harbor, fronting the river.
Market demand will determine if those buildings will be built in the future, according to David Buicko, Galesi’s chief operating officer.
The Planning Commission previously approved a 124-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel for the site, which will be situated in front of the apartment building on the northern side closer to Erie Boulevard.
Galesi is partnering with Rush Street Gaming of Chicago to build one of the state’s first commercial casinos on the site, called Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor.
Rush Street will seek site plan approval for the 151,000-square-foot casino — with 1,150 slot machines and 66 table games — during the Planning Commission’s next meeting on June 17.
From the Daily Gazette June 12: What was the rush for casino approvals?
I hope everyone in the city of Schenectady had the opportunity to read Mohamed Hafez's June 5 guest column, "Schenectady in need of host deal for casino." That surely is an eye opener showing us what our city administration has neglected to do in dealing with Rush Street Gaming and the Galesi Group.
It is one thing that a casino will be coming to our city, but it is another that this administration did not even give the slightest thought that we should have a Host Community Agreement (HCA). This was completely left out of any dealings with Rush Street Gaming or the Galesi Group.
In other words, the administration of our fair city not only gave whatever was necessary for these two groups, but just about gave them the keys to our fair city -- do what you want. No business is run like that -- if it was, it wouldn't last two days.
Even back in January, The Gazette had a great editorial (Jan. 29), "Public needs to see impact of zoning," which is an important issue and should not have been taken lightly. Here again, most of the City Council members (except Vince Riggi), including the president, always had the inevitable "excuse" that there is a time deadline and a vote must be made as soon as possible.
There was and is always time to make sure things are done correctly and this was definitely one of them. This project will be here for a long time. By hurriedly voting on this important issue, they gave unlimited heights to buildings, signs, etc. to Rush Gaming and the Galesi Group.
What was all the hurry because we have a deadline all about? Rush Street Gaming has yet to receive a casino license from the state Gaming Commission, but it is said it will by the end of the year. Ms. King, among many other items needing immediate attention, what was the so-called deadline that you referred to back in January when you had to vote for the Alco site zoning change, which was something that should really have been thought about long and seriously?
The public needed to see the impact of the zoning change, which it did not because the "excuse" of a deadline in everything that was done.
Jessie Malecki
Schenectady
Daily Gazette June 10: New design of casino screams out 'cheap'
The new casino design screams one thing: Cheap. A bunch of square boxes is one of the most inexpensive designs to realize.
The first modern, curved design is something that Schenectady could have been proud of; this latest rendering looks like a shopping mall that should have been razed 15 years ago.
"Homage to Schenectady's industrial past?" Nonsense. I wonder how many millions Rush Gaming is saving on this new design, and where those millions will go. Certainly not to anything in a Host City Agreement, since Schenectady never asked for one of those.
Kudos to The Gazette for publishing the design change. Clearly, the casino development must be watched closely.
From the Daily Gazette June 12: What was the rush for casino approvals?
I hope everyone in the city of Schenectady had the opportunity to read Mohamed Hafez's June 5 guest column, "Schenectady in need of host deal for casino." That surely is an eye opener showing us what our city administration has neglected to do in dealing with Rush Street Gaming and the Galesi Group.
It is one thing that a casino will be coming to our city, but it is another that this administration did not even give the slightest thought that we should have a Host Community Agreement (HCA). This was completely left out of any dealings with Rush Street Gaming or the Galesi Group.
In other words, the administration of our fair city not only gave whatever was necessary for these two groups, but just about gave them the keys to our fair city -- do what you want. No business is run like that -- if it was, it wouldn't last two days.
Even back in January, The Gazette had a great editorial (Jan. 29), "Public needs to see impact of zoning," which is an important issue and should not have been taken lightly. Here again, most of the City Council members (except Vince Riggi), including the president, always had the inevitable "excuse" that there is a time deadline and a vote must be made as soon as possible.
There was and is always time to make sure things are done correctly and this was definitely one of them. This project will be here for a long time. By hurriedly voting on this important issue, they gave unlimited heights to buildings, signs, etc. to Rush Gaming and the Galesi Group.
What was all the hurry because we have a deadline all about? Rush Street Gaming has yet to receive a casino license from the state Gaming Commission, but it is said it will by the end of the year. Ms. King, among many other items needing immediate attention, what was the so-called deadline that you referred to back in January when you had to vote for the Alco site zoning change, which was something that should really have been thought about long and seriously?
The public needed to see the impact of the zoning change, which it did not because the "excuse" of a deadline in everything that was done.
Jessie Malecki
Schenectady
Daily Gazette June 10: New design of casino screams out 'cheap'
The new casino design screams one thing: Cheap. A bunch of square boxes is one of the most inexpensive designs to realize.
The first modern, curved design is something that Schenectady could have been proud of; this latest rendering looks like a shopping mall that should have been razed 15 years ago.
"Homage to Schenectady's industrial past?" Nonsense. I wonder how many millions Rush Gaming is saving on this new design, and where those millions will go. Certainly not to anything in a Host City Agreement, since Schenectady never asked for one of those.
Kudos to The Gazette for publishing the design change. Clearly, the casino development must be watched closely.
Rivers Casino is presently preparing to open an Information Center in Downtown Schenectady at 433 State Street, in Center City. While no applications for employment will be accepted at this time, the public will be able to visit the office during established hours to learn more information about the project, as well as visit http://www.riverscasinoandresort.com to sign up for project updates.
Logged
