Schenectady, N.Y. — The Schenectady County Metroplex Board of Directors met this evening and approved six projects including a new $25 million office building at Mohawk Harbor.
The new 65,800 square foot, three-story building will feature offices on the top two floors and ground floor retail. The building will be located at the north end of Mohawk Harbor adjacent to a new Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. Almost 500 parking spaces will be available for building tenants and guests in an underground parking deck and at a surface lot next to the building. The project involves a 485-B Pilot which starts taxes at 50% in year one and goes up 5% each year until reaching full value in year ten. The new $25 million office building is being developed by the Galesi Group. The contractor is LeChase Construction Services with Rifenburg Construction doing site work.
Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair said, “This new office building adds another component to the Mohawk Harbor riverfront development which includes two new hotels, places to live and work, recreation trials along the rvierfront, a new marina and the Rivers Casino & Resort.”
The Board also approved a contract to install LED lighting upgrades at the Metroplex parking garage. The new lights will make the garage more visible to visitors coming downtown. Metroplex received seven bids for the project and awarded the contract to the low bidder, Amaha Electric of Cohoes, NY for $209,660. The work will be completed this year.
The Board also approved a contract with Callanan Industries for $106,500 to mill and pave the intersection and upgrade crosswalks at Broadway and Liberty Street. The project also calls for crosswalk upgrades near City Hall at Jay and Franklin Streets and at Franklin and Broadway along with sidewalk work on Broadway in front of the Metroplex parking garage.
To support redevelopment efforts on Eastern Avenue, Metroplex agreed to sell a vacant lot at 803 Eastern to the Capital Region Land Bank. This site was the home of the vacant Kilgore’s Tavern before Metroplex demolished the blighted building as part of improvements in this area.
The Board also approved an interim one-year Pilot for 13 State Street. The IDA Pilot on the property will collect taxes on the site for the first time ever since the former YMCA was built in the late 1920’s. The interim Metroplex Pilot is needed as Norstar Development will not take title to the new building until after tax status date of March 1, so the new IDA Pilot cannot go into effect until March 1, 2018. The interim Pilot calls for a payment of $50,000 for one year while construction is underway. The $18 million project will convert the former YMCA into 61 senior apartments.
Finally, the Board approved a $75,000 grant for the downtown Ambassadors program. This program is also supported by MVP, Proctors and other downtown employers and is designed to provide greeters downtown seven days a week providing directions, help with parking and information on local attractions and services.