SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority today announced that the former Navy Commissary building located on Route 5 in the Town of Glenville has been purchased by a Syracuse-based developer who will invest $5 million to renovate the 120,000 square foot building creating 80 new jobs.
The buyer is IronHorn Enterprises owned by Greg and Colin Cleghorn. The developers own more than 1.3 million square feet of commercial space in ten states ranging from New York to Georgia.
The former commissary was sold by the federal government in an auction back in 2015. The buyer was based in California and neglected the property despite code enforcement efforts by the Town of Glenville.
“The previous owner did not invest in the property and as a result the building needs a lot of work,” said Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair. “We are pleased to have an experienced developer like IronHorn start to make repairs immediately and bring a new tenant to the building.”
“We welcome IronHorn Enterprises to Schenectady County and the Glenville Business & Technology Park,” said County Legislator Sara Mae Pratt, Vice-Chair of the Economic Development & Planning Committee. “This significant investment will not only bolster our local community but also underscores the success of our dedicated economic development team, whose relentless efforts in attracting new investment and fostering job creation continues to propel our community towards a more prosperous future.”
Metroplex and the Town met with the new owners to outline needed repairs so that a new tenant can take occupancy in early 2024.
“The IronHorn team has the horsepower needed to tackle a large building like this and we welcome this major new investment and 80 new jobs to Glenville,” said Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle.
Greg Cleghorn, CEO of IronHorn Enterprises said, “Our experience thus far has been nothing short of exceptional, as both the Town of Glenville and Metroplex have demonstrated unwavering support, cooperation, and flexibility in facilitating the purchase and renovation of this former Navy Commissary building. IronHorn Enterprises is proud to announce that Utility Partners of America has agreed to lease space in the renovated building starting in 2024. Utility Partners works with utilities and energy cooperatives across the United States to build, inspect, maintain, and upgrade the nation’s utility infrastructure. In Glenville, the company will bring about 80 new jobs to the site performing work under contract to National Grid. The work involves replacing and upgrading electrical meters for National Grid’s customer base in Upstate New York.
The Metroplex Board will consider a $200,000 grant for the project at its December meeting and an abatement on sales tax for construction materials used to renovate the former commissary.
The Glenville Business & Technology Park is located at Exit 26 of the NYS Thruway. Schenectady County’s unified economic development team and the Town of Glenville have attracted considerable new investment to the fast-growing business park including expansions by Adirondack Beverages, Dimension Fabricators, SQP, and others as well as new facilities for BelGioioso Cheese, Old Dominion and two new buildings for CTDI. Two former Navy Depot buildings will be demolished in 2024 to be replaced by two new buildings continuing progress at the business park.