SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – On Monday evening, the Schenectady City Council Development and Planning Committee voted to authorize the demolition of seven blighted buildings in Schenectady. The demolitions will occur later this fall and will be funded by $184,910 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“These distressed properties are some of the worst of the worst structures that harm quality of life in our neighborhoods,” Mayor McCarthy said. “The removal of these structures is part of a comprehensive and focused effort to revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen our community.”
The seven demolitions include four properties in the Hamilton Hill and Vale neighborhoods, and one each in the Mont Pleasant, Northside, and Woodlawn neighborhoods:
- 329 Hulett Street
- 341 Hulett Street
- 25 Grove Place
- 546 Schenectady Street
- 1001 Cutler Street
- 448 Clarendon Street
- 71 Lorraine Avenue
The Hulett Street, Grove Place, and Schenectady Street properties are in the Hamilton Hill and Vale neighborhoods within the City’s Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA). The City’s Department of Development successfully worked with HUD to receive the NRSA designation to reduce blight through demolition and housing rehabilitation and to achieve the objectives outlined in the City’s 2020-2024 HUD Consolidated Five-Year Strategic Plan.
The Cutler Street property in Mont Pleasant will provide an opportunity for off-street parking ahead of planned improvements at neighboring Wallingford Park. The structure at 71 Lorraine Avenue has been a consistent nuisance for Woodlawn residents and the removal of the Clarendon Street property will continue revitalization efforts on the City’s Northside, Mayor McCarthy noted.
In partnership with the Capital Region Land Bank and the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority, over 200 blighted buildings have been demolished in recent years to revitalize City of Schenectady neighborhoods.
