Exciting developments are underway in Schenectady, with plans to build a full-service grocery store on a 2-acre plot between Albany and State streets, previously occupied by a car sales lot, steadily moving forward.
Lawmakers in Schenectady County are gearing up to transfer the ownership of 754 State St. to the Capital Region Land Bank. This organization will supervise the redevelopment of the property, which is conveniently located on the outskirts of downtown and adjacent to the Hamilton Hill and Vale neighborhoods. The property was formerly the Mohawk Auto Center, a used car lot that ceased operations in February 2022.
The county’s Committee on Economic Development & Planning gave their approval for the transfer on Monday. The full Legislature is anticipated to give the final green light to the plan next Tuesday.
Ray Gillen, the chair of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority, informed lawmakers that the redevelopment project is now entering a “critical phase.”
“Our vision is to create housing and retail spaces on this site, with a particular focus on a full-service grocery store that would cater to both downtown and the Hamilton Hill and Vale neighborhoods, as well as the wider community,” he stated. “We are making significant strides towards realizing these objectives.”
The redevelopment plans for the property were initiated in September 2022, when county lawmakers approved the use of $10,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to secure the right to purchase the 2.13-acre parcel for a year and a half at a cost of $950,000. This was done to evaluate the property. An additional $3 million in ARPA funding was also earmarked to aid in the development of a grocery store.
The county proceeded with the purchase earlier this year.
The redevelopment initiative has also benefited from a $2.75 million Restore NY grant, which Gillen stated will be utilized to demolish the existing building on the property and prepare the site for future development. There are also plans to leverage the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation Brownfield Cleanup Program, which offers additional funding opportunities.
Gillen highlighted the past successes that Metroplex and the county’s economic development team have had with redeveloping brownfield properties, including the former headquarters of the American Locomotive Co., the once abandoned property along Erie Boulevard that is now home to Mohawk Harbor.
“We’re going to replicate our successful brownfield clean-up efforts at the former Mohawk Auto Center on State Street,” Gillen said. “We take great pride in our brownfield clean-up initiatives in this county.”
This is not the only development project in progress in the area.
Last year, Metroplex announced plans to invest $550,000 to demolish seven vacant buildings along Albany Street to make way for future housing. These Albany Street properties, which have a long history of code violations, are located near the former car dealership.
Efforts to introduce an additional grocery store to the Electric City have been a long-standing priority for lawmakers and local advocacy groups. They aim to improve access to fresh, healthy food in an area where options are limited and transportation can be challenging.
The city, which has a population of over 65,000, currently has only two grocery stores: Market 32 on Eastern Parkway and Price Rite Marketplace in Crosstown Plaza, near the Rotterdam border. An Aldi grocery store located in the Woodlawn neighborhood relocated to the Five Corners intersection in Rotterdam.
Last year, ShopRite announced plans to close its five Capital Region locations, including its Niskayuna storefront. This sparked concerns among community leaders, who were worried about the loss of another local grocery store. However, it has since been announced that Price Chopper/Market 32 purchased the sites, with plans to reopen the stores.
Establishing a grocery store at the former Mohawk Auto site is not the only local initiative to address food access.
The Electric City Community Grocery — previously known as the Electric City Food Co-Op — is developing plans to construct a storefront location along lower Erie Boulevard. This area provides easy access to the Interstate 890 exchange and is close to a transit hub just a few blocks away on lower State Street.
Schenectady County has also committed $3 million in ARPA funding for this project, and the Schenectady City Council has allocated $1 million of its own ARPA funds towards the project.
Grocery Store on State Street in Schenectady Making Progress – I disagree, the store still has a long way to go before it’s up to par with others in the area.
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