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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — The Board of Directors of the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority met this evening and approved six projects.
The first project involves the relocation of a company to Schenectady County. Gorman Construction, an All States Materials Group company, will lease space at 1473 Erie Boulevard across from Mohawk Harbor. A leading supplier of roadway construction materials with operations throughout the northeastern United States and Canada, the company will move 15 jobs to Schenectady with plans to add staff in the coming years.
Metroplex is providing a $45,000 grant to help with renovations to the office space.
John Cawthern, Area Manager for Gorman said, “We are excited about moving to Schenectady with an office that is located close to many downtown amenities including Mohawk Harbor.” The company has signed a long-term lease on the new regional office space.
“The office market is very competitive,” said Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair. “We landed four new office tenants for downtown last year and we are pleased to welcome Gorman Construction to Schenectady County.”
The Board also approved the purchase of two parcels needed for the ALCO Heritage Trail Extension DRI Project. This project will help to complete a 4.4 mile River Loop Trail that connects both sides of the Mohawk River from the Western Gateway Bridge to Freemans Bridge. To complete this trail section, Metroplex will purchase 203 Front Street from Floyd Simone for $32,000 and 201 Front Street from the City of Schenectady for $10,000.
In another infrastructure project, Metroplex approved funding of $95,758 for improvements made to the “Five Corners” intersection in Rotterdam. Metroplex recruited ALDI to a site at the intersection that was vacant and blighted due to a fire at a former sporting goods store and a closed CVS. DOT mandated that improvements be made to the intersection before approvals could be granted. The improvements included a new westbound lane, new sidewalks, new pedestrian signals and crosswalks. This ALDI location provides a grocery option to the western portion of the Town of Rotterdam and the Broadway corridor and Bellevue neighborhoods in Schenectady.
Next, the Metroplex Board approved a $195,000 grant to Armory Studios NY to enable the facility to host sporting events as well as major exhibits and film/television productions. The historic building located in downtown Schenectady just off of I-890 has successfully hosted HBO, Showtime and Amazon productions and is the region’s largest state certified sound stage. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and other recent exhibits have attracted over 130,000 visitors.
Now, Armory Studios NY is being equipped with new seating and flooring, scoreboards and other upgrades to host a wide range of sporting and entertainment events. The New York Phoenix play home games at the renovated facility attracting thousands of basketball fans to downtown.
“We thank Ray and Jeff Legere and the New York Phoenix for working with Metroplex and Discover Schenectady to outfit this great venue to host sports and special events which will bring more people to downtown and the lower State Street area,” said Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair.
In another positive development for lower State Street, Metroplex will provide $125,000 to help transform 9,300 square feet of ground-floor space in the Frog Alley Brewing complex into “Simone’s Central.” This new facility will house a central kitchen and administrative hub to support Simone’s locations in Schenectady, Stuyvesant Plaza, Coxsackie, and other sites as the brand continues to grow. Once operational, Simone’s also plans to launch a new retail concept in the complex, offering Mediterranean-inspired tapas-style dining.
Bashir Chedrawee, co-owner of Simone’s Kitchen said, “There’s nowhere we’re more enthusiastic about anchoring our brand and operations. Our flagship location on Jay Street gave us the footing to grow – and our partnership with Metroplex gave us the confidence to keep building here. We’re thrilled to continue contributing to a community we love, and to a place we believe has the potential to be the economic leader of the Capital Region. As we expand across the region, Simone’s Central will grow with us – creating more jobs, nurturing local talent, and helping fuel the fresh energy of lower State Street.”
Metroplex also approved $45,000 in funding for two new stores on Jay Street next to Simone’s Kitchen – one is Connie’s Creative Collective, a maker’s space. An adjoining space called Connie’s Confectionary will offer ice cream and specialty baked goods. The two stores will be operated by the owners of Simone’s Kitchen.
“The team at Simone’s Kitchen has created one of the most dynamic new brands in the Capital Region and we are pleased to assist them with expanding their growing footprint in downtown Schenectady,” said Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair.
Metroplex is the lead agency in Schenectady County’s unified economic development team. The Authority invests sales tax revenue it receives from the County in capital projects that benefit the community creating jobs, property tax and more sales tax that in turn is invested by Metroplex to continue economic development momentum in Schenectady County.