New York Development Group is about to raise the flag on Patriot Square, a proposed $80 million to $100 million mixed-use project in Glenville, more than three years after it was first proposed.
The project received a significant boost Tuesday when the Federal Aviation Administration gave Schenectady County permission to pave Rudy Chase Drive, a 335-foot-long gravel road that leads into the Schenectady County Airport off Route 50.
The county wants to pave the road to create a single entry point for the airport and to allow New York Development to proceed with its Patriot Square project.
The locally based developer expects to begin work on the project this spring, following site plan approval from the Glenville Planning Commission.
The road will connect Rudy Chase Drive to a 39-acre parcel behind the municipal center on Glenridge Road, which forms Patriot Square. The developer will build a 2,500-foot road through the project and turn it over to the county. That road would connect to Rudy Chase Drive.
The FAA’s approval was the final major hurdle for the project, under discussion since 2005.
New York Development plans to build 250,000 square feet of commercial space and multifamily homes, which could range from apartments and townhouses to condominiums. They will be built in a parklike setting that connects people to Town Hall and the county library branch.
An early conceptual plan envisioned multi-story buildings containing 270 condominiums. The parcel is zoned “general business,” the most permissive designation short of industrial land, which permits an array of uses, including automobile dealerships, retail businesses, or restaurants, taverns and nightclubs. A developer is not bound by a conceptual plan.
New York Development representative Geoffrey Booth said he will present site plans to the town Planning Commission within two months and that he hopes crews can begin constructing the road and part of the project in the spring.
Booth said the project will take five to eight years to build out, depending on the market. He called the project viable, despite recent economic problems. “We believe Glenville is an underserved market. It’s why we are there,” he said.
New York Development has similar projects in Albany and Saratoga counties, Booth said.
Town officials said Glenville needs multifamily homes, as illustrated by recent statistics. The town ranked first among Schenectady County towns for single-family home permits, with 47, and had 19 multi-family permits for a total of 200 units in 2007.
Supervisor Frank X. Quinn said Patriot Square will expand the town’s tax base, improve the town’s economy and provide needed services while maintaining Glenville’s character.
New York Development hit a road block when the FAA required the county to conduct a full environmental assessment study before allowing Rudy Chase Drive to be paved. On Tuesday, the FAA issued a finding that the county project will not have a significant impact.
The road would also allow the county to move forward with plans to create a corporate park in the airport and to help redevelop the adjacent K-Mart building, now vacant.
County officials credit U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer with helping push the project through the FAA’s approval process. Booth credited county and town officials. “They have been instrumental in moving the process forward so that we can take the next step toward making this exciting new project a reality,” he said. “Patriot Square will provide many new opportunities for Glenville residents and we’re very anxious to start construction.”
Categories: Schenectady County
