$3M in renovations planned for Mexican Radio location

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stacey Lauren-Kennedy

Mexican Radio owners have purchased 325 State St. in Schenectady for the location of their newest restaurant. Inset photo shows the Mexican Radio restaurant in Hudson.

Mexican Radio intends to invest more than $3 million into the former OTB Imperial Racing Center building on State Street in a project similar to one the restaurateurs announced nearly three years ago.

Owners Lori Selden and Mark Young purchased the building from OTB Friday and are planning a major renovation to make way for their third Mexican Radio location. The project will rely on $200,000 in funding from the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority to remove asbestos from the building.

The restaurant will occupy two of the three floors in the building that was once the Imperial, a prominent downtown department store. The third floor will have 8,000 square feet of space for lease for office or residential use.

Selden said she plans to utilize Schenectady’s Green Market and other local sources for fresh produce and other ingredients. The restaurant is slated to open some time in 2013.

Mexican Radio now operates locations in Hudson and New York City. The restaurant first opened in Manhattan in 1996.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be moving forward with our plans to bring Mexican Radio to Schenectady,” she said in a statement.

For more on the story, see Tuesday’s print and online editions of The Daily Gazette.