Socha site to cover health bases

PHOTOGRAPHER: Patrick Dodson

Commercial space inside the new Socha Building on Saratoga Road in Glenville is shown in this March photo.

Three of the Capital Region’s largest health care providers will begin offering their services under one roof starting this summer.

Socha Management announced Tuesday that Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital will open an outpatient satellite office in the developer’s new $10 million mixed-use building on Route 50 in Glenville. The Schenectady hospital is run by St. Peter’s Health Partners of Albany.

Ellis Medicine and Albany Medical Center previously announced that they would be opening health care facilities in the building. Ellis will relocate a nearby primary care practice to a much bigger space inside the building and Albany Med will open an urgent care facility that treats minor illnesses and injuries. The addition of a St. Peter’s-run facility in the building marks the first time that three of the region’s major health care providers will work under the same roof.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Sunnyview joining our state-of-the-art building,” said Socha Management President Bill Socha in a news release. “Sunnyview has long been a staple in Schenectady County and we’re humbled by its decision to expand their presence to our new building.”

Sunnyview’s new facility will occupy 2,200 square feet of space on the building’s first floor, providing easier access to its outpatient physical therapy services, which include the treatment of orthopedic/sports injuries, arthritis, neurological disorders, head injuries, stroke and post-surgical rehabilitation.

Sunnyview operates a 115-bed hospital right next to Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, but also runs three other satellite outpatient offices in Schenectady, Guilderland and Latham. The Glenville satellite location should be the first space in the building to open to the public. The goal is to begin serving patients July 8.

Each of the three hospital systems that will occupy the new building said they believe this will be the first time they will all work under the same roof. St. Peter’s Health Partners spokesman Elmer Streeter called it a mere coincidence.

They described the new building as a great location that will allow them to offer services in a more convenient and accessible way to the Glenville community. Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle said it’s only natural that demand for health care services has grown in town.

“Glenville is a growing community, so it makes sense that as part of our growth these health care services are being offered,” he said. “When you look at how diverse this building is, it’s just a great model for the rest of the town. I think Bill has done a tremendous job of bringing diversity to an innovative building and I think it’s good to see these health care providers working together in one building. It’s quite unique. They’ll all be providing a different service to the community, so it’s a win-win for the residents of Glenville.”

Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the new three-story Socha building, which contains 60,000 square feet between Socha Plaza and Socha Plaza South on Route 50. The mix of tenants who have signed leases so far makes it one of the most diverse mixed-use developments in town.

The first floor will feature a mix of retailers and health care services, and still has about 1,100 square feet of space available for lease. The second floor will feature mostly office space that overlooks the Schenectady County Airport, and still has 10,000 square feet of space available for lease. The third floor will feature six corporate apartments, six luxury apartments and four traditional apartments ranging in size from 640 square feet to 1,900 square feet.

The following tenants have also signed leases to occupy the building:

• Krause’s Homemade Candy of Colonie will run a 300-square-foot store in the lobby staffed by just one employee who will sell old-fashioned peanut brittle, chocolate-covered almond butter toffee, dark chocolate fudge and other treats. This is poised to open Aug. 1.

• Altamont restaurant Mio Vino Wine Bar & Bistro will open a second restaurant that occupies 5,100 square feet on the first floor and 1,400 square feet of adjoining patio space. This will open in the fall.

• EmUrgentCare, a walk-in medical facility run by Albany Medical Center, will occupy 4,200 square feet on the first floor. This is slated to open Aug. 1.

• Brittany Jewelers will relocate from Central Avenue in Colonie to 1,500 square feet of space on the first floor. This will open in August or September.

• Ellis Medicine will relocate its Glenville primary care practice, just up the road, into 5,500 square feet of space on the second floor. This will open near the end of August.