Casino worries, excites Glenville merchants

Turning left out of his business on Freemans Bridge Road at rush hour is hardly an option for James Bergami.

He expects the task to become increasingly difficult when a casino is built across the Mohawk River in Schenectady, less than two miles from his business, Homecrest Kitchens.

The showroom is located on a two-lane highway just north of railroad tracks and just south of the entrance to Wal-Mart.

“That’s where that road kind of funnels into one lane,” he explained.

Traffic has increased in recent years with the introduction of Wal-Mart and Lowes, Bergami said.

“I think we’re going to get even more congested, so hopefully there’s a way that can come about where either they widen the road or [maybe just add] a traffic light,” he said.

Bergami was among many Freemans Bridge Road business owners to gather Thursday morning at the Waters Edge Lighthouse to discuss the potential impacts — good and bad — of the $330 million Rivers Casino and Resort planned for a 60-acre brownfield site along Erie Boulevard in Schenectady. Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle organized the meeting after the state Gaming Facility Location Board last month recommended the Schenectady proposal for one of three casino licenses in the state.

Looking out the window to the icy river that separates Glenville from the casino site, Koetzle told the crowd of about 40 business owners, town officials and other residents that he “got some heat from some people on the other side of this river” for hosting the event. But he said it was important for Glenville’s business leaders to unite in preparation for the casino and called on them to form a Freemans Bridge Road business association under the Glenville Business and Professional Association, which co-hosted Thursday’s event with the town.

Koetzle asked for a show of hands from people interested in forming a group, and about half the people in the room raised their hands. When he asked for a show of hands from people excited about the casino, and then from people who were more worried about it, the numbers were about even.

“This is our community, and nobody is going to fight for this community other than the people in this room,” he said.

Koetzle emphasized that Glenville currently isn’t due to receive a share of the gaming revenue meant to help municipalities deal with casino impacts — the city of Schenectady and the county are each projected to receive $4.1 million annually — and that something needs to be done to change that. He said Glenville will need money to deal with increased traffic and to strengthen an already “overtaxed” police force when the casino comes.

“We are a co-host community, there’s no way of getting around that, and I need people to help me to make that case to our legislators,” he said.

Al Boulant, owner of Paul Perry Kitchens at 144 Freemans Bridge Road, said he was excited about the project because it gets rid of an eyesore and should help businesses like his that cater to the building trades. The casino is part of a $150 million Mohawk Harbor project that includes new apartments, condos, townhouses, office and retail space and a harbor, as well as a Courtyard by Marriott hotel and pedestrian paths.

“My feeling is that when this project is developed, it’s going to be more of an extension of Glenville than an extension of Schenectady,” he said, “so I think it’s going to be a positive effect.”

And for that reason, Koetzle said, “we need to get together and figure out how we want to go forward.”

Koetzle said the town needs to look at the zoning of Freemans Bridge Road and Maple Avenue, which allow for some development of adult nightclubs, businesses he called “ancillary” to casinos. He said the town last year rezoned most of Freemans Bridge Road and parts of Maple Avenue from Research, Technology and Development — a light industrial zone that allows for adult entertainment businesses — to General Business, which does not allow for adult entertainment, but there are still some areas where the zoning still allows for strip clubs.

That kind of talk worried Bob Rusinko, site manager for Silar Laboratories on Maple Avenue, whose business operates in a Research, Technology and Development zone.

“My concern is that light industries will be zoned out of the area of Maple Avenue, simply that,” he said.

Koetzle said protecting businesses that have been in Glenville for years while protecting the community from “some of those businesses that are not in keeping with the character of the town” is a huge challenge, but one town officials plan to address before the casino is built.

“We’re not waiting two years,” he said. “We want to take care of this now.”

Maureen Culver, owner of The Speckled Hen on Route 50, was wary of another type of development the casino might bring.

“I just don’t want to see big-box stores come in to complement the casino,” she said. “If we can keep the casino a classy casino and it’s a nice venue, then we can reap the benefits. We have to keep Glenville quaint, attractive.”

Gordon Furlani, an associate broker with Commercial Real Estate Services, warned business owners of the potential competition the retail portion of the plans could bring. His firm represents the Galesi Group, which he said plans to lease 70,000 square feet of retail space at Mohawk Harbor.

“Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about rezoning Freemans Bridge Road,” he said. “That’s going to happen, and chances are those are probably not going to be mom-and-pop-type retailers.”

Koetzle then asked businesses owners if they were concerned about the potential for increased competition, a question met with silence and no hands raised.

“Because one of the things we have to do is not just market our empty properties, but we have to market ourself as a business corridor, as a destination point,” he said.

Pat Popolizio, owner of The Waters Edge Lighthouse, said the news of the casino coming to Schenectady has renewed interest from developers in vacant property he owns on Freemans Bridge Road.

“I do have 14 acres in the back, and I have been getting a lot of bites from people wanting to bring in different businesses,” he said, adding that “we are getting a lot of people again interested in developing a hotel” on the Waters Edge property just off Freemans Bridge Road. In April 2013, Popolizio announced plans for a 100-room hotel that never materialized.

Popolizio said he also had concerns about the casino, “but I don’t think it should be too much of a concern because we have a great team for Glenville.”

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