Land bank to get three Rotterdam homes

Three vacant homes in Rotterdam, including two devastated by tropical storms Irene and Lee in 2011, will likely be coming down.

The Schenectady County Legislature plans to vote Tuesday to transfer the three blighted properties to the Capital Region Land Bank to expedite their rehabilitation or, most likely, demolition.

Two properties, at 1299 Main St. and 8 Isabella St. in Rotterdam Junction, were abandoned after the storms. The other, at 3011 Caroline Ave. in Rotterdam, was neglected for many years and has holes in its roof. All three were recently taken by the county through tax foreclosure.

“In a short period of time the Land Bank has made progress in improving neighborhoods in the city of Schenectady,” county Legislature Chairman Anthony Jasenski said in a news release. “Now, we are expanding this effort into Rotterdam by transferring ownership of three buildings to the Land Bank so that these blighted structures can be demolished, helping the surrounding area and setting the stage to return these properties to the tax rolls.”

Funding for the demolitions would come from a $3 million grant awarded by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman late last year. When the funds were awarded in October, the land bank pledged to leverage about $4.2 million in local funds and up to $2 million in private investments with the $3 million award to target blight in neighborhoods in Schenectady County and Amsterdam. The plan was to demolish 208 housing units and renovate or rebuild 43 others.

About $200,000 was allocated to the demolition of non-city buildings in Schenectady County. Steve Strichman, executive director of the land bank, said demolition of homes typically costs between $25,000 and $45,000 per property.

“I’m certainly hoping that these three properties come in under $150,000 and we still have additional funding left,” he said.

Before the homes can be taken down, an environmental review must be done to ensure they pose no hazards, Strichman said.

If aspects like asbestos abatement make the cost of demolition too high, the county may have to reconsider its options.

“Most likely they will be demolished,” he said.

Demolition would likely take place in April or May, he said, and once the sites are clear, they could be reused in a number of ways. The Caroline Avenue property is in a neighborhood of bungalow homes and could be attractive as a side lot for one of the neighbors, he said.

“The one on Main Street we will be selling for new construction,” he said.

Land bank funds have already been used to demolish five buildings on Eastern Avenue in Schenectady and a property in Amsterdam is being renovated, he said.

“We’re just starting, and you will start to see a number of demolitions in the spring and throughout the year, and next year,” he said.

Schenectady County spokesman Joe McQueen said the three Rotterdam properties are the first of many non-city properties that will be demolished through the land bank.

“We’re going to continue to work to get into the towns,” he said. “If the property is in good shape, then we put it up during our yearly property auction, but if they’re in really bad shape and it’s going to make it difficult for us to market and sell, then that’s when we turn it over to the land bank.”

Strichman noted that the county provided the land bank with $100,000 in startup funding over 2013 and 2014, which allowed the organization to get started before the $3 million grant was awarded.

“The county’s been a great partner in the land bank, and we’re happy to help them out as they helped us out in the initial application,” he said.

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