Longtime Scotia eyesore set for revival

At long last, work is set to begin at the old McDonald’s site in Scotia.

Mazzone Hospitality will begin construction on a $2.4 million retail and commercial office development at the site in July. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot building could be ready to open to tenants a year later, in July 2016.

“We are excited to realize the full potential of this outstanding property that sits within the shadow of our flagship property, Glen Sanders Mansion, with a world-class office and retail space,” said Mazzone Hospitality owner Angelo Mazzone in a news release. “This project will undoubtedly contribute to the economic well-being of Scotia.”

Located along the village gateway at 25 Mohawk Ave., the 1.1-acre site hasn’t been used for anything in a decade. After McDonald’s closed its Scotia operation in 2005, the abandoned building attracted vandalism and blight. The company finally agreed to tear the building down, but environmental contamination from a gas station that once operated at the site scared away any potential buyers.

After negotiation, the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority convinced McDonald’s to sell the site to the economic development agency for $1 in 2013. Metroplex then cleaned the site of contamination and sold it to Mazzone Hospitality later that year for the cost of the cleanup — $220,000.

“The site could never realize its full potential until we cleaned it up,” said Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen. “We went way down and took out all the contamination, and today it’s a perfectly clean site and ready to go. We took away that uncertainty, which really prevented developers from looking at the site. This was always one of our top priorities.”

On Wednesday night, the Metroplex board met and approved Mazzone’s mixed-use proposal, along with a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the new building. The agreement, which exempts Mazzone from paying full taxes on the property for 10 years, will set taxes at 50 percent for the first year of operation, followed by a 5 percent increase each year after that until the company is paying its full tax bill.

Mazzone, the region’s largest caterer and restaurant operator, has had its eye on the site since McDonald’s closed. After Metroplex announced its plans in 2013 to clean the site and sell it to Mazzone, which also owns and operates the historic Glen Sanders Mansion just 100 yards away, Mazzone told The Daily Gazette he planned to use the site temporarily as an overflow parking lot for Glen Sanders events. Eventually, he said, he wanted to put a retail bakery operation and other retail space at the site.

Mazzone could not be reached Wednesday, but a spokesman for the company, Mark Bardack, said the bakery plans are now off the table.

“It’s too early to release or announce any details on the retail side of things, but the bakery piece is no longer relevant,” Bardack said.

Scotia Mayor Kris Kastberg said the village has long awaited the site’s development.

“The development of this property has long been a priority for the village, and with the reputation Mazzone Hospitality has for quality, we couldn’t be happier to see them make another presence in our community,” he said.

Categories: Business