Projects Revitalize Tech Valley Towns
Published Apr 15, 2008
State Street has historic and modern landmarks.
From traffic repositioning in Glens Falls to hotel renovations in Sharon Springs, municipalities across Tech Valley are revamping their infrastructure – with visible success.
Some changes are already complete, while others in the planning stages, but the twin goals are always the same: Improve the quality of life for residents, and bring in more business.
In Schenectady, one project has built upon another to completely reinvigorate State Street – and the entire downtown area – in recent years.
“State Street had become rundown, with empty storefronts, kind of ‘ghost-townish’ compared to the old days of hustle and bustle,” says Robin Granger, vice president, communications and member relations for The Chamber of Schenectady County. “There was very little entertainment, shopping or dining available.”
Most people point to Proctors Theater as the starting point for the city’s downtown redevelopment. The historic theater underwent a $27 million expansion five years ago, adding new theater spaces, an expanded stage and additional seating. That project had a domino effect in terms of businesses taking a second look at downtown, says Philip Morris, chief executive officer.
“I think we’re pretty much catalytic to a process that the community wanted to have happen,” Morris says. “There’s a lot of community-based ambition that got manifested both here and other places.”
The theater overhaul, and more than 20 other projects, have been enabled by the Metroplex Development Authority, which was established in 1999 and has since provided more than $30 million in loans, grants and bonding to a wide variety of projects. Private investment in and around the downtown area is an estimated $200 million, not including General Electric’s recent announcement that it will relocate its wind-energy division to the area. That move is expected to bring an estimated 150 high-level jobs, Granger says.
Coming Full Circle
In Glens Falls, a series of road construction projects in and near downtown culminated with the opening of a new roundabout last spring – part of a $9 million effort to improve traffic flow. Not only has it been a resounding success, but the newly christened Centennial Circle has become something of a destination in its own right, says Glens Falls Mayor Roy Akins.
“We had five intersections coming together in our downtown, and people were a little irritated at the time they had to spend in traffic there,” Akins says. “Some people were skeptical of the roundabout at first, but now they’re praising it. It’s an enhancement to our downtown and people actually enjoy going through it.”
Springing Back to Life
Major renovations also are on tap in Sharon Springs, where a group of Korean investors have purchased several old resort hotels that were built in the early 20th century to capitalize on the area’s famous sulphur springs. While it’s still early in the development stages, local leaders say the project could help the area regain its destination-resort status.
“They’re hoping to start with some of the renovations in 2008, and everything that’s being planned is pretty neat,” says Jodie Rutt, executive director of the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce. “They’ve bought five of the huge old hotels, and to think of them coming back to life again is just incredible.”
Once completed, the project could create around 200 jobs, offering a boon to the county. Still, Rutt realizes that now’s the time to start dealing with core infrastructure issues so that there are no problems as the old hotels recover.
“We’re asking ourselves a lot of questions: ‘Do we have the zoning in place? Do we have the water lines?’” she says. “We want to keep the area looking like it does, but we want to make sure we can grow. That means talking with the schools ... looking at our housing situation. We’re very lucky in our quality of life here, and we know we can do this, and do it right.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
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