Capital Region Land Bank Ready to Go with 11 More Demos in Schenectady
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NEWS RELEASE
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Contact: Gary McCarthy, Mayor Office: (518) 381-5000
City Hall, 105 Jay Street Cell: (518) 424-0483
Room 111 Fax: (518) 382-5272
Schenectady NY 12305 gmccarthy@schenectadyny.gov
Capital Region Land Bank Ready to Go with 11 More Demos in Schenectady
Schenectady, N.Y., September 23, 2015 — The Capital Region Land Bank today announced plans to demolish eleven (11) more buildings in Schenectady to help continue revitalization efforts underway in City neighborhoods.
Richard Ruzzo, Land Bank Chairman and a member of the Schenectady County Legislature said, “We are pleased to be moving forward with another round of demolitions that will remove blighted buildings and boost neighborhoods. Our efforts to land the largest Land Bank grant in New York State last year continue to enhance Schenectady neighborhoods and improve property values by eliminating abandoned buildings.”
Mayor Gary R. McCarthy said, “We are pleased to partner with the Land Bank to get rid of houses that are beyond repair while we continue to renovate and restore other homes for new residents through our H.O.M.E.S. program.”
Schenectady is using a $3 million Land Bank grant from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and HUD funding secured through a partnership with Senator Schumer and Schenectady County to help pay for demolition and renovation projects.
The City is using the funding to demolish 100 dilapidated buildings while renovating hundreds of homes through the Mayor’s Home Ownership Made Easy in Schenectady (H.O.M.E.S.) Program. The program also includes efforts to market homes to new residents and to sell City-owned property to residents who commit to invest in Schenectady.
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The buildings scheduled for demolition include:
— 1205 State Street and 1207 State Street — these two buildings are long vacant multi-family homes in very poor condition at the corner of State and McClellan. There are a number of properties nearby that have been renovated, so these demolitions will help continue revitalization efforts.
— 858 Eastern, 4 Elmer Avenue, 854 Eastern, 746 Eastern, 909 Wendell Avenue, and 114 Porter Street will continue revitalization efforts in the Eastern Avenue neighborhood.
— The demolition of 1568 Van Vranken Avenue is part of an effort to build new homes, repair others and remove blighted properties in the Northside neighborhood. This is a highly visible property on Van Vranken Avenue.
— 1110-1112 Second Avenue joins a number of properties on Crane Street already scheduled for demolition by the City as part of an effort to focus blight reduction in the Mont Pleasant neighborhood.
— The demolition of 1126 Albany Street will improve the appearance of this major corridor and entrance to the Central State Street and Woodlawn neighborhoods. Owners of the adjacent property have already expressed interest in purchasing this property to increase the size of their yard.
The 11 demolitions will occur this fall. For more information, see www.capitalregionlandbank.com.
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