metroplex mission statement:
Q: What is the mission of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority?
A: Our mission is to enhance the long-term economic vitality and quality of life in Schenectady County. We do this through cooperative, purposeful actions and investments, with a particular emphasis on downtown.
from metroplex site..

"The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority works to attract NEW jobs and NEW investment to Schenectady County. Its efforts focus on key commercial corridors and business parks strategically located throughout the County with a special emphasis on redevelpoment of the downtown area in the City of Schenectady.

We are guided by THREE CRITERIA:

1. TO EXPAND THE COUNTY'S PROPERTY TAX BASE
2. to expand yhe sales tax base and
3. to create and retain jobs "

The property tax base has been decimated by removing the entire Downtown area off the rolls. Also, relocating businesses such as Marcella's and Transfinders from other parts of the City (where they USED to pay taxes) does not help.

Truth is, Galesi would NEVER have done the ALCO project. It's a waste of his money and time. BUT if the City is stupid enough to give him millions in grants, sales tax breaks on materials and a private building inspector for creating hundreds of useless housing in a City with a high vacancy rate, he's on board. Also, Galesi won't be paying taxes on this or any other location he 'leases'.  

all the properties, with a few exceptions, rachel are paying pilots.... considering that five years ago, there were no businesses downtown, this is a good thing

in case u missed it, giving grants on building materials is a common practice.. how do u think we lured global foundaries to area? with sweet kisses.

grow up and smell the coffee. that is how economci development works..
if u have a better plan, please propose it.. all i read is blarney here with few concrete ideas on how to fix things.

what r YOUR ideas? I would love to know how you would lure businesses downtown and keep them there...

btw,, the housing idea.. people want NEW hosuing... they do not want to live in decrepit buildings in the city center.. families want amenities, etc...

Global Foundaries is IN MALTA, SARATOGA COUNTY. Luring them had NOTHING TO DO with Schenectady, Metroplex or the DEMs for that matter.

Also, tax incentives ARE generally given to industries and companies which bring in many, many jobs such as Target, Walmart, Global Foundaries...not Bombers, not Villa Italia who employ maybe 20 - 30 part time waitstaff.

BTW, Marcella's WAS paying property taxes when they were up on Crane Street, now nothing. Tranfinders is now paying nothing as well since they relocated to a tax exempt building Downtown.

Yuo want to help Schenectady LOWER THE HOMEOWNERS TAXES!!!! I, and many others, are sick and tired of funding for-profits which contribute little to nothing back to the City.

transfinder is paying taxes -- see metroplex report

economci development does not have to involve the creation of 1000 jobs per business, sometimes it is bringing many small businesses in toe create the same effect.

why not discuss economic theory with metroplex vp brad lewis someday. he is an economic prof at union and a republican. he will explain what metro is doing, and he supports its policy.

economic dev takes many forms and metroplex is using the tools it has to encourage econ development. you do not agree with its policy and that is fine, perhaps u should go to a meeting and voice your concern the record.

marcellas was going to leave schenectady, rachel, period. it stayed because it got the best deal it could from metroplex, that is how the game is played. you say u are leaving and then you shop around for a deal.. other counties compete for these jobs and offer companies deals all the time,. metroplex's deal was better. u should be thankful they stayed.

The only game that's being played is that Metroplex has no idea how to do business. You can make companies stay without spending millions, building a new facility and tax exempting them for decades. That's bad business, well, for the taxpayers maybe not so much for Marcellas.

When Marcellas tax exemption runs out, where do you think they'll go? Let's see the medical imaging place and car dealership answered that for us.  

Metroplex has failed. Opening a new visitor center in proctors? They already spend 1/2 million on the Gillette place to do that...but it was sold with another building for $88k.

Metroplex has wasted money over and over and over again can't you see that?! Wake up!!!

that is your opinion., and I disagree with it.

so we can go round and round on this merry-go-round for ever.

u have nothing to show that mettro has failed other than inaccurate information.,.. the proof of its success is downtown today, compared to downtown 5 -10 years ago.. do u really think those businesses would be there were it not for the metroplex investments?

were u even in schenectady 5-10 years ago?

THIS IS A SERIOUS QUESTION AND I AM NOT LOOKING TO BASH OR ATTACK OR ANYTHING....REALLY WANT TO KNOW.

I thought METROPLEX was setup to grow development of the downtown area by allocatting tax exemptions/credits/loans, etc. for businesses to locate/relocate to downtown....is that correct?

If so, then I would think a measure of success would be the pay back into the tax base that those businesses bring (i.e. more business than previously yielding more taxes), along with the attraction of new busineses (i.e. not provided with incentives, but rather wishing to join in the growth and development) and demonstrated growth beyond those businesses supported by Metroplex (i.e. the new businesses I mentioned)....would that be a fair evaluation?

If so, then an opinion on the success or failure of Metroplex should be fairly straight forward.

It is funny --- whenever there is good news about Metroplex .. the GOP and especially the two useless Farleys are there claiming all the credit and whenever someone has something negative to say about Metroplex .. the GOP and the two useless Farleys try to distance themselves from it.

The FACT is that Metroplex has been better run and more successful under the leadership of the Democrats on the County Leg and Ray Gillen for the past 8 years.   Schenectady County is making progress toward economic revitalization.  

Schenectady - like many Northeastern industrial counties - has faced and still faces challenges.   Take a drive through the Northeast and see for yourself --- the problems cited in Schenectady are found in many other communities.    To its credit -- Schenectady has forward thinking leaders who are moving forward and making progress ....  trying to undo 50 years of decline.   In the last 8 years, we have turned the ship around and are at least heading in the right direction.

Thanks to Ray Gillen and his fine team at Metroplex and Schenectady Economic Development  - and - to our Democratic majority on the County Leg and to the many visionary and hard-working elected officials and civil service employees who believe that not only does WORKING TOGETHER WORKS - IT PRODUCES RESULTS.

Not many cities in the Northeast have pawned off a $2 million dollar school tax debt to the County.

Not many cities in the Northeast spent 1/2 million on a visitor center years ago and are now spending another few $100K to try it again at Proctors.

Not many cities in the NE have spent $10 million dollars of the taxpayer money to building a stage for a non-profit entity.

Not many cities in the NE did not cut any jobs or perks in their last budget.

Metroplex has failed in their original mission, to help the tax base and bring new businesses and jobs to the area. $100 million spent on nothing, just a bunch of tax-free facades for businesses which already exisited in the City.

i know of many citiies that are doing just that.

and met has not failed.

your turn to spin...

Quoted from Smoking Bananas

all the properties, with a few exceptions, rachel are paying pilots.... considering that five years ago, there were no businesses downtown, this is a good thing

in case u missed it, giving grants on building materials is a common practice.. how do u think we lured global foundaries to area? with sweet kisses.

grow up and smell the coffee. that is how economci development works..
if u have a better plan, please propose it.. all i read is blarney here with few concrete ideas on how to fix things.

what r YOUR ideas? I would love to know how you would lure businesses downtown and keep them there...

Paying pilots, my a**.    Any pilots paid are a mere pittance compared to what is really owed.   And that is ON TOP OF the handouts given by Metroplex.    And speaking of pilots, there was something back a while ago about these alleged pilots.  It mentioned Bombers.   Well, do the math.   Bombers has a 150% property and school tax exemption.   Now what homeowner ANYWHERE gets a tax exemption of more than 100%.   OF COURSE, the extra 50% is used to pay the "pilot"  not to mention any other city fees and for sure their private trash collection


Now tell us, what is going to give people an incentive to buy a house here?   Homebuyers won't get 100% tax exemptions.   And WHO wants to buy a house in Schenectady city when they can buy a house, heck, even here in Rotterdam for half the taxes??????  

And tell us SB, how many people are willing to buy a house in the city AND live in it, if the taxes are going to be twice as much as other communities, and if the roads are going to cause damage to their house (their investment), and the streets barely get plowed, and there are shootings during the day when children are playing, and the school district is so bad that only 25% of the kids in 8th grade pass the tests.   WHO will buy a house where the tax portion of the mortgage is more than the principle and interest?    WHO will buy a house when the day after closing the value has dropped?  

Quoted from Smoking Bananas

metroplex mission statement:
Q: What is the mission of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority?
A: Our mission is to enhance the long-term economic vitality and quality of life in Schenectady County. We do this through cooperative, purposeful actions and investments, with a particular emphasis on downtown.
from metroplex site..

"We do this through raising taxes on the homeowners so high that they are in jeopardy of losing their homes.......virtually exclusive emphasis on downtown while ignoring the neighborhoods where people live."