All I can say is she must be very young or else in on it. Building those "forts" won't do a thing, how are those apartments at Union and Barrett, the ones with the overhead garage doors right up to the sidewalk, and the blank wall full of meters and a messy crabgrass lot facing historic Union Street, how well are they doing? Guess what, the kind of people who move here to take those higher-up jobs at GE generally have families, and they aren't looking for apartments, and they aren't looking to locate their families in an aging small city with schools full of poor kids and a crime problem. These people demographically favorsemi-rural areas close to the cities, even in areas where the cities aren't too bad. Exurbs. If these wanna-be "planners" would actually go ahead and study this stuff, they would know that. Those GE employees aren't going to live here because the government messes around with the "housing stock"because they never were going to live here. Also, there are large numbers of lovely homes in decent condition in Schenectady, right now. Really. This messing around with the buildings by government, it is what killed downtowns, back when they called it urban renewal, and this kind of stupid spending and neglect of government's basic role is a large contributer to Detroit's problems, and Stockton's as well.
these apt's are being rented by 2 to 4 low income people that will pool their money together to pay their expenses. I know of a few that are doing just that. They don't have cars, because they can't afford them, so they need to be on a bus line. TRUE!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
these apt's are being rented by 2 to 4 low income people that will pool their money together to pay their expenses. I know of a few that are doing just that. They don't have cars, because they can't afford them, so they need to be on a bus line. TRUE!!
Ironic how Galesi has a shotty DSS building and will now create more housing (using 1/2 million from the City's HUD grant) to create yet ANOTHER shotty building to house said recepients.
Must be nice to be McCarthy and Gillen ..I mean you must either be drinking heavily or be totally clueless to keep giving Galesi millions just so he can keep building to expand his ghetto.
SCHENECTADY Insurer: Developer at fault for flooding Union Inn problems blamed on project BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Developer Christopher Maddalone’s construction downtown caused massive flooding at the Union Inn, his insurance company has determined. The popular downtown bar had to close briefly as water undermined a back wall and mud fl owed into the basement. At one point, inn owner Joyce Fordham said a “waterfall of water” covered the wall, and mud destroyed everything in her basement, including her furnace and beer cooler. Even the sidewalk was undermined. Fordham immediately suspected the cause was the construction project next door, at the corner of Union Street and Barrett Street. Maddalone demolished a boarded-up building there and erected townhouses. But Maddalone denied responsibility. Five months after the drainage problem began in January, he said he was certain his project was not at fault — even though the Union Inn had stood for 146 years without fl ooding. “Our building does not adjoin or connect in any way with any nearby buildings. We closely followed all building codes and requirements in constructing our project,” he said. Now his insurance company says otherwise — and is insisting that he fix the problem quickly. Maddalone did not return calls seeking comment. He is seeking approval to build more townhouses at the location in question, which Fordham worries will make the problem worse. Harleysville Preferred Insurance Company sent Maddalone a letter last week saying that a “change in topography/landscape has caused an increased amount of water runoff to occur.” The letter went on to criticize Maddalone for not yet fi xing the situation. The company warned that it would not cover the cost of additional damages since Maddalone was making no effort to stop water from flooding the inn. He was told to install a catch basin to redirect the runoff, according to the letter. “As of this date it appears that nothing has been done to remedy the issue,” the insurance company wrote. “This letter is to advise you that while we will provide coverage for any damages which occurred on or prior to 6/13/13, which is the date of the recommended catch basin, we will be unable to indemnify Town Homes of Union Square LLC for any damages occurring after 6/13/13.” The company went on to write that it had ruled the fl ooding to be an “accident,” saying that the damage was unintentional. But, the company said, any further damage would not longer be considered accidental since Maddalone knew about it and could resolve the problem. Fordham is hoping the letter means she will soon get help. Her business has been fl ooding since mid-January, and it got worse when the region was hit with heavy rain for weeks in June. “He’s got to fix this drainage now,” she said. “He’s got me by the throat. I can fix it, but it will do me no good. It will happen again until he fixes this issue.” She wants him to pay for business interruption as well as damage. “Water and mud have engulfed the entire basement, destroying every piece of equipment,” she said. She’s lost her hot water tank as well as the furnace, walk-in cooler, ice machines and inventory, she said. She said she has not heard from Maddalone, and she has not yet gotten a check from Harleysville. “Very slow process here,” she said. “Very, very slow.”
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I went and read the article. I'd like to post it here but I can't seem to make it work right. Gee, you mean the construction I thought was thrown up on the cheap IS actually cheap? Schenectadians and others need to learn that all "high end" means is "expensive", and in this case it means "overpriced". I wonder why skilled workers haven't snapped up the remaining units, the ones not rented by the low income group. Could it be that the housing stock we are letting go all to hell through excessive taxation and nonfeasance by our government is far superior to anything any developer is willing to throw up, even on our dime? Shiny new gets old fast. This sort of "tenement living at its finest" has a very short shelf life.
"Schenectady business school to get residential makeover March 11, 2013
Details have been released about the renovation of the former Spencer Business School building located on State Street, the latest property to be renewed in the city. The team responsible has already completed a number of similar projects in downtown Schenectady, and will invest $1 million into the scheme.
The 14,000-square-foot property, which is presently empty, is to be transformed into eleven first and second floor loft-style apartments. Chris Maddalone and Charles Rosenstein have also stated the ground floor will retain a commercial use. .....
This has given confidence to the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority, who will provide a grant of $85,000 to defray the costs of the scheme. In addition, a façade matching grant will assist with exterior improvements planned at 200 State Street."
Maddalone could care less if he wrecks the Union Inn and other businesses surrounding his apartments...won't Gillen just cover his a** anyway?
Here's another million Maddalone...thanks for another piss-poor job. You're right there with the Galesi DSS eyesore!!
Where do our code enforcers fit in here? I see codes everyday riding up and down the streets in my neighborhood. Chasing down the old ladies for chipped paint and sealed blacktop. Regular everyday taxpayers get the heavy hand. Meanwhile the DSS bldg. exterior was crumbling the last time I drove over that way. No one cares, let's get some new projects started using the same old.
Where do our code enforcers fit in here? I see codes everyday riding up and down the streets in my neighborhood. Chasing down the old ladies for chipped paint and sealed blacktop. Regular everyday taxpayers get the heavy hand. Meanwhile the DSS bldg. exterior was crumbling the last time I drove over that way. No one cares, let's get some new projects started using the same old.
The code enforcers fit very well inside the pockets of Galesi, Maddalone, Golub, Gillen ...we all know that for the ALCO project a 'special' code enforcer will be working hand-in-hand with Galesi.
Many, many pairs of blinders and rose colored glasses are being handed out in City Hall everyday.
"Schenectady business school to get residential makeover
When do the financially struggling taxpayer homeowners get a residential makeover at taxpayer expense? While the homeowners are footing the bill for downtown, when do the homeowners get some help to correct the piddling little code violations that the city charges them with, violations that the city will NOT fix up on the houses that IT owns.
Where's that cowardly cuckoo McC cheerleader---does he have an answer to that?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
In my neighborhood we are experiencing excessive water problems. We always did have water issues up here, due to all the underground streams, but the pipes that are supposed to carry some of it away during storms are shot. McCheese likes to try to blame it on "too much infrastructure for the drop in population" or some such patent nonsense, because the pipes to carry water to houses this close together would be the same amount even with fewerpeople. You don't lay linear footage per person. Anyhow, years ago the city council thought they had some extra cash and Jim Tedisco wanted them to hire a firm with it that came in and surveyed sewer systems with cameras, to see what condition they were in, but noooo, nobody would ever put tax dollars into maintaining anything. They still don't put aside money for a comprehensive repair/replacement plan, even though doing it piecemeal costs more. They always use the "cash-strapped" excuse, but that does not stop them from throwing millions of dollars around stupidly. Some of the recent decisions they've made have been felony stupid.
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