Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public hearing held on rezoning former St. Clair's Hospital site; developers propose ~240 apartments, neighbors raise concerns
Summary
The Schenectady City Council held a public hearing Feb. 24 on rezoning the former St. Clair27s Hospital campus from institutional to R-3 multiple-family residential; developers described plans for roughly 240 apartments and a 20,000-square-foot day care while neighbors voiced concerns about traffic, homeownership and property values.
The Schenectady City Council held a public hearing Feb. 24 on a proposal to rezone the former St. Clair27s Hospital campus from an institutional district to an R-3 multiple-family residential district. Several civic and business leaders urged the council to allow adaptive reuse; neighborhood residents urged the council to prioritize homeownership and asked for more impact studies.
Mark Egan, president and CEO of the Schenectady Chamber of Commerce, told the council the site "was never on the city's tax rolls" and called the proposed conversion a chance to "transform it to a new use and really create a new neighborhood." Ray Gillen, chairman of Metroplex and Schenectady County commissioner of planning and economic development, said the campus should not remain empty and urged unanimous support from the council when rezoning returns for a vote: "We can't have a big empty hospital in the middle of our city," he said.
Developer representatives described a large adaptive-reuse project. Jeff Buell, speaking for the development team (Connectivity Hardware Electric partnership), said the team is "currently targeting about 240 apartments in the building" and has a letter of intent for a 20,000-square-foot day care operator. Buell said three medical arts buildings and the Ellis School of Nursing would remain and that the developer plans to use historic tax credits so the exterior will look similar to today.
Opposition at the hearing came from neighborhood and civic speakers who said the plan could harm homeownership rates and neighborhood character. Tom Kennedy, chair of the local Republican Party, said residents felt the project was being "dropped" on the neighborhood without adequate impact study and urged the city to prioritize homeownership instead of adding hundreds of rental units. Jacob Dobbs and Sarah Ibrahim, both members of the public, said the large apartment complex would reduce opportunities for generational homeownership and could depress nearby property values. "It will be frightening for a lot of people...their home is going to depreciate in value," Ibrahim said.
Other public comments urged Council to balance new housing supply with neighborhood concerns; Chris Gibbs, a community leader, said the city needs more apartments to accommodate an influx of new residents and to keep rents from rising in the city. The council closed public comment after the scheduled speakers.
No council vote on rezoning was recorded at the meeting. Ray Gillen asked the council for unanimous support "when this rezoning comes before you," indicating the application will return for formal consideration; the transcript does not specify a date for a vote. Council members did not take formal action at the hearing.
The public record at the hearing included statements from business and development leaders, multiple residents opposing the scale of the proposal, and one community leader urging more rental supply. Developers said parking and traffic would be less intensive than hospital operations and that they would meet with neighborhood groups ahead of further approvals.
