Schenectady, N.Y., July 9, 2025 – The Metroplex Board met this evening and approved five projects — three in the City of Schenectady, one in Duanesburg, and one in Rotterdam.
The board gave final approval to a new commissary that will be constructed within existing space at Building 14 in the Rotterdam Corporate Park. Over 42,000 square feet of space will be renovated with a $12 million investment that will create 100 new jobs. The goal of the project is to create a central commissary that will prepare fresh baked goods and prepared foods for distribution to local Market 32 and Price Chopper stores and act as a test kitchen for the company. Metroplex is providing a sales tax exemption for the project.
Metroplex also approved a mortgage recording tax exemption for a new building planned by the Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP) at a now vacant 2.58-acre site at the corner of State Street and Brandywine Avenue in the City of Schenectady. SCAP is working with DePaul Properties to construct a two-story building that will house daycare, family support services and SCAP administrative offices. An adjoining building will provide 60 new apartments. The total planned investment is $37 million. The new SCAP building benefits from a recent award of $4.975 million from Governor Hochul in support of the daycare center. The new apartments are contingent on receipt of State and federal housing tax credits. The Capital Region Land Bank recently completed two demolitions of vacant, blighted buildings at the project site making way for new construction.
The Board also approved a sales and mortgage tax exemption for a project that will put 519 State Street in downtown Schenectady back on the tax rolls. Local developer Sumeet Gupta is purchasing the vacant former County-owned Public Defenders building and will convert the space to five new apartments and ground floor retail. The total investment exceeds $750,000.
Staying downtown, the Board approved a license agreement with Amtrak and a contract worth $44,000 to repair a wall and paint a new mural in the parking lot of Schenectady’s Amtrak Station. The new mural will be painted by Hannah Williams, whose artwork has been featured in Glens Falls, Lake Placid, downtown Albany and other locations. The mural will feature a design inspired by the Mohawk River and Erie Canal as well as the many contributions of GE and Alco employees who helped build Schenectady and the country as a whole. Work on the new mural will be completed this year.
Finally, the board approved a $75,000 grant for the construction of a new home for the popular Hickory Hill Smokehouse, LLC. Founded in 2010, the company plans to relocate and to construct a 3,000 square foot building on a 12.39-acre site on NYS Route 30 in Duanesburg. The new building will feature a butcher shop, smokehouse, butchery, large kitchen, café, retail space and a covered patio. Hickory Hill Smokehouse plans to start construction in August as all local approvals for the project are complete. Famous for handcrafted sausages, smoked meats and cheeses, the company looks forward to serving customers in their new location.
Metroplex is the lead agency in Schenectady County’s unified economic development team. The authority coordinates projects that attract new capital investments, jobs, property tax and sales tax to the County.
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