Schenectady IDA to buy old, blighted restaurant building

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The City of Schenectady Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is set to buy the former Fireside Restaurant at 1631 Eastern Parkway in Schenectady. The IDA will be buying the building for $110,000.

According to the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority, the old Fireside building is vacant and blighted. The money used to buy the building will be from fees collected from developers on other projects.

“The absentee owner of 1631 Eastern Parkway has never improved the building and the façade is in terrible condition,” said Ray Gillen, Metroplex Chair. “Despite code enforcement efforts by the city, the owner based on Long Island never made needed repairs, so we are buying the building to improve the neighborhood and remove this blight.”

“We are pleased that the City IDA is taking this action to address a long–vacant and neglected building close to the Upper Union Street neighborhood in an important commercial corridor," said Mayor Gary McCarthy.

Metroplex said they will assess the building to see if it can be repaired and sold or if it needs to be demolished. The IDA is also looking at the neighboring blighted property at 1627 Eastern Parkway, as they said the owner has not responded to requests to fix the vacant property.