Schenectady County committee clears $1.46M purchase on South Church Street to support aquatic center

Schenectady County legislators moved a resolution forward to acquire a downtown South Church Street property for $1,460,000 to support parking for a planned aquatic center. County Attorney Chris Gardner told the Economic Development and Planning committee the purchase would provide roughly 100 new parking spaces, avoid adding another level to a proposed parking garage and "save us about 2 and a half million dollars on the overall project."

The sale is to South Church LLC, owned by Tony Hynes. Gardner said the county expects to take title by July 1 and then pursue demolition and site work, working with Hynes and local stakeholders including Jennifer Lawrence at the Seed Center. Committee members asked about tenant relocation and whether the purchase price includes an adjacent parking lot; Gardner said the price does include that parking area and that tenants are discussing consolidation options.

Legislator Cuomo raised concerns about valuation and taxpayer stewardship, saying his realtor found a 2025 assessment of $763,000 and asking who performed the county's appraisal. Gardner said there were three certified appraisals and that the owner had previously offered below-market rental rates, which lowered assessment-based values; he maintained the proposed price was fair given the project's savings.

The committee voted to report the resolution to the full legislature; a voice vote recorded opposition from Legislator Cuomo but the motion moved forward. The resolution will appear on the legislature's agenda for formal consideration.