A groundbreaking was held Thursday at the Galesi Group’s Harbor Center. The $27 million office complex is one of several developments going in the ground at the Mohawk Harbor site in Schenectady.
Galesi Group CEO Dave Buicko…
“We’re doing over 100,000-square foot office building with retail on the first floor. We’re going to be announcing some leases very soon, but we’ve got plenty of space. And if you really understand the dynamics of office space in downtown Schenectady, we’re virtually full,” said Buicko.
The complex will be comprised of two separate buildings, each with office and retail space. There will also be parking above and below ground. It’s expected to be completed by 2017.
The complex sits between a soon-to-be opened Courtyard Marriott hotel and Rush Street Gaming’s nearby Rivers Casino. The $480 million Mohawk Harbor project will also include high-end apartments, townhouses, restaurants, and additional commercial and retail space.
The state of New York invested $4 million in the project.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was on hand for the ceremony and said the project represents the future of Schenectady.
“So young people will go to school at a place like Union College and say ‘You know what? I don’t have to go somewhere else. I’m staying right here.’ I’ve been at the incubators downtown, I see how we’re innovating new jobs and opportunities, but look at what they can do right here,” said Hochul.
Others speaking at the event included Schenectady County legislature majority leader Gary Hughes, state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, and Mayor Gary McCarthy.
McCarthy said the project is a progression of the development that’s come out of downtown, at a site that sat mostly empty for decades after the departure of ALCO.
“We spent a lot of time and effort on State Street and rebuilding Proctors, downtown. A lot of people didn’t think that was going to happen. Again, it’s just like this project. It took perseverance, tenacity, and a commitment and a vision to see things differently and make it happen,” said McCarthy.
