Center City was built in 1978.Center City, a sprawling sports, office and retail complex in Schenectady, may soon be transferring hands, in what many hope is a sign of a downtown resurgence.

The Galesi Group, a Schenectady-based developer, has reportedly made a formal offer to the Lupe family, which has owned the retail and office sections of the complex for 25 years.

Although the details of the proposed transaction have not been released – and Galesi’s plans for the complex are not yet known – the current owners told the Schenectady Gazette that the front and rear facades of the 117,000 square-foot building would be immediately rehabilitated after the sale. The city would relocate its offices in the complex to another location.

Center City was built by the local government in 1978. It is a full-service sports facility that hosts 200 indoor soccer teams, and is used for lacrosse, flag football, summer camps, rock climbing and special events like small concerts and conferences. Management of the struggling complex was transferred to the Center City Committee in 1996.

As a nonprofit group, Center City Committee does not pay property taxes on the facility, but the complex would be back on the tax rolls if Galesi goes through with its plans. The complex is located in an Empire Zone, making the developer eligible for tax benefits from the state. The city’s Industrial Development Agency in August approved an extension of tax incentives to the current owners until Nov. 29, operating on the assumption that the facility would be sold by then.

Mayor Brian Stratton says making Center City part of a revitalized downtown has been a top priority. The move would also boost Stratton’s Vision Plan 2020, the city’s first comprehensive plan since 1971.

Vision Plan 2020 will serve as a roadmap for the city’s downtown area and nine residential neighborhoods, and outlines goals and policies and recommends changes in land use to improve housing, shopping and recreational opportunities. Last month, the City Council extended a ban on the subdivision of homes into rental apartments until the comprehensive plan is adopted, probably sometime in winter 2008.

Newsletter Issue

• Ecopolitics Monthly --- September 2007