By Rick Karlin | Times Union, Albany
Glenville, N.Y. — A Syracuse developer has purchased and plans to develop the long-vacant Navy Commissary building here.
The 120,000-square-foot structure dates to World War II when the Navy, post-Pearl Harbor, was moving material away from the coast due to fears of bombing raids.
It has been empty for years and needs lots of work but the new owner, IronHorn Enterprises, has purchased the building for $2.7 million and has committed to spending $5 million to rehabilitate it, probably for warehouse and manufacturing space.
“Industrial space is really, really tight,” IronHorn CEO Greg Cleghorn said in a phone interview.
His firm already has a commitment from Utility Partners to rent space there. The company works with utilities nationwide building, inspecting, maintaining and upgrading their facilities.
Utility Partners will bring about 80 new jobs to the site performing work under contract to National Grid that involves replacing and upgrading electrical meters.
Cleghorn believes he can bring numerous “last mile” distribution warehousing operations into most of the building’s remaining space. The need for that space has grown sharply since COVID prompted more and more people to shop online, growing the demand for small warehousing operations that are close to geographic customer bases.
“We are pleased to have an experienced developer like IronHorn start to make repairs immediately and bring a new tenant to the building,” Ray Gillen, chairman of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority, said in presenting news of the sale. Gillen noted that the previous owner purchased the building from the federal government in a 2015 auction. But the buyer, based in California, neglected the structure, allowing it to fall into disrepair.
The Metroplex Board will consider a $200,000 grant for the project at its December meeting and an abatement on sales tax for construction materials used to renovate the former commissary, which is at 606 Seventh St.
“The IronHorn team has the horsepower needed to tackle a large building like this and we welcome this major new investment and 80 new jobs to Glenville,” said Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle.
The parties recently met to discuss renovations and are planning to open it for occupancy in early 2024.
IronHorn owns more than 1.3 million square feet of commercial space in 10 states, ranging from New York to Georgia.
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