Former St. Clare's Hospital redevelopment project moving forward

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- Plans for a redevelopment project at the former St. Clare's Hospital have moved forward in Schenectady. According to the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority, the City Council unanimously approved a zoning change for the property.

The project includes developing the space into apartments and a daycare, said Metroplex.

In August 2024, the Board of Directors of Ellis Medicine approved the sale of the campus to a development team headed by Jeff Buell and Chris Spraragen. According to Buell, the developers hope to convert the building into a new use.

"While we are not blind to the enormous challenge of converting an aging hospital building into a new vibrant use, we have spent the past year looking at this building and at this campus and we see the great potential here," Buell said in August 2024. "We are excited to move forward with a community-first mindset and understand the very real mantle we are placing on our shoulders."

St. Clare's Hospital closed in 2008 due to financial issues. In 2018, former St. Clare’s hospital workers received a letter that their wouldn’t get some or all of their pension money. The pensioners have been pursuing litigation since then, and hearings began in the state Supreme Court on Thursday.

The next step, Metroplex said, is for the developers to close on the sale of the property. According to Metroplex, the construction project will cost about $50 million, with a construction schedule of 18 to 24 months beginning this Summer.