County buildings in Ballston Spa do not contribute revenue to our tax base.  If the County left, as long as they do not sell or donate the buildings to another government entity or a nonprofit, the buildings could possibly be sold to for-profit businesses or demolished & developed into private residences.  Both for-profit business ownership and private residential use could actually contribute to our tax base and potentially lower taxes for current tax payers although how much would depend on what the redevelopment of those buildings would cost the Village for infrastructure and customary services.  This solution might offer some long term benefits but the problem is how long would the repurposing take and would the passage of time between use and reuse do more harm than good?
The Village has a number of vacant properties already which have been available for years, some decades and they still haven’t attracted new development.  The most recognizable is the Rickets parcel at the North end of the Village across from Aldi’s.  This building was falling down for years before the Village stepped in, prompting a tear down and erecting a metal fence around the perimeter to prevent possible injury and vandalism.  It isn’t the most welcoming sight as you drive into our beautiful Village or the last impression we all love as you leave.  Do we really want to add more vacant or abandoned inventory when we have locations like this desperate to be developed?  Not to mention others like Angelica, the bowling alley, nursing home and the burned out residential building in our Historic District on E. High St. decomposing year after year?  County redevelopment might potentially benefit the Village tax base long term but if the past is any indication of the future, most of us will never see it materialize in our lifetime.  We would, however, most likely see the detrimental effects on our local businesses and property values.

The feasibility report is due any day, please help convince the County Board that Ballston Spa buildings deserves to be updated and not abandoned.  Share the petition and ask interested parties to sign on.  The time for change is before it’s too late and the decision is already made.