Intrada Saratoga. Photo provided. See Story

NOTES Chamber of Commerce from

by Todd Shimkus, President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce • for Saratoga TODAY

Not everything that happened during the pandemic was bad. In fact, the City of Saratoga Spring made significant progress building workforce housing. This started in 2020 with the opening of Intrada Saratoga.

Near the intersection of West Ave and Washington Street, Intrada Saratoga is an affordable housing project providing housing to families on a fixed income. There

Let’s Make Building Workforce Housing a Priority

are 158 housing units, a gym, and community room. They host movie nights, ping-pong tournaments, and morning trail walks. It is near a bus line, 5 minutes from downtown, and has attracted individuals, families, young adults as well as seniors looking for an affordable place to live in Saratoga.

In 2021, the City added the Promenade Apartments to its list of successful workforce housing projects. This project was spearheaded by the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority. The Promenade includes a mid-rise building with 63 rental units and 22 town house apartments. The amenities offered to residents include a fitness room, a community room, laundry facilities and playground equipment. This development is downtown, on South Federal Street, behind the Stonequist apartments.

That’s a total of 243 new units of workforce housing. It’s a success story. A time to celebrate. To make this happen, our government, nonprofit and private sectors worked together. Now we need to do more of this. It’s an economic imperative, especially given what is likely to be a prolonged labor

Intrada Saratoga. Photo provided.

shortage. It’s also about fairness, equity, inclusion and doing the right thing.

So how can we do more of this?

First, they worked because the properties worked. They were in good locations. Close to the downtown and on bus routes. Near large employers and employment centers. The neighbors didn’t oppose these projects. There were no lawsuits filed against the developer or the city by those who lived next door.

Second, they worked because the City collaborated and made it a priority to get the approvals needed locally for each to proceed in a timely manner. The reality is that the state provides grants to incentivize these types of projects. But if you don’t get the application in on time, you lose.

Third, they worked because the developers knew what they were doing. They hired good teams for the design, approval process and construction. They had a track record to show the state that they could deliver on these promises.

We have more properties in the city where additional workforce housing has been proposed or talked about. Like Intrada and the Promenade, these locations are also on bus routes and near employment centers. If flexibility is needed, we should do this. If there is a deadline, we should be sensitive to this schedule. Getting more workforce housing built on specific sites that make sense should be a priority. Let’s continue to collaborate to get these projects built.

We might also want to take a look at how the room sharing industry may have disrupted our more traditional rental market. We know there are more than 800 properties in the city that are now regularly “rented” via online portals like AirBnB and Home Away. This number has risen every year. How many of these units were once rented to individuals and families that wanted to live here full-time? What, if anything, can or should we do about this?

For the Saratoga County Chamber, getting more workforce housing built in the city and surrounding communities is a priority. It’s how we will be able to enjoy a healthy economy and a diverse, vibrant sustainable community. During our darkest days these past two years, we’ve seen how this can be done. Let’s do more. Let’s build back better.

Arrow Named to Piper Sandler Sm-All Star List for Financial Performance

GLENS FALLS — Arrow Financial Corporation (NasdaqGS® – AROW) is pleased to announce it was recently named to the prestigious Piper Sandler Sm-All Stars Class of 2021, a list of 35-top performing small-cap banks and thrifts in the country.

Investment banking firm Piper Sandler Companies evaluated 386 publicly traded banks and thrifts with a market cap below $2.5 billion based on eight metrics, including: growth, profitability, credit quality, and capital strength. The field was then narrowed to the top 35.

Arrow Financial Corporation is one of just five New York financial institutions on the list and the only one headquartered locally.

“Arrow is pleased to once again be recognized nationally by Piper Sandler for our strong performance,” said President and CEO Thomas J. Murphy. “This achievement is a direct result of the Arrow team’s continued hard work and commitment.”

B&B Plumbing and Heating Continue Operations

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Billy Benton, the founder of B&B Plumbing and Heating, passed away last week.

The company, which has been in business for over 20 years, will continue its plumbing and HVAC operations, and their 24/7 emergency line is still active.

A message from the company read “Billy was our fearless leader and he put all the workings in place to make sure we can keep operating just as well as we always have.”

For more information contact 518-584-4440.

Northwestern Mutual Announces New Location in Saratoga Springs

Photo by Todd Bailey.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Northwestern Mutual’s Anderson Financial Group, a leading financial security firm based in Saratoga Springs, has announced the opening of a new office located at 3257 Route 9.

The team, led by Wealth Management Advisor Joseph M. Anderson, has continued to grow over the past few years. The office space is freshly renovated and includes a newly finished second floor, as well as a gym, well-equipped kitchen, and other amenities for the staff. Clients will appreciate the modern, professional atmosphere, easily accessible parking, and spacious meeting rooms.

“We look forward to welcoming our clients to our new office and continuing to be part of the fabric of the Saratoga Springs community,” said Anderson. “Our firm has been helping secure the financial futures of families and businesses locally, and across the country for more than 40 years. We now have an amazing space to allow for our continued growth and higher level of service for our current and future clients.”

In honor of their grand opening, The Anderson Financial Group presented a $5,000 check to the Warren & Denyse Mackey Foundation, which provides support for youth, under-served communities, and health initiatives.