Demolition near Medley Centre begins

Demolition began Friday morning on buildings adjacent to the Medley Centre project on East Ridge Road in Irondequoit.

Town Supervisor Mary Joyce DAurizio said West Seneca-based E.B. Galaxy Construction was taking down the former office building at 1665 E. Ridge Road. She said the company worked to coordinate the demolition with the operating hours of a nearby Applebees restaurant.

When I left there this morning, things were going really well, she said Friday afternoon. It was just amazing that there was no dust. It was so interesting to watch them knock it down, they would take down a piece of it, then separate out the scrap and then keep breaking down the other materials, making it smaller and smaller.

DAurizio said its likely the area around 1665 West Ridge will be graded and seeded with grass next week.

Next in line for knockdown is a dilapidated house on Tiam Drive. The office building, the house and a former car dealership on E. Ridge Road are all owned by developer Bersin Properties, as is the mostly vacant Medley Centre mall.

Redevelopment of the overall site, promised as a multimillion-dollar complex of high-end retail, housing and entertainment, has been stalled since 2009.

DAurizio said Bersin Properties owner Scott Congel has been mostly mum about whats going on at the site, but a battle has been ongoing over the property as Congel has been asking to renegotiate the terms of a tax break deal hes told officials he needs to secure project financing.

Last month, Congel met with representatives from the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency, the East Irondequoit Central School District and DAurizio. But no new agreement was hashed out there, and officials left frustrated.

Demolition of the vacant properties near the mall was a point of contention during the meeting.

DAurizio called the work at the 1665 E. Ridge Road building a baby step on the developers part.

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Demolition near Medley Centre begins