Work moves forward on Electric City Apartments – The Daily Gazette

Work resumes at the Electric City Apartments site at Erie Boulevard and State Street on Thursday, July 6, 2017.

Photographer: PETER R. BARBER

Work on the Electric City Apartments development is moving forward, a few months after the demolition of the Nicholaus building next door.

A half-dozen construction vehicles could be seen Thursday morning moving dirt around the construction site at the corner of Erie Boulevard and State Street. Work on the $20 million project, consisting of apartments and retail space, was halted after the Nicholaus building was deemed unstable April 1, 2016.

John Roth, CEO of Highbridge Development, the company responsible for the project, could not be reached for comment.

The apartments will be at 248 State St. and include 104luxury apartments and 9,900 square feet of ground floor retail space.

Construction ceased on the mixed-used development for more than a year while the Nicholaus building sat vacant. On April 7, a Clifton Park engineering firm notified city officials that the building had shifted and was in danger of collapsing. It was torn down later that day.

The property has spawned a number of lawsuits.

Nicholaus building owners Viroj and Malinee Chompupong first alleged prep work for the neighboring development caused their structure to become unstable, and later filed a notice of claim against the city seeking $5 million in damages for Aprils demolition, a claim the city said has no merit.

The owners of the Thai Thai Bistro, which was in the Nicholaus building and later moved to Niskayuna, are suing the city of Schenectady, the Nicholaus building owners and construction companies from the Electric City Apartments, claiming negligence and breach of contract.

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Work moves forward on Electric City Apartments - The Daily Gazette