Numerous Clifton Park vacancies????? (Albany, Halfmoon: apartment complexes, to rent, buying a house)

[NYPADDY]

Looking to relocate in the spring to upstate NY with daughter and six year old grandson. Noticed large vacancy rate in Clifton Park. Can anyone advise why. Is this a nice safe family area. Good schools? Pros and cons to area? Would like to rent for a year before buying a house. Thanks.

[j12308]

It's a nice suburban area, decent schools. Maybe it's because there is a lot of building but w/the economic down turn the new houses aren't selling as quickly???

[Cigarboo]

I think the economy has taken it's toll there. A couple of years ago, developers were building like crazy because the area was really growing, but all of a sudden the housing market just dropped. There were probably a few flippers that got caught in the mess.

It's a nice safe, clean area though. Great place to raise children. Nice community feel. Fairly typical suburb with Chain restaurants and big box stores. New, beautiful library. Nice YMCA. They've always had a hard time with the Clifton Park Center with many of the store fronts empty or the small stores struggling. Don't know why since there is a fair amount of money in Clifton Park. Not a lot of sidewalks, so I would not consider it pedestrian friendly, but they do have a walking trail that runs through a lot of the main streets like Moe Rd, Vischer Ferry. They are still working on making it more bike/walking friendly.

I used to live there and would not have moved away if it was just a few degrees warmer in the winters.

[j12308]

Cigarboo, you should see Clifton Park Center now, totally different! More of an open air/strip mall kind of shopping center. I don't think there are any vacancies there now. Nice shops, & restaurants. It's really nice.

[Rumblebelly]

Clifton Park is a thriving suburb. I never noticed a lot of vacancies in Clifton Park when we lived there briefly a couple of years ago. There may be some of the older stores that have closed but the housing values where high, there was lots of new commercial developement, and the entire place seemed to expanding rapidly.

But yeah, it's a nightmare to try to walk. Few streets have sidewalks and there's no town center unless you consider the mall a town center. Good schools though, and extremely safe and convenient.

[Ellwood]

I agree with OP: due to the building boom there might appear to be a lot of vacancies. IMO It is a nice place to live.

[shiver]

Clifton Park was a hotbed of new construction and development for both homes and apartment complexes. As previous posters mentioned, the slow housing market has probably taken its toll. It's a nice middle and upper middle class suburb.

Clifton Park is part of the Shenendehowa public school district. It's a good school district, but quite large. I think the high school has something like 700 students per grade. However, last I knew, there were quite a few amenities in terms of curriculum, clubs, activities, and sports. It's not necessarily a con, but the large school system may not be everyone.

Depending on where you'll be working, the commute is another possible con. The rush hour commute to/from Albany on the dreaded Northway is one of the worst in the area.

CP is very typical suburbia with lots of chain stores and restuarants. You need a car to get around. It may not be your thing if you don't like suburbia, but all in all, it's very nice, safe, family oriented and considered a desirable area to live by many.

[NYPADDY]

Thank you very much to all.

[dave230]

Clifton Park/Halfmoon is a great place... I'm all over it every day. You can live near fields and woods in quite neighborhoods yet have everything you possibly need within a fifteen minute drive.

Especially good looking this week with the leaves changing - Sitterly Road looks great.