"Across New York State – in towns, villages and large cities – signs are going up along Main Street that say, "Open for Business." In places where many felt the best times were memories, there is a growing sense of renewal. For the first time in decades, people are returning to central cities to live, work, shop and enjoy the unique character of our downtowns."
February 2001 Report of the Quality Communities Interagency Task Force
Current State of the Issue
The chief challenge facing the downtown urban center is to re-invent itself. Property is abandoned, taxes are out of line, parking is not convenient, and the appearance of
Downtown is uninviting. Each of these challenges must be changed to an opportunity. One approach to doing so is establishing Downtown as a unique regional economic
and cultural neighborhood, as well as a dynamic and attractive residential neighborhood.
Problem Identification
In the past, the urban core was the heart of the whole community. Cultural, business, finance, government and commercial activity was centered exclusively in Downtown.
Today, many of those activities take place outside the city. Much of the office and commercial property that was left behind remains empty because office-centered businesses have found homes in suburban office parks.
However, Downtown still is host to most of the community’s cultural activities and many governmental functions. It still has potential for some economic development. It is part of the development crescent that extends from the Regional Market/Ball Park, through Carousel Center, Franklin Square, Clinton Square, the Armory and over to the Convention Center, hospital complex, and all the way up to the University. That development crescent, which we refer to as "the Syracuse Crescent," presents a unique combination of development opportunity and economic resources.
Downtown is also a residential neighborhood. Several thousand people currently live in the Downtown area. Their needs must be addressed in developing new directions for Downtown. They live generally in high-density rental housing, including both subsidized and market-rate housing. Downtown residents share the concern of other City residents about traditional City services. But they also have additional needs which arise from the relatively intensive commercial use of surrounding property, especially in the areas of security and parking. These concerns must be considered in mapping the future of Downtown.
Objectives
- To assist the County in developing a land-use plan for the Syracuse Crescent.
- To create and support new uses of property.
- To provide the support services necessary to maintain the uses.
Methods for Achievement
Develop The Syracuse Crescent
The City’s Downtown is the core of Onondaga County. The County should participate in the planning and implementation of its redevelopment and revitalization. There has never been an effort to create a link between the Carousel Center development and the redevelopment of the core Downtown area. The discussion has never occurred because the City’s Downtown has always seen itself in competition with the Mall. Perhaps in a discussion that began with raising the issue of collaboration, the outcome could be different.
Similarly, the lakefront at Carousel Center is a regional resource that could benefit from the participation from the County as well in the development discussions. The Greater Syracuse Economic Growth Council has the representatives needed to be involved in such an effort.
Reflect the Progressive Development to Contiguous Neighborhoods
The City would establish links such as "walker-friendly" sidewalks, easily accessible streets and bike paths with the Lakefront and with North Salina Street. To the South, the Gateway project will be linked as a potential development site for a new project. The Convention Center will be linked to Armory Square with a promenade that leads through the Syracuse Hotel, the Galleries and to Armory Square. This promenade will be well lit and "walker-friendly."
Change Building Codes to Promote Residential Development
Some of the empty Downtown office properties will be converted to residential uses. This plan would require changes to the applicable building codes to allow residential development. The residential character of Downtown would enhance this unique neighborhood. The support this neighborhood in its residential character would be a City function, even though the commercial and economic redevelopment would be recognized as a regional function managed by County government.
Support the Facilities Required for Residential Living in Downtown
When Downtown is developed as a residential community, commercial uses must be re-introduced to support its residents. The City should support neighborhood facilities such as convenience grocery stores, cleaners, laundromats and others linked by pedestrian walkways.
Provide Leadership and Incentives to Insure that Carousel Center Is Linked to the Surrounding Neighborhoods
The City of Syracuse, through the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, is participating with the developer of the Carousel Center to provide the public improvements necessary to accomplish the visionary goals of an expansion project. As the largest structure in all of upstate New York, the expanded tourist destination center will have a major impact on the community. The report prepared by the Onondaga County Legislature’s Special Legislative Committee can serve as the basis for discussion to assure that this major urban design element has a positive impact.
Bring Back Downtown’s Physical Attractiveness
While reinventing Downtown is a long-term process, immediate steps must be taken to change the image of Downtown and pave the way for the new core city. Now is the time to clean it up! A massive City-run cleanup project will make an immediate difference. That will be followed by a cosmetic facelift. Vacant properties would be generally kept ready and prepared for occupancy, with windows washed, a uniform interior installed, and the exteriors being well lit at night.
Endorse and Promote the Concept of a Cultural Corridor for Montgomery Street
Many cities are finding that a successful way to help define their downtowns, and draw in both suburban residents and tourists, is to build up their cultural attractions. Syracuse is fortunate that most of its main cultural institutions are grouped within a few blocks of one another along the Montgomery Street spine: from the Erie Canal Museum to the Everson; with a lateral along Jefferson Street to the MOST. Properly promoted, lit at night and with supporting uses of empty spaces along the way, the Syracuse Cultural Corridor may offer downtown Syracuse its best hope to maintain a vibrancy that will keep it alive beyond Monday-Friday, 9 to 5.
Consider Creation of Special Aesthetic Standards for Downtown
While there are already many rules and regulations for buildings in the City for health and safety purposes, there are entire sections of Downtown where almost any visual pollution is accepted because there are no design standards. We have "temporary" surface parking lots that have existed for over 30 years, usually with gravel or pavement extending right to the sidewalk and a forest of ugly signs. Chain-link fencing abounds. The least attractive building erected in recent memory in Downtown is the City’s own parking garage at Harrison and Warren Streets. Even in Armory Square, there are no sign design standards. If we want to prevent our City from looking third-rate, the City must provide leadership. As Mayor, I will make this a positive process by engaging a series of incentives associated with the design standards, such as tax incentives for owner-financed improvements, grants and design assistance to implement the improvements.
Actively Work with the Downtown Committee to Develop New Strategies for Downtown Maintenance
Syracuse is fortunate to have an established Downtown Committee as a source of operational support. The Committee promotes many activities and events that keep the core active. Yet many sections of Downtown appear unkempt: street trees are dead, tree grates are broken, paint on street furniture is peeling, brick areas are cracked, kiosks are empty, and buildings are deteriorating. Fewer flowers appear Downtown than previously. My Administration will work with the Downtown Committee and with County government to develop new strategies to maintain the core of our community.
Establish a City Emergency Fund for Preserving Vacant Property
Vacant buildings in Downtown have many negative impacts on our community. Currently, they are abandoned and left to deteriorate; at the same time, they reduce the value of surrounding property. As Mayor, I will cooperate with the County in establishing an emergency fund for adequate mothballing of such property consistent with the redevelopment plan for the Syracuse Crescent. This fund will be particularly useful in preserving City Designated or National Register landmark structures. This fund will also guarantee that any abandoned historic property would be properly stabilized and held for future rehabilitation. The costs could be added to the property taxes collected when the property is returned to economic use.
Improve the Availability of Downtown Parking
Parking is a serious problem that has plagued Downtown redevelopment efforts for 40 years. Parking fees for business employers add $500 per year to the cost of working Downtown. Commercial, cultural, entertainment and retail establishments suffer the most serious impact with high daily and hourly parking fees, parking meters and tickets, and uninviting environments.
The development of a parking system to serve the needs of the Downtown area would be a County responsibility. The County and the City would jointly plan for a modern transportation system to move thousands of citizens and visitors daily between the activity centers in the Syracuse Crescent.
Work with CENTRO and the County to Address Common Center Issues
Currently, all city bus routes converge at Common Center, the corner of Salina and Fayette Streets, in the heart of the Central Business District. This is the central transfer point for riders traveling from one part of the community to another. The congestion at the corner creates difficulties for automobile traffic and for pedestrians. Bus riders, waiting for a transfer bus, are not well served either. They have small shelters that do not effectively protect them from the weather. Seating is generally not available. There is not adequate space for all the buses that are queued up. The scene gives the impression of a disorganized, uncomfortable, ill-planned example of mass transportation. As Mayor, I will work with CENTRO and the County to alleviate the conditions at Common Center. One option to be explored will be revisiting the 1972 plans developed by the Metropolitan Development Association for a new CENTRO Common Center Travel Center. The Travel Center will be located in the Central Business District, but at a location which removes most of the congestion.