Syracuse Development News

I will start with projects in the City of Syracuse that are currently under construction.....

Syracuse University Newhouse III
A 74,000-square-foot addition to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications complex.

http://newhouse.syr.edu/nh3/

http://www.charous.com/uploads/fcd1e78a70.jpg


SU Life Sciences Complex
“With 210,000 square feet of space and an estimated cost of $107 million, the Life Sciences Complex is the most ambitious construction project undertaken at the University. Ellenzweig Associates, a national leader in science teaching and research facilities, is designing the project. Construction will commence shortly after the site dedication. The new facility will be connected to the existing CST building. CST houses several other academic programs and is the current location of the chemistry department and its research laboratories.
The completed complex will bring the biology department and biochemistry program (currently based in Lyman Hall) into one research facility adjacent to the chemistry research space. The convergence of the three disciplines will promote collaborative work and encourage interdisciplinary research and education. The complex will house modern research laboratories for biology faculty, teaching laboratories for chemistry and biology students, and classrooms for the general University community. Research conducted in the complex will focus on its two research themes: cell signaling and biocomplexity.”

http://lifesciences.syr.edu/about.html

http://www.charous.com/uploads/4dac6d69ae.jpg


Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems
"The Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE) in Environmental and Energy Systems creates innovations to improve health, productivity, security, and sustainability in built and urban environments. Our interests include air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, sound, water quality, and renewable and clean energy."

http://www.syracusecoe.org/index.aspx

http://www.charous.com/uploads/d4fe9b1fd6.jpg


Loew's Condos
9-unit luxury condos

http://www.armorysquare.com/start.html

http://www.pbase.com/ciceroclay/image/30067566/medium.jpg


Mizpah Towers conversion to a Ramada
"Overlooking Columbus Circle, the building is one of Syracuse's most prominent vacant structures. It is a Gothic-style building built by Gordon A. Wright in 1914. It was the home of the First Baptist Church from 1914 until 1988.
The building was sold to Syracuse Bangkok in December 2005. Winterization of the building was completed earlier this year. Renovations are expected to take at least 22 months to 24 months to complete and could take up to three years. The project team proposes to turn this former Baptist Church into a Ramada Hotel that includes 101 hotel rooms, a full service restaurant, day spa, and auditorium. Parking will be provided through a valet service.
The hotel is intended to serve business and university travelers with rooms equipped with high-speed Internet access, writing desks and a business center."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=2

http://www.pbase.com/ciceroclay/image/30067822/medium.jpg


Cowley Building office space renovation
"This former office building will be renovated as part of the Lofts on Willow Project. The building will consist of two floors of office space and the adjacent parking lot will be landscaped and paved to provide parking for the Lofts on Willow tenants. The 2,200 sf of office space in this building has already been pre-leased to a tenant."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=9&

http://www.charous.com/uploads/3f7766ad74.jpg


Butler Building renovation
"Renovation of the historic Butler Building, which will provide new housing and retail space, is part of the ongoing revitalization of the Armory Square neighborhood on the west side of downtown Syracuse."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=10&

http://www.charous.com/uploads/1703ed85c9.jpg


233 North Clinton renovation
"This historic three-story building will be converted into two large apartments on the upper two floors of the building and include indoor parking. The ground floor retail space is currently for lease. The Holleran Building, as it was once called, was built in 1894 as a facility for horse drawn carriages.
Windows will be re-established on the upper floors and the corrugated metal currently covering the facade will be removed. The original 19th century brick will be cleaned and painted."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=13&#

http://www.charous.com/uploads/11abb49d92.jpg


Golisano Children’s Hospital at University Hospital
"The six-story vertical expansion will rise above University Hospital’s East Wing and feature floors dedicated to oncology, cardiology and neurology services and the Golisano Children’s Hospital."

http://www.upstate.edu/gch/plan.php

http://www.charous.com/uploads/1aa031bc5f.jpg

Projects in Syracuse to begin soon or in 2007


Hotel Syracuse redevelopment
Symphony Place at Hotel Syracuse Square
"The plan includes several phases of development. The first phase will include a high rise condominium tower with 54 units ranging in size from 775 square feet to 2,200 square feet. Dining, shopping, and services will occupy the street level spaces. Amenities will cater to a "metropolitan" lifestyle. The following phases will include the addition of a 150 room hotel and 100 apartments. Rehabilitation of the Hotel's parking garage is also underway."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=4&pageNum_results=1

http://www.pbase.com/ciceroclay/image/30068266/medium.jpg



VA Medical Center expansion
“Congressman Jim Walsh today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed a $2,085,227 design contract with Quinlivan, Pierik & Krause Architects/Engineers of Syracuse to produce construction documents and provide construction period services for the Syracuse VA Medical Center's Spinal Cord Injury Center addition.
The project's total cost upon completion is expected to reach $77.7 million for the six story hospital addition and related parking facility expansion.”

http://www.house.gov/list/press/ny25_walsh/pr_060907.html

NO RENDERINGS YET


Convention Center Hotel
“Construction could start in the spring on the long-delayed 350-room, $72.3 million convention center hotel in downtown Syracuse.”

http://www.syracuse.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/business-5/1159953959122080.xml

NO RENDERINGS YET


Warren Street Garage Expansion
"The developer has proposed to build a seven-story, 500-space addition to the Warren Street parking garage. The addition, which would be built between the existing garage and East Fayette Street, would increase the number of parking spaces in the garage to 945.
Excellus, which employs 1,000 people in its offices across Warren Street from the garage, would lease 800 of the spaces. The remaining 145 would be available for the public and other downtown businesses.
“The proposed garage will have a major positive impact on the core of downtown,” according to David Mankiewicz, Deputy Director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. “Its location directly across the street from Excellus’ existing offices and the ability to link the two structures with an enclosed walkway really makes it a good fit”, Mankiewicz said.
The facade of the addition would be made of brick and pre-cast concrete. The existing garage would get a new facade to look like the addition. The work will cost up to $15 million, and the developer hopes to start construction this year."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=7&pageNum_results=1

http://www.charous.com/uploads/58de32e6d9.jpg



Syracuse Connective Corridor
"Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor announced a community-wide project to highlight the uniqueness of the city: the Connective Corridor. The goal of the Connective Corridor project is to create a center for the arts and culture by designing a landscape and transit system to link the people and activities of the University Hill and downtown Syracuse.
Through its design and the cultural activities along its route, the Connective Corridor will serve as a destination for those seeking a safe and enjoyable urban experience. It will provide efficient and interesting ways to transverse the streets and pathways in the area. Through signage and public art, the history and creative energy of the city will reveal itself. The Connective Corridor will also provide greater access for the public to the dynamic intellectual resources that are offered on the University Hill.
When completed, the Connective Corridor will consist of a vibrant pedestrian and bicycle pathway with distinctive landscaping, lighting, benches, historical information, and public art spaces. An accompanying public shuttle bus route will be offered free of charge to riders commuting between cultural venues, shops, hotels and Syracuse University."

http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/designComp/designConcepts.html

http://www.charous.com/uploads/f180ba2bd2.jpg



Bennett Warehouse Building
Douglas Shepard has purchased this property from the Erie Canal Museum and is in the process of converting it into 3 residential units and ground floor commercial space for his contracting and realty business.
The second and third floor apartments will be 1,100 sf in size and feature exposed brick and hardwood flooring. The top floor will have a penthouse loft and will be 1,600 sf in size.

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=27

http://www.charous.com/uploads/13d1498d5c.jpg



Flagship Securities Building
Constructed in 1893, the Flagship Securities Building is a masonry row building containing approximately 6,000 sf of space. The ground floor, which is slightly below grade is occupied by a bar/cafe.
The 2nd and 3rd floors will be gutted and renovated. The historic facade, high ceilings, and open spaces lend themselves to loft-style office and residential space. The 2nd floor will house several architecture firms and the 3rd floor will be developed into a two-bedroom residential unit.

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=3&

http://www.charous.com/uploads/59ce23c873.jpg



Wilson Building Project
Adapt CNY proposes to renovate the currently vacant 53,000 sf building to include 33 market-rate residential apartments, 7,500 sf of ground floor retail space, as well as create a pedestrian linkage between Salina Street and Armory Square. All this will be accomplished while still preserving and protecting the architectural treasure that was built in 1898.
Adapt CNY has retained Steve Krause of QPK Design as the lead architect for the project, bringing a level of expertise in design and development that will be critical to the project’s success.
The total estimated cost of the completed project will exceed $4 million. Adapt CNY’s goal is to raise $1.2 million in private, corporate, and charitable grants and contributions.
All 11 of the Adapt CNY board of directors have contributed to the effort. In addition: A $200,000 grant from the Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative was secured in June of 2006; A $50,000 grant from National Grid’s Main Street program was secured in August of 2006; A $350,000 state historic preservation grant is pending and a decision is expected this fall.
In addition to the fundraising efforts, Adapt CNY submitted an application for the Wilson Building to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The application was formally approved on October 11, 2006.
The success of this project relies on the support of the community. Please visit www.SaveWilson.org to learn more about this project and what you can do to to help."

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=26&pageNum_results=1

http://www.charous.com/uploads/245600ad72.jpg



Maple Heights project
Housing Visions has a contract to purchase an aging, vacant apartment complex named Cherry Hill located off East Genesee Street, a main thoroughfare into the City of Syracuse. The current buildings, built in the 1970’s have become a haven for drug use and vandalism. Maple Heights will replace Cherry Hill, demolishing the buildings and constructing 12 new townhouse-like buildings along a new through street which will conform to the City’s public street guidelines. There will be a management office on site as well as a tenant community space.
This project will continue the revitalization efforts in the city’s eastside. The houses will be built to blend into the surrounding neighborhood and will provide 50 units of quality affordable housing to low income households. Emphasis will be placed on larger unit sizes, and up to 12 one and two units will be reserved for qualified homeless veterans.

http://www.housingvisions.org/housing_maple.asp#development

NO RENDERINGS YET


Old Masonic Temple building lofts
Monahan Development Corporation announced plans in April 2006 to transform the currently vacant Masonic Temple, located at 320 Montgomery Street, into 35 live/work lofts and ground floor commercial space. Built in 1917, the Masonic Temple was occupied by the Masons until 1985, when the Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSOA) purchased the building for use as a center for arts-related programming. However, the MSOA’s plans for the reuse of this historic property came to a halt during the early stages of renovation and the building has lay vacant since.
Jim Monahan, president of Monahan Development, and a partner in the LLC responsible for spearheading this redevelopment project will transform this five story, 68,500 square foot structure into a home for artists, entrepreneurs, and those who operate their own business. Each residential unit will have approximately 1,150 square feet of space to allow for both living space and studio or business space. All but one unit will have 2 bedrooms. Monahan has used a combination of historic preservation tax credits, low income housing tax credits, and tax free bond financing to complete this $5.76 million project. As a result of Monahan’s financing structure, apartments can only be rented to “moderate” income residents – those making approximately $16 per hour.
Although Monahan’s project is not targeted specifically to artists, it is expected that the attractive rent rates, apartment design, and location in downtown will attract artist residents as Montgomery Street has long been viewed as the cultural heart of downtown Syracuse. Construction on this project is expected to start mid-October 2006 and be ready for tenant occupancy by June 2007

http://development.downtownsyracuse.com/planned/detail.php?id=12&

http://www.charous.com/uploads/a504bdd236.jpg

Geat news :okay:

Good idea for a development thread and the developments look great...

I wish for the best for Syracuse!

Thank you rotten!:) Thought about doing this for a long time. With all the support from the Rochester forumers, I finally was motivated to compile all the info...


Projects in Syracuse where the Status is unknown or are still in the planning stages

SUNY Upstate’s five-story, 46,000-square-foot addition to Weiskotten Hall
"The five-story, $10 million, 46,000 square foot building will be the first new classroom space built on the SUNY Upstate campus in nearly three decades, and it will provide one of most contemporary settings for medical education, especially the teaching of clinical skills."

http://www.upstate.edu/medalumni/academic_bldg/

http://www.charous.com/uploads/30e7311c74.jpg



The CNY Human, Animal and Plant Biotech Research Center
The CNY-BRC, to be built between SUNY Upstate and the Syracuse VA Medical Center, will include laboratories, greenhouses and business incubation facilities, plus customized classrooms for training the manpower required by this complex industry.
Phase 1 of the project will be a $35 million, 80,000 square foot facility to be situated on land between and SUNY Upstate Medical University and the Syracuse VA Hospital. It will house labs, offices, instructional and other project-appropriate research space, as well as business incubation space.
Phases 2 and 3will also be 80,000 square feet each and will cost about $22.5 million each. These phases will house additional research space and provide for extensive business incubation for new spin-off companies generated through CNY-BRC research.
The “module” approach, using the same design for each phase but providing for the infrastructure and design elements up-front, saves money and will allow for a more rapid build-out of the second and third phases when resources are identified.

http://www.upstate.edu/biocenter/facility.php

http://www.charous.com/uploads/c959e8999b.jpg



Umbilical cord blood bank center
"A proposed $10 million umbilical cord blood bank in Syracuse could propel SUNY Upstate Medical University into one of the most promising frontiers of science - stem cell research.
In addition to providing life-saving cord blood to treat patients with leukemia and other blood diseases, the facility will provide research opportunities for Upstate and other institutions around the state, according to Dr. Robert Dracker, a Liverpool doctor who headed the committee that's been developing the proposal for the past year.
Researchers believe stem cells in cord blood could be used to potentially cure diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and to repair injured spinal cords and other body parts. Stem cells are the master cells for every organ, tissue and cell in the body. They are like blank microchips that can be programmed to perform all kinds of specialized tasks."

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-5/1162548616234290.xml&coll=1



Syracuse City School District $600 Million Renovation Plan

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:PnL1EBtEwggJ:www.syracuse.ny.us/mayorDocs/1/Joint%2520City%2520Schoo1%2520Announcement%25206.28.05.pdf+Syracuse+City+School+District+%24600+Million+Renovation+Plan&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1



New downtown Hub for Centro including an enclosed bus station and gates for buses
"Government and transportation officials said Thursday they are considering moving Centro's downtown Syracuse transfer hub from South Salina and Fayette streets to an off-street location at East Adams and South Warren streets now occupied by an American Red Cross blood center.
"I like this site. It could work quite well," Centro Executive Director Frank Kobliski said.
The location has enough room for an enclosed station and gates for buses, he said. It is on or near current main routes and suburban lines and would remain convenient for downtown commuters, he said."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-7/116073016274260.xml&coll=1



Armory Square mixed use project
"mixed-use development on the edge of Armory Square in downtown Syracuse. A developer, Pioneer Co, has signed on to.. build the project"

http://syrajason.blogspot.com/



Former Salt City Theater converted into condos
"The city of Syracuse has reached an agreement to sell a University Hill landmark to a developer who plans to convert the building into condominiums.
If the Common Council approves, Norman Swanson will buy the former Temple Adath Yeshurun building - most recently the home of the Salt City Center for the Performing Arts - for $352,500.
Swanson said the 40,000-square-foot building on South Crouse Avenue can fit between 22 and 24 condos ranging from 1,500 to 3,200 square feet. He plans to sell the units to professionals who work for Syracuse University or one of the hospitals on the hill."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/city/index.ssf?/base/news-2/116185312547330.xml

http://www.pbase.com/ciceroclay/image/33376493/medium.jpg



SUNY Upstate Medical University planned $472 million expansion
"Upstate Medical University's new president, Dr. David R. Smith, said Thursday he envisions up to $472 million worth of new projects at the school over the next eight to 10 years.
"This university is already great. The question is, can we become even greater," Smith said at the weekly Thursday Morning Roundtable session at Drumlins Country Club in DeWitt."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1161939759210120.xml&coll=1



Siemens Corporation green ten-megawatt power generating plant
"The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is teaming up with Siemens Corporation, the City of Syracuse and O’Brien and Gere Engineers to build a ten-megawatt power generating plant that will be fueled by turning wood and wood by-products into synthetic gas."

http://www.esf.edu/newspubs/news/2006/08.08.biofuels.htm


There are other projects in Syracuse that have been talked about for years, but lets leave those alone for now until construction actually starts.:)

some suburban development


"Syracuse Research Corp. plans to build an $18 million research facility in Cicero to accommodate the company’s rapid growth. The 120,000-square-foot two-story facility will be built behind the company’s corporate headquarters in the Beacon North Industrial Park. Syracuse Research employs 650 people at 10 offices across the United States including approximately 410 in Central New York."


Action Developers Inc. plans to build a $70 million sports complex in the town of Van Buren. Phase I would include a $10 million expansion on the site including motocross and MBX bike racing, skateboarding, an enlarged paintball facility and a Wingate Inn. Phase II is expected to cost $60 million and is projected to include a 45,000-square-foot indoor water park, restaurants, retail stores, an arcade, and a spa. Phase I is expected to begin this summer.

Get ready to get dirty
Developers put finishing touches on motocross venue
Saturday, November 04, 2006
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
The roar of motorcycle racing will soon be heard in Van Buren.
The state's first indoor motocross racing track is set for a "soft" opening in two weeks and a grand opening in December.
Mulvaney Motorsports is putting the finishing touches on the 43,680-square-foot facility, which it's calling Edge, off Winchell Road near Exit 7 of Interstate 690.
The facility has a 41,000-square-foot dirt racing track, with the rest of the building containing spectator seating, motorcycle and other recreational vehicle sales and servicing, a concession stand and a retail shop.
VIP Structures built it. Dirt Wurx USA this week put the track in, using about 2,000 cubic yards of dirt.
Edge will have seating for 1,500, but the building is designed so it can be easily expanded to seat up to 15,000, said Jeff Mantell, general manager for Mulvaney.
Mantell said he expects the track to draw motocross racers and spectators from throughout the country.
Mulvaney is working with Braun Entertainment, a motocross promoter, to bring national racing series competitions many featuring professional riders to the facility.
The track will feature multicolored lights, music, introductions for each rider and other things designed to give even amateur racing events the look and sound of a professional series, Mantell said.
"It going to be very exciting for the riders and the spectators," he said
Mulvaney also might hold concerts and other events at the track, he said.
"A lot of what we're doing here is breaking edge for the Northeast," he said. "Really, what we are is an event center, so there's something for everybody to enjoy."
Edge is the idea of Keith Mulvaney, a motocross enthusiast from Camden. He started Mulvaney Motorsports specifically to develop the facility in Van Buren.
Though separately owned and operated, Edge is located at the site of a sports complex being developed by Action Developers Inc. The park has an 87-room Wingate Inn and a paintball facility.
Plans include tripling the size of the paintball facility so it can have skateboarding, go-cart racing and BMX bicycle racing. A 400-seat motorsports-themed restaurant and a 90,000-square-foot indoor water park also are in the plans.
Mantell said outdoor motocross racing has been very popular in California and Florida because of their warm climates. Indoor motocross racing is growing in popularity because it can take place any time of year no matter what the climate, he said.
So far, though, there are very few indoor tracks in the Northeast. Mantell said there are no others in New York. Connecticut and Ohio each have one, he said.
"We're going to open this sport up to people who have never been involved in it before," he said.

http://www.headrush.com/news/5/


Cintas Corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, plans to construct a new $8 million full-service Henry Clay Blvd. in the town of Clay. Cintas designs, manufactures, and implements corporate identity uniform programs. The company also offers entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid and safety products, fire protection services and document management services. Currently 57 people are employed at the company’s distribution branch on Thompson Rd. Cintas will create expects to create approximately 30 new jobs.



Tri-County Mall sold for $2.1 million

The Crossroads Realty Group, a Chicago-based investment team which also owns property in Syracuse and Liverpool, recently bought Tri-County Mall in Baldwinsville for $2.1 million from Tri-Cole Realty Associates, owned by Don Cole.
Paul Anderson, of the Anderson Barney Real Estate Management Group, said the investment team will spend another $2 million to update the mall into a strip center.
Likely tenants include restaurants, a clothing store, appliance store, computer store, a mobile telephone store and, possibly, a day care center.
?Anything you?d find in a strip mall,? Anderson said. ?We?ll have some free-standing buildings that would be well suited for national chain restaurants.?
Anderson Barney was hired to refurbish the mall. The firm manages all of Crossroads Realty?s holdings in Central New York. Those holdings mostly include warehouses and office buildings, Anderson said.
No rental agreements have been signed. Anderson said he won?t seek a drugstore as a tenant since a free-standing Eckerd Drug?s is located just in front of the mall.
Current mall tenants ? such as Vicki?s Cozy Corner Restaurant, the Tri-County Mall movie theater, Save-A-Lot grocery store, Dollar Tree, Factory Outlet Furniture and Doughboys Pizzeria ? are expected to stay, Anderson said. Some businesses may change locations in the mall, he added.
George Whalen, of Retail Management Consultants in San Marcos, Calif., said many old malls across the country are being torn down for other real estate uses, such as factories, office buildings and home-development sites.
?But if the community is still viable and strong, and there?s enough people to support a shopping center, then it makes perfect sense to give the mall a face-lift,? Whalen said.
When Anderson recently presented preliminary plans to the village planning board, he listed the name of the new mall as Crossroads Plaza. That could change, he said.

its about time...Syracuse info is needed.

syracuse has so much potential.

welcome to skyscrapercity.com, syracuse!!!!!!!!


some years ago, i hear that a 47-story hotel was going to be built. then, the next thing i heard was that it was on hold. now, i heard that it's on again to finally be built. i think it's called the "grand destiny". what's the deal with this project? will it still get built?

How bad is the lake that the city sits near? I hear its very dirty with all kinds of chems. I always wondered why the city never pushed to have a harborside area...or the plans to develope along the lake and fade into downtown.

or maybe they did?

How bad is the lake that the city sits near? I hear its very dirty with all kinds of chems. I always wondered why the city never pushed to have a harborside area...or the plans to develope along the lake and fade into downtown.

or maybe they did?

onondaga lake is very nasty. i think they are trying to clean it but it will be a daunting task.

Yeah, Onondaga Lake is being cleaned up as we speak. Just a month ago Honeywell Inc. agreed to spend $451 million to clean up contaminated sediments in Onondaga Lake.

links for more imformation
http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=9577

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2006/2006-10-13-01.asp


MasonsInquiries, I'm really not sure about the 47 story hotel. I'm trying to stay away from old Destiny USA news because all I know now is that the first phase will only be 800,000 sq ft of retail space, not any tall hotels. Sorry, I don't have more info for you.

Here's a pano of Syracuse just in case no one knows what it looks like.

Syracuse scroll->

http://www.charous.com/uploads/34e6279e6a.jpg

How bad is the lake that the city sits near? I hear its very dirty with all kinds of chems. I always wondered why the city never pushed to have a harborside area...or the plans to develope along the lake and fade into downtown.

or maybe they did?

BuffCity, the plan to develop the lakefront area is almost 10 years old. They removed the oil tanks about 8 years ago. Then Destiny USA's plans slowed the process down. Here is an article from last week about the project....by the way it's called the "Inner Harbor" project:

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-5/1162375090102320.xml&coll=1

Canal Corp. Drops Congel
Agency will seek alternatives to develop Inner Harbor
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
The state Canal Corp. has said it before: It suspended negotiations with Robert Congel's Destiny USA team over development rights to the Syracuse Inner Harbor.
But this time, it says, it means it.
Canal officials said that by Jan. 17 the agency's staff will evaluate alternatives to selling the property to Destiny USA 2 Inc., a company created by Congel to turn the harbor into a $230 million hotel, retail and recreational complex.
Carmella Mantello, director of the Canal Corp., said months of negotiations have failed to produce an agreement by which nearly 40 acres of land around the harbor would be sold to Congel.

Monday, the Canal Corp.'s board of directors instructed its staff to suspend discussions with Destiny and to report back to it Jan. 17, its next meeting date, on the best alternative.

Those alternatives include issuing a new request for proposals, auctioning the harbor or negotiating a sale to the team of Norstar USA and The Sutton Cos., which submitted the only proposal other than Destiny's in response to the Canal Corp.'s third and last request, in 2004, for harbor proposals.

"Obviously, the goal here is to see a project happen and get a shovel in the ground," she said.

The idea of suspending negotiations came from Destiny, in an Oct. 19 letter from its attorney, Robert Smith, to the Canal Corp.'s attorneys.

Smith suggested stopping the discussions and having both parties request that the state attorney general and comptroller review the corporation's requirements for the sale of the land to see if they "correspond to the rules of engagement" set forth in the request for proposals.

As an alternative, he suggested withdrawing the current request for proposals and issuing a new one - one that more clearly spells out the Canal Corp.'s requirements.
If Destiny knew that would be a requirement, it would have conducted much more extensive testing before proposing to pay $500,000 an acre, or a total of $18.07 million, for the land, Aitken said.

Mantello said the Canal Corp. has had outside attorneys look at its requirements and has no plans to ask any third party to take another look at them.

She said she could not discuss the corporation's requirements in detail because they had been the subject of negotiations between its attorneys and Destiny's attorneys. But she said they were "legitimate requirements" that the corporation would make for any real estate transaction.

"We've made every attempt to negotiate in good faith," she said.

This is not the first time the Canal Corp. has said it was ending discussions with Destiny.

Canal officials said in February they were cutting off talks and exploring other options, accusing the developer of dragging its feet on purchasing the land. Negotiations with Destiny resumed shortly afterward and have continued, off and on, all year.

In August, the Canal Corp. set a deadline of Aug. 10 for Destiny to make a $1.8 million down payment on the land. Destiny objected, saying it would make no down payment until it was designated preferred developer. The deadline passed, but negotiations continued into October.
Mantello said those discussions also have gone nowhere, prompting the Canal Corp.'s directors to instruct its staff to suspend the talks.

Asked if the suspension of discussions leaves open the possibility they could resume again, Mantello would only note that a letter sent Thursday to Destiny lists the alternatives that will be explored and that resuming discussions with Destiny was not one of them.

Gov. George Pataki is leaving office at the end of the year. Mantello said the Canal Corp. will seek "input" from the new administration as part of its evaluation of alternatives to Destiny's proposal. It also will ask the city of Syracuse and the Lakefront Development Corp. for their thoughts, she said
The Lakefront Development Corp., a nonprofit organization that is overseeing the harbor's development for the city and the state, recommended Congel's proposal over the one made by the Norstar-Sutton team in 2004.

But the Canal Corp. and Congel have never come to an agreement on the sale of the land.

Shortly after getting the Lakefront Development Corp.'s recommendation, Congel refused to go forward with the puchase because seven acres of the property had been removed from the Empire Zone program, at the request of the city, by the state's economic development office. Most of the property remained in the zone, making it eligible for a host of state tax credits, but Congel demanded that all of it remain in the zone.

That issue was cleared up earlier this year when the state gave Empire Zone status back to the seven acres.

Lakefront reacts

Eric Weber, executive director of the Lakefront Development Corp., said Tuesday the corporations directors will review the Canal Corp.'s letter to Destiny, then discuss how it can participate in the Canal Corp.'s evaluation of alternatives.

City and state officials - and Congel - have envisioned a redevelopment of the harbor since the Carousel Center opened 16 years ago. A former Barge Canal terminal, the harbor sits less than a mile south of Onondaga Lake, between the mall and Franklin Square, another development of Congel's.

Norstar and Sutton proposed a $98 million mix of residential and commercial buildings, a much smaller development of the harbor than Destiny's. Norstar and Sutton offered $5.4 million, paid over time as it developed the property.

Some Good development news. I hope it's 14 stories....:)

O'Brien & Gere Plans Move
Monday, November 06, 2006
By Charley Hannagan Staff writer
"The O'Brien & Gere Cos. plans to move its headquarters from the suburban office park it developed 17 years ago to a new, environmentally friendly building in the heart of Syracuse's downtown.
The DeWitt engineering company plans to make the announcement today with the project's developer, the Pioneer Cos.
Executives from both companies say the project could be the "tipping point" for downtown's revival.
The move will bring 330 scientists, engineers and support staff to a proposed $70 million to $90 million office, retail, housing project being built by Pioneer on two lots near Armory Square. The building that will house O'Brien & Gere will be on the south corner of West Washington and Franklin streets.
O'Brien & Gere has made its mark in environmental engineering and had considered redeveloping property along Onondaga Lake for its new headquarters, said its Chief Executive Officer Terry Brown.
However, "when you're thinking about how important center city is to this community, O'Brien & Gere would have more of an impact on all of Central New York's economy by being in center city," he said.
"It ties in so well with everything that the university's been doing and the downtown initiatives that have been talking place," said Michael P. Falcone, Pioneer's chief executive, referring to Syracuse University.
4
Not all of O'Brien & Gere's workers at its current headquarters will move to Syracuse. Some will move to the company's Fayetteville facility.
The employee-owned company has 800 workers in offices throughout the United States and in England and Mexico, according to its Web site.
Falcone's project includes 120,000 square feet of office space, 30 to 40 luxury condos, about 80 to 120 student housing apartments, underground parking, shops and restaurants.
He has enlisted Syracuse University's architecture students, along with Manhattan architect Lindy Roy and ROY Co., to design the environmentally friendly building.
It may even have grass on the roof, Falcone said. "I don't know how affordable it is yet," he said.
O'Brien & Gere hasn't decided if it will be a part owner of the project, or just a tenant. The company's headquarters will take up 75,000 square feet of space.
Falcone said he also plans to move his company's offices from 250 S. Clinton St. to about 15,000 to 20,000 square feet in the new building.
The new building has yet to be designed, but it will likely have between six and 14 stories, Falcone said. Construction is scheduled to begin in late summer or fall of next year.
In 1989, O'Brien & Gere announced plans to redevelop a gravel bed off Interstate 481 in DeWitt into its headquarters. It built a 190,000-square-foot building that had offices plus a fitness center and day-care center.
The Brittonfield complex developed by O'Brien & Gere now has several office buildings that house 1,100 workers.
The company, with Pioneer acting as a consultant, plans to sell its old headquarters at 5000 Brittonfield Parkway when it moves downtown, Brown said.
O'Brien & Gere has been looking for a new headquarters for about two years, Brown said. The DeWitt building was built big enough to house draftsmen, their drafting tables and support staff, he said.
Much of that work is now done on computers, which take up less space, Brown said.
The company can use the new headquarters to attract and retain workers with a vibrant downtown location that offers the feel of being in Manhattan or San Antonio, Falcone said. Unlike an office park, working in a downtown "you get to walk around, you get to see people, you get to go shopping, you get to step outside to get a bite to eat or walk from work to a restaurant to have dinner at night," he said.
O'Brien & Gere has been working with Honeywell International Inc. on the cleanup of Onondaga Lake and wanted to show its commitment to the project by building its new headquarters there, Brown said.
Two years ago, Brown and company Vice President Jim Fox approached U.S. Rep. James Walsh with the idea.
Walsh adamantly opposed the suggestion.
"The lake is almost entirely ringed by public property," Walsh said Friday. "We need to keep it as wild as natural as possible."
The congressman's offices on the 13th floor of the Federal Building have a commanding view of downtown and the men looked at downtown building sites from his windows.
Walsh said he told them, "What a bold statement it would be to make about the future of Syracuse by building downtown."
He also told them, " If you'll come downtown I'll do everything in my power to help. I couldn't promise them any money."
Brown and Fox said they still chuckle about Walsh's passion. "It's been over two years since the first discussion and he hasn't stopped talking since about it then," Brown said.
I have to give Walsh credit for talking about the importance of Syracuse and what O'Brien & Gere could do to promote it," he said.
The companies will announce their plans at a meeting today in Walsh's offices.
"It's not only a bold and positive statement, this could be the tipping point for downtown," Walsh said.
The announcement comes a day before Election Day. Walsh, a Republican representing the 25th Congressional District, is challenged by Democrat Dan Maffei.
Executives of O'Brien & Gere and Pioneer have donated money to Walsh's campaign over the last three years, according to Federal Election Commission records, with the latest donation of $2,100 coming Wednesday from Falcone.
Walsh said the timing of the announcement came from the two companies.
The engineering company made its decision to move downtown a week ago, Brown said Friday.
O'Brien & Gere likes to move quickly when it makes a decision, he said. "We got enthusiastic about this in a hurry," Brown said.
The letter said Destiny is interested in developing the harbor and has spent more than $1 million on its proposal and environmental testing of the site. But Smith said the Canal Corp. has made new, arbitrary requirements, including a demand that Destiny indemnify the Canal Corp. and Thruway Authority for liability related to pollution at the harbor.
'Blank check'
Destiny executive David Aitken said the "environmental indemnification" amounted to a demand for a "blank check" in light of the fact that the land is known to be polluted with petroleum products and residue from a metal-plating business that was located on a portion of the property."

More great news for downtown Syracuse...

FNFG to open regional center in central NY
First Niagara Bank will open a regional market center in downtown Syracuse, the Pendleton-based bank announced today.

The move is the latest expansion into central New York where First Niagara has built a presence primarily through acquisition over the last five years.

The new center will house several sales groups and about 65 employees when it opens in early 2007, the bank said.

The groups include commercial lending, cash management, leasing, benefits consulting and related groups that are currently housed at several sites.

"Creating a joint sales platform where employees can interact will enhance our ability to deliver on our service promise," said Greg Gilroy, First Niagara regional president. "This premier location will serve as a highly visible launch pad for us in Onondaga County."

The center will occupy about 22,000 square feet of space in the historical group of buildings known as 100 Clinton Square in Syracuse's central business district.

In the last five years, the $8 billion-asset parent of First Niagara Bank, First Niagara Financial Group Inc. (Nasdaq: FNFG), has made five acquisitions in central New York.

In a different development, state banking regulators have approved First Niagara's application for a Banking Development District designation in the area surrounding the Larkin at Exchange building at Exchange and Van Rensselaer streets.

The City of Buffalo was the co-applicant for the special district, which provides certain business advantages to a bank and the branch it opens there.

The 10-story Larkin at Exchange building will house First Niagara Bank's fourth branch office in Buffalo. When it opens in 2007, it also will be the bank's 20th branch in Erie County and 29th in Western New York, excluding the Rochester market.

http://www.pbase.com/ciceroclay/image/30069474/medium.jpg

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2006/11/06/daily6.html

good to see First Niagara opening up downtown.

Downtown Syracuse looks great, what a nice place to just enjoy the city at street level.

I love going to the major college sporting events in Syracuse with my husband. I think some of the neighborhoods near the university are awesome.

Thanks BuffCity and Susie. Speaking of SU, looks like there will be another construction project in the City....

"Carmelo Anthony announced this afternoon that he would give a donation; reportedly in the area of $3 million, to help fund a new basketball practice facility at Syracuse University.

The facility will have Anthony's name on it, said SU coach Jim Boeheim.

SU athletic director Dr. Daryl Gross said Anthony's gift would allow the university to move forward with plans for the project.

The facility will include two basketball courts and a Hall of Fame. It will take around 18 months to build. It will be in the area of Manley Field House and the school's athletic complex."

:)

:banana:
Im glad to see a Syracuse thread finally started ! Syracuse looks like its turning around as well. Those projects looks nice. Ive always been impressed with the skyline.

no joke!!!
i'm truly impressed. i haven't been to syracuse in years and never would have guessed there was this much going on there. good for the 'cuse, good for upstate.

if there is one city that feels bigger, looks bigger and perhaps is bigger (not technically) its Syracuse.

Wow, and I thought there was nothing going on in Syracuse. How wrong could I be? There are some truly great projects happening there. (I'm almost jealous of a couple of them and wish they were happening here in Buffalo.) Good luck, Syracuse!

"Carmelo Anthony announced this afternoon that he would give a donation; reportedly in the area of $3 million, to help fund a new basketball practice facility at Syracuse University.
...
The facility will include two basketball courts and a Hall of Fame. It will take around 18 months to build. It will be in the area of Manley Field House and the school's athletic complex."
My girlfriend wouldn't like that. lol She's an SU alum, and whenever she gives money (which I don't necessarily agree with as she's still in debt, but that's beside the point), she always makes sure it goes to funds not earmarked for athletics. Can't say I wouldn't do the same thing.

A few small odds and ends

Software company seeks loan to expand
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
A software company in North Syracuse is growing fast, creating jobs and expanding its offices. And it's getting help with that growth from economic development organizations.

Premier Internet Communications Inc. employs 22 people, including 10 hired in the last three months, and plans to add 38 more by the end of next year, said George Schaffner, chief financial officer.

Premier's Web-based software, XpressCredit, allows car dealers to quickly get bank approvals of financing.

"We're offering a technology that allows them to be more responsive to customers," said Schaffner. "They can get approvals and print contract documents almost immediately."

Premier has licensed the software to about 520 dealerships throughout the country, including 80 that were signed up just last week, he said. The company plans to expand sales to motorcycle and recreational vehicle dealerships.

Thursday, the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency will consider participating in a $157,500 loan package for Premier to help it grow.

Premier leases 2,900 square feet of space at 3 Northern Concourse and will expand to 4,500 square feet by Jan. 1.

The agency would provide $52,500 through a 50 percent participation in a $105,000 loan to Premier from the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corp., the lending affiliate of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.

The Central New York Enterprise Development Corp., a not-for-profit corporation established in 1988 by the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, also is lending $52,500 to Premier.

Schaffner said Empire State Development Corp. is providing a $50,000 grant that requires it to hit its target of 60 employees by the end of next year.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...510.xml&coll=1



Make & Take, the red-hot meal-preparation retailer in Cicero, is makin' more Make & Takes.

The soon-to-be-chain is opening stores in Fayetteville, Baldwinsville and Camillus. Rochester, too (come Monday).

Just in time. Business is bangin', owners Dave and Michele Bellso say.

A recap: Make & Take Gourmet debuted in May in Cicero, in P&C Plaza at 7785 Frontage Road, facing Circle Drive.

The store spins off one of the hottest trends in franchising: meal preparation businesses, where customers come in, pay about $200 and prepare up to a dozen meals serving four to six people with varied recipes, fresh ingredients and guidance from the staff. The customers then take the meals home and freeze them for later dining.

Make & Take in Cicero is considered one of the highest volume stores in the industry, Dave Bellso said.
http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...510.xml&coll=1



Biotech company may move into CNY
Officials from company, which was not identified, toured Clay site.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writers
Five months after losing to Massachusetts in a bid for a large pharmaceutical plant, a site in Clay is being considered by an international biotechnology company.

Domestic and international representatives of the company met Tuesday in Syracuse with local officials trying to recruit it to the area. The officials did not identify the company.

Attending the meeting were U.S. Reps. James Walsh, R-Onondaga, and John McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor; Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro; and Irwin Davis, president of the Metropolitan Development Association.

Pirro said the company is looking at several sites in the area, including the Clay Business Park, at the northeast corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road. He said the Syracuse area is one of about 10 being considered by the company, adding that it might be one of the last "five or six places" under consideration. …

The vacant, 250-acre site in Clay is owned by the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency, which spent $1.21 million to buy it over the past several years. Its goal is to attract a high-value development, such as a biotechnology company or semiconductor manufacturer.

In the summer, Bristol-Myers Squibb Inc. considered the site for a $660 million large-scale biologics manufacturing facility that would have employed 550 people. The company decided to build the plant at a former Army base in Devens, Mass.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...040.xml&coll=1

Since the new dorms at OCC are so successful, I'm hoping they build more soon.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Onondaga Community College says its fall enrollment is 13.7% higher than it was last year, with 9,394 students now attending the college. This is the largest enrollment increase in the college’s history, according to a statement from OCC.
The college’s president, Debbie Sydow, says new residence halls, a streamlined enrollment process, and renovated facilities are some of the reasons for the increase.
Full-time enrollment is up 11.8%. Part-time enrollment is up 16.1%, according to the college.
New dorms and a new student center recently opened at the college. OCC opened in 1961.

http://www.charous.com/uploads/cc1c1d6d18.jpg


Lawley Benefits Group LLC has announced plans to expand into the Syracuse area with the launch of Lawley-Duffy Associates.
Lawley Benefits, a division of Lawley Service Inc., operates in Buffalo, Rochester, and New York City, with plans for continued expansion in Upstate New York and Pennsylvania.
The new division will be managed by Brian Duffy, a Niagara University graduate who has worked in the health-care delivery and insurance business since 1979. He said the new office, to be located in Liverpool, anticipates a staff of 10 to 12.
Lawley Benefits Group, LLC specializes in employee benefits consulting.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2006/10/30/daily29.html?surround=lfn

Not sure of the status of this project. It may be just in the planning stages or it may just be a dream. Sounds like a great plan, but the downside is that is area is located just southwest of downtown, which is the Latino neighborhood with some crime. The "Warehouse" building is actually just across the street from Armory Square, but West Street is a wide main road which really cuts off downtown from the surrounding neighborhood.

The first project is this "Warehouse". The plan is to go from this....

http://www.charous.com/uploads/bddcea7423.jpg

to this....

http://www.charous.com/uploads/5be8bb0870.jpg

The website

http://www.vibrantsyracusespaces.com/

Here is something you might find interesting. It is the Nielsen ranking of television market size. It shows that Syracuse is only about 6,000 homes behind Rochester in market size.

http://atlantasouth.2.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=292

Someone got a little happy with the lens flare tool in Photoshop

http://www.charous.com/uploads/5be8bb0870.jpg

new tool menu...must be a rookie. :)

Spitzer toured Syracuse yesterday and said this...

"There are so many things here that are on the cusp of happening," Spitzer said during the tour's only stop, a visit to Syracuse's Inner Harbor. "There are a number of projects here that, if we make them reality, we'll be in great shape."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/116367154693270.xml&coll=1

I really hope and pray that Spitzer isn't going treat Syracuse like Pataki and some leaders in Syracuse do. Meaning Spitzer waits for Destiny USA and other projects already underway in Syracuse to help our economy. That will mean that Spitzer will focus on just helping Buffalo and Rochester. Letting the "number of projects" in Syracuse to make Syracuse "in great shape."

I swear that for the past four years Pataki inflated the job growth numbers for Syracuse each month so he wouldn't need to focus on bringing jobs to Syracuse. For prove just look at the fact that every year the job numbers for Syracuse are adjusted down almost 2,000 jobs for the past year. I hope Spitzer stops this practice.

My interpretation of Spitzer's quote could be wrong. At least I hope so.

the people of Syracuse should not be waiting for politicans to make developments...politicans are not developers and are not the private sector, which means if they claim they want things to happen and get built only means they want to throw PORK at the city and watch it disolve into thin air.

Seen it happen here, in Buffalo and in Rochester.

People just need to stop letting political figures control the economy...let business do that.

I agree BuffCity, but it's also obvious that politicians can make a big difference in business decisions. For example, Senator Bruno with all his power tries to influence companies and research centers to go to the Capital District. Also, Senator Kennedy from Mass. was the one who convinced Bristol Myers Squibb to build a campus in Boston, instead of suburban Syracuse earlier this year.

I'm sure that Pataki did the same to help out the Hudson Valley and Buffalo. Hudson Valley, because it's his hometown area. Buffalo so that Pataki can look good as the governor who brought back Buffalo etc, thinking it would help him become President.

BuffCity, you do make a good point though.

Lots of news today, some big some small.:banana:

I'll start with the Big news...

Construction of a new SU residence hall.. to begin spring 2007

In order to combat the overcrowding of its dormitories, Syracuse University will begin construction of an 119,000 gross square-foot residential complex to be built on the 600 block of Comstock Avenue. According to the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction Web site, the eight to 12-story residence hall will be able to accommodate around 240 students and offer both single and split double dorm rooms with a lounge space, kitchen area, study space and a laundry room on each floor.

The consturction costs should total about $49 million. The building will be complete in Fall 2009.

http://www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2006/11/14/News/Construction.Of.Residence.Hall.On.Comstock.To.Begin.Spring.2007-2457105.shtml?norewrite200611171309&sourcedomain=www.dailyorange.com&&mkey=2346103



Westin to operate hotel at Oncenter :) (first Westin in Upstate!)

The developer of Onondaga County's proposed convention center hotel chose Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide on Thursday to operate the facility as a Westin Hotel.

"It's extremely important. We're talking about one of the premier hotel chains in the world," said County Executive Nicholas Pirro...

Wilmorite established this relationship with Westin because Westin was so positive on the Syracuse market and would agree to not only put its name on the facility but put its expertise behind the operations of the facility," McAuliffe said. "In the hotel world, that's a big deal."

Wilmorite chose Westin over the Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott chains, he said.

The new Westin Hotel is to be a full-service, 350-room hotel attached to the Oncenter complex at Harrison and South State streets. The site currently is a parking lot.

County officials estimate the cost at $72 million, but McAuliffe said that could change as design work gets under way. Construction is expected to begin in spring with an opening targeted for 2009.

http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1163758066131490.xml&coll=1



Company rehabs lakefront buildings
Developer has begun renovations along Spencer, Liberty and Pulaski streets.

A construction company is quietly trying to transform a lakefront area neighborhood full of run-down old industrial buildings into an attractive commercial area.

Salt City Enterprises LLC, the property holding arm of Montreal Construction Co., has acquired 10 buildings along Spencer, Liberty and Pulaski streets and has done major renovations to six of them....

Montreal said he would like to spruce up the entire area and is talking to the city about adding sidewalks and curbs and planting trees along the streets where he is investing.

Lincare said it plans to add as many as 15 employees to its local staff after moving into its new offices. A trend toward home care as an affordable alternative to long hospital stays has been helping the company's sales grow.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1163757820131490.xml&coll=1



Le Moyne College in Syracuse to build a new $27 million science building and renovate the college's athletic complex.

Le Moyne College in the past two years has quietly raised about $25 million of its $50 million fundraising campaign goal...

Money raised also will help establish at least two more academic centers, including the proposed Center for Urban Studies and Center for the Study of Environmental Change.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1163758297131490.xml&coll=1



Onondaga County's first "Finger Lake winery"....I'm excited about this project because I suggested this idea on the internet about four years ago. Of course I'm not taking credit for this, I'm just happy someone else wants to extend the Wineries this far east near Syracuse.

Permit sought for winery in Skaneateles

James E. Nocek asked the Skaneateles Town Board Thursday for a special permit that would let him open what he hopes will become the first destination winery on a future Skaneateles Lake wine trail.

Nocek said he hopes to grow Riesling grapes and several other varieties on a 100-acre hillside site along Route 41A on the shore of the lake. His plan for Anyela's Vineyards, named after his grandmother, includes a major visitors and wine-tasting building, parking, roads and outbuildings.

Nocek said he hopes to begin construction in the spring on the first of a five-phase plan.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1163757853131490.xml&coll=1



Again, I don't believe these inflated numbers, but at least there was job growth in Syracuse.


Jobless Rate Drops to 3.7%
Level is the lowest rate since 2001
Friday, November 17, 2006
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
Strong growth in service-sector jobs pushed the Syracuse area's unemployment rate in October to its lowest level in five years.
Unemployment in Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties dropped to 3.7 percent last month, down from 4.3 percent in September and 4.3 percent in October 2005, the state Department of Labor said Thursday.
The last time the jobless rate was this low was May 2001, and the last time it was lower was November 2000, when it was 3.6 percent. The record low is 3.2 percent, in October 2000.

The area gained 3,400 jobs in October, a 1 percent increase compared with October 2005. All of the increase came in the private sector. Government lost 100 jobs.

Leading the charge was the service sector, which is at an all-time high. Educational and health services gained 1,400 jobs, while professional and business services employed 600 more. Manufacturing lost 200 jobs, but the gains in the service sector far offset those losses.
All major job sectors, other than manufacturing and government, had gains or remained even.

Roger Evans, an economist and labor analyst with the state Department of Labor, said the service sector's growth, combined with the area's slow population growth, soon could produce the kind of labor shortages the area saw in 2000. And that could mean slower job growth next year than what the area has seen this year, he said.

"We just don't have a vast reserve of bodies out there to fuel more service-sector growth," he said.

The Syracuse area had the strongest job growth among the Upstate metropolitan areas. Buffalo and Rochester, which have been hurt by manufacturing cuts, lost jobs in October; Buffalo was down 1,700 and Rochester lost 1,600 compared with October 2005. Albany gained 3,100 jobs, and Utica gained 700.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1163757832131490.xml&coll=1

Hmmmm...labor shortages??? maybe if there were more jobs, people would start moving here instead of moving away. It's happening in most other metros, why can't it happen here!:bash:

syracuse is the red-headed step child of upstate's major cities. always overlooked.

^^ Very true



Clay looks to explore, develop its shoreline
Rivers, canal give town 27 miles of waterfront that hold potential for development.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
By John Doherty
Staff writer
Clay already has some of Central New York's leading residential and commercial areas. Now local officials hope to turn the town into one of the area's leading waterfront communities.

"If you say Clay and waterfront a lot of people will say, 'What?' But Clay has more than 25 miles of waterfront properties," said Town Attorney Robert Germain, one of several local officials dealing with Clay's efforts to develop its waterfront.
Clay's northern and western boundaries are entirely waterfront, formed by the Seneca and Oneida rivers and the state canal system....
Although no firm development decisions have been made for the area, ideas include a mix of residential, commercial, public park and marina areas.

"Three Rivers site used to be a cesspool, but now it's coming back," Germain said. "The issue now is having a plan, going forward, and what we do with it."

The town also has been buying vacant land along Black Creek Road near Lock 23 west of Brewerton, one of the busiest locks for boat traffic on the state's 524-mile canal system, according to the state's Canal Corp.

Currently, the town owns nearly 100 acres that will be transformed into a town park.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1163929410202000.xml&coll=1



Idea for Camillus-area Y gets public workout
Sunday, November 19, 2006
By Dick Clarke
Staff writer
Organizers of a drive to bring a YMCA to the western suburbs want to hear from the public what a new community center should have.

About 95 percent of the 260 respondents to an online questionnaire by the Western Area Community Center YMCA Committee said there was a need for or interest in a community center, said Dewey Reinhardt, committee chairman.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1163929498202000.xml&coll=1



I say build it in Pompey to serve Manlius and Cazenovia. That way Cazenovia doesn't get the tax base. Cazenovia has to be one of the biggest "BANANA" communities in the Country. They are even fighting a proposed "State Park"! Speaking of new grocery stores ...Brewerton, and Baldwinsville could use a Price Chopper or a Wegmans too.

Historic farmhouse might be relocated
Monday, November 20, 2006
By Kathy Coffta Sims
Staff writer
"If Simeon Marshall were alive today, he might be a bit confused about the latest plans for the farmhouse he built on Route 20 in Cazenovia in 1810." :|
Pioneer Cazenovia Co. plans a 37,000-square-foot Price Chopper, 65 houses and several mixed-use buildings on 54 acres that includes the Revolutionary War veteran's home, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Pioneer plans to donate the old Marshall homestead, known more recently as the Enders farm, to the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation, which plans to have the house moved to make way for the commercial project.
In speaking out against Pioneer's plan at a public hearing last week, residents cited concerns about moving the historic house....

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1164015508279730.xml&coll=1



Growing with Its customers
C&S construction fuels its $3.6M expansion project
Saturday, November 18, 2006
By Charley Hannagan
Staff writer
When C&S Cos. built its headquarters in 1994 near Syracuse's Hancock International Airport, it made sure to put extra space in the building to accommodate a growing business.

Growth has gone so well that the engineering and construction company is adding 22,000 square feet to its building.

The $3.6 million expansion will allow the company to add about 40 jobs at its Salina headquarters over the next few years, said Orrin MacMurray, the company's chairman and chief executive. The company employs about 400 people who design, engineer and build projects.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1163844524178190.xml&coll=1

...I'm sure that Pataki did the same to help out ... Buffalo. ... Buffalo so that Pataki can look good as the governor who brought back Buffalo etc, thinking it would help him become President.

When was that? :)

He doesn't need to pander to appeal to outsiders, believe me, he already does. It's sickening to think, but I thought alot more highly of him the day before I moved back in-state.

If he's going to run in '08, I suggest all New Yorkers start petitioning and getting the diplomatic process rolling to join Canada. Then we'll have a head start on all the other states when the US crashes and burns.

the people of Syracuse should not be waiting for politicans to make developments...politicans are not developers and are not the private sector, which means if they claim they want things to happen and get built only means they want to throw PORK at the city and watch it disolve into thin air.

Seen it happen here, in Buffalo and in Rochester.

People just need to stop letting political figures control the economy...let business do that.

Agreed with BuffCity. In Buffalo it has been a groundswell of local developers that just started taking chances and developing projects on their on. there have been incentives, but it's mainly been private money. It's been and continues to be a massive success.

Meaning Spitzer waits for Destiny USA and other projects already underway in Syracuse to help our economy.


Good update on Syracuse development. Speaking of which, what's the present status of Destiny USA. Will that help or hurt downtown Syracuse?

Great news for Syracuse!

Thanks Jaybird!

bayviews, I'll start paying attention to Destiny USA if or when construction starts. Destiny has faced one lawsuit after another. It seems like half the State is fighting the project. All I know about the status of Destiny is that they "plan" to start the 800,000 sq. ft. expansion "soon".

sargeantcm and ExWNY'er, I was mainly speaking about Pataki attracting new jobs like GEICO to the Buffalo region. Not the redevelopment projects taking place in downtown. Under Pataki, the Syracuse area only attracted one outside company that brought more than 100 jobs...Bank of New York. Even Utica attracted more new companies than Syracuse under Pataki.

46 more high paying jobs for Syracuse's largest employer...

Upstate Medical Center to add 46 new teachers, researchers

11/27/2006, 3:57 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — The State University of New York Upstate Medical Center will hire 46 new faculty members to bolster its academic and research missions, officials announced Monday.
The hiring will add at least $5 million to the region's payroll and bring more than $22 million more in research growth to the area, said David Smith, president of the teaching hospital.
"The return on this investment is going to benefit all," he said.
"The value of a strong and prominent research enterprise cannot be underestimated, either for its impact on the campus or in our community," Smith said.
Recruitment for the new faculty has already begun and officials hope to have most of the positions filled by fall 2007, Smith said.
The new faculty will be added to basic and clinical sciences, as well as for the school's new master's degree program in public health and for the new certified registered nurse anesthetist program, both of which are in development, he said....
SUNY Upstate employs more than 6,300 people and is the area's largest employer. Along with a hospital, the center operates four colleges and more than 80 specialty clinics.

http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-19/116466178390170.xml&storylist=ny

Thanks Jaybird!

bayviews, I'll start paying attention to Destiny USA if or when construction starts. Destiny has faced one lawsuit after another. It seems like half the State is fighting the project. All I know about the status of Destiny is that they "plan" to start the 800,000 sq. ft. expansion "soon".


That's probably just as well that's its just talk. If Destiny ever got built it would probably just detract from downtown Syracuse, which after some tough times, finally looks to be on the upswing.

screw Destiny, thats for NYS not Syracuse...sounds dumb but its true.

Syracuse is better than that shit.

^Just wish Destiny would start building or abandon the project. Hate being in limbo for years.



Some suburban news....mixed retail-residential-office project for Camillus:

Road could pave the way to retail
After a year of negotiations, state approves link of Hinsdale and Bennett roads.

Sunday, December 03, 2006
By Jerry Rosen

The state has approved a road that will link Hinsdale and Bennett roads in Camillus and open the way for a $50 million retail-residential project on Hinsdale Road. The connector road will run parallel to Route 5 on state-owned land, starting across from the Route 5 westbound off-ramp at Hinsdale Road and ending opposite the similar onramp at Bennett Road.
The approval, in a letter dated Tuesday, came after more than a year of negotiations between the state and town.
"This has been a very long process," Camillus Supervisor Mary Ann Coogan said. "There are a lot of road improvements that need to be done."
The Cameron Group, which plans to build retail, office and residential space on the site, will pay for the road and improvements to at least two major intersections in the area.
The road was a key element to developing the project on a roughly 60-acre property north of Route 5, on the west side of Hinsdale, officials said.
Joe Goethe, a Cameron partner, and Kevin Eldred, the partner in charge of the project, said Friday the road work alone would cost about $5 million and include traffic lights at Milton Avenue and Bennett Road.
The state accepted those improvements in lieu of charging the town for access to state land, Coogan said.
Eldred said the project is likely to go before the town planning board after Jan. 1.
"We'd like to start construction in the spring," he said. "The sooner, the better."
The company acquired the property in May 2005. The project's concept formed as partners heard people complaining during the development of Camillus Commons about the lack of new retail in the town.
"We heard people ask, 'Why can't you give us something different,' " Eldred said. "Why have we always been the (retail) stepchild?"
Goethe said Camillus has a strong, stable population base that retailers failed to recognize.
"When we talk to retailers, they never thought about this market," he said. "If you look at the numbers, they should have been. This could truly be a regional draw."
Cameron's shopping center will include 300,000 square feet of retail space. Besides restaurants and clothing and general merchandise stores, the retail space also will offer a 12-screen movie theater, Goethe said.
The firm also plans up to a 120-room hotel, 100,000 square feet of office space, 100 apartment or condominium units and up to 40 one-family homes.
Preliminary plans call for tree-lined streets within the development with scattered parking areas rather than one big parking lot.
Goethe and Eldred said they were glad to be bringing to their home base a project similar to those they've developed across the country. Eldred is a West Genesee High School graduate. Goethe grew up in Skaneateles and lives on Onondaga Hill.
"It's nice to be able to develop in our own community," Goethe said. "Mixed use hasn't hit Upstate New York yet. Hopefully, we'll be the first.
"This has been moving very slowly until now," Goethe said. "It's going to start flying by at lightning speed now."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-3/116514001921760.xml&coll=1

New Look for Excellus Garage
Renovations to reflect character of Warren Street neighborhood

Wednesday, December 06, 2006
By Rick Moriarty Staff writer

Inside, the planned Excellus parking garage on Warren Street will look like any other parking garage.
But on the outside, it will look a lot like any of the office buildings that dot downtown's streets.
In fact, it will look like several office buildings.
Developers released drawings Tuesday of what the $15 million garage will look like. Made of brick and architectural panels, the facade gives the appearance of several brick office buildings.
"Our intent is to make it look like a downtown urban building that blends in with the character of the neighborhood," said Ted Kinder, vice president and co-founder of MCK Building Associates Inc., which would build the garage for Warren Parking Associates.
The developer is planning to renovate a 445-car garage in the 300 block of South Warren Street and add 500 spaces, extending the garage north to East Fayette Street. Built in 1950, the garage closed in April because of safety concerns.
The Excellus BlueCross BlueShield insurance company, one of downtown's biggest private employers, is expected to lease 800 of the enlarged garage's 945 spaces.
Kinder and Anthony Fiorito, a principal in Warren Parking Associates, displayed the drawings at a public hearing held by the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency. The agency is considering using its eminent domain power to acquire five properties, including the garage, for the project.
Under eminent domain, the agency can take private property for public use projects. It is required to pay market value for them.
Colored panels will be added to the existing garage and an overhang will be removed from the first floor to make the building fit in with the look of the addition, Kinder said.
Attorney Robert Tisdell, co-owner of a small office building and a vacant lot needed for the expansion, objected to the agency using eminent domain to take the properties. He said the developer should be required to negotiate a purchase rather than force a sale using the agency's powers.
"I think this board should think long and hard before it starts a precedent of taking people's private property to give it to other, preferred developers," he said.
Frederick Davies, an attorney who owns an office building at 212 E. Fayette St., said he has agreed to sell the building to the garage developer and was surprised to learn his property has been targeted for the eminent domain action anyway.
David Michel, the city's economic development director, said the agency would honor any purchase agreement Davies had reached with Warren Parking Associates.
The agency took no vote.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/updates...12.html#212281





New 'clean coal' power plant proposed for Syracuse area

Wednesday, December 06, 2006
By Tim Knauss

Fifteen years ago, Brooklyn entrepreneur Adam Victor and his partners came to Syracuse to build Project Orange, a power plant on the near South Side that burns natural gas.
At the time, natural gas was the clean-burning alternative to coal. Everybody built gas-fired power plants.

Now, Victor is back with a new project. He wants to build a $1 billion facility just outside Syracuse that would convert coal into a clean-burning gas to replace natural gas at Project Orange and other power plants.

Victor's new company, Empire Synfuel, LLC, is one of four companies vying for a lucrative state contract that will be awarded this month under Gov. George Pataki's "clean coal" power plant initiative.

The winning bidder or bidders will gain millions of dollars in economic incentives to generate electricity using coal-to-gas technology. Tightening supplies of natural gas - and resulting price spikes - are spurring nationwide interest in clean coal.
Victor declined to discuss his planned coal gasification facility in depth, because some details are still being completed. But he said the concept makes so much sense that he might pursue it whether he wins the state contract or not.

The project would cost more than $1 billion to build and would employ about 2,000 people during construction and more than 100 permanently, he said.
Rather than burning coal, gasification uses heat, pressure and controlled amounts of oxygen to break coal down into its components.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...l=1&thispage=2

Ready to Get Rolling....(Downtown's new Bus transfer station)

Thursday, December 07, 2006
By John Mariani

Centro's proposed new transfer station will be enclosed, contain platforms for 21 buses and include an information booth with electronic signs, a public address system, seats and security, bus company officials said Wednesday.

Executive Director Frank Kobliski said he hopes the building Centro proposes to erect at East Adams, South Salina and South Warren streets also will include a place where riders can grab a quick bite and use an automated teller machine.

Beyond that, plans are still in the conceptual stage, to be refined in part, Kobliski said, by comments Centro officials receive Tuesday at a forum for the public to view computer-generated drawings of what the building could look like and maps of bus routes through downtown Syracuse.

Money and limitations of the proposed site also will be factors, Kobliski said.

"This facility probably will cost $12 (million) to $13 million," Kobliski, accompanied by Centro spokesman David Ristau, told reporters and editors at The Post-Standard editorial board. "It's not a glorified bus stop."

Those who attend the forum 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the 100 Clinton Square building, located at 126 N. Salina St., can hear Kobliski deliver a PowerPoint presentation, chat with him and Centro directors and present formal testimony. A stenographer will take notes.

The hearing is the departure point of what Kobliski said may be a journey of up to three years to win Federal Transit Administration approvals, acquire the land and erect the building.

The new hub would replace Common Center, Centro's open-air transfer station at South Salina and Fayette streets.

A computer-generated photo from the upcoming presentation depicts a one-story brick building with green awnings, skylights rising from the roof, and a three-story clock tower at the corner of South Salina and East Adams.

A "Possible Site Layout" shows bays for 21 buses ringing three platforms.....

Still unknown is how Centro will provide heat. With buses running in and out more than 21 hours a day, too much heat would escape to warm the entire building, Kobliski said. Heated enclosures within the building may be the answer, he said.

Financing would come from money Centro has raised and federal sources. Rep. James Walsh already has secured $4.7 million in federal money and is seeking more. New York state is expected to provide 10 percent of the cost.

The project won't drive up bus fares because the center's operating costs won't rise much and routes generally will stay the same, so extra buses and drivers won't be needed, Kobliski said.

The station would take all the land south of the Hotel Syracuse Parking Garage. Two buildings, the now-vacant American Red Cross office building and the structure that still houses its New York-Penn Blood Services Center, would have to come down.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/116548552659320.xml&coll=1&thispage=1





Renovated Vision
Armory Square building has retail, offices, apartments

Thursday, December 07, 2006
By Tim Knauss

Richard Sykes Jr. was not the first developer to consider renovating the former Gray Brothers shoe factory at Walton and Franklin streets, in the heart of Armory Square.

But he is the first not to walk away.

The former factory consists of two adjacent buildings, a four-story structure built in 1873 and a three-story addition built in 1930, according to the Onondaga Historical Association.

Structural problems with the 1873 building were daunting, Sykes said. The foundation was solid, but the whole building listed to the west.

The outer wall along Franklin Street was bowed. All the floors tilted. The roof had holes in it. The interior required gutting.

"There were a lot of footprints through this building" left by developers who shied away from renovating it, said Nicholas Petragnani, director of the Syracuse office of Community Preservation Corp., a nonprofit mortgage lender.

Petragnani was in the crowd that gathered Wednesday to watch Mayor Matt Driscoll cut a ribbon to celebrate the renovation of the building by Sykes' company, RHS Holdings LLC.

The building at 200-208 Walton St. comprises four ground-level retail spaces, three second-floor offices and seven apartments on the third and fourth floors.

Douglas Sutherland, a developer who has spearheaded successful renovations in Franklin Square and downtown, said he was impressed with Sykes' work. Sutherland said he passed on the project.

"They did a really nice job," he said.

Sykes, 31, returned to Syracuse, his hometown, in 2004 after working for six years in commercial real estate in New York City. He decided to try his hand at developing, and the Gray Brothers building was his first effort.

Bob Doucette, who helped launch Armory Square's rebirth 20 years ago when he renovated the nearby Hogan Block and Labor Temple buildings, said Sykes had created some of the nicest apartments in downtown Syracuse.
All the apartments were rented before the renovation was completed, a testament to the demand for downtown housing, Driscoll said.

There are five two-bedroom and two one-bedroom apartments. Rents range from $1,150 to $1,600 a month.

Sykes worked with Schopfer Architects and Northeast Construction on the $2.8 million project. Among other things, the builders ran 19 steel tie rods horizontally through the building to stabilize it and poured self-leveling Gyp-Crete to level the floors, Sykes said.

Most of the financing came from a $1.7 million loan provided by Community Preservation Corp. A $70,000 loan came from Syracuse Economic Development Corp.

One of the second-floor offices featuring brick walls and original wood columns and beams remains available, Sykes said.

One ground-floor space is empty. The others are occupied by Mallard Tobacconist, Sweet On Chocolate and Ohm Lounge.


http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/116548587559320.xml

small recent local development news..

SUNY Oswego heads to Syracuse
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By Rick Moriarty

The State University College at Oswego is looking for a building in downtown Syracuse where it can offer classes starting late next year, it confirmed Monday.

The courses would most likely be for graduate students or would appeal to people who work downtown.

The college recently placed an advertisement in a contractor trade publication seeking space it could rent downtown and renovate into classrooms, said Julie Harrison Blissert, director of public affairs for the college.....

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1165918114250930.xml&coll=1&thispage=1


Developer to convert ex-nursing facility
Joe Queri tells city agency he plans up to 32 apartments, requests tax breaks.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
By Rick Moriarty

A developer has plans to turn into apartments a former nursing home on East Genesee Street that has sat vacant for five years.

Joe Queri, of Pittsburgh, told the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency Tuesday that he plans to put 25 to 32 apartments in what was The Waters of Syracuse, which also operated as Hill Haven Nursing Home and Hill Park Health Care Center, at 4001 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.....

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1166003845156870.xml&coll=1&thispage=1


Survey: Hiring expected in 2007
Nearly three-quarters of medical and pharmaceutical businesses expect growth.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By Rick Moriarty

Seventy percent of the region's bioscience and medical equipment makers expect their work forces to grow over the next year, a survey says.

MedTech, an organization that represents medical equipment and pharmaceutical manufacturers and related companies in Central New York and other parts of Upstate, said 48 members of the group responded to its survey....

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1166090895297770.xml&coll=1

Syracuse is looking like it might be the next Boston of the eastern side of the USA.

DeWitt eyed for huge energy plant
Coal-to-gas facility proposed at old cement factory near Jamesville. It would employ up to 150 people.

Sunday, December 17, 2006
By Tim Knauss

At a 126-acre site in DeWitt, energy entrepreneur Adam Victor plans to build a facility capable of transforming 10,000 tons of coal per day into natural gas for use in homes, businesses or power plants.

Victor said he has an option to buy the former Alpha Cement factory site south of Rock Cut Road, between Jamesville Quarry and Clark Reservation State Park, where he intends to build a $1.3 billion coal gasification facility.
If his ambitious proposal succeeds, the plant would be one of the first of its type in the country. It would produce enough natural gas to supply 16 percent of all residential use in New York.
Coal gasification is an old process, but it's sparking new commercial interest and technological innovation thanks to the high cost of natural gas and the nation's problematic dependence on foreign oil.
Victor, who is based in New York City, said the gas produced at his facility would be cheaper than natural gas from wells and would provide the energy equivalent of 30,000 barrels a day of crude oil.

The facility would capture up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide given off during gasification. The carbon dioxide could be shipped to Texas to augment oil well production, he said.

Victor's company, Empire Synfuel LLC, is one of four companies hoping to win a contract this month from the New York Power Authority as part of a clean coal initiative established by Gov. George Pataki. But Victor said he intends to build the coal gasification plant with or without a state contract.

The project requires no government subsidies, Victor said.

DeWitt townSupervisor Jim DiStefano, who toured the site Friday with five other town board members, said he is enthusiastic about the project, which could create 2,000 construction jobs and 100 to 150 permanent jobs.

"It just sounds tremendous," he said. "We need energy sources, and anything we can do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, I think it's a win situation for the United States." ....

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1166349851114360.xml&coll=1

i will be in 'cuse for a bit in janurary. where should i take pics? only have enough time to hit downtown.

jmancuso, The favorites are Clinton Square, Armory Square Hanover Square and Columbus Circle. But if you have time, I'd like to see pics of the Newhouse III building under construction on SU Hill. It's the first building in Syracuse that has a 21st century inspired design. Meaning Newhouse III is the first bold glass and steel building in Syracuse.

syracuse is the red-headed step child of upstate's major cities. always overlooked.

If the Syracuse Metropolitan Area was in any other State, it would be important. Only in New York State is a metro the size of Syracuse ignored.
Syracuse MSA is the 5th largest Metropolitan Area in New York State. Are there any other metros in the country which are the fifth largest in their state (AND aren't suburbs of larger metros) and have a population of over 650,000?

Akron and Dayton are suburbs of Cleveland and Cini. Allentown is a suburb of NYC. Well let's not count Florida. It attracts development no matter what the State does.

It's depressing to watch the State of the State and wonder if Syracuse will ever get the attention from the State it deserves. After the State gets to solving problems in NYC, Buffalo, Rochester and Albany metropolitan areas, Syracuse just becomes a footnote. Just watch Capital Tonight. When they cover Syracuse all they talk about is farms! What a joke! :bash:

^ yeah that does suck, I thought we got screwed here in Buffalo...but I guess we don't have it that bad. And Syracuse is 1.5x the size of Albany too, tho not the capital.

If the Syracuse Metropolitan Area was in any other State, it would be important. Only in New York State is a metro the size of Syracuse ignored.
Syracuse MSA is the 5th largest Metropolitan Area in New York State. Are there any other metros in the country which are the fifth largest in their state (AND aren't suburbs of larger metros) and have a population of over 650,000?

Akron and Dayton are suburbs of Cleveland and Cini. Allentown is a suburb of NYC. Well let's not count Florida. It attracts development no matter what the State does.

It's depressing to watch the State of the State and wonder if Syracuse will ever get the attention from the State it deserves. After the State gets to solving problems in NYC, Buffalo, Rochester and Albany metropolitan areas, Syracuse just becomes a footnote. Just watch Capital Tonight. When they cover Syracuse all they talk about is farms! What a joke! :bash:

syracuse has a shitty crime rate and is something they really need to address.

Taking about gov't on the State level is really depressing. Thank goodness there's more development news to distract me...

Downtown: Focus on 300 block
Friday, January 05, 2007
By Greg Munno
Staff writer
The Metropolitan Development Foundation has gained control of three buildings in the heart of downtown in hopes of attracting a major developer to Syracuse's historic but battered main street.

An offshoot of the Metropolitan Development Association, the foundation has issued a request for proposals advertising the buildings, located on the 300 block of South Salina Street and an adjacent block of West Fayette Street.

A successful project, along with other improvements on the street, could transform the 300 block from a symbol of Syracuse's decay to a bright spot in downtown's redevelopment, according to David Mankiewicz, a foundation staffer and deputy director of another MDA affiliate, the Downtown Committee.
You have the Centro Common Center being moved from the northern end of the block. You have continued progress in the restoration of the Landmark Theatre on the southern end," Mankiewicz said. "Then you have Excellus adding jobs one block east on Warren Street and Armory Square's continued development one block to the west."

He said a successful redevelopment of the 300 block is key for downtown.

"It has historically been the city's Main Street, and is still the most visible block in the city," Mankiewicz said. "Syracuse as a city ends up being judged by the condition of that block, by visitors and residents alike. It's crucial to the city's redevelopment."

Mankiewicz said the foundation is open to any proposal, but assumed most would include retail on the ground floors and a combination of residential and office space on the upper floors.

Despite other failed efforts to attract developers to the 300 block, city Economic Development Director David Michel said he believes this latest effort will lead to a significant project.

"Factors such as the fragmented ownership of those buildings, which many feel are best developed together, and the traffic caused by the Common Center, have made that block a tough sell," he said. "But things are lining up."

The request for proposals was issued Dec. 22, and proposals must be submitted by Jan. 26. Mankiewicz said he has already given tours to five development teams.....
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1167991092240411.xml&coll=1&thispage=2


Studios: He brings artists and musicians to an old warehouse
Friday, January 05, 2007
By Frank Herron
Staff writer
Rick Destito has heard that 30,000 cars pass the intersection of West Fayette and South Geddes streets in Syracuse every day.

They zip by a five-story hulk of a building that once served as a factory for Brown-Lipe Gear, which expanded its manufacturing to that spot in 1906.

Destito, who bought the 65,000-square-foot building a little more than a year ago, looks forward to the time when people will take note of the old factory and not dismiss it as a mere eyesore, if they notice it at all.

He is filling the space with studios for artists and musicians. Someday, he thinks, the building will anchor the west end of a strip along West Fayette Street that he is calling "The Warehouse District."

That name isn't on any Chamber of Commerce map. But it is written neatly on two sheets of paper stapled to a telephone pole on Geddes Street, in front of the building.

It's a beginning,says Destito, a 30-year-old who grew up in Oneida and wants Syracuse's arts community to grow.

He says there's a demand for studio space which he is installing in the building. He has rented seven units and has deposits on three more. By the end of February he expects to have nearly 20 completed.

Part of what drives him is the historical significance of the building. It was designed by Albert Kahn, one of the most important industrial architects in the country at the time. It's the first reinforced concrete building in Syracuse, he says. At the time, Brown-Lipe was the largest manufacturer of automobile gears in the world.

That type of design allowed Kahn to space the structural columns farther apart, allowing more light into the work areas.

That, of course, is good for artists, who, Destito hopes, will like the space.
"There's a huge art population in Syracuse," he says. "It's just that they're scattered everywhere."

From the east side of his building, looking toward downtown Syracuse, he sees a series of warehouses plunked down on the south side of Fayette Street.

That's where he got the name "The Warehouse District."

There's room to grow along that route room for something that could bring the Tipperary Hill neighborhood a little closer to downtown.

He envisions having a "public art park" on part of the lawn that runs along the north side of West Fayette between the street and the railroad tracks.

Destito thinks an abandoned train track running nearby could be converted into a path for pedestrians and bicyclists.

That vision is good news to people at the Delavan Art Gallery, which opened three years ago in the 500 block of West Fayette Street.

"It's great for us," says Courtney Rile, gallery coordinator at Delavan, whose 60 artist studios are nearly all spoken for.

The demand is high for such space, Rile says. She welcomes the addition of more space in Destito's building.
"Every space seems to get utilized," she says.
Musician and promoter Ty Marshal started renting space in the building in November one of a handful who have done so to date.
He says he has been impressed with the energy building for the project.
About a month ago nearly 350 people filled the second floor of the building for an art show.
"Instead of waiting for (Syracuse University) to do it or the city to do it, we're going to do it ourselves," Marshal says.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1167991296240410.xml&coll=1

bjfan82, thanks for the sympathy. The Buffalo area could use a lot of state help to get it's economy moving. The advantage that Buffalo has is the State knows your problems. The State of New York must deal with Buffalo or else NYS will look like it failed. It's a different story in my hometown. NYS can ignore the Syracuse area and the rest of the State wouldn't know the difference. That's why is more frustrating IMO.

Some exciting news! I really hope this project gets approved...

Housing: Upscale plans for hilltop spread
Syracuse Developmental Center site proposed for new multiuse project.
Friday, January 05, 2007
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
The state has put the Syracuse Developmental Center up for sale, and an investment group says it wants to turn the site into a mix of patio homes, condominiums and office space.

The 48-acre site off South Wilbur and Delaware avenues is adjacent to Burnet Park and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.

It served as a home for the mentally disabled for more than a century; it's listed as a mental asylum on an 1882 map of Syracuse. But the state Office of Mental Health moved the last of its 430 residents into group homes in 1998 as part of its deinstitutionalization program.
More recently, the center has been leased to the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities a part of the Office of Mental Health and to nine other entities, including Southside Academy, a public charter school for children in kindergarten through grade 8.

The state's economic development office, Empire State Development Corp., put the property up for sale in October by issuing a public "invitation to bid," with a minimum bid of $585,000 required. The bids are due by Jan. 17.

Hal Travis, owner of a real estate agency and a property management company, said he and a group of investors two from New York City and three from California will bid for the property.

Travis, a former city school board member, said his group would like to build 40 two-unit patio homes a total of 80 homes on the west side of the property and call the development "Syracuse Enclave." The one-story homes would have 1,100 square feet to 1,300 square feet of living space and contain two bedrooms and two bathrooms, he said.

The homes, which would have fabulous views of the Syracuse skyline, would be priced around $200,000, he said.

The property contains a 585,000-square-foot structure built for residents in 1971 and now used for offices. Travis said his investment group would lease some of the building as office space and turn some of it into residential condominiums, creating a facility where people could live and work. The number of condominiums would depend on how the office space was reconfigured, he said.

"It's going to be parklike," he said. "It may even be a gated community. It may be one of the first gated communities in Syracuse. It's going to be an upscale community."

The building contains a basketball court and a swimming pool. Travis said they could be used by residents of the patio homes and condominiums.

Travis estimated the cost of the project at $20 million to $30 million. The initial phase the patio homes would take two to four years to complete, he said.

Any buyer of the property would have to agree to allow the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to continue leasing its 130,000 square feet of office space in the building for three years after the sale, according to the terms of the state's invitation to bidders. The office employs more than 200 people there, according to the document.

SouthsideAcademy's lease of 32,456 square feet is due to expire July 31. It has been looking for a site to build a school.

Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll said he welcomes the state's sale because it would put the property on the tax rolls for the first time and open it to private development.

"I certainly want to see the state get it out to the private sector," he said. "I think it has a lot of potential."

He said the city would be willing to help any buyer willing to redevelop the property.
http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-6/1167991133240410.xml&coll=1

Clark, while I agree that Buffalo gets far too much attention in Albany, you should note that Syracuse gets significantly more state aid per capita than Rochester. Despite being the third largest city and metro area in the state, we in Rochester get the shaft each and every year. It is our punishment for good fiscal management - which is the exact opposite of how it should be.

:ohno: Yeah, thats because Syracuse has SUNY Upstate Medical University located inside the city limits. Take out SUNY Upstate, Syracuse gets very little State money. Rochester just got millions to build a soccer stadium, I won't be complaining. Rochester's whine "we get less state aid per capita than everyone else" is really annoying and getting quite old. 20 years from Rochesterians will still be quoting that same old study done in the mid-1990s and claim it's still fact.

BTW, Metropolitan Rochester ain't doing too bad compared to metro Buffalo or metro Syracuse. Let's see: Rochester MSA in 1990 was 1,002,410 today is 1,039,028. Growth of 37,000. Syracuse MSA in 1993 was 670,309 today is 651,763. Decline of 19,000

Does all of Metro Rochester's growth mean the State should ignore it. Of course not. But you could agrue that the Syracuse MSA and Buffalo MSA desperately need a jump start to catch up with the rest of the State. When Spitzer said "whole communities have been left behind" ...all I could think of is the Syracuse community (Syracuse MSA) is a perfect example.

fact is, the state of NY did not help the cities of the state who happened to be more "industrial based" move past that era...Buffalo, Syracuse, Elmira, Binghamton and Rochester all had industrial status, it just so happens that Rochester was able to hold on to Kodak so it slowed the death process.

instead of fixing the problem of switching to a new type of thinking economically in the state, Albany decided to pour on the social spending and raise the taxes...:ohno:

Hotel Revamp Ramped Up
Owners speed up renovation timetable for Hotel Syracuse
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
The redevelopment of the historic but vacant Hotel Syracuse into condominiums, apartments and hotel should get under way this year, the owner's representatives said Tuesday.

Michael Villa, director of real estate for AnCor Inc., which is overseeing the project for principal owner Levi Kushnir, told city officials that construction work will start this year on the condominiums in the hotel's newer wing and possibly later in the year on the apartments and a new hotel, also to be named Hotel Syracuse, in its older, historic section.

Work on Symphony Square, a pedestrian way with sidewalk cafes and retail shops, might also start this year - perhaps in late summer or early in the fall, Villa told the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency.

Plans had been to start the work on the hotel and apartments in 2008, but the owner is hoping to speed things up and start it this year, he said later.

Renovations to the hotel's six-floor, 570-space parking garage are 90 percent complete and will be finished within two months, he said.
Some work already is happening.
Plans had been to replace the carpeting in the old hotel's grand lobby. But when workers pulled up the rugs, they found the lobby's original terrazzo flooring, a mosaic consisting of small pieces of stone set in mortar in square and diamond patterns and complemented by small black-and-red marble tiles in a checkerboard pattern.

The original flooring probably hadn't been seen since the 1960s. Villa said the decision was quickly made to clean and polish the old flooring rather than replace the carpeting.

"It's really going to clean up and look nice," he said. "This gives you the character of the Hotel Syracuse."

Two workers spent Tuesday removing concrete that had been poured over part of the original floor, apparently to cover electrical conduits added years ago.

The work on the flooring will be completed in time for Mayor Matt Driscoll's annual Winter Ball fundraiser Feb. 10, Villa said.

Built in 1924 and expanded in 1983, the Hotel Syracuse has nearly 600 rooms and for decades was downtown's premier hotel and site for weddings and major functions. Child actor Jackie Coogan was its first registered guest the day it opened - Aug. 16, 1924.

But the grand old place ran into financial troubles in the 1980s and 1990s and fell into disrepair. It closed in 2004 after two trips to bankruptcy court.

An Illinois bank sold it to Gmul Investment Co. in September 2005. Gmul immediately announced plans for the hotel's redevelopment, but it sold 95 percent of its ownership to Israeli investor Levi Kushnir last year. Kushnir is going forward with the same project, Villa said.

Plans are to put 54 residential condominiums and 35,000 square feet of commercial space, nearly half of which will be a fitness center that will include the former hotel's swimming pool.

In the older part of the hotel, Kushnir plans to put 160 to 175 apartments and 120 to 180 hotel rooms.

Mark Belanger, president of New Paradigm Realty, financial consultants on the project, said the state attorney general has approved the offering of the condominiums for sale - a necessary step before condos can be sold in New York. He said 30 people have signed letters of intent to purchase condominiums.

Kushnir has made one change to the project's design. Instead of splitting the older section of the complex into two areas - one for the new hotel and one for the apartments - the hotel will use the entire second, third and fourth floors, with the ground floor leased to commercial tenants. Floors five through nine and 11 will be apartments. The 10th floor will contain ballrooms and meeting space.

Kushnir is seeking a discount on property taxes via a payment-in-lieu-of-tax, or PILOT, agreement and $11 million in tax-exempt bonds under the federal Empowerment Zone program.

The city's IDA will be asked to issue the bonds, which will carry a lower interest rate than taxable bonds. But the agency will take on no financial risk, since the money will come from the investors who buy the bonds and the hotel will be responsible for repaying them.

The agency's board of directors voted 3-0 Tuesday to make itself the lead agency for an environmental review, which is required before it can grant assistance.
http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...020.xml&coll=1

St. Joe's plans to open its new garage Monday

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center will open its 800-car parking garage at Union and Townsend streets Monday.

Patients and visitors who park there will go to the hospital via a pedestrian bridge on the garage's sixth floor. There will be a patient drop-off area on the fourth floor.

A physician office building attached to the garage is scheduled to open next month.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...170.xml&coll=1

Group wants to fix homes
Sunday, January 14, 2007
TIM KNAUSS
REAL ESTATE NOTEBOOK
If you're thinking about urban living, Benjamin Gembler wants to show you some fixer-upper deals in the historic Hawley-Green neighborhood.

Gembler is the marketing and community outreach coordinator for the Northeast Hawley Development Association, or NEHDA, a nonprofit group that works to enhance the near northeast side.

Armed with a $475,000 federal grant from the Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative, NEHDA is working with another nonprofit, Home HeadQuarters, to fix up vacant properties and sell them to owner-occupants. SNI money will be used to subsidize the cost of rehabilitation.

Work is scheduled to begin this spring on the first three sites: a two-family house at 129 Gertrude St., a two-family house at 418 Howard St., and a four-family house at 217 Green St. Gembler said he'd like to find buyers before the work begins.
There are no income restrictions to qualify. The houses would be especially handy for downtown employees, who could walk to work, he said.

"It's a really exciting possibility for people, with this trend of back-to-the-city," Gembler said. "People want to be in communities where there's history all around them, (where) there's an actual community and they can walk everywhere."

National attention

Speaking of Hawley-Green, the neighborhood's reputation as a gay-friendly place to live is spreading.

Q-Notes, a publication based in Charlotte, N.C., recently listed the neighborhood as one of the top four up-and-coming gay communities in the Northeast, with Hell's Kitchen in New York City, the South End of Boston, and New London, Conn.

Jeffrey Gorney, a freelance writer and photographer who's lived in the neighborhood five years, said it attracts a diverse mix of people.

"One of my tenants calls it the Greenwich Village of Syracuse," he said.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/pos...530.xml&coll=1

Lockheed Martin to hire 150 engineers
Company will hold a job fair Tuesday. New work and retirements create need.
Friday, January 19, 2007
By Charley Hannagan
Staff writer
Lockheed Martin, facing the double whammy of a growing business and the retirement of a third of its engineers in the next five years, needs to hire 150 more this year.

The Salina defense contractor needs to fill positions in mechanical, electrical and radar systems engineering. It is also looking for workers in systems integration and test engineering and embedded software engineering.

The company will hold a job fair next week to attract applicants.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-4/1152954145126210.xml&coll=1

CNY is less dependent on manufacturing jobs
Friday, January 19, 2007
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
The Syracuse area finished 2006 with the highest average number of private-sector jobs in five years, according to a report released by the state Thursday.

Roger Evans, a labor analyst for the Department of Labor, said the area's average of 266,700 private jobs in 2006 was the highest since 2001, when it had an average of 266,900.

And the average monthly unemployment rate of 4.6 percent last year was the lowest since it hit 4.3 percent in 2001, he said. The area's record low average unemployment rate is 3.8 percent, set in 2000.....

Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties had about 400 more jobs in December than they did in the same month in 2005, the Department of Labor said...

The area had an average of 33,000 manufacturing jobs in 2006, down from the previous record low of 33,200 in 2005. Since 2000, the area has lost one of every four factory jobs.

But Central New York is much less dependent on factory jobs than it used to be. In the 1960s, one of every three jobs in the area were in manufacturing. Now, just one of every 10 jobs is a manufacturing job.

Increases in professional business services, educational and health services, and leisure and hospitality employment have more than offset the factory losses.

Evans said he expects to see some manufacturing growth this year....

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-7/116921888289370.xml&coll=1


Kramer defends the 'Cuse
Sunday, January 14, 2007
By Jeff Kramer
The New York Post asked Post-Standard humor columnist Jeff Kramer to weigh in on the new book by Dave Gilmartin that includes Syracuse among "The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America." Here's what Kramer wrote for the New York City tabloid:
When the mighty New York Post asked me to rebut a nasty attack on Syracuse in a new book about the worst places to live in America, I got confused and stressed.
How would this all work?
Would The Post pay me to write the article, or was I supposed to pay The Post?
Was the invitation a legitimate quest for editorial balance, or was I being set up by downstate dandies to fall on my face?
On a more practical level, how was I supposed to transmit my article all the way to New York City when the nearest working teletype is 40 miles away in Oswego?
And yet here I am, ice scraper and hot wings in hand, eager to tell the world that Syracuse has no business being lumped in the same book with the likes of Gary, Indiana.
Rather, we're like a three-legged dog, obviously missing something essential but ultimately endearing and even kind of cool.
At least that's my conclusion after moving here almost 31/2 years ago from Southern California. At that time, many people - no small number of Syracusans among them - questioned my sanity.
One man, who later became a friend, was so dubious that anyone would voluntarily relocate to Syracuse from the West Coast that he seriously entertained the possibility that I was a client in the federal Witness Protection Program.
But I've got news for everyone: I love it here - and it's not just because I write a Syracuse-based humor column twice a week, which is like shooting carp with a crossbow (which, by the way, some people actually do around here for sport).
I'll grant that Syracuse has its downside, as does any place. It snows too much - most years at least.
Our politicians behave as if they're trapped in a corn maze without a map. Our Onondaga Lake, as Gilmartin notes, ranks among the most polluted in the country. Our football team is a national embarrassment.
Our economic plan consists of an all-show, no-go developer theorizing about a supermall on the outskirts of town powered by moonbeams and hemp.
But there's something else in the water here - and I'm not talking about mercury. Our esteemed Chamber of Commerce is better equipped than I to promote the many pluses of our area - our schools, our scenery, our grocery stores, etc.
But let me submit this: Places that are truly awful come in two strains - those that are oblivious to their own shortcomings (like Utah) and those that wallow in the self-congratulatory cant of their perceived livability (Portland, Ore.).
Syracuse is neither.
Syracuse is real.
In Syracuse, we don't need someone like Gilmartin to tell us our shortcomings. As the following exchange illustrates, we're already on the job.
Me (trying to make conversation): "It's hailing."
Hardware store clerk: "OK. And exactly what about that surprises you?"
Even in praising the town, Syracusans often sound like they're dissing it.
"It's a great area to raise kids," people say a bit sadly and a bit too often.
The phrase translates roughly to: "If I did not have children I would not live in Syracuse. I would live somewhere warm. I am mentally stable. Do not fear me."
It's that lack of pretense, that we-know-this-ain't-Paris-but-let's-make-the-best-of-it mindset that makes me feel right at home in The 'Cuse.
Plus, I doubt my enemies in the Mob will find me here.
Jeff Kramer's regular column appears Monday and Friday in The Post-Standard's CNY section.

Cicero any news on the 47 storey Hotel, Destiny USA. Last i heard construction started and then stopped. Has construction begun again? Also where is this tower supposed to be?

Spaulding97, that 47 story hotel was stopped by the city 5 years ago. The city told the Destiny USA developers that the hotel construction would not trigger the tax breaks. So Destiny USA developers stopped the hotel project and the city made a new tax break deal. Latest news is that the second phase will be hotels, not sure if they scraped the 47 story hotel idea.

Gotcha, so how did they actually get? They are just gonna start from scratch and build other smaller hotels? Was this downtown or by the carousel mall?

All they did was drive steel piles into the ground for the hotel. This was right next Carousel Mall in a parking lot. I don't know much about the plans for the hotels today. I have a feeling that if or when the first phase is done, the second phase, which includes hotels, will then be designed.

Cool thanks, another question how tall are these other hotles gonna be and do you have a link or rendering of them?

No, sorry...wish I had more info for you. Haven't heard or seen new hotel plans since like 5 years ago.



Here's a few updates on Syracuse development news from the past week or so:

Neighborhood pride
Hawley-Green transforms from troubled Syracuse area to one of nation's top 4 gay communities
Heath D. Williams
Posted: 2/1/07

When Jeffrey Gorney first saw Syracuse's Hawley-Green neighborhood, the houses were run down, and many were vacant and boarded up. The streets were filled with prostitutes, drug lords and repeat criminals.
But still, with all of the negatives, Gorney, a local photographer and author, saw nothing but positive.
"It was bombed out, full of crazy people," Gorney said. "It was typical Syracuse - dusty and forgotten. But all we could think was, 'This place could look like San Francisco.'"
Gorney and his partner bought a house six years ago, painted it and planted a garden in the front yard. Their work and enthusiasm lit a spark in the neighborhood as more and more people began to move in, taking a great sense of pride in their new residence.
Today, Gorney's work has more than paid off, as Hawley-Green was named one of the top up-and-coming gay neighborhoods in the nation by the Web sites GayRealEstate.com and GayGhettos.com on their annual list.
"We deliberately marketed this community to gay people," said Gorney, who calls himself the unofficial spokesman of the Hawley-Green Historic District, the official name of the neighborhood. "With the architecture around here and the proximity to downtown, we definitely attract that artsy fringe."
Representatives from the Web sites could not be reached for comment, but Jeffrey Hammerberg, president of GayRealEstate.com, praised the chosen communities in a press release for their "richness of diversity," and their "revitalization and renaissance … ripe for investment and community building."
Gorney said the recognition came as a complete surprise because no one in the community did any kind of campaigning.
"It was completely unsolicited," he said. "It's such an honor too, because we're up there with some real first-rate neighborhoods."

Boston's South End, New York's Hell's Kitchen and New London, Conn., were also named in the top four gay-friendly neighborhoods in the Northeast along with Hawley-Green.

"This was a tough neighborhood," Gorney said. "It was safe, but it had urban woes and a rough element. Now, instead of drug lords in alleys, you have women jogging on the street. We brought a neighborhood back from the dead."

The neighborhood's streets, once lined with abandoned, dangerous houses, now boast historical Victorian homes that were completely redone and painted with pastel colors, proudly waving rainbow flags.

Hawley-Green is located just north of Syracuse University, past Erie Boulevard. The neighborhood is in the shape of a triangle formed by its borders, James Street., Lodi Street and Burnet Avenue.

"We're in a great location," Gorney said. "SU is right at our doorstep, and with the resurgence of downtown, we're within walking distance of so many great things."

Gorney said the ability to walk through the neighborhood and to go almost anywhere is part of its appeal, rekindling what he calls "old-city living." So much, that when he designed a brochure for the neighborhood, he came up with the slogan, "Come take an old-fashioned walk; you'll want to stay."
"You can take a walk through at any time, and there will be people sitting on their porches," Gorney said. "It's old-fashioned city living at its best. People know all their neighbors, and can strike up any conversation."
Gorney himself, on a walk through the neighborhood, was able to point out who lived where, telling the stories of the houses and their inhabitants. He stopped to say hello to those he knew, and cheerily greeted those he did not.
The friendliness of the neighborhood has provided gays and lesbians like Phyllis Vadala not just a place to live, but a place in which to do business they couldn't do elsewhere.
Vadala has spent the past year working on turning one of the neighborhood's vacated houses into the area's first women's bar, The Sugar Pearl.
"I was riding my bike around the neighborhood and saw this place for sale," said Vadala, a musician and designer. "As soon as I saw the inside, I knew it was the place."
Her friends, who call themselves the Pearl Girls, have stood by Vadala's side through the whole experience, volunteering their time to get the bar finished.
"We do it because we love Phyllis," said Morgan Richards, who met Vadala years ago in the music business. "Nobody here has gotten paid. Phyllis had a dream, and we wanted to make it come true."
The bar, which will double as a café, is scheduled to open within the next two weeks.
"I did this because of what's going on here," Vadala said. "I think (business) is going to be booming, thanks to the people we have around here in the neighborhood. So far we've heard nothing but positive things, no backlash of any kind."
Gorney, who wrote "Syracuse University: An Architectural Guide," said it was no mistake the gay community flocked to Hawley-Green.
"It's one of the few neighborhoods that has that cache about it," the New York City native said. "We attracted a lot of what's called the creative class - people that share a love of architecture and city life and have a will to get things done."
Scott Henni is part of that class. He and his partner, John Besaw, moved to Hawley-Green 11 years ago.
"At first I was skeptical and didn't want to move here," Henni said. "It was such an undesirable area."
But they, like Gorney, came and helped make changes to the neighborhood. A neighborhood crime watch was added to make it a better and desirable place.
Henni and Besaw are now co-owners of the Lavender Inkwell Bookshoppe, a gay and lesbian bookstore in the neighborhood, which opened in October of last year.
"Everywhere we went on vacation there were these gay bookstores and cafés," he said. "And we always seemed to end up spending a lot of time in them, so we wanted to bring one back with us."
The gay-friendly Hawley-Green, now a residence Henni loves, was the obvious choice for a location.
"We wanted to stay in this neighborhood," Henni said. "Everyone here has just been great to us. I don't think it would work anywhere else in the city."
Henni said he has experienced almost all positive feedback about the store.
"I only had one guy come in here telling me that what we're doing is wrong," he said. "But then he just left and we've only heard positive things since then."
For Henni, Vadala and Gorney, the main attraction of the neighborhood is its gay population, but they also all mentioned how far Hawley-Green has come since its dark days as a reason for their pride in the community.
"We've seen abandoned houses turned into these beautiful homes," Henni said. "You don't want these treasures to disappear. You get this area improving, and the whole city could follow."
After all of his hard work bringing the colorful neighborhood out of the dust, helping develop Syracuse may be Gorney's next goal.
"We had a vision to see what this place could be, and we made it happen," he said. "The city at large can learn from what has happened here. Things can change."

http://media.www.dailyorange.com/med...epublisher.com


SUBURBAN STUFF......


Projects in Clay tied to traffic flow
Retail, residential projects in Clay tied to traffic
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
By John Doherty
Staff writer
Traffic along one of the most heavily traveled roadways in Onondaga County is slowing the development of large retail and residential projects in Clay.

State transportation officials told the developers, Paradigm Development of Colden, near Buffalo, and Amedore Homes of Albany, that they must first determine how their projects would affect traffic in Clay's Moyers Corners area before moving forward.

State transportation officials have warned that Route 31, expanded to five lanes in recent years, is near capacity.

Paradigm wants to build a plaza that would include a 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter and other small shops on 50 acres at the northeast corner of routes 31 and 57. The Supercenter would replace a smaller Wal-Mart to the east on Route 31 that would be sold.

Amedore is planning to build 250 to 300 condominiums on an adjacent 50 acres.
The time frame from here on depends upon the developers' completion of the traffic study," said Anthony Ilacqua, of the state Department of Transportation's regional office in Syracuse.
Both projects are at the western end of a 2-mile commercial strip along Route 31 stretching from Euclid to Moyers Corners. The stretch includes the Great Northern Mall, the COR Center, Marketfair North plaza and several other shopping areas.

In Moyers Corners, traffic along Route 31 has nearly doubled in the past five years to about 35,000 vehicles a day. That compares with an average of nearly 18,000 vehicles a day in 2000, according to traffic counts provided by the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council.

"These are huge projects. Traffic will have to be addressed before anything can be done," said Clay Supervisor James Rowley. "We've looked at sketches and plans for dealing with the traffic. It looks good, but they'll have to (have) their traffic study done first."

Paradigm and Amedore are working together on the traffic concerns, said George Amedore Jr., who is overseeing the condominium project.
Current plans call for the two projects to share an entrance on Route 31 west of the railroad crossing. The entrance, controlled by a traffic signal, would connect with a so-called ring road that would bring traffic to the Wal-Mart and condo sites.
Amedore is hoping to present the details of the traffic plan and other project issues at the Clay Town Board's March 5 meeting.
"We sure would love to get going in a three- to six-month period, but I highly doubt it. With the size of our community and the abutting project it probably will take longer. But we want to get going," he said.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/117023781133820.xml&coll=1



Radisson enters the home stretch
Monday, January 29, 2007
By Tom Leo
Staff writer
The largest state-developed housing community in New York has run out of room.

More than three decades since state and local officials first envisioned a 2,800-acre planned community in the town of Lysander, all of the remaining residential land in Radisson has been sold to developers.

There are 2,368 households in Radisson, more than any other development in Onondaga County, according to the Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency.

When homes are built on the nearly 225 acres of yet-developed land, the total will be more than 3,000 households, said Dan Healy, who runs the Empire State Development Corp. office in Radisson. The state corporation has sold land in Radisson for the past 32 years.

“After that, there’s no residential land left to build on,” Healy said.

There’s been recent pressure on the town to convert some of the industrially zoned property in Radisson to residential. But three years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers designated most of the 400 undeveloped acres in the industrial zone as wetlands, making future growth there questionable, said town Supervisor Barry Bullis.

“Unless that decision is overturned, the harsh reality is there’s not much land available in either the residential or industrial sections,” Healy said. “Within the next five years, Radisson could be completely built out.”

Currently, Radisson contains 1,565 single-family homes, 643 apartment units, 160 condominiums and 38 businesses in its corporate park. The largest business, Anheuser-Busch, employs about 950 people.

More than 400 single-family units are expected to be built within the next two years, Healy said. When Radisson is complete, there could be as many as 3,500 homes and 10,000 residents, New York state officials estimate. That’s slightly larger than Amherst Audubon, the second largest state-controlled housing development, according to Empire State Development.

The Urban DevelopmentCorp., predecessor to Empire State Development, spawned the Radisson concept shortly after the state formed that agency in 1968. The idea was to create an ordered mixture of affordable housing and businesses that would blend people of all ages and income levels, as well as industry, education and recreation. To some degree, Radisson has lived up to those standards, but not in all respects.

In June 1969, UDC bought all 2,100 acres of an inactive Army ordnance facility for $1.5 million to develop the planned community and eventually purchased an additional 700 acres of surrounding property.

About two years later, the UDC unveiled the first master plan for Radisson, which was one of only eight state-owned planned communities in the country. The plan called for different types of housing, four schools, a town center, marina, recreational space and an industrial park.

The UDC predicted full development in 10 years, but by 1985, 75 percent of Radisson remained undeveloped. Today, discounting the 400 acres in the industrial zone considered wetlands, nearly 95 percent of Radisson has been developed, Healy said.

What took Radisson so long to reach this point?
For one, Central New York’s slow economic growth, said Harvey Kaiser, a former Syracuse University administrator and professor, who chronicled the formation of Radisson in his book, “The Building of Cities.”
Radisson planners also decided to take a more cautious approach, partly to protect property values and also to avoid putting immediate pressure on the town’s infrastructure and local school system, Healy said.
“Property values have held up well,” said Charles Rock, a former UDC planner who purchased the development’s first home in 1974 at 8377 Columbine Circle. Prices for single-family homes in Radisson range from about $180,000 to more than $600,000.
“The high standards we have here that are enforced by the Radisson Community Association, I think over time, have added to the value of property,” Rock said.

For example, houses can be painted only certain earth-tone and natural colors, storage sheds are forbidden, as are above-ground pools or clotheslines. More than 30 covenants state what people can or cannot do with their property.
The basis of the covenants is to protect and preserve individual quality of life, RCA office manager Lynn Furlong said. In a planned community, residents must adhere to aesthetic and land-use regulations to preserve property values and the greater community’s outside appearance, she said.
As planned, Radisson has attracted residents with different income levels. Public-assisted housing continues to exist nearby the more-expensive homes, Healy said.
“It’s the only development I know of in the area where that all works together,” said developer John Rao, who owns about 15 acres of undeveloped residential land. “Because there are all price levels, I’ve had people in there who have been three-time buyers with me. They start with a low-end home and keep moving right on up to more-expensive homes.”
Radisson remains popular, even though the community hasn’t lived up to all of its original goals. The only school in the community is a nursery school. Baldwinsville School District voters killed a proposal to build one of two new middle schools in Radisson in 1973. Since then, there have been few, if any, discussions about a school.

A town center never materialized. The marina planned on the Seneca River was replaced by a boat launch. And only about 10 percent of the housing is subsidized — about one-third of what was called for in the original plan. Healy attributes that shortcoming to a lack of interest from low-income housing developers.
The Radisson plan called for integrating recreational facilities throughout. The community offers parks, playgrounds and a 13-mile network of lighted walking trails. There is a community pool and a privately owned golf course.
Rock, 65, appreciates what Radisson has to offer, but he knows there have been missed opportunities to develop it into more of an ideal community.
“If a small town center had ever come to fruition, it would be a great convenience,” Rock said. “Now, we have to get in the car and slug our way down to Route 31 and points east to find the things we need.”
Rock also hopes discussions about building a school will be revived. Radisson residents bus their children to McNamara Elementary School on O’Brien Road in Van Buren, the school that’s farthest away from the community.
“A school here would be ideal because the kids, for the most part, could walk to it,” Rock said.
Furlong said the people who live in Radisson, for the most part, are happy with the community. They have a real sense of ownership and a lot of pride, she said. They enjoy the quietness, the rural-type setting and the recreational opportunities.
“It’s a very country setting yet it’s city living,” said Michelle Ponzi, 33, who lives in Drumlin Heights Apartments. “You’re still close enough to all the stores and restaurants, but you still have the trees and the birds, and the quietness of the area. It’s really beautiful.”

Area home prices on upswing
Sunday, February 04, 2007
TIM KNAUSS
REAL ESTATE NOTEBOOK
Here are some year-end data on home prices in Central New York. The numbers confirm that, despite a slowdown since 2005, the local market is making up ground compared with the state and the nation.

Onondaga County: The median price of homes sold during 2006 was $125,000. (Half of all homes sell for more than the median, half for less.)

The median price increased 1.6 percent compared with 2005, and 13.6 percent compared with 2004. Home sales totaled 4,870 in 2006, compared with 5,309 in 2005 and 5,294 in 2004.

Cayuga County: The median price in 2006 was $93,500, up 8.7 percent since 2005 and 11.7 percent since 2004. There were 647 homes sold, compared with 703 in 2005 and 614 in 2004.

Madison County: The 2006 median was $127,000, up 6.3 percent since 2005 and 33.7 percent since 2004. There were 632 home sales, compared with 706 in 2005 and 625 in 2004.

Oswego County: The 2006 median was $83,500, up 8.4 percent for the year and 12.6 percent over two years. There were 950 sales, compared with 1,073 in 2005 and 1,008 in 2004.
Statewide, the median home price was $248,500 in 2006, down 2.8 percent compared with 2005 and up 8.5 percent compared with 2004. Nationally, the median was $222,000, up 1.1 percent from 2005 and 13.6 percent from 2004.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/business-7/1170411222303660.xml&coll=1

Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse announced an end to their long-running sewage struggle Wednesday, striking a deal that would funnel $15 million in improvements into targeted city neighborhoods while ending lawsuits that have delayed the county's court-ordered cleanup of Onondaga Lake.

The deal, announced by County Executive Nick Pirro and Mayor Matt Driscoll, would turn the Trolley Lot parking area in Armory Square into a sewage treatment plant while pouring $4 million into two private development projects that would create hundreds of new downtown parking spaces.

It would also give $6 million to community groups around the Midland and Harbor Brook sewage treatment plants to spend as they wish. For the Midland neighborhood, that means the return of $3 million that had originally been offered as an incentive, but was taken off the table when the city took the issue to court.

The deal would shorten the timeline for the Onondaga Creekwalk project and provide new sidewalks, playground equipment and other amenities in areas where work will be done.

And it would end the cycle of expensive delays that Pirro said is adding $620,000 to the cost of the $510 million overall lake cleanup project each month. The county must complete the entire cleanup by 2012.

"The most important thing is we'll be able to proceed now with work on the lake project, get it done in a timely manner, meet our milestones, avoid major fines, and finally once and for all get this lake project completed," Pirro said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1171533856266490.xml&coll=1&thispage=1



New city projects part of accord
Deal with Onondaga County to add Armory Square office space, condos and parking.

Two Armory Square development projects included in a new sewage agreement between Syracuse and Onondaga County would create enough office space to cover more than two football fields, and put 18 downtown condominiums on the market for as much as $300,000.

The projects could encourage more city investment and go a long way toward easing the loss of hundreds of downtown parking spaces to the county's massive Onondaga Lake cleanup program, Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll said Thursday.

But the plan that makes them possible won't change the fact that a sewage treatment plant would be built in the most commercially successful neighborhood in the city......One of the projects would add 200 spaces to the aging Atrium Parking Garage. The other would add an additional 180 spaces in a new office, retail and condominium project on a parking lot across from the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology and Hawthorn Suites Hotel.

About a third of the 700 spaces now on the Trolley Lot would be kept, meaning the sewage plant would create a shortage of about 466 spaces.

Thursday, Driscoll said the high cost of continued litigation - about $100,000 for the next appeal, which city lawyers weren't sure they would win - coupled with the ongoing construction of the Midland Avenue plant, led him to cut the deal.

"Seventy percent of Midland is already in the ground, and I'm pretty sure they're not going to dig it up," he said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-3/117161999727470.xml&coll=1



New life for North Side properties

$100,000 spent on renovations Sunday, February 18, 2007REAL ESTATE NOTEBOOK

Dominick Battaglia, the well-regarded owner of Dominick's Market in the Hawley-Green neighborhood of Syracuse, is spreading his influence to a new part of the North Side. Expect good things, say neighbors from Hawley-Green.

In December, Battaglia and his family paid $150,000 for seven run-down properties at the corner of North Salina and Lodi streets, across from the popular Aunt Josie's Restaurant.
The properties included two derelict houses, three rented houses, a vacant mixed-use building and a vacant commercial building. The commercial building formerly housed the Syracuse Damaged Freight store, which closed last year.

Battaglia has been systematically bringing the buildings back to life.
"New roof, new lights, new carpets, new electrical, new HVAC everything's new," Battaglia said recently while leading a visitor through the commercial building at 2211 Lodi St. Half of the building has been leased to a shiny new 2,000-square-foot office of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. The other half is still available.

Next door, at the mixed-use building at 1105 N. Salina St., Battaglia bounded up the stairs to show off two apartments he had renovated. They had newly finished hardwood floors, new kitchens and baths, and, well, new everything else.
"Total gut job," Battaglia said.
The two apartments have been rented, at $700 a month. One of the 750-square-foot retail spaces on the ground floor has been leased to a clothing boutique, he said. He's looking for a tenant for the storefront.

So far, Battaglia Development Co. LLC has spent about $100,000 on renovations. Battaglia said he expects to spend another $100,000 this spring, when he will demolish two small houses that are structurally unsound, enlarge a parking lot and rehab the three remaining houses.

Battaglia, 41, has owned Dominick's Market for 14 years. The market is a cornerstone of the Hawley-Green neighborhood, said Benjamin Gembler, marketing and community outreach coordinator for the Northeast Hawley Development Association.

Battaglia takes care of a city playground across from his market, dispatching employees to help clean it up and supplying food and drinks for neighborhood events, Gembler said. With input from residents, Battaglia recently spent $7,000 on a custom wrought-iron fence for his property, rather than installing cheaper chain link.

Battaglia also spent $2,200 last fall to have a mural painted on the back of his store, with flood lights, that says "Welcome! Historic Hawley Green."

Gembler said Battaglia's strong relationship with the neighborhood should be a model for other businesses.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-7/117162028027470.xml&coll=1

Sale of bonds clears way for major mall expansion in Syracuse
February 28, 2007, 3:01 PM EST

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) _ Developers have locked up more than half a billion dollars in financing for the first phase of a long-delayed expansion of the Carousel Center mall into the nation's largest retail and entertainment resort complex.

Michael Lorenz, chief executive officer of Destiny USA , announced Tuesday that the company closed on about $540 million in financing, including $323 million in Syracuse Industrial Development Agency bonds.

Developer Robert Congel said construction of 848,000 square feet of retail space will start in the spring and will take a year and a half to complete. The addition will enlarge the mall by more than 50 percent, making it one of the largest in the nation.

The first phase will employ 1,000 construction workers and, once completed, 1,500 permanent employees. Developers have not yet announced any tenants the expanded mall.

Subsequent phases _ which are not guaranteed _ include a 1,000-room hotel and the addition of another 350,000 square feet of retail space.

The completed Destiny USA would rival Mall of America as the country's largest mall and feature an indoor re-creation of the Erie Canal, gondola rides, a glass-enclosed 100-acre rooftop park, a mountainside Italian villa, a 15,000-seat amphitheater, a multistory aquarium and a water theme park. It also would be the world's largest green complex, operated entirely on renewable energy sources.

Congel first proposed the megamall in 1997, and it was supposed to have been completed in 2004, but became mired in politics.

http://www.amny.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--megamall0228feb28,0,5773051.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire



Questions and answers

When do they build it?

No date has been set, but developer Robert Congel said construction will start "sometime" in the spring. The first tasks will be building temporary parking lots south of Hiawatha Boulevard and repairing the mall basement parking areas. Then steel will go into the ground.

What stores will go into the expanded mall?
Project executives have announced no tenants yet.

Who bought the bonds?

The names of the bond buyers were not released, but bonds of this size Â??proximately $323 million generally are purchased by institutional investors such as pension funds and mutual funds.

Who is on the hook to repay them?

The developer, not the taxpayers. But taxpayers are helping out in a big way. Syracuse and Onondaga County have waived most property taxes on the mall for 30 years. And the state will be providing Empire Zone tax credits that likely will add up to a lot of money.

What happens to the 200 Destiny USA workers who lost their $60,000 jobs last year?

Congel said Tuesday that many have moved out of the area, but that all will be offered their jobs back, and he expects a lot to come back for them.

What does this mean to the grand Destiny USA plan?

Project officials say this is the first phase of an expansion that will turn Carousel Center into Destiny USA, a huge retail, hotel and entertainment attraction. Congel could stop after the first phase, but the tax deal contains significant incentives for him to keep going.

What happens to the steel piled outside the mall for more than a year?

It will be pounded into the ground to support the foundation for the expansion.

When will the new part open?

Eighteen months after the start of construction. Figure on late 2008.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/destinyusa/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1172656531127490.xml&coll=1

Holy shit, that Carousel Mall is gonna be MASSIVE.

Nice, good for you Syracuse. Does that mean they are following up with the the tower(s)?

Nice, good for you Syracuse. Does that mean they are following up with the the tower(s)?

Who knows?:dunno:

Some good news from my hometown Syracuse. It's been a long time since you've seen more than one construction site in downtown Syracuse.
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1173002810133210.xml&coll=1

CNY in for $1.7 billion building boom

Construction workers in high demand as best run since 1970s cranks up: Carousel, SU, schools, hospitals.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
By Greg Munno, Maureen Nolan and John Mariani Staff writers

More than $1.7 billion worth of construction is slated to begin in Syracuse within the next two years, the biggest boom in at least 30 years, according to labor leaders and economic development officials.

The Post-Standard - using numbers from the Metropolitan Development Association, Syracuse University and the city - identified more than 30 construction projects either already under way in Syracuse or expected to begin by 2009.

Some of these projects could still be derailed, so the total could fall. But the numbers do not include many smaller projects in the city or construction activity in the suburbs, so the actual level of investment could be higher.

"We were looking to have a strong construction season in 2007 and 2008 before the announcement on Tuesday that the bonds had been sold for the first phase of the Carousel Center expansion," said Bill Towsley, president of the Syracuse Building and Construction Trades Council.

"That's a half-a-billion-dollar project that I am now convinced is going to start, and start soon," he said. "Put that on top of everything that's happening at SU, with the city schools, at the hospitals, and it is clear we are entering a time of abundance in the construction industry that we haven't seen since the early 1970s. I figure it will last at least seven to 10 years, even if some of these projects end up falling through."

The Syracuse construction market began a long run in the 1960s with projects such as the construction of Interstate 81 and University Hospital. It continued until about 1976 with a parade of other projects, including Presidential Plaza, the Everson Museum, the Atrium, the MONY Plaza, the Chase Bank building and the Sibley's and Dey Brothers renovations, according to city Economic Development Director David Michel.

It's been lean times ever since, Michel and Towsley said.

"But I am real confident, that a return to abundance is right around the corner," Towsley said.

David Mankiewicz, assistant to the MDA president, said the construction activity should benefit other areas of the economy as well, such as retail and the already booming housing market. Michel said 540 new housing units are expected to be created downtown within the next year.

"I think it's going to fuel a market for core city housing, both in downtown and Franklin Square, but even in some neighborhoods close to downtown that currently aren't that well developed or thought of as neighborhoods yet," Mankiewicz said.

With so manylarge projects scheduled to begin so close together, it could lead to a shortage of construction workers that drives up the prices of some of the projects - something that would hurt developers, but might enrich the local work force, said Ed Bogucz, who is overseeing the construction of the $35.6 million Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, at East Water and Almond streets.

"But this is a problem we'd love to have," he said. "You go around the country to vibrant cities, and one of the features is cranes in the sky. This community hasn't had multiple cranes in the sky in a long time. It's inevitable there will be competition for skilled labor like steelworkers."

That, in turn, will create higher paying jobs and bring new skilled labor into the area, Bogucz said.

Experts are divided on whether Syracuse has the work force to handle all the construction, or whether large numbers of workers will have to be brought in from other areas.

Marisa DiNatale,an economist at Moody's Economy.com who studies Central New York, said there's enough surplus labor in the Syracuse area to provide most of the manpower for the projects.

She said the unemployment rate is low in Syracuse at about 4 percent, but that the size of the work force has been shrinking. That's a sign that some people have given up looking for work or have returned to school for more training.

"Many of those people will emerge to take these new jobs," she predicted. "So, too, will people laid off from the continually contracting manufacturing sector. Traditionally, many former factory workers have found jobs in construction."

Likewise, she said she expects a slowdown in the residential construction market that should free up some construction workers for the coming commercial projects.

"There has been a drop-off in the number of residential new home construction permits that, after a lag of about six to eight months, normally leads to a drop in the number of workers tied up in residential construction," she said.

Towsley, who represents 8,000 local trades workers, agrees there is enough labor locally, although he said there might be shortages in certain types of skilled trades.

"For instance, we already have near full employment for the iron workers," he said. "That's a reflection of where many projects are at - in their beginning stage."

Towsley said he expected many of his members who have left the area to seek work will return to Syracuse to take jobs closer to home. Some of the people looking for construction jobs include carpenters, plumbers, electricians and iron workers.

"A lot of these workers have been maintaining two homes and are champing at the bit to get back to work in Central New York," he said.

Unions arealso gearing up to expand training and apprentice programs to give young people the skills they need to cash in on the boom, he said. The city school district also plans to start training programs to ensure its students will be eligible for some of the construction jobs generated by its massive school renovation project, which is expected to include more than a billion dollars in construction work over the next decade.

State Labor Department economist Roger Evans expects to see lots of out-of-state license plates at the construction sites.

"Contractors hired from who knows where will bring their own workers," Evans said. "Construction workers are a very mobile lot."

Evans said a local labor shortage would not derail projects. It would simply necessitate importing workers.

But David Aitken,of the Destiny USA development team that is overseeing the Carousel Center expansion, said the company is committed to using local labor.

An influx of out-of-town workers will be good for local motels and hotels, said David Holder, president of the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He said employers will be able to find hotel rooms or, in some cases, apartments for their workers.

In 2006, the average occupancy rate for local hotels was 60.5 percent, Holder said. There are about 7,000 hotel rooms in Onondaga County.

"Anytime you (see) . . . building type projects, construction workers and other employees coming in, it's tremendous for the local economy," Holder said.

Greg Munno can be reached at gmunno@syracuse.com or 470-6084; Maureen Nolan can be reached at mnolan@syracuse.com or 470-2185; and John Mariani at jmariani@syracuse.com or 470-3105.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1173002810133210.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

Job Growth and Unemployment Rates (not seasonally adjusted):

Albany-Schenectady-Troy: Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 2,100, or 0.5 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 2,900, or 0.9 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in January 2007, compared with 3.4 in December and 4.3 in January 2006.

Buffalo-Niagara Falls: Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 4,500, or 0.8 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 2,300, or 0.5 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in January 2007, compared with 4.5 in December and 5.7 in January 2006.


Nassau-Suffolk: Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 16,900, or 1.4 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 15,700, or 1.6 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in January 2007, compared with 3.2 in December and 4.3 in January 2006.

New York City (five boroughs): Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 59,300, or 1.7 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 60,600, or 2.0 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in January 2007, compared with 4.0 in December and 5.6 in January 2006.

Rochester: Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 300, or 0.1 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has decreased by 100, or less than 0.1 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January 2007, compared with 3.9 in December and 5.0 in January 2006.

Syracuse: Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 800, or 0.3 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 800, or 0.3 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in January 2007, compared with 4.0 in December and 5.3 in January 2006.

Utica-Rome: Since January 2006, the number of nonfarm jobs has increased by 300, or 0.2 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 200, or 0.2 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in January 2007, compared with 4.0 in December and 5.4 in January 2006.

The completed Destiny USA would rival Mall of America as the country's largest mall and feature an indoor re-creation of the Erie Canal, gondola rides, a glass-enclosed 100-acre rooftop park, a mountainside Italian villa, a 15,000-seat amphitheater, a multistory aquarium and a water theme park. It also would be the world's largest green complex, operated entirely on renewable energy sources.
OMFG. :eek:

The department also released revised employment numbers for 2006, which showed the Syracuse area's job market, while growing, was not as strong last year as reported.

The revised numbers show that instead of gaining jobs every month last year, as compared to the same month in 2005, the area lost jobs during five months of last year May, June, July, August and September.

It gained jobs in the other seven months and averaged 200 more jobs a month in 2006 than in 2005, an increase of just 0.1 percent, but an increase.
That was the average job gain among Upstate metropolitan areas last year, but it was below the state's overall gain of 0.9 percent and the nation's 1.8 percent rise.
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-7/117334878623560.xml&coll=1

From 2002 - 2006 Pataki inflated job numbers for Syracuse.:mad2:The reason....Pataki wanted Syracuse's job growth to look great so that the State didn't need to help attract jobs to the Syracuse area.:nono:

This was Pataki to Syracuse....:baeh3:

Here's hoping Gov. Spitzer gets someone that doesn't inflate job growth in Syracuse.......Hey Spitzer, how about having the State attract jobs to the Syracuse area for once! Or is that too much to ask? :wallbash:

we had a big party last week in our office (catered, drinks, etc) because DestiNY USA finally paid us money that they've owed for over 2 years ($100K-ish)...we actually wrote that money off, and it was a huge surprise when the check came in. Maybe things are gonna get rolling again with that project.

"The renovation of ShoppingTown Mall in DeWitt is imminent. So imminent it was announced today.

Pending state and DeWitt approvals, Macerich Cos. will be demolishing a wing of ShoppingTown mall from the front of Sears to the front of Dick's Sporting Goods, and adding parking, landscaping and a slew of new stores and restaurants with drive-up capability. If kept on schedule, everything should be done by fall of 2008, company executives said today.

While not naming names of the new stores and restaurants or a dollar figure for the renovation of the center, representatives for Macerich said the change will be "significant," and a major draw regionally for shoppers.

The hybrid mall/lifestyle center will blend synergies of the current mall -- indoor space and indoor retailers, including J.C. Penney and Macy's -- with the latest trend in shopping centers, creating standalone stores or blocks of stores that shoppers can virtually park in front of. Some of the new stores would be "lifestyle retailers," some new to Central New York, itching to get into lifestyle centers instead of malls, and the eateries would be "nice restaurants," Macerich executives said.

Pending state approval, Macerich will create a new main entrance to the center with a new traffic light on Erie Boulevard East. That entrance will enter the property where the former Old Navy store was and the road will connect to the upper level of the parking deck, passing new parking spaces and new retail buildings in the process.

DeWitt Town Supervisor James T. DiStefano praised the project and said the town will "do whatever it can" to speed the process along.

Macerich is presenting the plans formally to the town planning board next week.

http://blog.syracuse.com/storefront/2007/03/a_makeover_for_shoppingtown_ma.html

Jobless rate falls as labor force shrinks
Friday, March 30, 2007By Rick Moriarty Staff writer
The Syracuse area's employment picture got a mixed report card Thursday.

The good news from the state Department of Labor: There were about 1,200 more jobs in Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties in February than there were in the same month last year. It represented an increase of 0.4 percent. Most of the increase 1,000 jobs was created by the private sector.

The area's unemployment rate dropped from 5.5 percent a year earlier to 5.1 percent in February, matching the rate in January.

The bad news: The gains were not broadly based. They were concentrated in three sectors: professional and business services; educational and health services; and the leisure and hospitality segment.

The big trade, transportation and utilities sector lost 1,300 jobs between February 2006 and February this year a loss of 2 percent.

Losses in the retail industry accounted for most of the decline. Retail employers eliminated 1,100 jobs, dropping retail employment to its lowest level on record despite pockets of retail growth, such as the Route 31 corridor in Clay.

Other losses occurred in the manufacturing, information and financial industries and in the Labor Department's miscellaneous category of "other services." Manufacturing's loss of 300 jobs helped it set a record low for employment (except for July 2004, when New Process Gear had temporary layoffs).

The big losses in the retail sector took the Labor Department by surprise. They first showed up last month, when the department revised its job estimates for 2006. The new estimates, based on more complete data collected from employers, showed retail losses that had not been picked up in the department's monthly surveys in 2006.

Roger Evans, a labor analyst for the state, said the retail losses are hard to figure. Retail employment had been growing in the Syracuse area until last year, he said.

He cited as possible reasons the region's continuing population decline, consolidations in the retail industry and stores using technology to operate with fewer employees.
Another possibility is that retailers are finding it hard to get people to work for them, he said. Retail is the area's second-lowest paying industry, above only the leisure and hospitality sector.

"It's difficult to get people to work for less than $10 an hour," said Evans.

While the fall in the area's jobless rate was a good thing, even that had a negative side to it, because it was not due entirely to an increase in jobs. Contributing to the lower rate was the loss of 4,000 people from the area's labor force, Evans said.

"That's a strong drop," he said.

The labor force is the total number of people who are either working or are looking for work. When it shrinks, it means the area has fewer people available to work.

A decline in the labor force reduces the unemployment rate because only people who are looking for a job are classified as unemployed. Those who are not employed but are not looking for work are considered out of the labor force and are not counted as unemployed.

Evans said the area could see record low unemployment rates later this year.

Rick Moriarty can be reached at 470-3148 or rmoriarty@syracuse.com.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-8/1175245310210840.xml&coll=1

DeWitt Wegmans will keep growing
Syracuse Post Standard

The flagship store in Wegmans' formidable supermarket portfolio is taking shape in our own back yard.

The new addition to the DeWitt Wegmans eased open last week, adding 18,000 square feet to a store that was already 123,000 square feet.

141,000 square feet, now open, but still under renovation, with Phase I nearly complete in a nine-phase process. It is the largest supermarket Wegmans, a $4.1 billion company, operates.

That phaseopened Tuesday, and into this weekend, customers are guided into it by Wegmans employees.

It contains frozen foods - the upright freezer cases debuting May 16 - groceries and a new, rather imposing beer cooler, which should be stocked by Tuesday or Wednesday, said Enrico Fabrizi, customer service manager.

"And the lighting," said Gary Mitchell, merchandising manager, "is different. It's like the John Glenn store's lighting, shining down, instead of up."

And brighter. Bigger, too, are the hanging signs indicating what's in each aisle.

From ceiling to floor, the look is a bit different. Watch the linoleum roll out and, although they haven't announced it will go all the way into produce, replacing tiles, it likely will.

For now, the nine-phase expansion-renovation is concentrating on the store from the new section on the western end all the way to where the pharmacy/bakery, Nature's Marketplace and ex-video store stand. The store will be moved in sections, the less disruptive the better, thus, the phases, all to be completed by Thanksgiving.

Glad you brought up that Nature's Marketplace. It is moving west in the store and expanding greatly, said store manager Pat Lynch.

"It will be larger, four or five times larger than the current store, with more items, from fresh to frozen," said Lynch. "Much of this renovation is about the synergy between Nature's Marketplace, health and beauty aids and the pharmacy."

A new "tea spot" will offer many different kinds of teas in various forms, said Mitchell.

Look for new dairy cases, a new floral area and a more interactive photo area. It will have six "digital processing pods" for customers to process their digital prints.

Watch for a new way to travel around the store's yawning property. A road will wind along East Genesee Street to within 50 or so yards of the onramp to Interstate 481, with access points to the parking lot along the way, said Fabrizi.

Wegmans, based in Rochester, operates 70 supermarkets, in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.



GE Inspection Technologies Breaks Ground on $6 million project
Syracuse Post Standard

GE Inspection Technologies broke ground this morning on a new $6 million plant in Skaneateles Falls.
GE Inspection Technologies moved to the area in 2005 when it bought Welch Allyn's Everest VIT subsidiary.
The new 65,700 plant on Visions Drive allows for future expansion to 85,700 feet. The company employs 165 and expects to add 50 jobs in the next five years.

New construction: City's first market-rate apartments since '70s
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Syracuse Post Standard

A development team that has completed three office and residential projects in and around historic Franklin Square in the past two years is taking on a fourth the city's first new-construction, market-rate apartments since the early 1970s.

Douglas Sutherland, Ted Kinder and Robert Medina are planning to build a 36-unit, five-story apartment building at 438 N. Franklin St., on the northeast corner of North Franklin Street and Genant Drive, in Franklin Square.

They are hoping to obtain municipal approvals and have financing in place by late summer, allowing construction to start in the fall. Completion of the $11.7 million project is targeted for the fall of 2008.

Rents for the one- and two-bedroom apartments will be $900 to $1,800 a month, with heat, hot water and air conditioning included, Sutherland said. The apartments will range in size from 825 square feet to 1,600 square feet, he said.

Keeping with the area's industrial theme, the apartments will have 11- to 12-foot ceilings and huge windows 8 feet high and 8 feet wide.

"Two windows of ours have more glass than the typical suburban home," said Sutherland.

Even though the building will be new, MacKnight Architects is designing it to look much like the historic buildings that surround it.

A 48-foot metal canopy will hang over part of the front of the building, giving the structure an old-time look and identifying the entrance to its ground-floor commercial space.

It will feature the same orange-red brick exterior as that on most buildings in the square, with the same limestone rock base found on the former O.M. Edwards building (now The Lofts at Franklin Square) and other nearby buildings in the former industrial center south of Onondaga Lake.

A darker-color metal exterior will be used on parts of the building to provide a contrast with the brighter brick color and to give the structure the appearance of having evolved over decades, just as many factories in the area grew with additions built during different architectural periods, Sutherland said.

To add to the "evolved" look, part of the Genant Drive side of the building will be set back slightly to create shadows and the appearance that it was an addition to the building, he said.

"There's some really good quality industrial architecture here," said Sutherland. "We want to take our cues from that."

The fifth floor on the southern side of the building also will be set back, providing room for roof-top decks with sweeping views of downtown.

The site contains a vacant two-story commercial building that will be demolished.

Sutherland said he and his partners considered redeveloping the building. But its poor condition and lack of any interesting architectural features made it a poor candidate for a rehab, he said.

"It's on nobody's historical building list," he said.

Sutherland and his partners specialize in converting old, underused industrial buildings into apartments, commercial space or both, usually using historic tax credits to help finance their projects.

In recent years they have turned the O.M. Edwards building into 92 loft apartments and 35,000 square feet of commercial space, the former Glomac Plastics building in Franklin Square into offices and a warehouse at 230 Willow St., just outside the square, into 48 apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space.

The three partners purchased 438 N. Franklin St. for $400,000 in May last year after hearing that a California investor with no development background was interested in it.

Sutherland said they bought it for defensive purposes, fearing the California investor was a speculator who would let the property decay, harming their $26 million worth of investments in the area. Those investments include $6 million in the Glomac Plastics building, now named The Foundry, across Genant Drive from the project.

Sutherland said he will seek a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the city. Such agreements provide temporary tax abatements on improvements to a property.

He said the development team also will be looking for some form of "gap financing" - a grant or tax credits that close the gap between a project's costs and available private financing.

David Michel, Syracuse's economic development director, said the city is exploring ways to help and could bring the project to the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency soon.

"I like the project," said Michel. "This is really the last building in the southern end of Franklin Square that needs to be dealt with."

Many old buildings downtown have been converted into apartments in recent years, and Center Armory condominiums were built in the early 1990s in Armory Square. But Sutherland and Michel said they could not recall a new-construction, market-rate rental project in the city since Presidential Plaza was built in the early 1970s.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/bus...l=1&thispage=2

Downtown Living
Post Standard

The first public tour of Syracuse's downtown apartments and condos drew many more people than organizers expected more than 2,000 people Saturday.

Even before the doors opened on the exposed brick walls, 13-foot ceilings and timber beams of the Downtown Living Tour, the event had sold nearly 500 tickets. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $12 on Saturday.

By 2 p.m., just two hours into the event, more than 1,500 people had taken the tour, and a continuous stream of people arrived throughout the afternoon.
We printed 1,500 tickets, hoped for 1,000 people, ran out of tickets by 2:30 p.m. and ended up writing 'paid' on programs," said Sandra Barrett, executive vice president of the Onondaga Citizens League and one of more than 100 volunteers who helped to manage the event. She said the weather and advance publicity helped ensure a success that "exceeded all of our expectations," with lines forming outside some of the properties.

The tour included apartments that rent for $600 a month and condos that are priced at more than $200,000.

The Onondaga Citizens League sponsored the tour to complement its new study that calls for even more downtown living 2,500 more new or rehabilitated residences to house 4,000 people. Most of the existing downtown residences are spoken for, said developer Douglas Sutherland, who co-chaired the committee that did the study.

Barrett said one of the tour's goals was to build interest for the future of downtown living.

"I think, ultimately, we hope it will build more civic pride and appreciation in downtown, and, ultimately, our goal is to make more people ambassadors or spokespeople for some of the good things that are happening," Barrett said. "It was very, very positive."

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/city/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1177060456317350.xml

^ That is amazingly good news. Great for downtown Syracuse, with that much interest there's bound to be more rehab/new construction in the not too distant future.

Any renderings of the new apartments/condos?

Any renderings of the new apartments/condos?

No, not any that I'm aware of. Sorry...

O'Brien & Gere to Add 150 Jobs
Syracuse Post Standard

O'Brien & Gere has created a Utility Services Group that will likely hire 150 engineers, managers and technicians over the next two years, company officials said this morning.
The DeWitt engineering company already designs, builds and operates water and waste water treatment plants for industrial clients. The new division may own some plants as well if a client desires, the company said.

O'Brien & Gere has 850 employees, including 400 in Central New York. It has arranged $300 million in financing to buy and finance projects, the company said.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/05/obrien_gere_to_add_jobs.html

Was in Syracuse for the Rudy Giuliani special the other day, and things in Syracuse looked better than I remember in years past...go WNY

Wow, Syracuse is actually starting to impress outsiders. Thanks blangjr21!

Agency OKs home project
Syracuse Post Standard

Fifty-unit development will replace ill-fated Cherry Hill apartment complex. Friday, June 01, 2007By Rick Moriarty Staff writer
A project that will tear down the failed Cherry Hill apartment complex and replace it with a 50-unit town house development is expected to get started this summer.

The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency voted 4-0 Thursday to approve documents that make the townhomes a project of the agency. SIDA is not providing money for the $15 million project, but it and the Syracuse Common Council have approved a payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement for it.

The project, called Maple Heights, is being developed by COR Development Co. and a nonprofit organization, Housing Visions Unlimited.

David Michel, city economic development director, said asbestos will be removed from the 164-unit Cherry Hill complex within a few weeks. After that, the complex will be demolished and the townhomes will be built in its place, he said.

A representative of Housing Visions said the work will start this summer after legal details related to the project's financing are finalized.

Construction will take approximately 18 months, so the town houses would be available for rent in December 2008.

Town house units will have from one to five bedrooms most will have at least three bedrooms. They will be leased to low- and moderate-income families.

Empire State Development Corp., the state agency that owns the 164-unit Cherry Hill complex at 1700 E. Genesee St., closed the complex three years ago after struggles with high vacancies, financial problems and code violations. In September 2004, the state ordered the complex's estimated 70 tenants to move.

Mayor Matt Driscoll said he'll be glad to see the apartment complex torn down and replaced with a better-looking and less densely populated development.

"It's been nothing but a troubled, crime-infested property for many years," he said. "It'll be great news when the wrecking ball hits it."

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/118068840694170.xml&coll=1




City lets nonprofits buy house for $1
Syracuse Post Standard

Syracuse has more than 1,200 vacant properties.

If you're a nonprofit agency, one can be yours for a buck - one U.S. dollar.

The city is starting a program of selling vacant, tax-delinquent homes for $1 to nonprofit agencies that pledge to fix up the properties within two years of the sale.

The first sale under the new program is expected to be approved by the Common Council on Monday, when it votes on the sale of 515-517 Park Ave. to Home HeadQuarters. Home HeadQuarters would pay $151 - a buck for the house and $150 to transfer the title.

Kerry Quaglia, executive director of Home HeadQuarters, said the idea came up during a recent conference call initiated by Mayor Matt Driscoll with nonprofits in Syracuse that work on improving housing. The mayor wanted to know if there was anything the city could do to help the agencies pick up the pace of their efforts.

"The idea surfaced pretty quickly," Quaglia said. "We normally pay the assessed value. So for the Park Street property, that would have cost us about $22,000 just to acquire the house. That would obviously limit how many other properties we could do."

The program is open to any nonprofit. That includes traditional housing groups, such as Syracuse Model Neighborhood Corp. and Jubilee Homes, and also groups that might not yet be involved in housing or might not yet even exist, according to John Gamage, the city assessor.

To ensure groups don't overextend themselves and buy more homes than they can fix, the city is requiring the groups to place some money in escrow, Gamage said. The groups will get the money back if they start the rehabilitation within a year and finish it within two years. The groups must put up the assessed value of the property, or $10,000, whichever is less.

Council President Bea Gonzalez wondered if that was an unfair burden that would slow the housing agencies down.

"I think it is a reasonable safeguard," Quaglia told Gonzalez at a council study session Wednesday. "We're putting up $10,000 instead of $22,000, and eventually getting that money back. So this program is saving us $22,000, no matter how you look at it."

Gamage said the goal of the dollar purchase program is to encourage more groups to invest in the city's housing stock and to get taxpaying residents living in those homes.

"We give up some money upfront," Gamage said. "But if these properties are rehabilitated and reoccupied, the city comes out ahead. We want to see these properties back on the tax rolls."

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1180603123113600.xml&coll=1

Wetlands, I hate wetlands! :mad: Western NY (Rochester and Buffalo) are lucky, since they don't have dozens of wetlands cluttering up their city and suburbs. They look so ugly, are filled with trash and overgrown with weeds...but they are protected! :bash: So much for the State trying to build up the tax base in depressed cities Upstate.

Hopefully, the stupid DEC doesn't kill another project in the Syracuse area.....

New Development Plans Just Off 690

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - It's some of the most visible, vacant land in the City of Syracuse.
NewsChannel 9 has learned a new hotel, retail, and restaurant development could be just around the corner for the 11 acres.

It’s nowhere near the Carousel Center or the inner harbor, but thousands of people drive right past it every day.

Before long, a lot of folks could get off the highway and drive right in.

Driving by on 690, the only development you see so far are the new billboards. They’re hard to miss.

But the Horn Companies already have big plans for all the land beneath the big boards.

Company president Tom Hornstein says, “There'll be some retailers, big box guys looking at it, there'll be some hotels looking at it, and some restaurants that are looking at it.”

Hornstein wouldn't talk about specific restaurants, big box retailers or hotels, but staff to the Syracuse City Planning Commission says preliminary plans have just been submitted for a Hampton Inn to occupy one of the parcels.

A Hampton Inn representative confirms the plans for NewsChannel 9.

In all, the sprawling development will cover 11 acres. Bounded by 690 to the north, Thompson Road to the east, and Erie Boulevard to the south.

The main entrance to the new development will be off Erie Boulevard between Chuck E Cheese and Dougherty Masquerade.

Hornstein says, “Most of the development along Erie Boulevard, from here to Shoppingtown, has already taken place. So this is probably the next big parcel of land that would be available for retailers that are trying to do both the city of Syracuse and the town of DeWitt.”

Some of the land has already been cleared. The development itself could begin to take shape as early as this summer:

“We'll have some announcements to make, probably within the next 60 days,” Hornstein says.

The development may have already cleared one hurdle. A 20 year old map indicates part of the acreage is protected wetland.

But a spokeswoman for the State Department of Environmental Conservation says a new inspection of the property by experts, just last week, shows it is not a wetland. The DEC will make a final ruling on that within the next two weeks.

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=3b29637f-3781-48da-91a8-7be14d9b82fc

Just so you know...this Syracuse news really bores me. The only news I get excited about is thousands of new jobs coming to the area or new construction. Filling up old buildings is nice, but its not my cup of tea. I like to SEE changes. Hopefully, if all these old buildings get filled up, they can finally starting building new ones...that will be exciting news. Until then, all it is is shifting people around....

New life for former Dey Bros.
Developers plan 22 apartments for historic downtown building
Syracuse Post Standard

Another one of Syracuse's historic buildings appears to be on the verge of receiving a boost from downtown's apartment boom.

A branch of city government known as the Syracuse Economic Development Corp. approved an agreement Friday to sell the Dey Bros. building at the corner of Salina and Jefferson streets to developers Robert Doucette and Richard DeVito.

Doucette and DeVito have been at the forefront of downtown's surging housing market, converting space in Salina Street's historic Loew Building into condominiums and space throughout Armory Square into apartments. Neither could be reached for comment Friday.

David Michel, the city's economic development director and chair of the SEDCO board, said Doucette and DeVito have placed a $25,000 deposit on the building. They have 120 days to finalize their plans, at which time either party can break off the deal, although the developers would lose their deposit. If the sale goes through, it would be for an already agreed-upon $7 million, Michel said.

That's more than the $6.1 million value determined by a recent appraisal, Michel said, but significantly less than the nearly $20 million the city has invested in the property since it was purchased in 1991.

In 1994, under the direction of then-

Mayor Roy Bernardi, the city agreed to remove a modern white facade and restore the brick face of the building, which was designed by famed architect Archimedes Russell and built in 1893 as Dey Bros. Department Store.

Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. moved 400 customer service workers into the building in 1995, but moved them out by 2003.

The city still owes about $1.4 million on the building to M&T Bank, and $14.5 million it must repay to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Michel said.

If the sale goes through, the city will use the money to repay the M&T loan, and will place the rest in an account to help offset the HUD repayments.

In the past, HUD has withheld vital Community Development Block Grant money from the city a primary source of funding for many nonprofit programs to cover the city's loan payment. Michel said money from the sale, coupled with additional money the city plans to use from the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, should prevent future CDBG cuts.

"This sale is also important because we believe the building will need significant capital improvements in the near future, and the city doesn't want to have to absorb those costs," Michel said.

The building is currently 53 percent occupied and generates about $1.7 million in rent that had been going to the city. Tenants include the housing agency Home Headquarters, Bank of New York, the New York State Lottery and the local HUD branch office.

Michel said Doucette and DeVito's initial plan calls for keeping the tenants and renovating the empty space into apartments. If and when the existing tenants move from the Dey complex which is actually four separate buildings the newly opened space would then also be converted to residential.

In the first phase of conversions, at least 22 new apartments would be created, Michel said.

Greg Munno can be reached at gmunno@syracuse.com or 470-6084.

Typical....Syracuse gets a small Outlet store that employs only 20 people, meanwhile Albany gets a real store employing over 200....:bash:

L.L. Bean sets sail forFayetteville
Catalog, Internet retailer to open store in Towne Center in September

FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville Towne Center is getting another store to add to its mix of big-box retailers, which includes Target and Kohl’s.

Freeport, Maine–based L.L. Bean, Inc. plans to open an outlet store in late September at the shopping center at 340 Towne Center Drive in Fayetteville. The 15,000-square-foot store will be New York State’s first L.L. Bean outlet location. Fayetteville Towne Center occupies 575,000 square feet on 46 acres.

L.L. Bean operates seven retail stores in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Maine. The retail location in Albany is set to open in early September.

It also operates 13 outlet stores in Virginia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, and Delaware.

Expanding into New York State is part of L.L. Bean’s new retail strategy, says Carolyn Beem, L.L. Bean’s manager of public affairs. While L.L. Bean is growing its reach with both retail and outlet stores, the clothing retailer’s Web site (www.llbean.com) and catalog drive sales, Beem says.

About 80 percent of the company’s sales are generated from its Web site and catalog annually, Beem adds. L.L. Bean generated net sales of $1.54 billion in 2006.

Fayetteville, which shares a similar climate to Freeport, Maine, is the store’s ideal location for that reason, Beem says. Both are active communities that play outdoor, seasonal sports and purchase similar products, she explains.

“It’s a good representation of our customer base,” Beem says.

The outlet store will feature discontinued items and overstocks. More than 21,000 items are sold in L.L. Bean’s stores, Web site, and catalogs. These include clothing, footwear, camping and hiking gear, pet supplies, and outdoor furniture.

The Fayetteville location will employ approximately 20 full- and part-time workers, Beem says. She declined to disclose the store’s projected sales or revenue.

L.L. Bean signed a lease with Fayetteville–based COR Route 5 Company, LLC. The building will undergo some minor renovations including updating its façade and constructing racks and displays. Renovation costs will be “minimal,” says Laurie Brooks, L.L. Bean’s senior public-relations representative.

Leon Leonwood Bean founded L.L. Bean in 1912. The company’s flagship store opened in Freeport, Maine in 1917. The 160,000-square-foot flagship store is open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and attracts nearly 3 million customers annually. Christopher J. McCormick now serves as L.L. Bean’s president and CEO.

http://www.cnybj.com/fullstory.cfm?article_id=5603&return=frontpage.cfm

Want to bet me the L.L. Bean outlet in Syracuse will close due to lack of business within 3 years? Why won't it last in Syracuse?

1. Syracusans, contrary to stereotypes perpetuated by outsiders, know shopping. We look for the best deals, know what we like and don't like. Therefore, if locals go to the L.L. Bean outlet in Syracuse and don't see the "normal" merchandise they sell at their regular stores, they will not come back in the future and continue to order online.

2. The only way to attract people from the northern suburbs or the western suburbs of Syracuse to shop in the eastern suburbs is to create a "destination" type store or attraction that is "worth" the extra 20 minute drive. A normal L.L. Bean store would fit the bill, but a L.L. Bean outlet does not.

Krispy Kreme didn't last in the Syracuse market long because it made the huge mistake of locating only one store on Erie Blvd in the City. Sorry, but no one from the northern suburbs or the western suburbs is going to drive all the way to Erie Blvd just for a Krispy Kreme doughnut. They would have been better off with two locations in the suburbs.

The Syracuse market is like no other. It's the size of a small market, but people think and shop like a big city market. If a retailer comes in and treats us like a small town, chances are it will do lousy business. On the other hand if a retailer comes in and treats the Syracuse market like a Metropolitan area double our size, chances are it will do great business. The Christmas Tree Shop does incredibly good in the Syracuse suburbs. Why? They opened a "real" store here.

I liked that Krispy Kreme on Erie. It was a good stop as I would dodge $0.45 of the Thruway toll by taking I-690 when heading to points east. :D

And another thing I've notice about the Syracuse retail market.....

If a new retailer or restaurant builds a new building, chances are it will attract more customers than if it just located in an existing structure.

Since "new" construction is so rare in the Syracuse area, people always like to check out the "new place". If a retailer just locates into an existing building, it won't attract the attention or give the sense of novelty that a new constructed building will.

I liked that Krispy Kreme on Erie. It was a good stop as I would dodge $0.45 of the Thruway toll by taking I-690 when heading to points east. :D

Glad someone made use of it! :lol: I never did, I have a Dunkin' Donuts like 3 minutes from my neighborhood.

Gov. Spitzer had nothing to do with this good news, it was all Chancellor Nancy Cantor's passion. The only way Gov. Spitzer has affected the Syracuse MSA economy so far is that he stalled SUNY Upstate Medical Center's plan to create hundreds of local research jobs. I thought he wanted to bring jobs to the Syracuse area, not prevent plans to bring new jobs. SUNY Upstate can't move forward with it's plans until it mergers with another hospital and that can take years.

Well, this SU plan may take a few years to go from idea to reality, but at least its a start.....CNY's first job annoucement since Spitzer became Governor.

CNY Lands Tech Center With Hundreds of Jobs
Syracuse Post Standard

JPMorgan Chase plans to make a huge investment in Syracuse University to create a campus financial technology center with hundreds of jobs, SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor said Tuesday.

Beyond that, it also will invest $30 million over 10 years to develop new financial services technology courses and research projects, Cantor said. The plan is to have the curriculum and research up and running by fall 2008 and, shortly thereafter, start construction on the center, she said.

"There is no question this will be big," she said.
This will be no "help center" with low-paying jobs but a home for technology jobs that support the global financial industry, Cantor said.

The center will be in a renovated building on campus or a new building will be built, she said. Until then, the center will be housed in the CASE Center for Science and Technology on campus. Details of the building's cost were unavailable.

The project with the global financial giant will be a pipeline for keeping the best and brightest in the region, she said.

SU and JPMorgan also plan to reach into Syracuse's middle and high schools to get students ready for high-tech jobs, Cantor said. Students from other colleges will have access to the new curriculum too.

"The idea here is to build a diverse work force for the technology for the future, but also to immediately, within the next five years, as we say, create these hundreds of really good technology jobs," she said.

First comes the curriculum, then the jobs, which will build up over time to number in the hundreds, said Frank Bisignano, JPMorgan chief administrative officer and member of its operating committee.
The corporation's technology centers do research and development and technology support, but the real object of this one is the partnership with the university to create a new world-class curriculum, he said.

Cantor said she envisions courses and research that will cut across many of SU's colleges and areas of study. Fourteen faculty members have already traveled to New York City to start developing the curriculum, she said.

JPMorgan is interested in developing new technologies that can be used in the financial services business, Cantor said. The partnership could look to develop new or better voice recognition, security systems or help desk programs or technologies, she said.

State incentives will help make the project happen, Cantor said, but gave no specifics. Bisignano said the venture isn't about state incentives, but they'll pursue whatever is available.

The state and local governments can offer taxpayer-supported help that includes outright grants, low-interest loans, cheap power, public financing and other tax relief, such as the state's Empire Zone tax breaks.

The project has unfolded quickly.

Kimberly Davis, an officer with the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, contacted Cantor and asked to talk to her, Cantor said. Davis knew Cantor and about SU's "scholarship in action" approach to bring the expertise of students and faculty into the community.

JPMorgan was committed to creating a diverse work force Upstate, Cantor said.

Cantor and a couple of others traveled June 4 to the corporation's Manhattan offices, and the ball started rolling. Cantor said specifics still need to be worked out, but the partners are moving so fast they wanted to get the main elements out there now.

The details haven't all been worked out, "but the chancellor has done a great job in bringing resources to the table, and I think we've partnered well together," Bisignano said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1182934974159730.xml&coll=1

From an article today.....

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/NEWS01/706200348

Spitzer called some of the pointed questioning "unfair" and "wrong," then praised the official, Dan Gundersen, for helping to create and retain 14,000 jobs since January in projects around the state.

None of those 14,000 jobs created and retained are in Onondaga County. So far Spitzer is doing what Pataki did, ignore the Syracuse area.....

^^^
Good to hear jobs coming in that way. The Cuse' has really turned around nicely.

My opinion of Spitzer sours more and more every day. He hasn't done shit for Buffalo, Rochester, or Utica either. I didn't "get" him before the election and thusly didn't vote for him (or anybody in that race); and I certainly don't know.

He's pursuing more of that typical "Democrap" and trying to cater to special interests. The passage of that utterly assinine pool alarm law (so you can know either someone who illegally entered your property or your child, who is evidently no longer your responsibility to watch, just drowned without having to leave the house to find out) is a prime example.

Before Spitzer became Governor he talked about luring NYC companies to Upstate cities. I really thought he was passionate enough to make something like that work. I guess not....


JetBlue adds to daily Fla. service
Syracuse Post Standard

South Florida is about to get a lot closer for Central New Yorkers looking for some fun in the sun.

JetBlue Airways said Wednesday it will begin offering a daily flight from Syracuse to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - a three-hour trip - on Nov. 1.

Fares will start at $99 each way. Flights will depart Hancock Airport at 2:15 p.m. and arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 5:20 p.m. Return flights will leave Fort Lauderdale at 6 p.m. and arrive in Syracuse at 9:05 p.m.

The low-cost carrier will be the only airline providing nonstop service to the South Florida city from Syracuse. It currently offers four daily flights to Kennedy Airport in New York City and one to Orlando, Fla., from Syracuse.

The nonstop Orlando service started in July and has proved to be very successful for the airline.

"Our customers kept asking us to add nonstop service to more destinations, and we're happy to provide them with the region's only nonstop to South Florida," said Sebastian White, speaking for JetBlue.

JetBlue also announced Wednesday that it will offer a daily nonstop flight from Buffalo to Fort Lauderdale.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who has been lobbying airlines to expand service in Upstate cities, said the new service will be an economic boon to the region and will free local passengers from having to change planes, endure long layovers and pay high prices when traveling to Florida.

"Today's news is a grand slam for both JetBlue and Syracuse," he said. "Syracuse residents will no longer be inconvenienced by long layovers and astronomical ticket prices to reach Fort Lauderdale."

Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll said the city reached an 18-month agreement with JetBlue that will provide the airline with $266,000 in credits for landing fees and common area charges and $50,000 worth of marketing and advertising as an incentive to provide the new service.

Though Fort Lauderdale is viewed primarily as a leisure destination, the new service will also benefit business travelers, said Kevin Schwab, director of air service development for the Metropolitan Development Association. A significant number of companies in the Syracuse area have business connections in South Florida, he said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/1183021026184080.xml&coll=1

He hasn't done shit for Buffalo, Rochester, or Utica either.

Well, at least your metros are part of this...."create and retain 14,000 jobs since January in projects around the state".

None of those 14,000 jobs are in the Syracuse area.

Buffalo, Rochester and I'm sure Rome/Utica have had big job announcements including these....

-BUFFALO, NY-Upstate gets to hold onto 1,500 of its manufacturing jobs, with help from upstate government agencies.

-ROCHESTER, NY Wayne County company to add 88 jobs
(March 15, 2007) — A Wayne County manufacturer will expand, creating 88 new jobs, state and company officials said today.ERM Thermal Technologies Inc. will spend $4.8 million expanding its Ontario facility where 94 employees currently work.

-ROCHESTER, NY Carestream to create 500 jobs
Carestream Health Inc.—the company being created out of Eastman Kodak Co.’s health group—will create 500 jobs here, bringing its total local employment to 1,300 over the next six years, state officials said today.

-ROCHESTER, NY Pliant to bring segment here, add jobs
Pliant Corp.’s work force in Macedon is expected to grow by nearly 50 as the company moves some operations from Canada to the Wayne County plant.

Seneca River Trail-Way
WTHV

Jun 28, 2007 - The plan for a Seneca River Trail way has been in the works for six years but it's finally moved into the design phase and wil eventually link up to Onondaga Lake Park. It's estimated to cost $585,000 but a $428,000 grant covers most of the trail, which will link neighbors in Radisson, Baldwinsville and Lysander. "They want to bike. They want to rollerblade. They want to hike. They want to jog," says Bob Ellis, chairman of the Town of Lysander's Parks and Recreation Commission. Shauna Roloff says the project is a good idea. "It'd motivate me to exercise a lot more." Designs for the 10 foot wide, five mile long trail are in the approval stage. They're environmentally friendly and are eduactional, too. "We are right on the shore at some points and sometimes we wander away to some wetlands and different habitats," Ellis says. "If I live in Clinton Heights and I want to come to the village and get an ice cream cone, I get in my car and I drive. We're using fuel and adding to pollution. What a great idea, I get on my bike and ride into the village for an ice cream cone." It doesn't look like much now -- only a portion has been built under the Belgium-Cold Springs bridge, but the hope is to make this trail system look like the ones here at Onondaga Lake Park, which are always bustling with activity. Jeffrey Canino says the trail would make exercise a lot less of a hassle. "Especially biking. I'd love to go and do that! It's so hard to get [to Onondaga Lake Park], to bring your bike there, but if [the trail] is right here, I could just go anytime I want." In many ways, Onondaga Lake park is a central hub and the idea is to get people there to take the linked trail circuit into Baldwinsville. "Baldwinsville is a great community. We have a lot to offer here," says Ann Smiley, director of the Parks and Recreation Department for the town of Lysander. "There's great businesses and opportunity for people to come in. The canal, the locks are here. There are wonderful restaurants, there's ice cream stores." The trail way will eventually link the entire peninsula; the extended parts being paid for and put up by housing developers. "Our town is growing in leaps and bounds and so this is just going to be a great thing for everybody," Smiley says. Construction starts next spring and should be finished that fall.

http://wtvh.com/Story.aspx?type=ln&NStoryID=5421

I'm not so sure you can attribute any of these recent job announcements to the Governor. The guy has only been in office for six months and the Onex/Carestream deal was effectively sealed prior to his taking office. Also note that you repeated that deal twice and you're referring to projects in Wayne County as being located in Rochester.

What's more distressing to me is the amount of state dollars going to projects in the Capital District, such as their $300 million convention center, the AMD/Luther Forest chip fab, and the Sematech HQ. Rochester can't even get the state to give us the lousy $4 million to finish our soccer stadium, but how much is Syracuse getting for their new convention hotel? $15 million? Face it, until WNY/CNY secedes from NYS, we're all screwed.

I'm not so sure you can attribute any of these recent job announcements to the Governor. The guy has only been in office for six months and the Onex/Carestream deal was effectively sealed prior to his taking office. Also note that you repeated that deal twice and you're referring to projects in Wayne County as being located in Rochester.

What's more distressing to me is the amount of state dollars going to projects in the Capital District, such as their $300 million convention center, the AMD/Luther Forest chip fab, and the Sematech HQ. Rochester can't even get the state to give us the lousy $4 million to finish our soccer stadium, but how much is Syracuse getting for their new convention hotel? $15 million? Face it, until WNY/CNY secedes from NYS, we're all screwed.

I agree with your points. I was just correcting one false claim. The fact was the Governor touted 14,000 jobs and none of them have happen in the Syracuse area.

Wayne County is part of Rochester's metro, that's why I included it with Rochester. Rochester's suburbs sprawl so much that their suburbs have spilled over into Ontario and Wayne Counties. Sadly, the Syracuse area has barely grown in the last 40 years so our suburbs haven't reached Oswego, or Madison Counties yet.

(opps sorry, didn't realize Onex Corp and Carestream were one company, I corrected it)

OK, not really development, but Rochester reports about it....:nuts:

Jazz Fest finale draws huge crowd
Aretha Franklin grabbed the spotlight long after everyone had grabbed a seat to hear her sing as the closing act of this year's M&T Syracuse Jazz Fest.

Paul and Alsie Abbott from New Jersey set up their chairs behind the reserved area toward the middle of the stage at 6:30 a.m. They schedule their vacation for this time every year.

Why?

"We love it," said Paul Abbott who read about Jazz Fest in Down Beat Magazine eight years ago and has attended every year since. "We love Syracuse. The people are so nice here."

This year marked the 25th edition of Jazz Fest. Franklin, "The Queen of Soul," was Sunday's headliner.

About 40,000 people packed into the back lot at Onondaga Community College and squeezed onto the grassy hill area for Sunday's final day. There were so many people, police had to shut off access to the campus.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/07/jazz_fest_finale_draws_huge_cr.html

Record Crowd Packs Jazz Fest
Onondaga (WSYR-TV) - So many people packed into the OCC Campus, Jazz Fest had to turn away Aretha Franklin fans on the festival's final night.
A spokesperson for the Jazz Fest tells NewsChannel 9 that there were no more places to park inside the festival, and traffic was backed up at all entrances into the festival.

The festival broke a record Sunday night, with more than 40,000 jazz go-ers. The popularity of the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin contributed to the record crowd. Franklin took the stage at 8:00pm. Fireworks were launched following the concert.

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=13567e80-df15-44b8-9696-797bc3f25324



No report in the news about the three day total for the Syracuse Jazz Fest , but with just 40,000 on Sunday night...I can safely say that the total is over 100,000. I didn't think these festivals were special, I grew up thinking every city had huge festivals every weekend of the summer bringing in out-of-towners who stay at local hotels. That's why I never paid much attention to this stuff in the past.

I've always found the Syracuse media and most of the political leaders from the Syracuse area rather backwards in their logic. Focusing on the wrong things, not understanding basic economics and growth, uncaring about how outsiders perceive the region etc. I finally have a theory why this is. Simply put here is my reason: the Syracuse media is based in the city and all the top local political leaders live in the city.

Well... in most parts of the country that wouldn't a bad thing, but here in CNY is it. Why is that? The City of Syracuse is overwhelming populated by blue collar type people. All the more "normal" families live in the suburbs.

So when you have your newspaper (Syracuse Post Standard) located in downtown, major local News affiliates... WSTM (on the north side of the city) WTVH (on the north side of the city) and WSYR is located just outside in the city in a trashy run down commercial area known as Bridge Street in East Syracuse (one of Syracuse's least desirable suburbs)........ it really affects the type of talent you can attract and the mentality of the people who work there.

Then there is the local leadership. Of course, the mayor lives in the city, but so does the County Executive, our State Senator, most of our State Assemblymen, our economic development department is located in the city etc.

--------------

Then look at Albany and Rochester. Most your media is based from the suburbs. Times Union outside Albany, all the TV stations outside Rochester etc. So instead of the fairly narrow minded, less educated, and much less traveled people in Syracuse.... Rochester and Albany has a higher quality media. Which in turn leads to a more knowledgeable, more progressive populous.

Even the leadership....Rochester gets good mayors and CE's, but the Syracuse area is always stuck with Mr. Joe Blow or Mrs. Clueless.


-----------

Like others have said in the past. People in the Syracuse area need to experience a total change in attitude. They need to become more receptive to change, progress, new ideas, thoughts from non-residents. We need to get rid of our current leaders and replace them professional, function oriented people. Who knows how we can change our media... maybe move their operations to suburbs would be a start?

Hopefully, Spitzer will bring so much positive change to Upstate NY that Syracuse's problems with the it's leadership and media will be not be huge factors in the future of our economy.

I'm sticking with this theory until it proves me wrong. I pray that someday it will....

As a point of clarification, the "Syracuse Jazz Fest" isn't important to an urban development forum such as SSC because it's located in the middle of nowhere (OCC campus) and has little to no spinoff effect as a result. This is SkyscraperCity not SuburbanSprawlCity after all. Besides, your fest has not to this point attracted top-level talent. 40,000 went to see Aretha Franklin? Are Syracusans that hard-up for entertainment? Aretha Franklin was the headliner for Rochester's first jazz festival and less than 10,000 showed up for her. Maybe if Syracuse moved their fest downtown, assuming there are suitable venues, then it would make sense to report on it in these forums instead of thumbing your nose at us for being proud of the investment occuring in downtown Rochester as a result.

Also, you're way off with respect to our media being located in the suburbs. All of our print media (D&C, RBJ, City, Daily Record) are in the City; most of our radio stations are in the City; and all television stations except for Channel 13 are in the City. That argument has no merit. And while we may get better mayors, no one has a worse County Executive than Monroe County.

As a point of clarification, the "Syracuse Jazz Fest" isn't important to an urban development forum such as SSC because it's located in the middle of nowhere (OCC campus) and has little to no spinoff effect as a result. This is SkyscraperCity not SuburbanSprawlCity after all. Besides, your fest has not to this point attracted top-level talent. 40,000 went to see Aretha Franklin? Are Syracusans that hard-up for entertainment? Aretha Franklin was the headliner for Rochester's first jazz festival and less than 10,000 showed up for her. Maybe if Syracuse moved their fest downtown, assuming there are suitable venues, then it would make sense to report on it in these forums instead of thumbing your nose at us for being proud of the investment occuring in downtown Rochester as a result.

Also, you're way off with respect to our media being located in the suburbs. All of our print media (D&C, RBJ, City, Daily Record) are in the City; most of our radio stations are in the City; and all television stations except for Channel 13 are in the City. That argument has no merit. And while we may get better mayors, no one has a worse County Executive than Monroe County.

Syracuse's Jazz Fest was downtown for two decades before it was moved to OCC. Top-level talent? Ray Charles isn't good enough for you? Say what you want, but Syracuse's Jazz Fest is a lot more well known and respected than Rochester's. Who cares about spin off in downtown, there are dozens of other festivals held there every weekend. The spin off from the Jazz fest helped fill up the hotels in the region. And since OCC is a better venue than Clinton Square, many more people will visit the area for Jazz fest. BTW, downtown has its own smaller jazz fest called Jazz in the Square...

http://www.jazzinthesquare.org/schedule.asp

Sorry about my wrong info about Rochester's TV stations. I remember seeing WOKR (Channel 13) in Henrietta and for some reason I assumed all the other station where located in Henrietta too. So RNews is in the city too.

I guess what I was trying to say was that Rochester and Albany are very suburban centric, while Syracuse is very city centric. I believe that is a valid reason why the media and leadership is much better in Rochester and Albany than it is in Syracuse. If the City of Syracuse had a more educated and classy population than that wouldn't matter as much. But since most of those people live in the suburbs, it does.

The Syracue Jazz Festival is the largest free Jazz Festival in the Northeast and far surpasses the Rochester Jazz Festival in prestige and the quality of artists that perform there.

Here is a partial list of Syracuse Jazz Festival performers.

A partial list of the international and nationally-known Jazz artists Frank Malfitano and Syracuse Jazz Fest Productions have presented includes: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson, Lou Rawls, Ramsey Lewis Trio, The Funk Brothers, Wynton Marsalis, Weather Report, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Al Jarreau, Harry Connick,Jr., Chick Corea (Akoustic and Elektric Bands), Jean Luc Ponty, Oscar Peterson, David Sanborn, Tuck & Patti, Jimmy McGriff, Hank Crawford, Louis Bellson, Pearl Bailey, Mose Allison, Toots Thielemans, Chico Hamilton, Mark Murphy, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, David Sanborn, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Pete Fountain, The Neville Brothers, Papa Lou Donaldson, Kevin Eubanks, The Heath Brothers, Dr. John, Michael Franks, Gato Barbieri, World Saxophone Quartet, Dave Brubeck,Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra Arkestra, Ahmad Jamal, Freddie Hubbard, Pat Metheny, Spyro Gyra, The Rippingtons, Chuck Mangione, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Yellowjackets, Grover Washington, Jr., The Brecker Brothers, Mose Allison, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, Frank Morgan Houston Person & Etta Jones, Kenny Blake, Kenia, Laurel Masse, Treme Brass Band, Charles Earland, Jeannie & Jimmy Cheatham, Dan Brubeck & The Dolphins, Freddy Cole, Horace Silver, Courtney Pine, Kevin Mahogany, The Jazz Crusaders, Herbie Mann, Donald Harrison, Nick Brignola, Red Rodney, Little Jimmy Scott, Christian McBride, David "Fathead" Newman, Bobby McFerrin, James Carter, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Dorothy Donegan, Rebirth Brass Band, Joey DeFrancesco, Maceo Parker, Paquito D'Rivera, Andy Narrell, Dave Samuels Caribbean Jazz Project, Dirty Dozen Brass Band , Joshua Redman, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Tania Maria, Ivan Lins, Dave Valentine, Eddie Gomez, Stanley Jordan, Flora Purim & Airto, Kirk Whalum, David Sanchez, Leroy Jones, New York Voices, Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, Regal Brass Band of new Orleans, Donald Harrison, Terence Blanchard, Lizz Wright, Jose Feliciano, Jimmy Smith, Nicholas Payton, Najee, T S Monk, Hiram Bullock, Count Basie Orchestra, Will Lee's Birdhouse, Randy Brecker / Bill Evans Soulbop Band, Jaco Pastorius Big Band, Boney James, Lee Ritenour, George Benson, Diane Schuur, Manhattan Transfer, & many more

source http://2007.syracusejazzfest.com

You'll find that Jerome can make anything that happens in any city be better than anything in Rochester....no matter what the actually circumstances are. If you want someone in Syracuse to make the area have better self esteem....have Jerome move there and he'll convince everyone there that they are far superior to Rochester. At least he gave up on the Susie act

my grandmother used to sing at the sycause jazz festival although i think she still goes.

The Syracue Jazz Festival is the largest free Jazz Festival in the Northeast and far surpasses the Rochester Jazz Festival in prestige and the quality of artists that perform there.

Could it be? The most ignorant comment in Jerome's illustrious history? I think so! Look, I don't mean to sabotage the Syracuse thread here, I'm sure there's plenty more to talk about. But let's be realistic. Rochester put on more than 220 concerts over eight days, including at least one major headliner every day of the festival. According to their website, Syracuse had a total of 15 acts over three days. Plus, their fest is all free, meaning it ain't generating much wealth at all. No wonder 40,000 came out to see a well-past-her-prime Aretha Franklin.

Maybe Jerome should have qualified his list noting that it included every single performer in the 20 years of the Syracuse festival. Rochester hosted that many in one week and it'll be even bigger next year. It shouldn't be a surprise though, Rochester is a musical city that is home to the best music school in the country, the Eastman School. There is plenty that Syracuse does well and you should be proud of that. Get over your jealousy and we'll try and get over our pride. Your glass house = broken.

My sercet plan is working!:devil:

I haven't seen a Syracuse thread get this much attention in ages.....

Honestly, I do not know much about the Rochester Jazz Fest. If Syracuse has the largest free Jazz Fest, then Rochester must have the biggest paying Jazz Fest.

Anyway, I'd say that Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse do a good job of holding summer festivals. IMO, festivals are just a bonus for cities. I'd much rather Syracuse focus on attracting thousands of new jobs, so the region can start growing again. No matter how many nationally known festivals or national championships my city has, it won't change the rust belt perception. Only a thriving economy can do that.

Hope we can all agree on that.

National staff recruiter opens Syracuse office
Syracuse Post Standard

Search firm to open a branch office in Armory Square and plans to expand.
24 Seven Inc. could locate its business intelligence office anywhere.

They're headhunters, recruiting for jobs in the fashion, retail, beauty, and entertainment industry. Headquarters are in New York City. Offices are in London, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orange County, Calif.

Next month, Syracuse will join that list.

Why Syracuse?

In part because of the city's location, said Celeste Gudas, 48, a Syracuse native and partner in the company.

"It seems to be a relatively safe city from terrorists, and unforeseen and terrible events," said Gudas. "It's fairly stable. It's earthquake proof. It wouldn't be a center for terrorist attacks."

24 Seven plans to open a business intelligence office in the Bentley Settle building at 120 Walton St., in Armory Square that will employ 25 people initially and grow to 40 by next year. Workers would be paid $30,000 to $50,000 a year to do market research nationally and internationally for clients and find leads, Gudas said.

Gudas, 48, is a Bishop Grimes graduate who grew up in Syracuse. She majored in economics and art at Smith College. After college, Gudas said she thought about going into investment banking, but upon arriving in New York entered the fashion industry instead. She started as an assistant designer at Cluett, Peabody a maker of men's apparel and moved through the industry to become vice president of merchandising and product development at American Legacy, before moving to the recruitment side.

In 2000, she started 24 Seven with her husband Stuart Kagel, and partner Sheilah Hogan. Their company counts among its clients Christian Dior, Talbots, Target, Ann Taylor, Kmart, Zac Posen, Guess Inc., Liz Claiborne, Neutrogena and Polo Ralph Lauren.

The company, which employs 150 workers and has 1,000 freelancers, has grown at a rate of about 40 percent a year, Gudas said. The three partners recently won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2007 in the metropolitan New York area.

Gudas and Kagel and their four children vacation often at their house in Niles on Skaneateles Lake.

After seeing so many companies leave the Syracuse area, Gudas said she felt a need to give back to her hometown.

"With the Internet and telephone capability and the real-time nature of work today, you can really work anywhere," she said. So why not place the office in Syracuse?

The area offers several advantages, she said. Labor and real estate costs are lower here and Central New York's many colleges and universities feed the local talent pool.

"It's a very smart, educated group of people. A lot of people seem to be under-employed to me," Gudas said.

And while she considers the area safer than most, Gudas said, "I think the biggest thing is the people's work ethic."

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/118405818070720.xml&coll=1

City manufacturer moving to air park
Syracuse Post Standard


G.A. Braun, which makes laundry machines, paid $575,000 for the 16-acre site
A maker of commercial washers and dryers that was founded in Syracuse 61 years ago will move to larger quarters at Hancock Air Park in Cicero and create 40 jobs.

G.A. Braun Inc. said Tuesday it will build a 155,000-square-foot building, at a cost of $10 million, after considering sites in other states, including Florida.

J.B. Werner, president and CEO of Braun, said the company has run out of room at 461 E. Brighton Ave., where it has been making laundry equipment for commercial, industrial and institutional customers.
Braun will retain its 80 employees and hire 40 more over the next three years, Werner said. Construction will start within 90 days and should be completed by fall 2008.

Werner said the company decided to stay in New York because of the state's financial assistance, and so it could retain its work force. He said the average employee has been with the company about 12 years.

"We have good local talent, and we didn't want to lose them," said Werner, whose father, Howard Werner, founded the company with G.A. Braun in 1946.

He said the company has been doing well and needs more manufacturing capacity, especially for the larger machines - some of which are up to 40 feet long. Braun's customers include hospitals, prisons, national hotel chains, cruise ships and commercial laundries.

The company considered other sites in Syracuse, but it was not able to find anything in the city that it could build on quickly enough, Werner said.

David Michel, Syracuse economic development director, said he was disappointed to see Braun leave the city but was "glad they're staying in the area."

Empire State Development Corp., the state's economic developing arm, will give the company a $600,000 grant for the purchase of new equipment. The money is coming from the state's manufacturing assistance program.

In addition, the company will be eligible for state Empire Zone and federal Empowerment Zone tax credits, officials said. Braun also receives Empire Zone credits in the city, so that benefit will not be new, though it could increase with the investment in a new plant. Tax credits available in Empire Zones can wipe out a company's state taxes.

The city's permission will be required for Braun to receive Empire Zone benefits in another municipality. Michel said the city will give permission because it sometimes benefits from companies leaving the suburbs to come into the city and because the company's presence in Cicero will benefit the region.

Braun agreed to buy the 16-acre site at Hancock Air Park from Onondaga County for $575,000, but it will receive credits worth about $475,000 toward the purchase of machinery and to offset the cost of removing four Air Force buildings and oil contamination from the soil.

About 20 companies have moved into the park in recent years. Infrastructure improvements and the establishment of an Empire Zone in the park have spurred the recent growth.

The surge has made the park the fastest-growing industrial park in the county.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1184145783304330.xml&coll=1

2 Targets Open Soon
Syracuse Post Standard

Cicero store will have more features than Fairmount's
Two more Target stores are heading to the Onondaga County market, one sooner, the other, later.

And one will have a little more, the other, a little less.

The first one coming is the Cicero store, scheduled to open July 29. It is the heftier of the two, carrying a Starbucks cafe, a pharmacy and a photo lab.
The other new Target store opens in Fairmount Fair shopping center Oct. 14. It won't have a Starbucks, and it won't have a photo lab, but it will have a pharmacy.

I know, I know. That Target in Fairmount sure looks like it wants to open sooner rather than later. Landscaping is going on, lots of signage is up, and they're scurrying around in there like the opening will be before fall.

But no. I checked with Target HQ a couple of weeks ago. They got back to me Monday, but that was after (as several of you have pointed out, but thanks, Sam and acknight) they draped a banner across the Fairmount store. Yes, opening Oct. 14.

(Aside to Sam: Yep, Store Front wasn't in on Friday and last Wednesday 'cause I was on the lam. Usually, there's a blurb saying that, but it was on the lam, too. Thanks for noticing.) By the way, the remarkable turnaround of Fairmount Fair, from Benderson Development, is already beginning to show with the Target store a beaut and the ensuing revival of the rest of the plaza.

Work on the Michaels crafts superstore is humming along. It's on the eastern end of the plaza, facing Wegmans and next to the Marshalls.

You've got your signage up on the new PetSmart store landing in the plaza down near the former P&C Foods. And that? Benderson is trying to persuade Kohl's to take that footprint, a bit smaller than Kohl's typically likes but Kohl's? that's a smaller Target, too (see above). So size doesn't matter.

Panera Bread also is still looking to land in Fairmount, but some other configuring is necessary. Bed Bath & Beyond may also be zeroing in on Fairmount, which would also be a nice fit for the plaza and the western suburbs. Now somebody find us a big bookstore. That's all I have to say about that. .....

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/1184145756304330.xml&coll=1

Sounds like a sad joke, but this is reality for CNY. Instead of that huge impressive Bi-tech center on SU Hill....we get delays and maybe, just maybe...someday a 40,000-square-foot building. Wow.:ohno:


CNY's one-man biotech center is growing
Syracuse Post Standard

First grant, first new employee are signs of progress, director says.

John Fieschko is still looking for a home for the biotech center.

You remember the biotech center, don't you? The Central New York Biotechnology Research Center?

It was announced in 2002 by then-Gov. George Pataki, who promised $20 million in state money to help build it.

According to Pataki and state university leaders, the center was to reside in a new $80 million facility in Syracuse, where researchers would work with plants and animals to develop new medicines and new products and spin off all kinds of new businesses.

Fieschko, who signed on as executive director of the biotech center in August 2005, has spent the past two years working to bring that grand vision to life. He is still the lone employee of the center, which is housed in his one-room office.

But there is progress to report.

Fieschko (pronounced FISH-ko) recently received his first research grant, a $250,000 award to test a novel, energy-efficient filtration system that can be used in a variety of processes, including fermenting ethanol.

The grant, which comes from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, will allow Fieschko to hire his first employee, who will do the lab work. He sees it as a positive first step.

"If another grant comes in, then I can hire another person." Fieschko said. "I'm building piece by piece. As I get more people, I can do more projects. It's much more of a brick-by-brick approach than I expected."

What he expected was to oversee construction of a $35 million building - the first of three buildings costing $80 million - on a site just west of Weiskotten Hall on Irving Avenue.

The site was selected in 2002 by leaders of SUNY Upstate Medical University and the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which partnered to create the biotech center.

That site turned out to be impossible to build on.

Although it was conveniently located between Upstate and ESF, it was on a steep hillside and contained underground steam, gas and electric lines, said Cornelius "Neil" Murphy Jr., president of ESF and chairman of the biotech center's board of directors.

Architects determined that it would be prohibitively expensive to build around the utility lines. And Syracuse University, which controls the steam line as well as a seat on the biotech center's board, objected to building there, Murphy said.

After abandoning Irving Avenue last

year, Fieschko and Murphy set their sights on acquiring two downtown buildings known as Peck and Reid halls. But when the buildings were auctioned last month, Fieschko was outbid by private investors.

So it's back to the drawing board.

King & King Architects have been retained to evaluate six new sites in and around Syracuse as potential homes for the biotech center, Murphy said. The plan is to build a 40,000-square-foot building with labs, offices and space for business incubation.

Eventually, the center could expand to 80,000 or 120,000 square feet, he said.
King & King are due to recommend a site in August.
We hope that we're going to have an answer by early fall," he said.

The $20 million in state money is still waiting, and would cover most of the cost of construction, Murphy said.

There is $15 million in the SUNY construction fund that was set aside by Pataki. Another $5 million was appropriated by the Legislature and is available from the state Dormitory Authority.

The biotech center will seek another $5 million from the Legislature to help outfit the building, Murphy said.

In the meantime, Fieschko is pursuing research projects to help flesh out the center's mission. These, too, are not quite what he expected when he started the job.

Founded by Upstate Medical University and ESF, in concert with business groups and other colleges, the biotech center has a dual research focus: developing new human health therapies and developing new products from biological materials.

Fieschko, who had helped develop blockbuster drugs for pharmaceutical company Amgen Inc. in his previous career, arrived here thinking that his main focus would be on the medical side.

Gradually, that focus has shifted more toward renewable energy and bio-products.

"Since I got here almost two years ago, the price of oil skyrocketed and so much emphasis has shifted to alternative fuels," Fieschko said. "So a lot of my work has been focused on that area."

In his current research project, Fieschko is working with two Southern Tier companies to test a ceramic filtration system that will be used to make ethanol and biodegradable plastics from wood. The Hilliard Corp., of Elmira, makes the filtration system, and Corning Inc., makes the ceramic filter material.

He'll test the filter using fermentation equipment at the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry. If the filter performs well, it would be adaptable to a variety of processes besides making ethanol and bioplastics, Fieschko said.

In another energy project, Fieschko recently applied for a grant to study the conversion of glycerol - a byproduct of biodiesel production - to butanol, a liquid fuel. Fieschko hopes to do that research in conjunction with Rondaxe Pharma LLC, of Syracuse, and Morrisville State College, which plans to build a biodiesel facility.

He is working up another grant proposal to investigate the potential for using waste liquid from the cheese industry - which is rich in lactose, a sugar - to make fuels like ethanol or butanol.

"The agricultural biotechnology is not something I necessarily envisioned when I first got here, but it's becoming the major first focus area for me," Fieschko said.

Not that he has abandoned medical research.

Fieschko has teamed with local manufacturers Welch Allyn Inc. and Tessy Plastics Corp. on a grant proposal to look at using plant-based materials instead of petroleum-based plastic to make disposable parts for medical implements.

And he is exploring possible research projects in connection with the umbilical cord blood bank that has been proposed for Syracuse. He plans to organize a conference on stem cells and regenerative medicine next fall.

Last year, working with the biotech center, Rep. James Walsh, R-Onondaga, helped secure $1 million in federal funds to support a variety of research at SUNY Upstate, ESF and Syracuse University.

Fieschko said he wants the biotech center to be a catalyst between business and academia, to spark job creation.

After erecting a building, the biotech center will still face the challenge of finding operating funds. The independent non-profit organization has no regular source of operating funds, Murphy said. Most of its money to date has come from a $500,000 grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. in October 2005.

Murphy said the center expects to pull in more funding from businesses and from research grants, but will probably also seek some of its operating funds from the state.

"I wish we were a year ahead of where we are, but I think we're making progress," Murphy said. "I think the visibility will be substantially enhanced once we locate physically where the center will be going."

Syracuse company moving to Hancock Air Park, Cicero
Posted by Rick Moriarty July 10, 2007 5:39PM
A maker of commercial washers and dryers that was founded in Syracuse 61 years ago will move to larger quarters at Hancock Air Park in Cicero, where it will create 40 new jobs.

G.A. Braun Inc. said Tuesday it will build a $10 million, 155,000 square foot building at the northeast corner of General Irwin Boulevard and Stewart Drive in the park, an industrial and commercial park that has grown out of the former Hancock Air Force Base.

J.B. Werner, president and chief executive officer of Braun, said the company has run out of room at 461 E. Brighton Ave., where it has been making laundry equipment for commercial, industrial and institutional customers for 51 years.

It will retain its 80 employees and hire 40 more over the next three years at the new plant, he said. Construction will start within 90 days and should be completed by the fall of 2008, he said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/1184146001304330.xml&coll=1



Syracuse development...moves slower than a snail :bash:

The Syracuse Post Standard really twists stories by using a catching headline. :shifty: For example, if I wrote this article, I would not make the main topic about Congel not wanting to pay taxes. Rather, this story is about Congel dropping the high tech research park in Onondaga County. And instead building the scientific research center in Wayne County....which is in Rochester's metro.
I hope I'm wrong about my assumption....


Congel: Don't tax Wayne County resort
Syracuse Post Standard

Mall developer Robert Congel plans to turn his Wayne County resort and game preserve into a tax-exempt scientific research facility, a move that could cost property taxpayers there as much as $500,000, one local official said.

Congel announced his intentions at a July 3 meeting with county, school and town officials held at Pyramid Cos. headquarters in Syracuse, according to people who attended the meeting, including Savannah Supervisor Donald Colvin.

Colvin said this week Congel indicated he was frustrated with a lack of cooperation in his attempts to take over three town roads -- Trolley, Noble and Merrigan roads -- that bisect the Savannah Dhu property.

"He's not interested in the roads any longer," Colvin said. "He was disappointed he didn't get them, and he's making other arrangements."

Destiny spokesman David Aitken confirmed Congel no longer wants the roads. Aitken said Congel has since changed his views on what he wants Savannah Dhu to become, namely a scientific research facility with a "social mission."

"The focus and principle is creating something that is significant in scope and scale toward the social mission that represents the usage of the facility," Aitken said of Savannah Dhu. "That goal is one that has evolved over time ... and is much more significant today than it was a year ago. So that is the issue that's being focused on right now."

Aitken would not discuss details but did say that the facility has served increasingly as the base for research into renewable energies technologies and sustainable designs to be used in Congels planned Destiny USA retail, hotel and entertainment development.

Savannah Town Clerk Julie Carey said the resort paid about $160,000 in taxes to the town and county this year. In 2006, county officials estimated Savannah Dhu would pay about $382,000 in county, school and town taxes in Savannah, Galen, Butler and Rose that year. An updated total was not available.

Clyde Mayor Roxanne Kise estimated Savannah Dhu would pay about $500,000 in taxes this year. She said that although none of the resort's property is in the village, Clyde and Savannah share a school district and if the resort pays less, village taxpayers would have to help pay taxes the resort once paid.

Savannah Assessor Linda Wright said no one from Congel's organization has contacted her about a tax exemption for Savannah Dhu. If Congel files for a tax exemption, the property must meet state guidelines to qualify.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/07/congel_dont_tax_resort_in_wayn.html


Now all the Congel haters are hot under the collar. :lol:

^^ Now you know why so many people in the region are against new development and progress. The Syracuse media casts a negative light on every major development in CNY.

Small stuff...

Bryant & Stratton plans expansion
Syracuse Post Standard
Bryant & Stratton College plans a $1.9 million expansion of its Clay campus to accommodate a gradual enrollment increase over the next five years or more.

"This is something that we have been discussing for two years now. We have been in our current location for 10 years and we made a commitment in early 2006 that we were going to stay in this community for quite some time," said Susan Cumoletti, Syracuse North Campus director.

If the expansion goes through, it will allow the college to eventually accept 200 to 300 more students at the Clay campus over the next several years, Cumoletti said. Current enrollment is about 500, she said......
REIT will pay for the expansion, and the college will spend another $300,000 to $400,000 for technology and other related improvements, Cumoletti said.

The project will include remodeling and adding 9,500 square feet to the 28,000-square-foot building on Carling Road. The plan is to start construction in August and finish by the first week of January, Cumoletti said.

The addition will include eight new classrooms and two computer labs, a student lounge and a 1,500-square-foot library.

The college's Professional Skills Center, now located at its James Street Campus, will move north to open up more office and administration space on James Street, Cumoletti said.

The new parking spaces will replace spaces lost when the building is expanded, Balcer said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/118423171466210.xml&coll=1



Trail Plan Comes Naturally
Project would extend Onondaga Lake canalway path
Syracuse Post Standard

The county Legislature Facilities Committee is to review the proposal at its meeting at 11 a.m. at the Onondaga County Courthouse, the first step in a process that could lead to a vote by the full Legislature as soon as Aug. 8.

With Legislature approval, the project could go out to bid by mid-August, as long as needed Army Corps of Engineers and state Department of Transportation permits are issued by then, said Tim Coley, who is managing the project for the county Department of Transportation. Officials hope to open the extension by spring 2009.

"I think it's something that's got a great deal of support from the Legislature and the community," said Legislator William Meyer, R-Cicero, whose Ways and Means Committee may examine the proposal Friday. "I think it's going to pass."

The project would continue the Loop the Lake plan that's been in the works since 1987. County officials hope to eventually provide recreation trails around the lake and connect them with the Onondaga Creekwalk and other proposed and existing trails across the region.

The extension would be built on land created decades ago when the predecessors of Honeywell Corp. dumped industrial leavings from the Solvay Process into a diked-off section of Onondaga Lake. The territory includes Lakeview Point, the thumb of land that jabs into the lake from the west shore.

The macadam surface would be built in such a way as to disrupt the natural setting as little as possible, except to prune some trees to provide better views of the lake and city, Geraci said. A bridge would be built to span Nine Mile Creek, which flows into the lake about two-thirds of the way along the west shore. Railings would protect users along high points of the trail. A new parking area at Exit 7 will accommodate cars at all times except when the state fair is going on.

The completed extension would open to walkers, runners, bicyclists and skaters, but not motor traffic.

Federal Highway Administration Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds approved in 2000 would provide about $2.85 million of the needed funding. The rest would come from penalties paid by Pepsi Bottling Group after the company admitted in 2004 that it had illegally dumped products and waste into a storm drain that emptied into Ley Creek, Pirro said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-11/118423206066210.xml&coll=1

On your Savannah project story, that is certainly not in the Rochester area. Savannah is about 15-20 miles east of Newark/Lyons area in Wayne County, and I would consider that part of the Syracuse/Auburn area.

On your Savannah project story, that is certainly not in the Rochester area. Savannah is about 15-20 miles east of Newark/Lyons area in Wayne County, and I would consider that part of the Syracuse/Auburn area.

The commute is much easier to Savannah from the Southeast suburbs of Rochester than it would be from Syracuse's northwest suburbs. So I see the Rochester area attracting more of the spin off of this project.

Plus, Savannah is in Wayne County and anything that happens in Wayne County is technically in the Rochester Metropolitan Area.

An exciting suburban development....


Hinsdale Road Group sought the tax deal for $55 million project in Camillus.
Syracuse Post Standard

The developer of a proposed $55 million office, retail, entertainment and apartment complex in Camillus received preliminary approval Thursday of its request for financial assistance from the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency.

The agency's directors voted 5-0 in support of the project by Hinsdale Road Group LLC, which is a creation of Cameron Group LLC.

What the developer proposed is a complex with more than 750,000 square feet of space on an undeveloped 67-acre parcel north of Route 5, between Hinsdale Road and Bennett

Plans include 150 to 200 apartments, a 125-room hotel, 350,000 square feet of retail space, and 60,000 square feet of office space, movie theaters with stadium seating and restaurants, said Kevin Eldred, a partner in the project with Joseph Goethe.

Other developers have considered building on the property over the years, but they have been hampered by the presence of underground gas and oil lines, aboveground electrical transmission lines on the northern end of the site and the cost of improving surrounding roadways to handle increased traffic.

The vote by OCIDA means the agency could provide financing to help the developer pay for a portion of the $5 million in roadway improvements the state is requiring in exchange for permission to run an access road off the Hinsdale Road exit on Route 5.

Cameron is seeking a payment in lieu of taxes agreement, but one that would provide no property tax discount for the project. However, a portion of the payments the developer would make over the 20-year term of the agreement would be diverted to pay off bonds sold to finance $3.4 million of the road improvements, said attorney Kevin McAuliffe, who is representing Cameron.

The remaining $1.6 million in improvements would be financed through a special taxing district created by the town and funded by the developer, he said.

McAuliffe said the project would result in an estimated $31.8 million in property tax revenue for the town, school district and county over 20 years. Without the project, the undeveloped property would generate $944,000 over the same period, he said.

Further approvals by the agency will be required before any assistance is provided. Donald Western, OCIDA's executive director, said the agency must first determine if the proposal conforms with its policy regarding retail projects.

Since July 2, there has been no state law barring industrial development agencies from assisting retail projects. But the agency has a policy of not assisting projects that are primarily retail unless there is a "compelling reason" to do so, Western said.

McAuliffe said the difficulties of developing the site and the substantial cost of required roadway improvements provide that reason.

Board members said they were willing to provide preliminary approval as long as the developer understood that final approval was subject to further review.

"We understand there are many, many hurdles in front of us, including a final resolution of this agency," McAuliffe said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/11843187613530.xml&coll=1


Small suburban developments

...$7 million retail and restaurant development that Chuck Hafner's Farmers Market Inc. plans to build at the northwest corner of West Taft Road and Buckley Road in Clay. ...
Hafner said he plans to open the complex in March 2009 and close the existing market, which is directly across Buckley Road.


....a $12.9 million, 155,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that will be built for G.A. Braun Inc., a maker of commercial and industrial laundry equipment, in Hancock Air Park in Cicero. VIP Structures will design and build the facility for Braun, which plans to move from Syracuse, its home since it was founded 61 years ago.

Rooms with a view
Syracuse Post Standard

Two old, industrial warehouses will be transformed into a $9 million, 47-unit upscale apartment house, as the surge in residential development in downtown Syracuse spreads to the city's lakefront.

Dan Queri and Mark Congel the developers of the Amos Building in Clinton Square plan to begin work this year on The Amos @ City Harbor, which will feature apartments with 1,300 to 3,000 square feet of living area, concierge service, an exercise room, indoor parking and a skyline view that takes in the city's lakefront, North Side and downtown.

Tenants will be able to see that view not only from their windows, but also from a rooftop patio and garden.

The project is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008 and will aim at established professionals and empty-nesters looking to trade their suburban homes for an urban lifestyle but one with lots of conveniences and almost as much living space as they are used to.

"We've had very good success with the Amos, but we also realized we missed a certain demographic because the units weren't large enough," said Queri, a former Disney executive who worked for Robert Congel on the Destiny USA project before teaming up with Mark Congel to convert the historic and long-vacant Amos building, a block from Clinton Square, into apartments.

Queri and Congel say the apartments are the first part of their plan to redevelop the entire block. The apartments will be built in two interconnected, four-story industrial buildings at the northwest corner of West Division and North Clinton streets. That's about half-way between Franklin Square and the Syracuse Inner Harbor, a former Barge Canal terminal targeted for redevelopment into a commercial and recreational attraction.

One of the buildings - a wood-framed structure with a brick facade - was built in the early 1900s and housed a factory that made hand-cranked washing machines, Queri said. The other, a concrete building that also has a brick facade, was built in the 1930s as a warehouse.

Four of the units will have two stories. Three of the large, end units will feature a uniquely urban appointment: an elevator that opens right inside the apartment.

Although plans for the finishing touches are not yet complete, all units will include solid stone countertops, custom wood cabinets, washers and dryers, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves and garbage disposals, Queri said.

Mayor Matt Driscoll hailed the project as a "seed" that will draw more development to the lakefront and create interest in the nearby North Salina Street and West Side neighborhoods. Driscoll said he already is talking to other developers about projects.

"We can feed off this and market it to other areas," he said.

Driscoll said the city will spend $1 million from its lakefront development fund to upgrade the streets around the development.

David Michel, the city's economic development director, said the improvements will include new lighting, sidewalks and trees and will make the streets resemble the recently rebuilt Solar Street, which borders the west side of the block.

"It's going to be the linkage - sort of an extension of Franklin Square - to the Inner Harbor," Michel said.

The lakefront development fund was created from a $5.4 million project fee paid by Robert Congel in March to the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, in connection with his expansion of Carousel Center mall.

Driscoll said the expenditure of $1 million from the fund will benefit all surrounding blocks, not just the project that the mall developer's son is involved in creating.

"It really doesn't have anything to do with Mark," the mayor said. "It has to do with economic development. The whole point was to use the fund to redevelop the area."

Rents for the new apartments haven't been set yet but will range from about $1.30 to $1.35 a square foot - about what apartments in the central business district and Franklin Square are renting for on a per-square-foot basis, the developers said.

But the apartments will be much larger than most downtown units. The average size of the 19 apartments at the Amos, for example, is 1,000 square feet.

"They will be market rents," said Congel. "These are people who are going to want the amenities, and they're going to want to pay for it."

Queri and Congel have purchased most of the properties on the 4.7-acre block and have a master plan that extends beyond the apartment house.

On the drawing board are plans to construct 18 to 22 town homes on the northwest corner of the block, at Solar and Spencer streets - each offering 1,800 to 2,500 square feet of space and two-car garages. They will be priced in the $250,000-to- $450,000 range, the developers said.

"The rental market is good, but to have a strong downtown community, you need an ownership market," said Queri.

On the northeast corner of the block, at North Clinton and Spencer streets, 45,000 square feet of new commercial space is planned. A 5,000-square-foot former city fire station, now vacant, will be leased as office space, the developers said.

The project is being designed by McKnight Architects and Ted Brown, a professor of architecture at Syracuse University.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-9/118449228449530.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

OCC thinks big with this 5-year plan
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College wants to attract more students, bring community closer
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Sunday, July 29, 2007By Nancy Cole Staff writer
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Onondaga Community College, which recently completed $31.5 million worth of campus projects, has developed a new $129 million building plan to appeal not only to students but also the public.

The massive proposal touches on all areas of campus life, including academics, arts, culture, technology and recreation. It includes more residence halls, a satellite campus in the northern suburbs and other improvements for the 9,000-plus students attending OCC.

The plan also attempts to draw the college and community closer. One proposal is to create a bed-and-breakfast with a restaurant that would be student-operated and open to the public. Another idea is to partner with an organization like the Greater Syracuse YMCA to build a large community recreation center.

This next phase does have a lot of appeal and a lot of pizzazz," said OCC President Debbie Sydow.

Funding for OCC's entire master plan is not guaranteed. A mix of county, state and private dollars would pay for the

projects, Sydow said.

The college's board of trustees approved the 2008-2013 plan last month. The Onondaga County Legislature approved it July 3. OCC has forwarded it to the State University of New York Construction Fund for consideration as SUNY puts together a proposal for its next round of capital funding, Sydow said.

The state pays for 50 percent of community college capital projects with the expectation that the remaining 50 percent is matched by a local sponsor, like Onondaga County in OCC's case, or private and/or federal dollars.

Setting the priorities

Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro said county and college officials will work together to establish priority projects. In doing this, officials should follow the college's mission of educating county residents for available local jobs, he said.

"This provides a framework, a map of possibilities," he said.

Pirro said he was not surprised by the plan's $129 million price tag, but added that likely not all the projects will be done because there is only so much money to go around.

The 2003-2008 master plan included about $79 million in projects. The college received funding for $31.5 million, which it completed. Some of the remaining projects have been rolled into the new plan and others have been scrapped, Sydow said.

College officials plan to raise funds for some projects, such as the on-campus relocation of the Children's Learning Center, which provides child care for OCC students and some college employees and serves as an educational facility for students. That project is expected to cost about $2 million. About $1.5 million should come from fundraising, Sydow said.

"We understand that public funding is becoming more difficult to secure," Sydow said. Forging partnerships The college is exploring a partnership with the Greater Syracuse YMCA to help build and operate a proposed $20 million community recreation center. Sydow and Hal Welsh, executive director of the Greater Syracuse YMCA, traveled Thursday to Jamestown Community College to visit the facility it shares with the Olean YMCA.

The Syracuse YMCA has been looking at the western suburbs, but no decisions have been made yet, Welsh said. His main concern is making sure that families and youth are served, he said.

"The agreement would have to be win-win for both sides," Welsh said of a potential partnership.

David W. Murphy, OCC board of trustees chairman, said college officials made community access a priority in the new plan.

"A large part of our mission as by our name, community college has to do with ensuring that we're sensitive to that both on a campus perspective and a community perspective," Murphy said.

Sydow said athletic facility and field upgrades will be among the first projects tackled in the master plan, along with continuing to upgrade classrooms.
More dorm space

The master plan calls for more students to live on the Onondaga Hill campus. Three on-campus residence halls with 499 student beds, costing about $19 million, were opened in the fall. One hundred more beds are being added for the fall by converting some single and double rooms to doubles and triples, Sydow said. The college has a waiting list with 800 paid deposits for the 599 beds, she said.

The master plan recommends constructing two more three-story residence halls to accommodate an additional 330 students. The residence halls are owned and operated by a nonprofit housing corporation whose board membership includes several OCC officials, so the cost of the project is not included in the master plan.

One reason college officials wanted on-campus housing was to attract Onondaga County residents who opted to attend a community college elsewhere. When that happens, Onondaga County must reimburse the other county for the cost of educating that person. In 2006, Onondaga County paid other counties $1.6 million for that reason, according to the county's budget and finance office.

There were 9,394 students enrolled in OCC courses for fall 2006, including 8,756 Central New York residents. There were 192 Cayuga County residents enrolled, 69 from Cortland County, 225 from Madison County, 88 from Oneida County, 7,430 from Onondaga County and 752 from Oswego County. The remaining students were from elsewhere in the United States and from foreign countries.

The college's 2003-2008 master plan focused mostly on updating the campus's 30-year-old buildings and improving infrastructure. The college paid JMZ Architects and Planners and Appel Osborne $78,500 to complete the new master plan.

"This campus has really achieved the operational goals that we've established, and now we're finally at a stage of being able to take that next step, and that next step is one more step toward giving students that whole college experience," Sydow said.

Nancy Cole can be reached at ncole@syracuse.com or 470-2173.


http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1185703235105220.xml&coll=1

And people wonder why nothing changes around here....:ohno:


Councilor delays vote on building
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If council deems it a historic site, Ronald McDonald House can't tear it down.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007 By Greg Munno Staff writer
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The Syracuse Common Council on Monday appeared ready to designate 1100 E. Genesee St. a historic site, a move that could hinder plans to demolish the building and build a new Ronald McDonald House for the families of ill children.

Common Councilor Pat Hogan used a procedural tactic to delay the vote until the next council meeting, Aug. 20.

Hogan said he doesn't want anything to stand in the way of the efforts of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York. He said he believed the property would have received historic designation by a 5-4 vote.


"So I decided to object and buy some time to give my colleagues more time to educate themselves and for the public to have its say," Hogan said after the meeting. "Ronald McDonald House provides a wonderful service, a needed service in Central New York, and the demand will only go up now that the children's hospital is being built" at University Hospital.

Beth Trunfio, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York, said she will continue to try persuade the other councilors.

Trunfio said the charity underwent an extensive search for affordable property near the hospitals and that there were few options other than 1100 E. Genesee St., across the street from its present location. She said remodeling the building at 1100 E. Genesee, an example of Second Empire architecture, isn't feasible.

"There are Ronald McDonald houses in old buildings, like the one we have now, but we have a crucial need for a state-of-the-art facility that's built from the ground up," she said. "We need room for 35 guests because of the demand. We need to accommodate people with disabilities. We need to address privacy concerns. We need to be close to the hospitals."

Trunfio said her organization has already bought the property. The drive to have it designated historic began after the closing, she said.

Bill Ryan, the Democratic majority leader, said the council's role in the matter is narrow.

"Our role is to say whether we agree or disagree with the Landmark Preservation Board's ruling that the house on the property is, in fact, historic," Ryan said. "We're not supposed to consider the consequences of that ruling. In my mind, it's pretty clear the house does have historic value . . . "

Also Monday, the council unanimously approved spending $959,000 for new police cars. Ryan, who is also the chair of the Public Safety Committee, advanced the measure, despite being unhappy about the way the department uses its vehicles.

He said the Police Department has 306 cars, 47 of which are taken out of the city each night by officers who have been given "take-home" cars and live in the suburbs.

Ryan said he will request that the mayor examine the issue of take-home cars.

"How can that many take-home cars be justified?" Ryan asked. "And that's just the officers who live outside of the city. How many more in the city have take-homes?"

Ryan said giving take-home cars to officers who live outside the city makes little sense.

"If the idea is to cut down on response times, then make them live in the city," Ryan said. "Right now, the chief of police lives in Marcellus. If there is a major crime, he's 20 minutes away. I have a problem with that."


http://www.syracuse.com/articles/city/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1185872330287320.xml

And right out of the blue comes this news........:nuts:

Private firm approaches SU with plan for new football stadium

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An unknown, private development firm recently contacted Syracuse University with plans for a new football stadium, SU athletic director Daryl Gross confirmed to The Daily Orange in a telephone interview Thursday afternoon.

An anonymous source contacted The D.O. late Wednesday night with initial information.

"Recently a private developer approached the University and expressed interest in conducting a feasibility study related to an idea they had for a new privately-financed athletic stadium," Gross wrote in a statement to The D.O. "Private developers frequently approach the University with ideas and we indicated to this developer that they could conduct a feasibility study at their own cost.

"It is very premature to consider this a University project, as this is simply a concept that has been advanced by a developer. We expect that the developer will discuss the results of their feasibility study with us once it has been completed."

The Carrier Dome, the largest on-campus domed stadium in the United States, opened in 1980.

Gross also confirmed a statue of 1961 Heisman trophy winner Ernie Davis will be completed in the next six months. Private donations paid for the cost of the statue.

No other information on the potential stadium or the statue is available at this time.

http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2007/06/05/Sports/Private.Firm.Approaches.Su.With.Plan.For.New.Football.Stadium-2929209.shtml

Developer: Armory Square building is 'ready to roll'

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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By James T. Mulder Staff writer
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Developer Joseph Hucko said Tuesday he has tenants lined up for 60 percent of the office space in a proposed mixed-use building he plans to build in Armory Square in downtown Syracuse.

"We are ready to roll," Hucko told members of the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency at a meeting in City Hall.

The agency voted 4-0 to assist the project at 500 S. Clinton St. and is expected to consider his request for a $600,000 loan and a payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement at its next meeting. Onondaga County has agreed to provide a $1 million grant to help cover its parking costs

Jefferson Clinton Commons, to be built on a parking lot across the street from the Hawthorn Suites hotel, will include 18 residential condominium units priced from $200,000, and about 53,000 square feet of office and retail space.

Hucko's group, Washington Street Partners, expects to start on the $21.25 million project this fall, according to David Michel, the city's economic development director.

In other actions, SIDA:

Scheduled a public hearing for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 25 in Common Council Chambers in City Hall on a request from the developers of The Amos at City Harbor for a payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement.

Authorized a $5,000 donation to the Central Upstate Regional Alliance for its 2008 business plan competition.

Agreed to let the Regional Market Authority use a vacant, SIDA-owned lot at 1101-1111 S. Salina St., Syracuse, for a mobile farm market.

Increased the amount of tax-exempt bonding for the Masonic Lofts project on Montgomery Street. It is going to be redeveloped into apartments. SIDA previously approved $3.5 million in tax-exempt bonds for the project. It raised that amount to $5 million.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-10/118777362745500.xml&coll=1

Schumer lobbies Delta to improve Syracuse-Atlanta service
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Posted by James T. Mulder
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August 23, 2007 4:59PM

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D.-N.Y., isn't wasting any time letting Delta Air Lines' new CEO know he is unhappy with the carrier's service between Syracuse and Atlanta.

Schumer fired off a letter today to Richard H. Anderson, just three days after Delta named Anderson CEO. Schumer asked him to make improving the Syracuse-Atlanta route his top priority.

Schumer, city officials and business leaders are unhappy with Delta because the airline has curtailed service between Syracuse and Atlanta in recent years while sharply increasing fares. Schumer said Delta's daily route capacity has shrunk from 630 seats to 270 seats over the past two years. Roundtrip fares during the same time period have soared from about $600 to as much as $1,400.

"It's absurd that the short flight between Syracuse and Atlanta can be more expensive than flying to London, Hawaii or Hong Kong," Schumer said in a prepared statement.

In his letter to Anderson, Schumer requested that he personally examine the route and pursue options that will improve the affordability and reliability of air service between Syracuse and Atlanta.

"The Atlanta route is our number one travel issue we hear most about from MDA members," said Irwin Davis, president and CEO of the Syracuse business group involved in economic development.

Atlanta is a top destination for Syracuse business travelers, he said. A growing number of Syracuse businesses have offices in Atlanta, according to Davis.

Last week, Davis and Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll met with Delta executives in Atlanta to discuss improving service between the two cities.

At the meeting, Davis said he and the mayor asked Delta officials to cut fares and add more service. Delta officials said they would consider the request and respond within a few weeks.

Betsy Talton, who speaks for Delta, said the airline is reviewing data about the Syracuse-Atlanta route. "If market economics and demand warrant changes to our service, we will definitely make it," she said.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/08/schumer_lobbies_delta_to_impro.html

Under construction

Golisano Children's Hospital

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/IMG_4141.jpg

Life Sciences Complex...... I believe

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/IMG_4152.jpg

Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/IMG_4196.jpg

Hello, i dont post much here but Skyscraper page is down and i got something nice outta syracuse.

Checking Out Hotel's Future
Apartment model shows what's coming for Hotel Syracuse Thursday, September 06, 2007By Greg Munno Staff writer
Room 843 of the Hotel Syracuse appears as if it has been frozen in time.

A bed remains unmade since a guest last slept in it sometime before the hotel closed in 2004. Travel size soaps sit in the bathroom. You can almost see the must wafting off of the dirty red carpet that still covers the floor.

Next door, Room 841, is a study in elegant urban design. Decked out by DKM Interiors of Fayetteville, the room features environment-friendly bamboo flooring, maple cabinets painted a spicy cinnamon, stainless-steel appliances and textured wall coverings.

The two rooms were shown off Wednesday by the developers working to reconfigure the historic hotel into a mix of apartments, condominiums, retail space and, yes, hotel rooms. Room 843 stood as a dingy reminder of what the 1920s hotel had become in its old age. Room 841 represented what the hotel's new owners, Ameris LLC., hopes will be the building's sleek future.

The tour was part of an effort by Syracuse city officials, Ameris and other members of the development team to reassure people that work is getting done at the hotel.

There have been several announcements over the years of plans to rehabilitate the hotel. But none panned out, and slowly the hotel wore from what had been Syracuse's grandest space for weddings and celebrations into a gritty hotel that travelers told horror stories about. Eventually it fell into bankruptcy and closed.

That history, and worries that the Ameris team might have ties to Miami investor Eli Hadad - who bought up large chunks of real estate surrounding the hotel only to amass dozens of code violations and thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes - caused many to doubt that Ameris' plans would become reality.

But no connection between Ameris and Hadad - who now appears to have sold most of his Syracuse properties - ever emerged.

And as Elad Kushnir, chief executive officer of Ameris, put it on Wednesday: "The hammers are swinging."

Kushnir, who is based in Israel but now spends a week a month in Syracuse overseeing the project, said his company has already invested $5 million in the project, and expects to spend another $55 million before it's complete.

"We are here to stay," he said. "We understand that this hotel means a lot to Syracuse, that it is a cornerstone of the community. We want Syracuse to know the project also means a lot to my company. We've invested a lot, and we will see it through."

In addition to the model apartment, Kushnir and his team also showed off the newly reopened 570-space parking garage and the great views of the city from a gutted floor in hotel's newer, 1984, tower.

Kushnir said about 20 construction workers from the Syracuse-based Haynor Hoyt Construction Co. have been gutting about a floor a week in the 15-story tower. Work on converting the tower into market-rate rental apartments will begin even before the demolition is complete, he said.

Those apartments will be one- and two-bedroom units that will rent for $1,000 to $1,600 a month and be designed similar to the model apartment the developers carved out of the historic portion of the building, which is where the condos and hotel rooms will eventually be located.

Mayor Matt Driscoll also showed off an artist's rendering of what Symphony Square may look like. That's a publicly funded part of the project that will create a parklike space surrounded by retail adjacent to the hotel.

And Kushnir dropped a few more hints about the grocery store he says is already signed on to take up a chunk of the hotel's massive 60,000- to 70,000-square-foot worth of street-level retail. Kushnir said he could not yet give the name of the company, but he said the deal was firm. He said the company currently does not operate in Central New York. He said the store will be about 5,000 square feet.

Greg Munno can be reached at gmunno@syracuse.com or 470-6084.

Upstate Medical plans $510M expansion
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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By James T. Mulder Staff writer
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SUNY Upstate Medical University wants to create additional classrooms and student housing in downtown Syracuse as part of a proposed $510 million expansion of the academic medical center.

Upstate is looking to buy land and buildings downtown, according to Dr. David Smith, Upstate's president. Smith wouldn't identify specific sites because he said Upstate is still negotiating. "It lets us expand our footprint because we are very landlocked," he said.

The proposed downtown move is one item on a long list of capital projects Upstate hopes to accomplish over the next five to seven years. Upstate officials say the projects are part of the most comprehensive growth blueprint developed by the medical center since it became part of the state university system more than 50 years ago.

The plan calls for expansion of research facilities, academic space and student housing. It also includes proposals to build a new outpatient care and teaching center, renovate many parts of University Hospital, construct a new employee child-care center, build a bridge to Crouse Hospital and upgrade its Binghamton campus.

Smith will discuss the plan in a speech at 4 p.m. today at Upstate's annual faculty convocation in Weiskotten Hall.

"This is a robust agenda which I think is doable and entirely needed," Smith said.

It is needed to address the growing shortage of doctors and other health professionals in the region, according to Smith. Those shortages are most severe in inner-city and rural areas, he said. To respond, Upstate wants to increase its student enrollment now 1,370 by 30 percent over the next seven years, he said.

Money to pay for two-thirds of the capital plan will come from borrowing and fundraising, Smith said. Upstate wants the state to pay the rest.

Upstate is floating the ambitious growth plan at a time when the state is looking for ways to cut health-care spending. A state commission late last year targeted numerous hospitals and nursing homes for closure or consolidation.

That commission called for Upstate's University Hospital and Crouse, its next-door neighbor, to consolidate their operations under a new, non-SUNY governing structure.
The state backed off on that recommendation after Upstate and its unions complained the change would lead to the privatization of University Hospital.

The growth plan also comes at a time when a commission appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer is studying how the 64-campus SUNY system can be improved.

Smith said he's optimistic state officials will be receptive to the capital plan. "It's going to be my responsibility to build that compelling message of why we are being responsive and diligent with our dollars," he said.
The capital plan would dramatically boost Upstate's regional economic impact, now estimated at $1.67 billion annually, and create new jobs, Smith said. Upstate is the area's largest employer with 6,700 people on its payroll.

Upstate is building a $119 million, six-story expansion on top of the east wing of University Hospital. The top two floors will house the Golisano Children's Hospital, expected to open in 2009. A fundraising campaign for the children's hospital has raised more than $20 million.

The new academic building Upstate hopes to develop downtown would contain classroom space and another auditorium. Upstate is looking at several options, including constructing a new building or renovating an existing structure. It expects to work on that project with private developers, according to Smith.

"That will allow us to move out of the mode of everything being done through the state and will allow us to maneuver more adroitly," he said.

Upstate also is looking for more housing options for students downtown.

The move downtown would piggyback on Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor's efforts to strengthen the links between her campus and downtown. SU moved its school of architecture into a renovated warehouse near Armory Square and is developing a bus route and walking path between SU and downtown.

Upstate also is considering developing space for research and physician practices in Kennedy Square, a state-owned East Side apartment complex targeted for redevelopment, Smith said.

Developing more research space is Upstate's top priority, according to Smith. The capital plan calls for a $43 million expansion and renovation of the Institute for Human Performance, a building occupying nearly an entire block at Crouse and Irving avenues. Research space in that building, which opened in 1999, is full. Upstate has added 10 researchers over the past year. "We are literally scrambling to find space for those individuals," he said.

Finding a new home for the school of nursing, now located at 545 Cedar St., and upgrading Silverman Hall, home to the College of Health Professions, also are top priorities, he said. Silverman Hall, a former city hospital that became the first building on the Upstate campus, dates to 1928. It has not had significant renovations since the 1980s.

Upstate wants to move the nursing school closer to the main campus.

As part of the capital plan, Upstate also wants to build a $150 million outpatient care and teaching facility on land it owns near East Adams and Almond streets. Eight outpatient offices scattered throughout the Syracuse area would be consolidated in that facility.

James T. Mulder can be reached at 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-10/1190192299230130.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

$56M Renovation Planned
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Friday, September 21, 2007
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By Nancy Cole Staff writer
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Syracuse officials and community leaders plan to announce today that the city's Near West Side is on the brink of a $56 million revitalization.

The projects include moving public television station WCNY from the town of Salina to a new $17.5 million building on Wyoming Street, rehabilitating two warehouses into commercial and residential facilities and constructing or rehabilitating housing near Blodgett School.

The city is hopeful it will receive a $10 million state economic development grant that will help pay for several of the projects set in motion by a local nonprofit group, the Near Westside Initiative.
This is something we think is going to dramatically change the face of the neighborhood, but more importantly, provide opportunity and hope for a lot of folks that live in the neighborhood," said Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll.

The projects are part of a plan that includes Syracuse University investing $13.8 million in the area. The money is the remaining amount of what SU owes the state from when it borrowed $27 million interest-free in 1987 for construction of its Center for Science & Technology building.

SU plans to announce today at an 11 a.m. news conference that it has final approval from the state Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation and Empire State Development Corp. to reinvest that money in the Near Westside Initiative's plan to create the Syracuse Arts, Technology & Design Quarter.

SU is the first university in the state to receive approval to restructure its debt in this way, said Edward Reinfurt,

acting executive director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation.

The Near Westside Initiative plans to use $8 million of the SU money to purchase former warehouse and commercial structures in a three-block area, roughly encompassed by West Fayette, Wyoming, Tully and West streets. It will renovate the shells of the buildings, hoping to attract artists who will live and work in the buildings, developers who want to open retail or gallery space, or entrepreneurs looking to establish new companies using green technologies.

The group anticipates that the overall project will generate more than 800 jobs during the construction phase, bring five new green technology companies to the area creating another 300 jobs and generate about a $10 million annual increase in tourism revenue as the neighborhood transforms into a cultural hub.

The WCNY relocation will be the anchor project of the proposed Arts, Technology & Design Quarter. It would be built through a combination of state grants and a long-term lease between Near Westside Initiative and WCNY.

Driscoll said he is confident that the city will receive the $10 million grant, but if it doesn't, the project will continue to move forward.

"We're going after every single dollar we can find," said Marilyn Higgins, who chairs the Near Westside Initiative. "We're not stopping. We're going to keep on going."
Higgins is currently National Grid's vice president for economic development. She accepted a job at SU as vice president for community engagement and economic impact, effective Oct. 15.

A Restore New York grant will also allow Home Headquarters, SU's School of Architecture and the Syracuse Center of Excellence to rehabilitate vacant, abandoned or condemned residential properties in the neighborhood. Their goal is to have 50 completed and occupied by 2011.

SU will be involved in the project in a number of ways besides providing money for the projects.

Plans call for establishing a home design center for Near West Side residents at SU's downtown Warehouse building on West Fayette Street. Existing and new property owners would receive free home design services from SU students and faculty.

A component of the architecture school, UPSTATE: A Center for Design, Research and Real Estate, plans to conduct a national design competition to generate designs for affordable and sustainable homes and to design the Near Westside Neighborhood Center at 233 Marcellus St., which Home Headquarters has purchased and will serve as a meeting place for the Near Westside Initiative, Higgins said.

SU's South Side Innovation Center will encourage successful start-up companies to locate in the Near West Side neighborhood and establish the Near Westside Entrepreneurship Initiative in the neighborhood.

The Syracuse Center of Excellence, of which SU is the lead partner, will play a role in creating studio and innovation spaces for artists and designers using sustainable designs and technologies. For those projects, whose costs will be higher because green technology is used, the center has pledged to pursue funding to pay for those increased costs, said Mark Lichtenstein, the center's director of operations and outreach.

The center's more than 140 partners will also be given incentives to test new technologies within the Near West Side, Lichtenstein said.

The Arts, Technology & Design Quarter is proposed as an extension of the Syracuse Connective Corridor, which links SU, the city and the community through arts and culture. Currently the Connective Corridor shuttle that loops between SU's main campus and downtown ends near where the Arts, Technology & Design Quarter is proposed to begin.

There are also changes proposed to West Street to make that area of the city more pedestrian-friendly. Driscoll said the city is looking into giving streets such as Otisco and Tully access to West Street. Currently those roads dead end next to West Street. Slowing down traffic and adding crosswalks and landscaping will encourage people to walk from the Near West Side neighborhood to Armory Square, which is on the other side of West Street.

Driscoll said today's announcement grew from a discussion he had with SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor about a year and a half ago on how they could build on the growth in downtown.

Higgins said the plan can transform the neighborhood.

"It's really a movement that capitalizes on the expertise and the connections of Syracuse University to revitalize a neighborhood that's in crisis to create for Syracuse what we think can truly be an internationally renowned cultural hub," Higgins said.

Nancy Cole can be reached at ncole@syracuse.com or 470-2173.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1190365857251740.xml&coll=1

whats the status of DestinyUSA...is this thing getting built or what??

whats the status of DestinyUSA...is this thing getting built or what??


Yea Phase 1 is actually under construction but phase 2 or 3 are the ones that will be really cool. My dad is pretty confident that phase 2 will get built with the 40 story hotel tower ( he works for an elevator company).Next summer is lookin to be a very busy construction season for Syracuse, With the Childrens Hospital, Convention Center hotel, and Destiny getting built.

Nothing exciting. Just old building rehabs. :ohno:



Upstate to expand into former Four Winds
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
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By James T. Mulder Staff writer
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SUNY Upstate Medical University has purchased the former Four Winds psychiatric hospital and property for $1.35 million as part of a move to extend its campus into downtown Syracuse.

Upstate plans to use a portion of the building at 650-672 S. Salina St. for an expanded child-care center that serves employees and students.

The child-care center at 618 Irving Ave. is too small and doesn't have an adequate parking area for parents to drop off their children, according to Upstate. The new center will be more than two and a half times larger and be able to accommodate up to 150 children. It has a 100-space parking lot and an enclosed courtyard.

The center serves 66 children, ages 6 weeks to 5 years, from 6:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"With our aspirations to grow the enrollment and to grow our faculty, we have to have a child-care center to meet those demands," said Dr. David Smith, Upstate's president. "This is one of those foundation issues that creates an opportunity for us to address a pivotal need."

The expanded center is expected to open next fall. The center's board is looking into the possibility of providing child care during the evening and caring for sick children, Smith said.

Upstate expects to spend about $2 million on renovations.

The purchase is part of Upstate's recently announced strategy to buy land and buildings downtown for student housing and classrooms. The academic medical center has little room to grow on its main campus.

The child-care center will occupy a relatively small portion of the 113,000-square-foot Four Winds building, which sits on three acres. Upstate is considering moving other offices such as information technology and facilities management to the downtown site, according to Smith.

The site probably won't be used for student housing or classrooms, Smith said. "We are looking at other options west of I-81 that can possibly meet our student housing needs, but are a little closer to campus, allowing them to walk."

The Four Winds building, formerly known as Benjamin Rush, was built in 1956 and expanded in 1989. The building has been vacant since Four Winds, a for-profit mental hospital for children and teens, was shut down by the state in 2004. Upstate bought the property from the estate of the late Francis McCarthy, who operated Benjamin Rush.

A businessman hoping to open a mental health treatment center for children in Syracuse also made a purchase offer for the Four Winds property. Michael F. Modzelewski said he's looking at another site in the area for his proposed center.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-11/1193734785100810.xml&coll=1




Historic building begins new chapter
Structure was home to Freemasons. Now it will be home to apartment tenants.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
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By Rick Moriarty Staff writer
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The transformation of the historic Masonic Temple building on Montgomery Street into 32 apartments got under way Monday.

Workers began removing debris from the five-story, 68,000-square-foot building, signaling the start of a $5.37 million project by developer James Monahan, president of Monahan Development Corp.

The apartments are expected to be ready for leasing in August. All except one will be two-bedroom units, with square footage ranging from 700 to 2,300.

Monahan said rents will range from "affordable to market rate" - $600 a month to $1,800 a month. Thirteen units will be reserved for low- to moderate-income tenants, people who earn wages of up to $16 an hour. That's a requirement of housing tax credits being made available to the project by the state.

The building, at 320 Montgomery St., will have basement parking for tenants. Access to the parking will be through the basement of the Warren Street Parking Garage behind the building.

Monahan's target tenants are young professionals and artists, though occupancy will not be restricted based on somebody's line of work. He said every apartment will have a large, open work area.

"Buildings like this were once the crown jewels of an active downtown," Monahan said during a news conference with Mayor Matt Driscoll and Irwin Davis, executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. "With careful redevelopment, I believe they can be again."

Driscoll praised the project, saying it will create additional market-rate downtown living space.

The structure was completed in 1916 as the home of the Fraternal Order of Free Masons and was used for decades for assemblies, offices and other activities. It originally contained two large, two-story assembly halls, a club lounge area, small meeting rooms and a large billiard room. In later years, it housed the Metropolitan School for the Arts. It has been vacant since the school moved out nine years ago.

Monahan said a third-floor assembly hall will be preserved and used for private conferencing by groups of up to 150 people.

The building is on the same block as Mizpah Tower, the former First Baptist Church building, which is owned by Syracuse Bangkok LLC, a company created by Ben Errez, owner of Plan B Development LLC, of Sammamish, Wash. Errez announced plans two years ago to turn the Mizpah into a 101-room Ramada Hotel, but the $20 million project appears to have stalled.

Errez did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday on the status of the project. Two similar development projects by Plan B - in Auburn, Wash., and Kent, Wash. - also have stalled, apparently due to financing troubles, according to The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-11/1193734674100810.xml&coll=1

St. Camillus to invest $2.8M

Health and rehabilitation facility unveils plan to renovate, expand its space.
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Thursday, October 25, 2007
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By James T. Mulder Staff writer
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St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center in Geddes is planning a $2.8 million renovation and expansion.

The nursing home announced it will expand and improve space for its traumatic brain injury program and its adult day health program. Construction is expected to begin next summer.

St. Camillus, 813 Fay Road, provides a full range of care for survivors of traumatic brain injury. Those services include a 20-bed inpatient unit, an outpatient brain injury program, an adult day health program and a family support program. It also provides counseling for people re-entering the community from a health care facility. St. Camillus said these services have been running at or near capacity.

As part of the renovation, the brain injury program will get improved recreation facilities, new treatment rooms and a quiet room for people who want to avoid noise and stimulation.

The adult day health program is designed to be an alternative to nursing home care. As part of the renovation, that program will get a larger social area, new personal care facilities and a quiet room. The program can serve up to 30 people a day. Its capacity will grow to 42 people a day after the expansion, according to Debbie Christiansen, who speaks for St. Camillus.

All the work will take place in building 2 on the three-building campus. The project will renovate 6,450 square feet of existing space and add 5,350 square feet.

The not-for-profit health care facility operates 230 skilled nursing beds, 40 rehabilitation beds and 20 brain injury unit beds. It also offers outpatient services and operates two home care agencies.

St. Camillus received a $1.2 million state grant last fall that will help pay for the project. St. Camillus will borrow money and seek donations through a fundraising campaign to pay the rest.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-11/1193318420174750.xml&coll=1




State to spend $15M at I-81
Bridge at Route 31 will be renovated. Up to three hotels are planned nearby.
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Saturday, October 27, 2007
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By Tom Leo Staff writer
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The area in Cicero where Interstate 81 empties onto Route 31 is going to get a $15 million makeover.

The state says it will spend that much to do bridge work and improve roads, which could help untangle the regular traffic snarl there.

And as many as three hotels are planned for the immediate area near the Gander Mountain outdoor store.

The state Department of Transportation recently committed the money to work on the interchange and Route 31 east of the bridge over the next five years.

"It can't happen soon enough," Town Supervisor Chet Dudzinski said.

The proposals to build the hotels tentatively a Holiday Inn Express, Best Western and a third yet-unidentified property only heighten the town's need for road improvements, Dudzinski said.

The U.S. Census shows Cicero has led Onondaga County in new home construction for several years and is one of the faster growing towns in Central New York. Along with that growth has come traffic issues particularly near the interchange.

About 20,300 vehicles a day travel the two-tenths of a mile stretch of Route 31 between I-81 and Route 11, according to traffic counts by the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council. That has resulted in bottlenecks and traffic jams during peak periods. I-81 bridge abutments have prevented widening Route 31 under the bridge to help alleviate the tangle.

"Everybody around here is complaining about traffic," Dudzinski said. "We can talk about it until we're blue in the face. What are we going to do?

"Finally, we're getting some answers," he said.
Dudzinski traveled to Albany earlier this week and met with new state Department of Transportation Commissioner Astrid Glynn a meeting arranged by state Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, who attended.

Glynn committed the $15 million from the DOT's five-year capital plan $8 million to be spent on the I-81 bridge. State DOT officials had said it would be too costly to remove the abutments. Dudzinski says an open-span bridge should be built.

"Let's bite the bullet, let's move on," he said. "The bridge is too narrow. If the bridge was wider, we could have two more turning lanes."
Another $7 million is targeted for road improvements east on Route 31, from the Lakeshore Road spur to South Bay Road.

"They realize a problem exists," Dudzinski said. "The unfortunate part is it's going to take up to five years to get results. But there is definitely something for us to look forward to in that area, and it will be a positive result."

Glynn also said her department will work with Cicero to see if a proposed exit ramp off I-81 to the north of the Interstate 481 interchange is feasible. If it is, the state could help Cicero obtain money for the project from the federal government.

The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council is studying traffic in Cicero, but it could be a year or more before the study is completed. This week, the Onondaga County DOT was doing traffic counts along South Bay Road.

"We're looking to speed up the process," Dudzinski said, "so when the SMTC study does come out, the state is ready to go."

The proposed hotels are in the Pardee Road area, near Gander Mountain, which is about one-quarter mile from the interchange of I-81 and Route 31.

Hospitality Builders Inc., of Aberdeen, S.D., has proposed a Holiday Inn Express in front of Gander Mountain at 8414 Pardee Road. There could be a franchise issue with that proposal, because a Holiday Inn Express, in Brewerton, is only about three miles away.

Developer Raj Patel, of East Syracuse, has proposed a Best Western on nearby vacant land at 5867 Route 31, behind the Hess gas station on Route 31 and behind Gander Mountain.

Another developer has expressed interest in building a hotel behind Gander Mountain.

The first two projects need variances to increase the maximum height of the buildings. Both hotels would have about 70 rooms and be three or four stories high, said Jay Seitz, Cicero's director of zoning and planning.

Cicero needs hotels, Dudzinski said. Other than the Holiday Inn Express in Brewerton, there's a 35-room Budget Inn at 910 South Bay Road and a couple of smaller, family-run motels along Route 11.

There is a Candlewood Suites and Best Western Airport Hotel in North Syracuse, near Hancock International Airport.

"There's Oneida Lake, fishing tournaments, high school state tournament events (at Cicero-North Syracuse High School), we'd even get an overflow crowd from Turning Stone, which is only 30 minutes or so away up Route 31," Dudzinski said. "These hotel developers are finally realizing Cicero is an untapped market."

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/119347581999390.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

Congel plans 1,342-room hotel for Destiny
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Posted by Rick Moriarty
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November 07, 2007 6:00PM

The second phase of the Destiny USA project will see a 1,342-room hotel and conference center covered with green solar panel windows rise on the south shore of Onondaga Lake like giant blades of grass.

The $450 million hotel, which has not been named yet, will be the largest in the state outside of New York City and will be powered partly with electricity generated by its solar panel facade and by hydro-electric turbines utilizing rainwater collected on its roof.

Destiny developer Robert Congel is expected to make an official announcement of his plans for the hotel Thursday at the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo here. An estimated 25,000 people are attending the conference, which kicked off today with a keynote address by former President Bill Clinton and will run through Friday.

Destiny officials said the hotel will be built to the Green Building Council's highest standards for eco-friendly construction and operation.

No date was set for the start of construction, but it will begin no later than Aug. 1, 2009, the date by which Congel must start the second phase of the Destiny project under the terms of a development agreement with the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency. Destiny executive David Aitken said construction will take 18 months.

The agreement requires Congel to build at least 1,000 rooms and complete them by Feb. 1, 2012.

Congel began construction of Destiny's first phase -- a 1.3-million-square-foot addition to the Carousel Center shopping mall -- in March. The developer has said he plans to build a massive retail, hotel and entertainment center that would expand across Hiawatha Boulevard and reach all the way to the Syracuse Inner Harbor, a former Barge Canal terminal between the Carousel Center and Franklin Square.

Green has been a major theme for Destiny. Congel has pledge to power the complex without using fossil fuels. He and Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll are scheduled to make a presentation to Greenbuild Thursday on the public-private partnership formed between the city and Destiny to make the project happen.

Syracuse and Onondaga County have waived most property taxes on the project in hopes of driving up sales tax revenues and creating jobs while seeing what was once a heavily polluted industrial site transformed into a major tourist attraction.

The hotel's green theme will be carried throughout its design, Destiny officials said. A rendering of the hotel shows a V-shape structure on the north side of the Carousel Center, with a green facade that makes it look like six giant blades of grass soaring into the sky next to Onondaga Lake.

Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll, who is attending the Greenbuild conference, called the hotel plans "a pretty fantastic design" that would help put the city at the forefront of sustainable buildinig design.

"I think it's outstanding," he said.

Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro said Congel's hotel plans were further evidence that the developer plans to carry through with his pledge to build the larger Destiny project, which has been in the planning stages since 1997.

"I know the plans are to create a unique destination," he said

See rendering here
http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/11/congel_plans_1342room_hotel_fo.html

Finally, a company in Syracuse understands how important it is to "fancy up the place" and make this community look presentable. Now if we can convince the other 10,000 businesses located in Onondaga County to beautify themselves, Syracuse wouldn't look half bad. Then maybe we can start being proud of where we live. Hometown pride. What a novel concept!

Right now the Carrier circle area looks like crap. So DEPRESSING just to drive through there! I always discourage outsiders from staying at hotels near Carrier circle since I'm embarrassed by the big mess we call East Syracuse AND Carrier Circle.


:cheers:

Carrier to redevelop its DeWitt campus
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Posted by Charley Hannagan
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November 09, 2007 11:54AM

Carrier Corp. today proposed a $5 million redevelopment plan for its DeWitt campus that would include making properties available for development, upgrading its largest building and removing a vacant manufacturing plant.

"Our goal is to turn vacant properties into productive assets for the community, while reducing our excess space to make the campus sustainable for the future," said Geraud Darnis, president of Carrier.

The redevelopment plan is the result of a year-long study conducted by the Central New York Regional Planning and Economic Development Board and the Metropolitan Development Association. The study was funded through a federal grant secured by Rep. James Walsh with additional support from National Grid.

Carrier plans to sell a 55-acre parcel of land on Thompson Road across from its main campus that is partly used for parking. It plans to tear down its vacant 276,000 square-foot TR-3 building on Route 298 that formerly housed a factory making air conditioning and refrigeration compressors.

The demolition would relocate some parking and add open space to the main campus.

The company also plans to sell its vacant 171,000 square foot administration and research building on Route 298.

Carrier also plans to upgrade the 920-foot facade of the TR-1 building, its largest structure on the site, to encourage further development on Thompson Road. Carrier expects to invest $5 million in this plan.

Carrier employs 1,500 people on the DeWitt campus. In 2004, the company named the site a lead research and development center within its global operations. Since then, Carrier has spent $800 million in its Syracuse campus, with $250 million focused on engineering.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/11/carrier_to_redevelope_its_dewi.html

$1M Parking Fund for 28 Spaces?
Armory Square plan creates 180 spots, but erases 152
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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By Greg Munno Staff writer

A proposed development known as the Jefferson Clinton Commons has been racking up public subsidies under the assumption that the project will help ease parking problems in Armory Square.

But will it?

The developer, Joe Hucko of Washington Street Partners, says it will. He said the project should create about 180 spaces, many of them available for public use.

But in order to build the project, 152 existing spaces will be eliminated. So, the project could create a net gain of 28 parking spaces.

It is also unclear how many of the new spaces will be available to the public, as opposed to the developer's own tenants.

"There is still some fluidity there," Hucko said, noting that plans for the project are still being developed.

Jefferson Clinton Commons is to be built on the parking lot at the southwest corner of Clinton and Jefferson streets, across from the hotel whose name recently changed from Hawthorn Suites to the Jefferson Clinton Hotel, which is also owned by Washington Street Partners. The lot is a popular parking place for people who are going to the Landmark Theatre, the Museum of Science & Technology and other downtown businesses and attractions.

The project, with a price tag of more than $21 million, includes 18 condominium units and 53,000 square feet of office and retail space.

Among the benefits the project has accrued are:

Ö $1 million from Onondaga County, as part of the county's effort to offset the loss of 270 parking spaces caused by construction of a sewage plant in the Armory's Trolley Lot.

continue reading.....
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1195034498322940.xml&coll=1



OCC to propose expansion plan
College wants land, vacant buildings on site of old Onondaga Home & Hospital.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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By John Mariani Staff writer

Two vacant buildings on the old Onondaga Home & Hospital site on Onondaga Hill could soon become part of Onondaga Community College's plans to expand the campus and its ability to enroll students in four-year degree programs.

College officials hope to gain use of the brick buildings and surrounding 40 acres across Onondaga Road from the OCC campus and move the school's Regional Higher Education Center, community education programs and police academy to the site, OCC President Debbie Sydow said Tuesday.

Officials also hope to create a community recreation center on the property, she said.

Sydow and County Legislator Patrick Kilmartin, R-Onondaga, are to present a proposal to a Legislature committee today that would keep the property under county ownership, but put it in trust for the college's exclusive use. Additional acreage that includes Hillbrook Detention Facility would be excluded from the agreement.

"This property is underutilized. The concept is to transform it into state-of-the-art educational facilities," Kilmartin said during a site tour with Sydow and a reporter. OCC's plans could transform a property that is now a liability to county taxpayers into a campus setting, he said.

In using it, OCC officials can expand the Regional Higher Education Center to include more cooperative programs with area four-year colleges and universities, Sydow said.

OCC has partnered with Keuka College in this fashion for five years. Students can jointly enroll at OCC and Keuka and attend the local campus to earn Keuka bachelor's degrees in organizational management, social work and criminal justice and master's in criminal justice and management.

With a physical expansion, the community college can partner with other institutions, Sydow said. Officials already are discussing the possibility of making

SUNY Cortland's recreational leadership major available and are talking with Cornell University about a joint labor studies program, she said.

With such partnerships, she said, local students can stay close to home, save commuting dollars and earn a degree without overloading on education loans.
Moving community education programs including work force development, the Sustainability Institute and the Small Business Development Center will let those programs grow and provide their students better access, Sydow said.

Likewise, the Regional Public Safety Training Center - the police academy - has been too cramped for years and needs growing space, she said.

As these programs move, they'll free up classroom and laboratory space on a main campus that now serves 10,500 students, she said.
Whether they would move into the existing buildings is uncertain.

The site, created as the county Poor House in 1827, transformed over the years into the Onondaga Home & Hospital, then Van Duyn Home & Hospital. The red brick and stone building closer to campus, known as H-1, was built in 1928 as the "second hospital," according to the Town of Onondaga Historical Society. Van Duyn moved to its current home near Community General Hospital in 1975. After serving several other purposes, including temporary quarters for OCC programs, H-1 was shut down. Officials believe it's been vacant at least 11 years.

The blond brick building next door, called H-3, was at one time the facility's Nurses Building. It later housed county offices. It was vacated in 2004.

Both buildings need interior work but are believed to be structurally sound, Sydow said. Assuming the Legislature and county executive approve the transfer, engineers would then examine the buildings, she said.

The Legislature's Education and Libraries Committee is to look at the deal today, followed by the Ways and Means Committee on Nov. 27. Approval by both panels could bring the matter to the full Legislature on Dec. 4.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1195034392322940.xml&coll=1




New Near West Side Ideas
SU professors look to push revitalization of neighborhood
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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By Maureen Nolan Staff writer

It's a former bar, a vacant building you'd never notice from the car, should you find yourself driving the back streets of the Near West Side.

The low profile is supposed to rise. Syracuse University architecture professors Timothy Stenson and Scott Ruff are working with a nonprofit housing agency to transform 223 Marcellus St. into Exhibit A for a proposed $56 million neighborhood revitalization.

"This neighborhood is going to bounce back, and that's the truth of the matter. And it's just a question of what is its new identity," Ruff said.

continue reading...
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1195034483322940.xml&coll=1

More developments to leave less parking
Report: Proposed plans downtown will bring more cars than spaces to park.

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Friday, November 16, 2007
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By Greg Munno Staff writer

If the development projects slated for downtown materialize, Syracuse will look and feel a lot more like the big, vibrant city it hopes to become, in both good ways and bad.

Instead of open lots, the city will have densely populated neighborhoods, teaming with jobs, people, restaurants and shopping.

And it will have a big-city parking problem to go along with all that
That's the conclusion of a draft report, the second phase of a parking study being conducted for the city by the engineering firm C&S Companies. The study will formally be released today.

The study found that many of the slated developments - like the construction of the O'Brien & Gear headquarters on West Fayette Street and the Jefferson Clinton Commons building on Clinton Street - are being constructed on top of existing open parking lots.

Some of these projects make up for the lost parking, some don't. All will bring new people, and their cars, into downtown.

Engineers found that, in general, there will be higher demand for parking and fewer spots.

The city recognizes this as a problem, but also said the kind of fill-in development the city is experiencing is exactly the type of development the city wants.

"We have a problem any community would welcome," Mayor Matthew Driscoll said in a statement. "There are developers ready to put shovels in the ground across downtown for residential and commercial growth. This analysis is providing a clearer picture of parking needs in each part of downtown and it will serve as a basis for program and policy changes we'll need to make to manage this growth in the years ahead."

One thing the study found is that a lot of existing parking, mostly in parking garages, is underutilized, according to the study's lead author, Aileen Maguire, managing engineer and planner at C&S. Maguire said she found that in Syracuse, as in many Upstate cities, people simply rather park on the street than in the garages.

Although the third phase of the study will come up with recommendations, both Maguire and city Economic Development Director David Michel said this finding suggests some potential solutions for the city.

For instance, in many cases it is cheaper right now to park on the street, and sometimes garages close at inconvenient times.

"I think there are things we can do in terms of rate structures and other initiatives that can make the garages a more popular choice," Michel said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1195207041290140.xml&coll=1

2009 target for Township 5 opening
Complex in Camillus would bring shopping, living, dining to western suburbs.
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Sunday, November 25, 2007
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By Matt Michael Staff writer
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By Thanksgiving weekend 2009, residents in Onondaga County's western suburbs could have a new place to do their holiday shopping.

Developer Cameron Group LLC is proposing a $55 million retail-entertainment-housing complex off Hinsdale Road in Camillus. Joe Goethe, a Cameron partner, said the opening is tentatively set for fall 2009.

Cameron officials have said the "lifestyle center" will be one of the first of its kind in New York, and they're calling it Township 5 Camillus' original name after the Revolutionary War.
The largely outdoor lifestyle centers are the latest trend in shopping center development.

Township 5, which has been in the works for more than two years, will be built on 67 acres of undeveloped land north of Route 5, between Hinsdale and Bennett roads. It's expected to include shops, restaurants, offices, apartments, a hotel and a movie theater.

Details such as the kind of shops and restaurants and the number of movie screens are still being worked out, Goethe said. There will be few, if any, anchor store tenants.

"More like a couple of junior anchors, and maybe one that's a little bit bigger," Goethe said. "It's mainly Main Street shops with entertainment and restaurants."

Paul Curtin, lawyer for the Camillus Planning Board, said he thinks Cameron will try to attract stores that don't already exist in Syracuse or the western suburbs. For example, Cameron will likely stay away from the kind of stores at Camillus Commons or Fairmount Fair.

Regardless of Township 5's makeup, it will provide an alternative for residents from the western suburbs who now drive to Carousel Center or Fingerlakes Crossing west of Auburn for shopping, dining and movies.

Cameron is in the process of submitting site plans to the Camillus Planning Board, which needs to approve every phase of the project. Cameron officials are meeting regularly with the planning board, at the board's regular meetings and workshop

sessions, to keep the project moving.

Cameron officials are expected to present plans for parking and the mix of retail tenants at the planning board's next meeting Wednesday, Curtin said.

"We're committed to moving the process along in a timely fashion," Curtin said.

Goethe said Cameron hopes to "pull the trigger" in the spring on projects such as clearing the land and extensive road and traffic improvements. Building construction could start in fall 2008.

The Camillus Town Board voted unanimously Sept. 25 to approve Cameron's request for a zoning change from industrial (with a small part residential) to planned unit development.

"I spoke to two groups last week, and people are excited about not having to travel to do their shopping," Supervisor Mary Ann Coogan said. "And it'll keep the dollars right here in Camillus."

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1195984647296940.xml&coll=1

O Canadians!
They're shopping in New York and local retailers are loving those loonies.
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Sunday, December 02, 2007
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By Bob Niedt Staff writer

Giddy with a loonie stronger than the U.S. dollar, flocks of Canadian shoppers are migrating south of the border for retail splurges this holiday season.

They're everywhere; spending that loonie - the name for the Canadian dollar - all across Upstate New York. As of Friday, the Canadian dollar fetched $1.00 in U.S. money, according to the Bank of Canada.

In a swath from Waterloo Premium Outlets near Waterloo to the growing retail market in Watertown, tour bus passengers are booking hotels and shopping center parking lots are jammed with Ontario and Quebec license plates.

At the hub, Carousel Center mall is running out of U.S. currency to exchange at its customer service desk and, at the end of the day, banking more Canadian dollars than American.

By one measure at the Syracuse mall, shoppers from Canada are up at least 300 percent in October-November of this year compared to the same period in 2006, said Rose Hapanowich, Carousel's marketing director.

"We're seeing on weekends - between the currency we exchange and the gift certificates we sell to Canadian shoppers - we deposit a much higher percentage of Canadian funds than U.S. currency," said Hapanowich. "Our mer6

chants are very happy with the Canadian business. They'll be the first ones to say they're making a difference."

What's driving this is a perfect storm, economically speaking, for Canadians. The Canadian dollar has been trading at or above par with the U.S. dollar, which hasn't happened since the last big wave of Canadian shoppers descended on the U.S., in the early 1970s.

Central New York retailers also saw a crush of Canadian shoppers in 1990, lured by a more favorable exchange rate and lower prices on goods sold in the U.S.

And since the '70s, as well as the '90s, the variety and availability of fresh retail at comparatively lower prices than posted in Canada has grown in Upstate New York...................

more here
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-11/119658951130110.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

SU goes green for financial center
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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
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By Frederic Pierce Staff writer
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JPMorgan Chase plans to build one of the nation’s most environmentally friendly structures on a Syracuse University parking lot, SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor announced Tuesday.

The company’s new financial technology center is scheduled to begin rising next fall across Irving Avenue from the Carrier Dome in the parking lot closest to the stadium, Cantor said.

It could ultimately house hundreds of new jobs, raise the city’s profile as a center for environmental innovation and offer training programs designed to reach deep into the Syracuse community.

To me, this is really the prototype of why a university-corporate relationship can be good for the community,” Cantor said. “They are really interested in creating a pipeline from the city schools and from people in the neighborhoods who are working on technology and entrepreneurship.”

The new center was announced this summer as part of a $30 million investment by JPMorgan into the creation of a financial technology curriculum at SU. The location wasn’t disclosed until Tuesday. Because the state-of-the-art “green” building has not yet been designed, it’s unclear how many of the lot’s 155 spaces would be lost, said Kevin Quinn, SU’s vice president of public affairs.

Any inconvenience to Dome fans, however, would be limited to the time when the new center is under construction, Cantor said. Whatever the building’s footprint is, the plans must include replacement spaces, probably in a new parking garage, she said.

Neither cost estimates nor a construction timetable were available Tuesday, Quinn said.

JPMorgan is working with the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems to design a cutting-edge building that consumes less energy, uses more recycled construction material and meets the nation’s highest standards for environmentally responsible design, Cantor said.

In Central New York, only one other structure — the Center of Excellence now under construction — is expected to meet the “platinum” rating set by the U.S. Green Building Council, said Edward Bogucz, executive director of the center. Only two other buildings in New York are rated that highly.

“That should put us on the map nationally and internationally,” Bogucz said. “That a community like Syracuse would have two platinum buildings, that would be a big deal for us. Syracuse is gaining a reputation as a place that’s at the leading edge of innovation and green technology, and this would help strengthen our reputation across the country and around the world.”

The structure will include research labs, training areas, meeting rooms and workspaces for JPMorgan employees, all of whom are expected to be new hires, Quinn said.

The money that JPMorgan Chase — a global financial services firm with assets of $1.5 trillion — spends on the building will be in addition to its investment in the curriculum now being developed by JPMorgan experts and SU professors from a variety of fields.

The new SU curriculum would prepare students to work in fields where finance and technology overlap, Cantor said. Programs and internships will also be developed for students from other area colleges, and for use in local elementary, middle and high schools, she said.

Syracuse University students will be able to begin the new course of study next fall. The program will be housed in the CASE Center for Science and Technology on campus until the new center is built.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-10/1190884177199850.xml&coll=1

Condo Tower Planned for Syracuse
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Friday, December 07, 2007
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By Maureen Nolan Staff writer

The man who developed the Genesee Grande and Parkview hotels plans to build a 10-story, upscale condominium tower on University Hill in Syracuse.

Norman Swanson plans to build the 63-unit tower next to the former Temple Adath Yeshurun building at Crouse Avenue and Harrison Street. He also intends to renovate the vacant temple into 17 condominium units.

"The market is all of the people that work on the University Hill - doctors, professors, people that work at the hospitals, Syracuse University. It is a large market with a lot of people, and we expect a lot of people would enjoy living on the hill and being able to walk to work," Swanson said.

The first three floors of the new building will be a parking garage, he said. It will have a "green roof" with vegetation to retain water and insulate the building, he said. The greenery will take the form of small gardens allocated to condos.

"It is going to be a very classic looking, 1920s building," he said.

A pedestrian plaza will link the tower with the former temple, according to plans submitted to the city.

The temple, built around 1922, has been vacant since 2004, when its longtime tenant, the Salt City Center for the Performing Arts, moved out. It will have its own parking lot for condo owners.

Swanson said he plans to have a model unit and a sales office completed in the temple by late spring and both buildings probably will be ready for occupancy in 2010.

He said he is calculating how much the project will cost and should have numbers by year's end.

The condos in the tower will average 1,700 to 1,900 square feet. Swanson said he has not yet projected how much he will sell them for.

read the rest here:
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/119702148393880.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

Downtown makeover
Syracuse's planned and proposed construction projects will add luster to historic buildings
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Sunday, December 09, 2007
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By Greg MunnoStaff writer

A new survey of development planned for Syracuse's downtown core found at least 25 projects under way or soon to be started.

The report's authors - engineers from C&S Companies, who were hired by the city to study downtown's future parking demand - were quick to point out that development is extremely hard to predict, with projects constantly emerging, falling apart or being altered.

continue reading....
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1197367045283790.xml&coll=1

Clark, is there a link to all the projects proposed/underway or a list. Seems like a lot going on, good to see. If you have any renderings of the 10 storey condo tower or link I would appreciate it, thanks.

The rendering of the 10 storey condo tower was in the local newspaper. Nothing exciting. Very basic (looking) brown brick building. Blah and boring.... if you want my opinion.

The Syracuse Post Standard lists and describes most of the downtown projects here: http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1197367045283790.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

A map of downtown Syracuse, with the projects numbered:
http://syracusethenandnow.org/Temp/DowntownProjects120907.pdf

Cool thanks

Apparently Spitzer has no plan for the Syracuse area, so there is nothing to report about....

:(

Neighbors Want to Stay Put
Renovation plans around St. Joseph's don't please all

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
By Greg Munno Staff writer

Roger Crance and Steve Mika don't want to move from their apartment at 614 N. Townsend St., across from St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center.

"I've lived here for three years and like it," Crance said. "And who else will take me with my five cats?"....

Crance and Mika's neighborhood will be getting a boost, with St. Joseph's and a consortium of government and nonprofit groups announcing plans Monday to rehabilitate 20 houses containing more than 80 rental units around the hospital.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1200391022298890.xml&coll=1


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
How many years will it take for this project to actually make an impact on the north side? The city is just so ugly and no one around here cares..... I doubt this project will make much of an impact. Until local leaders realize just how ugly and depressing the city really is, all these half baked projects will do very little to change the image and desirability of Syracuse.

I'm very disappointed with Spitzer. For some reason I thought he was really going to help out the Syracuse area. Instead he is shaping up to be another Pataki.

Central New York needs to join Canada...

Spitzer's State of Upstate speech yesterday basically excluded the Syracuse area.

So much so, that the Syracuse Post Standard didn't have even one article about the "State of Upstate" speech in the newspaper today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree, why should the Post Standard report about NOTHING?

:soapbox:

(I'm venting here, sorry this is a little off topic)

Maybe its better you guys were left out. That way you wont be let down, like how we will be. I don't understand how the state is $4 billionish in red, and somehow gonna come up with a $1 billion for this upstate project? Doesn't make sense to me.

Spaulding97, you'd think that out of a $100+ billion budget, there would be a few scraps leftover for struggling Upstate cities like Syracuse.

Off topic a little. Another reason Syracuse is pretty much screwed (the rest of Upstate NY too) is that our vote is made irrelevant by New York City. If Upstate NY was it's own state, we'd be an important swing state. Our economic problems then become a national problem. Nowadays the only reason the government tries to solve some of the problems that plague our cities is to shore up voters. Well, with New York City overshadowing Upstate.... Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo voters are irrelevant.

Back on topic. I'm pretty sure I missed posting a few Syracuse development projects the last few weeks, nothing too big though.

Little Italy gains a residential anchor
Walier Building, constructed in 1890 as a candy factory, renovated for $2.3 million.
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Monday, February 04, 2008
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By Rick Moriarty Staff writer

City officials are hoping the transformation of a former candy factory into a 14-unit upscale apartment and commercial space will boost efforts to revitalize Syracuse's Little Italy district.

Developers Scott Byer and Jack A. Kennedy, of Denver, plan to hold a ribbon-cutting this morning with Rep. James Walsh, R-Onondaga, and local officials to mark the completion of the $2.3 million rehabilitation of the Walier Building at 755 N. Salina St.

Kennedy and Byer, along with local partner Paul Williams, began the work in April and plan to make its 14 apartments and two storefront commercial units available for rent March 1. It's being named The Walier Lofts.

It's really been an enjoyable project," Byer said. "We definitely have an appetite for the neighborhood."

Built in 1890, the building is one of the largest in the Little Italy district, an area of North Salina Street north of Interstate 690 that the city has been promoting to developers for several years.

The city has made streetscape improvements along North Salina and Butternut streets to encourage developers to turn the area's many underused commercial buildings into storefronts,

apartments and restaurants.

Before the effort, North Salina Street suffered decades of decline as the city lost population and shoppers began favoring suburban malls over the small shops that dominated the street.

Mayor Matt Driscoll said the $2.3 million investment in such a prominent building, a block south of Assumption Church, is a signal that North Salina Street has turned a corner and is a good place to invest.

"The location is very noticeable," he said. "Turning that into upscale units continues the growth of that area into a downtown neighborhood."

Byer said he and Kennedy became interested in Syracuse after noticing how inexpensive its real estate was in comparison to Denver and many other cities.

"Syracuse was on a real estate investors' list of spots to watch," he said.

The building was built by Joseph Walier, an immigrant from France, for use as a candy factory. In recent years, St. Vincent de Paul Church operated a thrift shop on the first floor and used the upper floors for storage.

Byer and Kennedy bought the four-story, red brick structure from the church in February 2006 for $415,000.

Rents for the loft apartments will range from $1,025 for a one-bedroom unit up to $1,395 for two-bedroom units. They range from 1,150 square feet to 1,375 square feet and feature brick walls, wood floors, maple cabinets and 11-foot plank wood ceilings with exposed wooden beams.

A 16-car parking lot for tenants is in the rear of the property.

The front of the first floor has two commercial units for lease, one 828 square feet and the other 1,310 square feet.

Byer said he expects the apartments to appeal to young professionals.

Nick Petragnani, regional director and vice president for the Community Preservation Corp.'s Central Region, said the building's renovation was a "watershed project" that could lure more investors to the area.

"I think it could be a tipping point for the Little Italy district," he said.

The Community Preservation Corp., a nonprofit mortgage bank formed in 1974 to help revitalize city neighborhoods, loaned the project $1.55 million. The Syracuse Economic Development Corp., an arm of the city, loaned the project $150,000.

The project received a $300,000 federal grant through the Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative program, and it got a $30,000 matching state grant via the Northeast Hawley Development Association to improve the building's facade.

In addition, it's expected to receive $400,000 in federal and $100,000 in state historic-preservation tax credits.

And since it's in a state Empire Zone, its property tax assessment will be frozen at $285,000 for seven years and will phase in to full market value - currently $980,000 - over the following three years. That means a tax savings of at least $30,000 a year for the first seven years.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-12/120211901730230.xml&coll=1

A quick question...last year there was press about an engineering firm moving downtown with hundreds of employees. This firm was supposed to locate to a proposed mid-rise tower near Armory Square.

Has anything happened regarding this project?

A quick question...last year there was press about an engineering firm moving downtown with hundreds of employees. This firm was supposed to locate to a proposed mid-rise tower near Armory Square.

Has anything happened regarding this project?

No, I haven't heard a word about it in over 6 months.....

This is nice, but Syracuse needs 100 more similar announcements to really dramatically impact the area in a positive way....

Verizon To Add 335 Jobs
FiOS call center jobs are high-paying
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
By Tim Knauss Staff writer

Verizon Communications will hire 335 new employees over the next two or three years for highly paid union and management jobs at the company's fast-growing FiOS call center on Thompson Road, in DeWitt.

Starting salaries will vary based on experience, but within four or five years all the new workers will earn at least $50,000 a year above average for the Syracuse area.

The jobs stem from the nationwide growth of Verizon's 3-year-old service called FiOS (pronounced FI-ose), which allows customers to receive combinations of phone, Internet and TV service over high-speed fiber-optic cables.

read the rest:
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-12/120341508565060.xml&coll=1

Two down, 98 more job announcements to go....:cheers:

German company, Bitzer Scroll, to create 300 manufacturing jobs in Syracuse

Posted by The Post-Standard
February 21, 2008

Syracuse, NY -- Bitzer Scroll, a German maker of air conditioning and refrigeration compressors, will create close to 300 high-end engineering and manufacturing jobs at a former General Motors plant in Salina, Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced today in an appearance here.....

The company designs and manufactures scroll compressors used by major air conditioning and refrigeration equipment manufacturers and contractors......

"Bitzer Scroll could have located just about anywhere in the world, but the company chose Syracuse and Central New York because we demonstrated the value of our workforce and our knowledge-based resources," he said in the release......

Spitzer mentioned the plans by Bitzer Scroll in his State of the Upstate address Jan 16 in Buffalo. Later that day, Spitzer appeared in Syracuse but did not mention the new jobs. The big announcement was called off when Bitzer executives were unable to get to Syracuse that day.

Bitzer has an engineering office employing about 12 people at 6731 Collamer Road, in East Syracuse.

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2008/02/german_company_to_create_300_m.html

Two of the proposed tall building for Syracuse...the second phase of the mall expansion (high-rise hotel) and the Convention Center Hotel are indefinitely on hold. This made the news here locally.

Gov. Spitzer is a really weak Governor. Even with all his connections to Wall Street...these development projects still can't find the funding they need to get off the ground. :(

Anyone know...is this a national trend? Banks not lending money for big projects? Hopefully this is not just isolated to Syracuse.....

I know no one reads this, so why bother commenting....anyway this is just for my own sanity.

This project, the "first sizeable the privately owned building to be constructed downtown" since 1992 is not exciting at all....at least to me. Rather anti-climatic. The design is boring, the height is only 4 stories and no one will be able to see it from the nearby highways. So very typical... Syracuse's local nightly news did not even do a report about this project. The local TV news in Syracuse is so terrible, they only seem to cover development projects if they are opposed. No opposition = no coverage. Backwards, small town mentality at its best.

Still waiting for that project/projects that will make Syracuse look more modern, classy, and give Syracuse that "real" city sophisticated vibe. For now we'll have to settle for mediocre architecture and low-rise, low impact projects that do nothing to change Syracuse's image....:|



$21M Project Breaks Ground
Jefferson Clinton Commons to house law firm, 18 condos
Friday, March 07, 2008
By Rick Moriarty Staff writer
The Sugarman Law Firm, one of Syracuse's oldest law firms, will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year in new digs.

The firm, which employs 75 people, including 50 in Syracuse, will lease the entire second floor of Jefferson Clinton Commons, a four-story, mixed-use building planned by developer Joseph Hucko of Washington Street Partners.

Sugarman's lease just two blocks away in the HSBC Building at 360 S. Warren St. is expiring, and the firm decided to move so it could have its offices all on one floor, said Sam Vulcano, Sugarman's managing partner. The firm leases two floors at the HSBC Building

Vulcano said the firm found office buildings in the suburbs that met its requirements. But it wanted to stay downtown because of its central location and because it likes being close to Armory Square, a district full of former warehouses converted into restaurants, bars, specialty shops and residential units.

"We like it downtown," he said. "We walk around at lunch time. You see people, you say hello."

Founded in 1909 by David Sugarman, the firm also has offices in Auburn and Buffalo.

A groundbreaking for the $21.25 million project is scheduled to be held this morning at the southwest corner of South Clinton and West Jefferson streets, currently a parking lot.

City officials are eager to see the project under way. The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency is putting up $1.6 million - including $1 million approved this week - to be loaned to the project, at an interest rate of just 1 percent.

Located directly across Jefferson Street from another Hucko project, the Jefferson Clinton Hotel (formerly Hawthorn Suites), the project will be the first sizable, privately owned building to be constructed downtown since the AT&T Building went up on South Clinton Street in 1992.

Vulcano said the building is expected to be ready for occupancy in April 2009. Sugarman will lease the entire 26,500 square feet of the second floor but will initially sublease about 7,000 square feet to other office tenants. As the firm grows, it will take over the space that is subleased, he said.

The first two floors of the building will contain commercial space, and the top two floors will have a total of 18 residential condominiums.

Designed by MacKnight Architects, the building will sport a white masonry exterior on the first floor, red brick on the top three floors and a four-story atrium in the center of the building. Architect Steve MacKnight said the building will be built to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

The condominiums will range in size from 1,100 square feet to 1,910 square feet. Prices will start in the low to mid-$200,000s.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/business/index.ssf?/base/business-12/1204883902285220.xml&coll=1

looks like this might be an issue for the next few days...

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring


By DANNY HAKIM and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
Published: March 10, 2008

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Governor Eliot Spitzer at a news conference in July 2007.
Related 4 Charged With Running Online Prostitution Ring (March 7)

What Is the Fallout for Spitzer?

Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides inside his Fifth Avenue apartment early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He scheduled an announcement for 2:15 after inquiries from the Times.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved.

But a person with knowledge of the governor’s role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers.

The governor’s travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February. One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13.

Mr. Spitzer appeared on a CNBC television show at 7 a.m. the next morning. Later in the morning, he testified before a Congressional committee.

An affidavit filed in federal court in Manhattan in connection with that case lists six conversations between the man, identified as Client 9, and a booking agent for the Emperors Club.

He had a difficult first year in office, rocked by a mix of scandal and legislative setbacks. In recent weeks, however, Mr. Spitzer seemed to have rebounded, with his Democratic party poised to perhaps gain control of the state Senate for the first time in four decades.

Mr. Spitzer gained national attention when he served as attorney general with his relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing. As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force.

In one such case in 2004, Mr. Spitzer spoke with revulsion and anger after announcing the arrest of 16 people for operating a high-end prostitution ring out of Staten Island.

“”This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multitiered management structure,” Mr. Spitzer said at the time. ”It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.”

Albany for months has been roiled by bitter fighting and accusations of dirty tricks. The Albany County district attorney is set to issue in the coming days the results of his investigation into Mr. Spitzer’s first scandal, his aides’ involvement in an effort to tarnish Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, the state’s top Republican.


:banana:

According to the Syracuse Post Standard....

SUNY Upstate Medical University has big plans to expand in Syracuse, but the State refuses to approve the plans!!!!!

I thought New York State wanted to help the Upstate economy! What a load of baloney! This stupid State can't even give the go ahead to a huge expansion of Syracuse's largest employer.... which has the potential create hundreds of additional jobs in Upstate NY.:mad2:

That Gunderson guy is a joke. He hasn't done one thing for Syracuse yet!!!! Must be Gunderson is too busy with all the projects he's working on in Buffalo and Rochester. :|

Syracuse needs to have our very own "Economic Development Czar". This Upstate New York EC Czar is way too focused on Western New York.

Finally! :banana:

Biotech Center for Kennedy Square

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The vast and vacant Kennedy Square apartment complex will come down, possibly by this summer, to make way for a $30 million to $40 million biotechnical research center, classrooms and research space, state officials announced Wednesday.

SUNY Upstate Medical University is taking over ownership of the property. The research center will cover four of the site's 14 acres, and Upstate will seek proposals from private developers to create commercial projects and student residences on the other 10 acres, Upstate President Dr. David Smith said.

"We expect this will bring hundreds of millions; in fact, I would give it a conservative estimate of $200 million, of private sector investment into this city," said Daniel Gundersen, Upstate chairman of the Empire State Development Corp., the state's main economic development agency. "It will transform an area of downtown which is so important as a nexus between University Hill and the city."

He made the announcement, along with Smith and a bevy of state, local and university officials, in front of the boarded-up Kennedy Square.

The Central New York Biotechnology Research Center has been looking for a site to build for several years.

It's a nonprofit, collaborative venture created by SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to link universities and private business and bolster "knowledge-based" economic development.

The state allocated the first funding for the center in 2002, but it has been slow to ramp up because it hasn't had a place to go.

A deal brokered between two state entities, and agreed to by the city and county, finally found the center a home.

The state's main economic development agency, Empire State Development Corp., owns Kennedy Square and reached an agreement by which it will transfer the Kennedy property to Upstate, Gundersen and Smith said.

Upstate is paying Empire nothing for the property, Smith said, but it is on the hook for paying the county and city a portion of the back taxes, penalties and fees Kennedy Square has wracked up since 1993.

Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll and Onondaga County's chief fiscal officer Joe Mareane said the city and the county agreed to accept the partial payment because the development will boost the local economy.

The city and county are owed roughly $4.8 million and under the deal will share a payment of $700,000 in two installments, Mareane said. The debt to the county is more than that of the city, so it will receive about two-thirds, or about $465,00, of the $700,000. The rest will go to the city, he said.

"Those taxes were never going to be collected, the property was blighted and not getting better, and here's an opportunity to advance the economy forward," Mareane said. "This biotech center is an important next step in developing the knowledge-based economy in the area and that means jobs and that means money coming into the community, and we need both."

It's wise to move on, Driscoll said.

"Let's open the door to this new opportunity with our region's largest employer," he said.

But Twiggy Billue, of the American Friends Service Committee, didn't find much opportunity for low-income people as she listened to the future being laid out for the property.

Kennedy Square was built to provide close to 400 apartments for low- and moderate-income tenants. By the time Empire decided to close it down, the complex was in bad shape and mostly vacant with about 70 units still occupied. But some residents didn't want to move because they'd been there for years and could afford the housing.

Billue and the Service Committee have helped them relocate, as did Empire State Development and the Syracuse Housing Authority.

Billue criticized the plans for failing to include construction of new affordable housing.

"This is gentrification of downtown Syracuse," she said.

Smith said Upstate wants to work with community partners, including developers, on the possibility of developing affordable housing in the neighborhood.

Driscoll said the city is working with the state on the affordable housing issue. Before Gundersen made the announcement he said the state was "fully sensitive" that Kennedy Square had provided affordable housing.

"We want all to know that the state is committed to working on public housing issues in this city," he said.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1207818016261951.xml&coll=1&thispage=2



Upstate Medical University to receive millions from state

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Ten million dollars from the state will help launch a cord blood center in Syracuse. SUNY Upstate Medical University and the state health department will head up the center.

It is scheduled to open at Syracuse University's proposed South Campus Research Park. The center will store umbilical cord blood stem cells used for medical procedures and research.
http://news10now.com/content/top_stories/113901/upstate-medical-university-to-receive-millions-from-state/Default.aspx


Other projects....

-There's $8 million to improve infrastructure at Hancock Air Park, an industrial park in Cicero, that Assemblyman Al Stirpe said will help attract a new, unidentified tenant with 300 to 500 jobs.

-There's $130 million for capital projects at SUNY Upstate Medical University, including $72 million to expand the Institute for Human Performance.

-There $34 million for capital projects at Onondaga Community College, including a new academic building.

-There's $30 million for the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, including a new $22 million gateway building.

-There's $20 million for Syracuse University's Connective Corridor project.


:cheers:

So what was that you were saying about being ignored by Albany? From the looks of it, both Rochester and Syracuse fared rather well in this fat budget. In fact, it sounds like Buffalo was got the short end of the stick for once. Congratulations on this Kennedy Square redevelopment.

Thanks! Until now, I really thought Syracuse would get the big shaft from this current administration. I'm so happy that I was proven wrong! :)

Now I'll cross my fingers that the State holds up its end and delivers the money...... and.... that Syracuse doesn't screw up and find a way to delay all these projects for years!

Maker of Drywall Settles On Radisson for New Plant
Company headed by Camillus native expects to create 115 "green" manufacturing jobs.
Syracuse, NY

A California company has chosen the Radisson Corporate Park in Lysander as the site for a $57 million drywall manufacturing facility that will employ 115 people.

Serious Materials Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., plans to move fast on the plant. It told the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency it plans to have the factory up and running by the end of this year, Carolyn May, interim executive director of the agency, said Wednesday.

The company said it expects the plant to employ 115 people within two years, at an average annual pay of $54,000, including benefits, May said.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/index.ssf?/base/business-12/121023715283390.xml&coll=1

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/armoryhotel.jpg

Marriott planned for Armory Square
by Meghan Rubado
Wednesday August 06, 2008, 9:32 AM

A proposed Armory Square Marriott Hotel is poised to become the third new development under construction in the thriving downtown district inside of a year, Mayor Matt Driscoll said Tuesday.

The Marriott project, which will be publicly unveiled today at a Syracuse Common Council committee meeting, would sit next door to the O'Brien & Gere headquarters planned by Pioneer Cos. at the north end of Armory Square. Construction on that building is scheduled to begin in March. The Jefferson Clinton Commons mixed-use building is already under construction at the south end of the district.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/marriott_planned_for_armory_sq.html




SpringHill Suites to be newest hotel at Carrier CircleConstruction of the Marriott-owned property will begin this week on Route 298.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
Carrier Circle, Central New York’s hotel capital, is about to get its 20th hotel.

Site work began three weeks ago on a four-story, 120-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel.

It will be the 20th hotel in the Carrier Circle area in DeWitt and the third in the Marriott chain, joining the 149-room Courtyard by Marriott, at 6415 Yorktown Circle, and the 102-room Residence Inn by Marriott, at 6420 Yorktown Circle.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1217926640186540.xml&coll=1



Mattydale Plaza redo

The owner of the Kmart-anchored Mattydale Plaza has big plans for an even older dinosaur: the long-abandoned Cinema North movie house between Kmart and Zebb's.

If all goes according to plans, the cinema could come down and a hotel could go up.

"There's not a better location: halfway between the airport and Carousel mall," said Bill Evertz of Syracuse's Pyramid Brokerage, which handles leasing for Syracuse-area properties owned by Berkley Properties, of Nanuet, near New York City. "Hopefully, that site will become a hotel."

The 902-seat Cinema North standalone movie theater closed in early 1990.

The hotel plans are part of a major investment by Berkley in its Syracuse area holdings, which includes eight apartment complexes.

http://www.syracuse.com/business/index.ssf?/base/business-13/1218185766326850.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

Old news

Salina hotel begins expansion, renovation
Holiday Inn's $20M project will give it the most meeting space in Syracuse. Friday, May 30, 2008
By Rick Moriarty Staff writer

While the two best-known hotel projects in Syracuse are delayed by financing problems, the 46-year-old Holiday Inn in Salina is quietly starting a $20 million expansion and renovation that will add rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

The project, which kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony May 7, includes an expansion of the Holiday Inn's conference facilities, construction of a 123-room Staybridge Suites extended-stay hotel and extensive interior and exterior renovations, including a new indoor swimming pool. All will be connected via an interior corridor.

When the project is completed next year, the Holiday Inn-Staybridge Suites complex will have 323 hotel rooms. It also will have 19 meeting rooms with a total of 31,000 square feet.

The largest single meeting room will be able to host up to 1,400 people, and the expanded event space will be able to accommodate more than 2,800 people, all on one level.

That gives the hotel more meeting space than any other hotel in the Syracuse area and allows it to compete for large conventions and meetings that might otherwise go to cities such as Albany, Buffalo or Rochester, said Tiffany Gallagher, director of sales for Advanced Hotel Management Inc., which manages the hotel.

"We find ourselves competing on a state level," she said. "Now this will put us on a new level."

Gallagher said First Republic Corp. of America, the hotel's owner, kept plans for the project quiet until financing was in place, so there would be no chance of announcing a project only to see it delayed.

"We were quiet on purpose," she said. "We wanted to wait until construction was actually going to start."

Two much more highly publicized hotel projects in Syracuse are on hold.

Destiny USA developer Robert Congel announced plans in November for a 1,342-room hotel and conference next to his Carousel Center shopping mall. But in March, the developer put the project on hold and laid off 45 employees, citing difficulties.

Carousel Center to add Italian section

by Rick Moriarity / The Post-Standard
Friday August 15, 2008, 6:34 AM

Shoppers yearning for a touch of Italy will get a lot of it at the expanded Carousel Center.

A big chunk of the addition under construction at the Syracuse mall will feature a "Made in Italy" zone, where products and foods from Italy will be sold.

The Italian Web site, ItalPlanet.it, recently published a story on the Italy-themed section planned for the Carousel expansion, and a Destiny USA official confirmed the plans Thursday.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/carousel_center_to_add_italian.html

Sounds familiar to what was proposed here in Rochester. Don't believe everything those Italians say!

Sounds familiar to what was proposed here in Rochester. Don't believe everything those Italians say!

But Rochester doesn't have what will become the largest mall in Upstate NY and the 8th largest in the nation...Carousel Center.:lol:

I'm guessing (hoping) that this is a sarcastic comment, because I'll believe that when I see it.

Wouldn't that be bad for retail in downtown Syracuse?

Wouldn't that be bad for retail in downtown Syracuse?

What retail in downtown Syracuse? You mean like the 10 shops and 10 night clubs in Armory Square? Retail in downtown died 20 years ago. I truly doubt Armory Square will see a loss of business from a larger Carousel....

I'm guessing (hoping) that this is a sarcastic comment, because I'll believe that when I see it.

I'm like you. I'll believe it when I see it. Just too many projects have been delayed or canceled over the years to blindly accept that every announced development that appears in the newspaper will actually happen.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/Upstatebuilding.jpg

Upstate orthopedic doctors plan $19 million medical center in DeWitt

Thursday September 11, 2008, 5:50 PM

Syracuse, NY -- A medical group affiliated with Upstate Medical University plans to build a $19.17 million high-tech medical and educational center on Fly Road in DeWitt starting next month.

Upstate University Bone and Joint Center will house the University Hospital Department of Orthopedic Surgery, currently located at 550 Harrison St. in Syracuse, and a new practice, Upstate Orthopedic Ambulatory Surgery Center. Between them, the two anchor tenants will take up about 60,000 square feet of the 92,000-square-foot building.

In addition, the three-story structure will feature a State University of New York conference and training center, a physical therapy group, a pain management group and a prosthetics provider.

All tenants, with the exception of prosthetics provider, will be affiliated with Upstate Medical University as a medical or education service provider.

The center will be a regional treatment center, drawing patients from a 15-county area. About 10,000 patients -- about 55 percent of the people who receive treatment at the center -- will be from outside Onondaga County, according to the developer, Central Land LLC.

Central Land is a company formed by the owners of the orthopedic surgery and ambulatory care practices that will be the building's main tenants. The owners are doctors who also teach at Upstate Medical University.

Attorney Kevin McAuliffe, who is representing Central Land, said Thursday construction is scheduled to start in October and be completed in fall 2009.

It will be built on a 37-acre vacant property at 6558 Fly Road, directly east of the New Process Gear auto parts plant. Site plans show the entrance will be at the extreme northern end of the property.

The Department of Orthopedic surgery will move 92 existing jobs from 550 Harrison St. to the new facility. It and the ambulatory surgery center will create 34 new jobs, including surgeons, nurses, operating room technicians and support positions, said Lisa DaRin, administrative director of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/upstate_orthopedic_docs_plan_1.html

Any word on this expansion of the mall?

Any word on this expansion of the mall?

Here, I took this photo a month ago...

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/mallexpansion.jpg

They said it should be complete by Spring 2009.

Golisano Children's Hospital update

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/childrenshos.jpg

what stores are going in it?

are they still going on with the 40 story hotel towers and all that?

The problems on Wall Street are slowing progress on the next phase...the hotel tower.

Haven't heard about specific stores for the expansion yet.

Update on the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ontarionorth/centerofexcellence.jpg

the Children's Hospital looks great.

Here a good site to keep updated on construction and development projects in the Syracuse area:

http://www.123syracuse.com/gpage12.html

And some finished product:

Golisano Children's Hospital
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5057510820_6be18d6e35_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davelynch/


and the Center For Excellence: (from last June)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4802500060_2fa8fa010b_b_d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turturo/

After much debate in the courts Project Orange takes down the cogeneration plant.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/project_orange_smokestakes_to.html


http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjfuller/5396986775/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjfuller/5396884629/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjfuller/5397485274/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjfuller/5397588450

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjfuller/5396886287/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewjfuller/5397594404/

Anyone have any thoughts on this development?

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/developer_of_downtown_syracuse.html

It sounds very similar to something happening in Buffalo now, which I think was a bad idea because I would rather see new houses be built on old lots rather than clear-cutting a strip of forested land that would have made a wonderful linear park or walking/bicycling trail. Buffalo has so much vacant land now that there's no real need to build on virgin land; I'm not sure if Syracuse is quite that far gone in the disinvestment cycle.

Anyone have any thoughts on this development?

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/developer_of_downtown_syracuse.html

It sounds very similar to something happening in Buffalo now, which I think was a bad idea because I would rather see new houses be built on old lots rather than clear-cutting a strip of forested land that would have made a wonderful linear park or walking/bicycling trail. Buffalo has so much vacant land now that there's no real need to build on virgin land; I'm not sure if Syracuse is quite that far gone in the disinvestment cycle.

No its not.

Actually, Syracuse managed to maintain its city population over the past decade. By attracting more immigrants & other ideas Ive suggested for Buffalo. That's a BIG comeback from the 1990s, when the "Salt City" suffered crippling loses similar to Buffalo.

Syracuse also managed to rid itself of Paladino who was tearing down buildings left & right for his Rite Aids & their parking lots, thanks to community activists. This developers plan for single houses is another bad plan. There's still plenty of vacant house in Dyracuse to re-fill. Hopefully the Syracuse city council, etc. may kill it.

Judging from the Syracuse, Boston, Hartford, etc. threads, the best sign of urban revival seems to be a dwindling thread on the SSC forums!