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The Syracuse Common Council voted Monday to approve an agreement with Syracuse University regarding parking policies at the Washington Street Garage.

Parking in the university’s on-campus garages costs $483 per semester, and surface lot parking costs $248 per semester. Monday’s agreement, proposed by Councilor Amir Gethers, provides SU a minimum of 25 monthly parking spaces and a maximum of 125 monthly parking permits for the Washington Street Garage, which is located near SU’s Nancy Cantor Warehouse in downtown Syracuse.

The monthly rate for the parking permits under the plan, which will go into effect on Feb. 1, will be determined by its market rate and decided finally by the Common Council.

The Council also voted to authorize the demolition of the Syracuse Development Center, located on South Wilbur Avenue, for the structure to be in accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

In June, Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York state would finance the demolition of the 47-acre property, which the city of Syracuse seized in 2019 due to the property owing over $887,000 in back taxes and fees. The center was previously a rehabilitation and living facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

The Council has plans to work with Empire State Development, a New York state government economic development agency, to restore the physical structure. A $29 million grant will purpose the property for housing and tech manufacturing, and the state will pay for infrastructure, such as water sewer lines, lighting and trees.

The demolition is part of an ongoing effort in Syracuse to eliminate blighted properties. In October, the council approved the city’s application for $5 million in funding from the state-wide Restore New York initiative, which works to revitalize abandoned or underutilized residential and commercial buildings in the state.

Other Business:

• In provisions aimed at improving safety within the city, Councilor Chol Majok proposed the application and agreement for the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design grant with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
• Councilors unanimously approved an in-kind donation of retired body armor and ballistic helmets to Ukraine Friends, a non-profit organization devoted to providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
• The council confirmed re-appointments for Corey Driscoll Dunham, Joe Driscoll and Stephanie Pasquale to the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency Board of Directors. The OCRRA oversees trash, compost and recycling management in Onondaga County.

Published on January 24, 2023 at 1:27 am