The Greater Syracuse Land Bank is marking a milestone with the completion of its 500th demolition. An excavator removed what’s left of 412 Delaware St. on the city of Syracuse's near west side. WAER News stopped by the site to catch up with land bank officials about how targeted demolition is leading to more stable neighborhoods.
Executive Director Katelyn Wright said it’s one of 11 priority demolitions in the area over the next several weeks.
"The cluster that they're focused on right now has these two on Delaware, and some properties on Barrett, Sabine and Grace, all of which have been problem properties as far as the police department is concerned. They're demolition candidates anyway that need to go. We're going to take them all out at once, and hopefully that will help a lot."
The land bank coordinates with police to eliminate blighted structures that serve as havens for illegal activity. Wright says they average about 70 demolitions a year due to limited funding, even though their list of candidates is typically around 200. But this year she said a $3.8 million allocation of federal pandemic relief funds will double that.
"We'll do 140 in 18 months time, so we're moving along at a much faster pace than normal."
Land Bank Board Chairman and Common Councilor Pat Hogan says the impact can't be underestimated.
"This is stuff that we probably wouldn't get to for 5 or 6 years or maybe even a decade. Now we're able to do it. The faster we can do it, the faster these neighborhoods come back."
Once demolished, Wright said the city and its housing partners begin to rebuild.
"Replacing it with good stuff is really our mission. Here on Delaware Street, we're assembling some bigger chunks of land. This lot right here is tax delinquent; we'll be foreclosing on it soon. Then we'll be able to combine it with the lot where the demolition is happening, and this can be an infill site for new construction."
The land bank has facilitated the return of 11,000 properties to the city’s tax rolls since 2013.
Hogan said the reinvestment spurs other homeowners to make improvements.
"Actually that's happening on Woodlawn. Myself and Katelyn visited there the other day. That neighborhood being created by Home Headquarters, with efforts of course from the land bank. We've notice people taking active measures to improve the houses around that neighborhood. If you drive by there, you'll see people working on their porches and roofs."
Wright says there seems to be an increased sense of community developing.
"It's exciting to see now that people are seeing these clusters being developed. We have more and more people pulling in the same direction, working together toward this shared vision, and we're really starting to make some significant progress."
Hogan was one of those who wasn't on board with the land bank initially.
"I am a converted person. When I was on the city council when the land bank was first proposed, I was a skeptic. I've become a real believer now. I'll be the first to admit that was wrong about the transformation that can happen in city neighborhoods with the land bank. I'm chair of the land bank now."
This summer, the land bank will mark its 10th year of operation.
