A new housing strategy for Syracuse by the Walsh administration seeks to improve troubled areas, while also improving stable neighborhoods. Mayor Ben Walsh in a release says he's ready to "shelve" the old way of doing community development.
He's asking for input from the public at a meeting:
Tuesday, April 30th from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Northeast Community Center, 716 Hawley Avenue.
The housing plan calls for working with and building on past initiatives, such as the land bank, Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative, and the East Adams neighborhood redevelopment. In a release, Walsh also mentions the effort would involve the Community Grid Vision Plan, guiding development after the removal of the Interstate 81 viaduct thorough downtown.
“The Syracuse Housing Strategy is a smart framework to accomplish the massive challenge of revitalizing the city’s housing stock. It presents interventions that will breathe new life into city neighborhoods,” said Walsh in a release.
He expects demographic changes in the city and intends the strategy to transform the housing market. In addition to stabilizing areas that have homes that have gone into disrepair or are vacant, Walsh's plan would focus on areas of 30-50 blocks that have similar market conditions.
The housing plan is in draft form now. The city's timeline suggests a final version will be done by the end of May, after public input.
