The City of Syracuse is seeking design ideas from residents for the neighborhoods near the new community grid once the I-81 viaduct comes down. The Neighborhood Design Studio sessions are being held this week at Dr. King Elementary School. The city’s I-81 project director Joe Driscoll says they’ve engaged Dover, Kohl & Partners on this first-of-its-kind opportunity for residents to work side by side with designers on what they’d like to see.
"As far as parks, amenities, you know walking paths, what we do with some of the other auxiliary street designs that are adjacent to the highway, all those kinds of things. So, basically, [Dover, Kohl & Partners] is gonna bring in 10-20 different design professionals engaged throughout the week," Driscoll said.
Driscoll says the grid’s path and width of lanes are already set in stone by the state DOT, but there’s still plenty of room for discussion on secondary features. He says there will be up to 12 acres of land available for development, and residents should have a say.
"The city wants to present the state with a plan to say some of these acres of land that are gonna be coming available, you know, what's the destiny of them, do we want a park, do we want housing, what's the most important to the citizens of Syracuse. So this is really a great opportunity for everyone in Syracuse to come in and engage and let us know what you think," Driscoll said.
The viaduct is still years away from coming down, but city officials have said they want plans in place well in advance. Here’s when residents can stop by Dr. King School on East Raynor Ave.:
- Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday, Aug. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 27 (open house) 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The design team will present resident input and their sketches at Saturday’s open house. More information on the Community Grid Neighborhood Design Studio Program and its process can be found at https://www.syr.gov/Projects/Active-Projects/Community-Grid-Neighborhood-Design-Studio.
