Tuesday’s fire in a second-floor apartment at the former Skyline high-rise in Syracuse revealed some of the challenges of relocating residents in order to renovate the building.
Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens says they just met virtually with property owner Clear Investment Group on Friday, and learned there were two remaining residents in the complex. But when firefighters responded to the scene and evacuated the building Tuesday, about a dozen more people were found to be living there.
“The two that they reported were the last two in that eviction process, so how other people are in the building is up for everyone to try to figure out now, which is why it was critically important for us to secure it now," she said.
Owens says it’s up to property managers, not the city, to keep it secure. A visit to the building shows front and rear entrances boarded up, with signs declaring it unfit for habitation. The grounds are littered with debris, and large dumpsters are in the rear parking lot. National Grid has cut utility service. Owens says getting to this point with a 363-unit complex hasn’t been easy.
“We're learning through this process. It was our first really big building," Owens said. "We had to relocate individuals, getting ahead of anticipating how difficult it would be for an individual to identify housing themselves.”
Owens says most had re-location assistance through non-profit agencies. But she says it’s still a lengthy process.
“We need apartment units in the city, so we want them [Clear Investment] to be able to move as expeditiously as possible," Owens said. "But first and foremost, we had to protect the rights of individuals through eviction process and so that process probably took much longer than they wanted it to. But it is the law.”
Meanwhile, Owens says Clear Investment Group will be updating the city shortly with a timeline on renovations on the former Skyline and its other properties. The Chicago-based company did not respond to a request for comment.
