The Salt(ed) City

Why Wait Around for the Connective Corridor?

2007-01-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

First, while we've been critical of Syracuse.com in the past, let me give credit where credit is due. The website has added a new feature on the right side of the main page, called "Proposed City Development", grouping related articles and forum links together. The newspaper has done a fairly decent job, particularly in recent months, in covering the development scene, so it's nice to see the website putting these stories in a more prominent place.

To that end, one of the articles listed under said banner is Friday's P-S on a guy named Rick Destitio, who owns the old Brown-Lipe Gear building on the corner of S. Geddes and W. Fayette Sts ["A" on the map below]. Destitio is transforming the building into an artists' colony, but his vision is bigger than that. He sees his building and the the thriving Devlan Art Gallery ["B"], across the way from SU's Warehouse building near Armory Square, as the bookends of a new "Warehouse District".

Destitio, not content to wait for the powers-that-be to ratify his idea, has already posted a couple handmade signs on telephone poles naming this strip "The Warehouse District". Good for him - that's the entrepreneurial spirit that is going to make Syracuse's rebirth happen. Let our civic leaders debate appropriations, tax agreements, and development strategies. Guys and gals like Destitio are making things happen.

I gotta admit, I'm kind of a philistine when it comes to art, at least of the modern variety that I suspect prevails at Devlan and the neighboring Redhouse. I'll take the Sistine Chapel - or Norman Rockwell - any day. But when it comes to redevelopment, to making urban areas livable again, artists often act as the avant-garde, paving the way for further commercial and residential development (GreenwichVillage is the exemplar par excellence for this). Today, young professionals want to live near places like Thayer St. in Providence, South St. in Philly, and Adams-Morgan and the U Street Corridor in DC, because these areas are hip, funky, fun, etc.

This may not not appeal to everyone as the path to development. For example, the "Towne Center crowd" might want to focus more heavily on Syracuse becoming, say, the Silicon Valley of environmental engineering, and damn the tree-hugging hippies with their psychedelic paintings and beat poetry. Don't get me wrong - I fall more closely in this camp myself. But the reality is, we need to pursue both traditional and more creative options to re-energizing the city.

Artists bring life to a city. A Warehouse District, created organically and authentically, could connect the exploding development in Armory Square to the Near West Side, complement the Connective Corridor, and herald the day when the entire city is knitted together by colorful and vibrant neighborhoods - north, south, east, and west.

Keep it up, Mr. Destitio. Good work.

Save Wilson/ Adapt CNY New Years Eve

2007-01-03T18:36:00.000-05:00

I'm back from the dead after my busy season and should be back to regular posting pretty quickly.

I attended the Save Wilson/ Adapt CNY New Years Eve bash at the Hotel Syracuse on Sunday night. The event was held in the Ballroom and Lobby of the soon to be refurbished Hotel Syracuse. The event turned out to be spectacular. The theme was the 20's and a good half of the attendees dressed for the occasion. Not to make this sound like the social notebook but the event was a smashing success at least from a party standpoint. I am unsure how much money was actually raised between the ticket sales and silent auction but from the attendance it looked to be quite a success. The silent auction offered one really unique piece which was a slice of the wall with some original graffiti on it (I unfortunately lost the bidding on this) as well as some wine, a biplane ride, and some other great items. The event also featured a running slide show of the progress of the Wilson building so far and lists of names of who has helped out on the project. Overall, if nothing else, the event got the Wilson Building Project out on the forefront of people's minds. I really hope this becomes an annual event and not just a one time thing. I will be first in line next year when/if tickets go on sale.

UPDATE: I don't know the profits but the gate for the event was: $25,000.00 for tickets and $5750.00 for Silent Auction

Drinking for Jobs at Dorsey's

2007-01-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

Back in DC after a relaxing week at home in the 'Cuse.

First up, thoughts on the MDA's Come Home to Syracuse event held last Thursday evening at P.J. Dorsey's in Armory Square. The pitch of the event was to bring together former residents of Syracuse visiting for the holidays, with local employers, in a casual setting. The MDA was expecting representatives from around 30 local firms, including Upstate, Lockheed, Anaren Microwave, Clear Channel, O'Brien & Gere, CPS & more. Reps from the MDA, the Manufacturers' Association (MACNY) and the Chamber of Commerce were also on hand.

I planned on attending to do a little networking, but I ended up "volunteering" and working as a greeter at the front door. Let me say this - the place was PACKED. Between 5 and 8, I'd say at least 300 people stopped by for a drink and some chatting. It was a varied crowd, some dressed in jeans, others in business suits. While a good many were definitely locals, there were quite a few out-of-towners, the demographic the organizers were hoping to attract. Most of the crowd was young, 20s and 30s, and several appeared to be students from the Hill or the Heights. There was a large stack of resumes in the drop box at the end of the night, and I'm sure that at least a few of the networkers landed themselves an interview.

There were a couple disappointments. Reps from Upstate and OB&G failed to show up, leaving a lot of people frustrated. The room was also a little too small, making things slightly chaotic. And doing the event a little closer to a holiday (maybe the Friday after Thanksgiving?) could draw a bigger out of town crowd. But these are small potatoes.

A couple great stories. I talked with a guy who grew up in the 'Cuse, but moved to Atlanta for work, where he lived for six and a half years. He found the MDA's EssentialNYJobs site, found a job, and moved back home. He showed up at the event just to say "what's up" and share his story. Pretty cool. Another couple from Maryland was home for the holidays, and the Mrs. said she was determined to raise their family in CNY. She and her husband (who, it must be said, was slightly less enthusiastic)were networking for jobs to let them move back home, without taking a cut in their standard of living.

The MDA says there are, at any given time, 8,000 professional jobs listed in their online database. A couple of my high school friends who attended the event seemed a little skeptical of the MDA's definition of "professional", but there is no doubt that medical, biotech, engineering, accounting, and legal positions are available, and according to some employers, they can't hire fast enough. I think the problem is, however, that the college age demographic that Syracuse is trying to retain, is not educated or trained for the right jobs.

Most of my friends, like myself, have BAs and MAs in the liberal arts, while local employers need people with science, technical, and business training. High schools need to emphasize that with a couple years of technical training at OCC or elsewhere, young people can land good-paying jobs here at home. For those destined for 4 year institutions, business (finance and accounting), engineering (particularly environmental), hard sciences (biology and chemistry) should be the majors of choice. I'm all for a well-rounded liberal education, but the jobs in the 'Cuse for English and political science majors are few and far between. Our schools need to do a better job of conveying to high school students which fields of study are most likely to make a graduate employable.

The re-opening of Central Tech by the city school district is definitely a step in the right direction. We need more creative, long-term thinking like this to ensure that our citizens can maximize their educational opportunities, and our employers can draw on a population with the right skill set.

Live from Syracuse, It's Salted City

2006-12-28T13:53:00.000-05:00

Home in the 'Cuse for a weeklong Christmas vacation. Tonight, you can find me here, at the MDA's Come Home to Syracuse event at Dorsey's in Armory Square, from 5-7:30 pm. A free drink, and networking with 30 local white collar employers with over 100 available jobs, from what I hear. I'll post a recap later this evening.

Hugging Trees for Fun and Profit

2006-12-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

SUNY ESF has won a $10 million state grant towards building a commercial cellulosic ethanol facility, up north in Lewis County. Another $10 million for the facility will be provided by Catalyst Renewables Corp., New Energy Capital Corp., and O’Brien & Gere.

Basically, these guys are going to make fuel from wood chips and try to sell it.

Awesome. Yet another example of renewable energy / environmental technology growth in CNY. The more stories we read like this, the more the momentum grows for the ‘Cuse becoming the Silicon Valley of environmental technologies. It could happen. And it would do a heck of a lot more for our community (and our country) than some other economic development schemes out there (cough, cough).

In other news, Some setbacks on the construction of the Center for Excellence on the site of the old Midtown Plaza. Seems the construction crews struck gold – black gold – and the state DEC has to come in and clean-up. That’s right, construction of a center for environmental and energy technology is being delayed by environmental contamination – caused by oil. Bummer. Building might not be completed until mid-2008 now…

What's a Few Million Between Friends?

2006-12-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

So last spring, Mayor Driscoll signed a city ordinance to bill the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency $2.9 million for the work city employees did on various elements of Congel's Ditch. Now, Driscoll has changed his mind, and does not plan on asking SIDA to reimburse the city for these services. It seems the $2.9 million number was chosen by the Common Council because it just so happened to be the projected budget shortfall for the 'Cuse at the time. While the city ended up not needing the cash this year, it probably will in the next two years, and the Common Council is annoyed that Driscoll is no longer interested in getting it.

This is one of those situations in which one wants to get vehemently annoyed and pick a side, but it's just so confusing to know what to get mad about. On first glance, it seems a tad inappropriate for the Council to suggest making up budget shortfalls by essentially taking tribute from other entities, in dollar amounts that have no relationship to actual services rendered. Buuuut, on the other hand, if SIDA is not an independent entity, but actually an agency that falls under the authority of the city, particularly the city's fiscal authority, shifting funds from one department to another as needed is just common sense.

So what exactly is SIDA, and what is its relationship with the city? The mayor, according to the article, appoints its board, currently chaired by MDA head Erwin Davis, with top Driscoll official Kenneth Mokrzycki also serving as a board member. SIDA is a public non-profit corporation, with some decidely governmental powers, including granting tax exemptions and negotiating PILOT agreements. I don't think the Salvation Army or even the Red Cross can do that

Now of course, I'm being somewhat deliberately obtuse, as the economic development corporation is a pretty standard arrangement in cities across the U.S. But I think this disagreement neatly illustrates some of the problems inherent in government involvement in local development. As a non-profit public corporation, my guess is SIDA's charter empowers it to act independently on behalf of the city's economic development. Technically speaking then, the Common Council treating this organization like it was a $20 bill the Council just found in its collective coat is an abuse of its purpose. On the other hand, when quasi-governmental entities are created, they occupy a precarious position. If it has governmental powers, it should be under the authority of the local government, including fiscally.

It's quite possible I'm misunderstanding some key element of this debate, but what I think my point ultimately is, is this. There needs to be clear delineations between government and private entities. Zoning, basic services, police protection, taxes, etc., these are the functions of government. Indirectly, the city's attitude towards these things can have a powerful impact on development.

But things get awfully sticky when governments get involved in this particular development project or that one. Government should set the rules of the game, and make sure they are enforced, but then leave the real magic up to private firms (who shouldn't expect, or rely on, government financing or special treatment)...thus my libertarian leanings are betrayed. But I'm interested if anyone can shed more light on this matter.

Hospital Plans on Life Support?

2006-12-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

(ooh, look I could be a headline writer)
(Pre-Script: Speaking of newspapers, what's up with the Syracuse.com site? Articles have become increasingly error-riddled, the site is laid out in the least-intuitive way possible, and there are ZERO images. I think the P-S might want to think about a major overhaul...)

It seems everyone from Upstate Medical University President Dr. David Smith to County Executive Nicholas J. Pirro is opposed to a state commission's proposal to slice off University Hopsital from Upstate, privatize it, and then merge it with Crouse. A public hearing by State Asssemblypersons Monday at the OnCenter drew a crowd of 300. And, in my limited experience, 300 people don't show up at a public hearing to thank officials for a job well done, so you can guess their attitude.

It seems that everyone acknowledges that Crouse and Upstate should cooperate more (they are next door to each other, connected by underground tunnels, have strengths in different specialties, could cut costs tremendously, etc.). But privatizing University could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Dr. Smith, and, what in my mind might be even worse, damage the medical university significantly by destroying the intertwinity (that's a new word) of the hospital and the school. Upstate Medical University has a long long tradition in this town; truly one of our crown jewels. And University Hospital is second to none in the region. And the area's largest employer. This is something worth not screwing up. And with really cool stuff like this going on, we really don't need the nasty fight this is going to be.

I'm completely sympathetic to the fact that a heavy fiscal burden put on states in terms of providing medical care, and cutting costs may be needed. But the tough decisions that need to be made to address this problem (like cutting the federal tax burden and raising state and local taxes) are being ignored in favor of this sort of temporary action.

All the progress the 'Cuse has made in the last few months could really be jeopardized if anything bad happens to one of the two giants on the Hill.

Hail To The Chiefs

2006-12-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

Finally! After ten long years of having to explain that, "No, I have no idea what a SkyChief is either," the 'Cuse will finally have the Chiefs officially back as the moniker of the local ball club. Sometimes the decision-making at One Tex Simone Drive can be a little, shall we say, inscrutable, but only props for this decision. And with no Native American elements the new logo, it seems like a win-win situation. While the old chieftain's logo has some sentimental value for me, I like the train motif of the new one - ties in well with the "intermodal transportation center" next door, and I think we could all agree that part of town could use some tying together.

Now if they can only relocate Alliance Bank Stadium downtown, and rename it Mac...(hey, it could even be in honor GMac instead of Gen. Douglas A...)

Catchin' Up

2006-12-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

* The big story this week is the merger/downsizing/privatization situation affecting Crouse and University Hospitals, along with hospitals and care facilities across the Empire State. There are, of course, a variety of things going on here, many of which are only tangentially related to the purview of Salt(ed) City.

But as the region's big gun employer, job cuts at University could be devastating. And the timing is unfortunate, to say the least, what with the positive recent developments at the new Children's Hopsital, the Connective Corridor, and in Downtown. This is likely to turn into a big fat mess, and, while the leadership of both hospitals argues persuasively that parts of the state's decision should be fought, it's going to be a draining battle for the community...

* SU's really cool downtown outpost, The Warehouse, was recently named one of the "Best Projects of 2006" by New York Construction magazine. Deservedly so.

* Ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly renovated Gray Brothers' building at the corner of Franklin and Walton Sts. in Armory Square. The building has some luxury lofts and is home to the hip Ohm Lounge, if that's your weekend pleasure (I prefer Suds or Mully's, but I'm just a regular bloke.). As Syracuse.com doesn't think its necessary to post images of ANYTHING online (apparently, it's not "America's Most Colorful Website"), check out the Downtown Committee's page on the project.

*Short but tantalizing article in Thursday's P-S about a "Sustainable Design Assessment Team" made up of volunteer architects and urban planners, who are embarking on a two month study to create a sustainable development policy for Onondaga County. The newspaper is silent on whether this study is sanctioned or funded by any local government or economic development entity (you'd think that would be a key detail...). We'll have to wait for the report, but it could be quite useful...

Event Alert: Look for a Come-Back-To-Syracuse networking type of event at Dorsey's on December 28. Designed to catch the home-for-Christmas crowd, my guess. More details will be posted as they become available.

Rumor Alert: The Wilson Building is not the only action that's going to be happening on the 300 block of S. Salina St. Stay tuned for some more developments soon...Syracuse's Main Street is coming closer to reality...

Hope on the South Side

2006-12-10T17:14:00.000-05:00

Interesting article on an SU-sponsored business incubator project on the South Side in Friday's P-S. The project's director claims 22 businesses and 57 new jobs have been created since the project's inception two years ago. Read more about the South Side Entrepreneurial Connect Project here, though the site appears to be almost a year outdated.

I was curious to see if I could find a list of businesses established through the project, but a quick google search was unsuccessful. If anyone has any examples of such businesses, please share. It sounds like a very worthy project, but I'm always skeptical of statistics and numbers without concrete examples...

UPDATE: Here's a partial list on the project's website. I know for a fact that some of these companies predate the project, however. Still interested in businesses that started-up as a result of the incubator...

So Long, Nancy, We Hardly Knew Ye?

2006-12-10T16:58:00.000-05:00

Reports in Friday's Boston Globe put SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor on a (not-so-short) list for Harvard's new president, among about 30 others. Saturday's P-S includes a denial from Cantor that she's in the running, or even has any interest.

Her protests aside, (I mean, come on, Harvard is, like, the Harvard of universities) my guess is Cantor is a long shot. But she does have some attributes that might give her an advantage. Aside from serving as the leader of two major universities, she is, noticeably, a woman, which my guess is high on the search committee's list of prereqs, given the fact that previous president Larry Summers was edged out because of supposed "gender insensitivity".

Either way, I don't think Cantor's leadership on the Connective Corridor, etc., is in jeopardy anytime soon, but it's something to keep an eye on...

Keepin' The Money Flowin'

2006-11-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

While Salt(ed) City's contributors have their own political opinions, just like anyone else, the point of this blog is definitely not to air them. We want to stay on task with discussing smart, innovative, realistic-yet-imaginative ways to spur economic development in the 'Cuse. But, inevitably, politics does creep in from time to time.

Let me make this one point. Congressman Walsh's narrow brush with electoral defeat this week would not have boded well for Syracuse from a cold, hard cash perspective. Regardless of what one might think of the process of earmarking (a lovely euphemism for members of Congress inserting provisions in giant spending bills for money to be directed to pet projects in their districts), Syracuse has benefited greatly from Walsh's position as chairman of a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Even as ranking minority member, a position he will assume in the next Congress in January, he will have far more influence over helping out the 'Cuse with federal dollars than Dan Maffei would as a freshman Congressman.

I'm not saying that the ability to funnel money from the feds back home should be our primary criteria in electing officials (I don't think that at all). Nor am I endorsing earmarking - or, as some might say, pork barrel spending - as an ideal element of the federal budgeting process (actually, I think it's pretty troubling). But speaking objectively as possible, Rep. Walsh has done a lot for this city, and many good projects - including the long awaited clean-up of Onondaga Lake - are owed in large measure to his influence.

We can and should have a vigorous debate over who represents us in Washington. And we must weigh many, many factors in our decision. But, as a current resident of the DC metro area, I'm just saying we must also be politically astute, and recognize the way things work inside the Beltway.

Syracuse CoE - 2006 Progress Report

2006-11-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

Here's something you may not have seen. On October 30, Syracuse's Center for Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems issued its annual progress report. As we've discussed on Salt(ed) City before, the CoE could be the most promising avenue for high tech, professional job growth in the region.

Some highlights from the report:

*the CoE's high tech, very green headquarters is currently under construction at the corner of East Washington and Almond Streets - the location of the old Midtown Plaza (whenever one shakes one's head at the asthetics of downtown, remember how bad it used to be when that white elephant was still around...). Excavation began last month, so keep your eyes peeled...

* The building is aiming for the top 'Platinum' rating through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. One really cool feature of the building - geothermal heating and cooling systems.

*The report also highlighted some partnerships and activities in which the CoE has played an integral role in the last year: the conversion of the old Miller Brewery in Fulton to a ethanol manufacturing facility, construction of a zero-energy prototype home in DeWitt, and Carrier's committment to hq-ing its "indoor air quality performance" company-wide initiative at its Carrier Circle campus. Carrier also donated $1.5 million for an indoor air quality lab to be built at the new CoE. (nice to have Carrier involved in some good news for once...)

*O'Brien & Gere are also highlighted, and their recent success in local job creation is partially accredited to a grant the CoE and MDA provided in 2002 for emissions-control technology. This might be old news, but this week's announcement that OBG will be relocating its headquarters in a new downtown development demonstrates that CoE's investment over 4 years ago has really paid off...who knows where current investments could lead in the future?

Hitting the Tipping Point Downtown?

2006-11-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

Imagine serious construction in CNY. Imagine the construction of a new corporate headquarters, bringing 300 engineers, scientists, and professionals to a part of the region - imagine the impact, the ripple effects.

Now stop imagining. In probably some of the best news downtown Syracuse has heard since, I don't know, the Erie Canal was dug, O'Brien & Gere has announced it will be the anchor tenant of developer Michael Falcone's new building on the outskirts of Armory Square. The engineering firm, currently headquartered in Dewitt, will be moving to the Pioneer Cos.'s planned downtown building on the two Franklin St. parking lots currently favored by Armory bar patrons.

Whether this is the "tipping point" for downtown's redevelopment remains to be seened - but, coupled with AXA's decision to stay in the MONY Towers (sorry, old habits...), downtown is having a good couple months. We also know, as developer Doug Sutherland often points out, while professionals in a downtown spend money there, residents spend more. And with luxury condos and more affordable apartments making up a significant part of the proposed development, hopefully some of the OBG professionals will make the leap into urban living and enjoy a commute measured in feet rather than miles.

Either way, great news.

The Continuing Adventures of 40 Below

2006-11-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

As we've talked about at length, an outgrowth of 40 Below, known as Adapt CNY, is in the process of renovating the Wilson Building in the 300 Block of S. Salina St.

The group is eliciting donations to raise about half of the $4 million needed for renovations (which include creating condos/apartments and first floor retail space). The group's latest "bake sale" - a $100 per person New Years Eve bash at the Hotel Syracuse. The hotel, which is also waiting for its own renovations, apparently can still be used for fundraisers/events held in the famous Persian Terrace ballroom. A cool event, and a good idea. I'm thinking of extending my Christmas vacation in the 'Cuse until New Years so I can go.

I have a couple of questions about Adapt CNY, however. Ultimately, who will be receiving the income from the rental of apartments and commercial space in the building? I only ask because obviously this is being promoted/treated as almost a charitable endeavor, but potentially someone stands to make a profit. As Adapt CNY is a non-profit, perhaps the money will be directed to other 40 Below activities, or even to the purchase/renovation of other properties in the city. I'm just curious about the long term aims of the initiative (i.e., in cold business terms, who gets the benefit of the donations and volunteer work...)

The group is currently seeking volunteers to do building clean-out work on the weekends - a smart idea to get the community involved. Check out the group's site for more info. (I love the site/project name - "Save Wilson". Reminds me of Tim Allen and Tom Hanks.)

Just What is Dendrology Anyway?

2006-11-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

We’re back. All I can say is, we’re back.

And on a busy news day in Syracuse’s economic development world. Let’s look at the two big stories.

First, the state Canal Corp. is apparently abandoning Congel’s Ditch, Jr. – the proposed $230 million redevelopment of the Inner Harbor. The Canal Corp. announced it was suspending negotiations with the Pyramid/Destiny spinoff company that had proposed to purchase and develop the land around the Inner Harbor, for mixed used purposes. The Canal Corp. says by the beginning of 2007, it will have considered two alternative proposals from Norstar USA and the Sutton Companies.

My guess? This will get tangled up in criminations, recriminations, and re-recriminations.

Which, of course, is a shame, because the Inner Harbor physically would connect Franklin Square to the Carousel/Regional Market/Transportation Center/Stadium zone, essentially creating a redevelopment corridor from downtown to the shore of the Lake.

Sigh. To paraphrase John Lennon, imagine there’s no Destiny USA – well, actually you don’t have to imagine. You have to do the opposite of imagine. I guess that would be recognizing reality. But as I think Bob Niedt was driving at today on Storefront, imagine if “Destiny” wasn’t greedily dominating the economic development agenda in Syracuse today. So much could - and I emphasize could – be different…

************

In the other big story, upon the recommendation of the selection committee, Mayor Driscoll announced the official choice for the Connective Corridor design team –Field Operations with CLEAR. Ok, great news, the C²is going forward. But let’s do our due diligence on the design team:

Field Operations – a consultancy led by James Corner, chair of the Landscape Architecture Dept. at the University of Pennsylvania. Seems like Mr. Corner has some serious street cred, but I’m concerned by his firm’s website – it’s obnoxiously designed, with a “look what we can do” style, while practically inaccessible to the casual user. Hope the C²design will fare better…

ARUP – this a serious, global design and engineering consultancy; I think we can feel pretty good about their involvement in the project.

L'Observatoire International – a lighting company that, by the barebones website, might be just getting off the ground. Still, they look professional, at least.

Donald J. Leopold – an ecology consultant and professor at SUNY ESF here in town. One of my sisters happens to be a close friend of Dr. Leopold’s son, but all I really know about him is that he is exceeding intelligent, and is an expert in dendrology, which, as everyone knows, is the study of trees. As a distinguished faculty member at ESF, and a landscape expert, Dr. Leopold seems a good fit with the team.

Solid credentials all, but the proof of the team will be in the design, and the execution. I’ve said it before, the Connective Corridor could be a tremendous asset for the city, combining practical transportation solutions with a healthy dollop of art and culture. But if it turns into an esoteric, post-modern, inaccessible…thing…well, let’s just work with the assumption that that won’t happen.

For anyone who’s stuck with us during our couple week hiatus – thanks! We’re back at full steam (for real this time).

The first major step in revitalizing downtown

2006-10-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

This a little late but I have been busy at work. I will be leaving tomorrow for the urban sprawl of Fabulous Las Vegas. I will leave the blog in the hands of my Co Captain, TheAlumnus.

Centro announced earlier this week that they would be eventually be moving the bus exchange from the corner of Salina and Fayette down to Warren Street near the Red Cross building. This is truly the fist step in revitalization downtown. The bus exchange creates so much congestion both traffic and pedestrian wise in this area. This creates a lot of people milling around, litter, and pollution from the busses. The area looks very dirty and rundown With this gone, it will allow for development in this area and and a cleaner less congested "Heart of the City". I have been saying for a long time that this is the fist step that needs to be taken in order to transform the S. Salina Street corridor. Right now, at its peak of business, you cannot drive or walk through the intersection without nearly getting hit by a bus or fighting the crowds. The crowds also block access to the businesses that surround it. Not to mention that the bus riders have to wait outside in the elements with no shelter to wait for their next bus. With the exchange gone it will open more opportunity to develop this critical part of downtown.

October Surprise

2006-10-16T20:41:00.000-05:00

Well, after a solid month and a half of blogging, it seems Garrett and I have hit somewhat of a creative wall...I'll tell ya, I don't know how blogs like NYCO can maintain the torrid pace they do!

But for those readers who are still checking in, don't give up on us yet! We're just catching our breath, and will get back up to full speed shortly.

Some quick takes to tide you over that you wouldn't have seen in the P-S...

- It seems S.U. is now actively soliciting comments from the public on the Connective Corridor. Sound off about gondolas, or trains, or Segways, or space elevators, or whatever the plan is this week, here.

-Bull & Bear Pub in Hanover Square got in some hot water over its use of unlicensed music during Wednesday night karaoke. I only mention it because honestly, I've never in all my days of haunting small city pubs, found as good a group of karaoke singers as those at B&B. It seems the matter has been resolved, which hopefully means the fun will continue in Syracuse's OTHER nightlife entertainment district.

-I just finished an interesting book called Look Homeward, America by upstate author Bill Kauffman. In many ways, Kauffman's work is diametrically opposed to that of the infamous Mr. Florida's Rise of the Creative Class. Kauffman celebrates what he calls "radical reactionaries" and "front porch anarchists" - essentially, those who reject the modern, the corporate, the Big, in favor of the traditional, the human-scaled, the Small. The emphasis with Look Homeward is on growing roots in a community over generations, as opposed to attracting vagrant talent workers seeking lifestyle centers and Starbucks.

I enjoyed Mr. Kauffman's profiles of these characters, who might best be described as lovable curmudgeons. Not to be missed is his recounting of a mid-morning booze session with the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the bar of the Hotel Syracuse. Nevertheless, I found myself disagreeing strenuously with the book in several spots. While I consider myself a small-government guy, I'm definitely not a no-government guy, nor am I convinced that returning to the land is the best solution for all of society's ills. And as a committed free-marketeer, distributism (which appears the author's preferred economic system) smells less like true capitalism and more like a watered-down socialism.

Still, I think Mr. Kauffman gets something that Mr. Florida, for all his insights, misses: we need to revitalize Syracuse, but not by selling out. What is old in Syracuse is not necessarily bad - in fact, our traditions our past, may be really be our future. But there is also nothing wrong with throwing a couple new coats of paint on it, either.

If you want to talk about lovable curmudgeons, by the way, this guy is today's winner, easy.

SOHO Show

2006-10-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

I went down to the SOHO Show today put on by bizeventz. The show was for Small and home based businesses. It was really a great showcase of the companies and services for someone who is starting a small business. Theres not too much there for an already well established company, but for people who are starting out, it would be a great way find all of the suppliers that they needed to get on their feet. It was great to go out and see what is available to small businesses starting out in the area and the admission was basically free.

We need to have more events and initiatives locally to help the growing and start up companies succeed. I think that it would be great to run this show 2 times a year to really catch everyone who is starting a business and help them find out where to get the items and support that they need. I know when I helped start the company I work for now, we had a difficult time knowing what it is we needed and then going out and trying to find the best place to obtain it. It took about 1-2 years to actually get a solid handle on suppliers. With something like the SoHo show available it could cut 6 months off that lead time and really give small companies a step up in the market.

What Wisco Can Teach Us

2006-10-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned on Thursday, I spent the weekend in America’s Dairyland, the great state of Wisconsin. Of the many cool things I did and saw on my first Midwestern trip, Saturday in particular features some things that I think are relevant to Salt(ed) City. We headed west on I-94, out of the greater Milwaukee area, to the state’s capital city, Madison.

Madison is of course both a university town (home of the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin) and a state capital, packing a lot of stuff in a relatively small space between the large and lovely Mendota and Menona Lakes. Madison really is the idealized Syracuse, at least in terms of physical layout and urban design. The university flows seamlessly into downtown, without any highway overpasses or other infrastructure getting in the way. Pedestrian-friendly State Street, a diagonal avenue that runs from campus to the capitol, is closed to all traffic except buses and emergency vehicles.

From historic Bascom Hall at the university, it’s a short walk down State Street, which is lined with quirky shops, great bars and restaurants (State Street Brats could be my new favorite sports bar), and some terrific public spaces like the brand new Overture Center for the Arts.

The mall empties out into the capitol square, which on Saturdays features an extensive local farmers market surrounding the capitol. The capitol itself is an attractive building, but the really cool part is that it is completely open to the public. We climbed to the observation level for a great view of the city and surrounding country. Finally, we headed over to the student union and its famous Rathskeller and terrace, overlooking one of the lakes. Not a bad place to go to school. Oh, yeah, did I mention Camp Randall Stadium, where tens of thousands of crazy Badgers fans cheered Wisco on to a big win over Northwestern? And then the party spills over to Regent Street, with makeshift bars set up in driveways, parking lots, carwashes, etc. etc. Beers and brats everywhere you look – not a bad way to live.

So what does Madison have to teach Syracuse? Well, we all know that having a downtown that is physically, as well as socially, connected to a university can create a lot of synergy. Being situated next to a lake (or two) also provides scenic and recreational benefits. But this stuff we already know. If the Connective Corridor works out, we’re on our way to achieving the first objective; if the Lakefront Development Corp. can build on this summer’s successful Inner Harbor events and development really gets going, we’ll be closer to the second goal.

But I think the real take home lesson is the idea of a Main Street; ideally, a pedestrian-friendly, possibly closed to traffic, city mall. Building on my thoughts from last week, it seems S. Salina Street, even if just for a few blocks, could be the perfect place to do this. Now, I’m not a traffic engineer, and I’m sure there are all sorts of logistical problems with the idea. But just think about it; Clinton and Hanover Squares, connected to Armory; renovated buildings, a la 40 Below’s Wilson renovations, featuring retail and restaurants on the ground floor, with housing above. Attractive landscaping, a brick-paved street, bike paths…the works. Maybe extend it all the way past the P-S building to meet up with Little Italy. It could work.

So Madison offers a lot of food for thought. While I can do without the socialist agitators and Legalize It Now! Characters that hang out there, I think this Midwestern main street could serve a good model for a creative, connective heart to downtown Syracuse.

An Early Columbus Day

2006-10-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

I'll be flying out to the great state of Wisconsin for the long weekend, my first trip to the Upper Midwest. I'm anxious to check out Madison, which I understand is a pretty "progressive" city when it comes to urban planning. I'll report back on Monday evening if there is anything 'Cuse-worthy. In the meantime, my capable co-pilot Garrett will keep Salt(ed) City fully manned.

Quickly, quite a bit of interesting news today. First, just when we thought last week all the legal obstacles to Congel's Ditch had been removed...ok, well, no one really thought that. But the Carousel Ten - the ten retailers who filed suit to prevent the abrogation of their leases by the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency - are pursuing their case with the New York State Court of Appeals in response to last week's unfavorable lower court ruling. As the article - and the retailers' legal briefs - note, this case could have far reaching implications. Should the Appeals Court refuse to hear the case, or if it upholds the lower court ruling, it seems a pretty frightening precedent will be in place. What ever you feel about Destiny, no one should be in favor of this gross abuse of the power of eminent domain.

...Might AXA bail out of its eponymous downtown towers after all? It appears the Towers Realty, the buildings' owners, are seeking a sweetener package from the city (PILOT agreement extensions, public parking space rights), using the threat of AXA pulling out as leverage. AXA, on the other hand, seems to be saying it wants to stay, and that the city doesn't need to bend over backwards for Towers.

...the Connective Corridor shuttle had its soft opening tonight, and will start providing free service along the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with eventual full week service. You might remember a vague hint I offered on Monday that we'd see some significant development in the C²this week. I didn't want to compromise my source, so I left it vague, but uh, trust me, I uh, had the scoop on this. (I can see how fortune tellers make their money...)

Two more really interesting stories in the P-S today, both of which deserve much more attention than I give, so I will just link to them in passing and tackle them more justly next week. First, CNYers apparently pay a lot in property taxes, which isn't good for a lot of reasons. Second, a new job initiative had a brainstorming session yesterday at the Chamber, in anticipation of a March "Journey 2 Jobs" summit. I actually may have some good info on this coming soon, so stay tuned (and it will be a lot less vague than my Connective Corridor "scoop", I promise).

And...oh, from News 10 Now, we get an update on the Mizpah Towers project - basically saying it isn't going anywhere. This thing has been mishandled from the start, beginning with the initital bid imbroglio. I love this article though - the developer says its waiting for building permits and then can jump in, the city economic development director saying he's heard the project's had some problems, but thinks it can still happen. Hi, crazy thought, but Syracuse is a pretty small town - my guess is the developer, project financiers, and the city should be able to get into a room and figure out where the roadblocks are pretty easily without having to talk to each other through the local cable news channel...sheesh.

And just because we at The Salt(ed) City always like to end on a positive, plot-advancing note, check out this commentary in the Rochester D&C on the growth of the biosciences industry in Upstate. Info the Western New York Biosciences Summit, currently taking place, can be found here. Syracuse CoE, perhaps an enviro-summit in the near future? Oh, would you look at that...they are way ahead of me.

Enjoy the weekend, all.

Bridges in Syracuse

2006-10-04T19:57:00.000-05:00

After all the recent talk about getting rid of 81 and how it cuts off downtown, I got to thinking: there are quite a few bridges and highways that cut downtown off from the rest of the city. The West Street artery and the railroad bridge over Fayette cut of the west side. 81 does a great job of cutting off SU and the east side. 690 Cuts off the North Side. There is no way that is actually doable to get rid of the highways. So why don't we work with them? I have been to London a few times and this one bridge always stuck out in my mind. The Tube(London's rail transit system) cuts right through Camden Town and bisects it, but instead of it being an eyesore it becomes a piece of art. As a temporary solution why not get some art students from SU, some buckets and paint, and a lift truck? At least brighten up some of the entrances and exits in and out of the city. Until we really figure out what to do with the bridge problem why not invest a very little amount of money and add some color to a very gray downtown.

We finally have a Convention Center Hotel (sort of)

2006-10-04T18:36:00.000-05:00

The money to build the new Convention Hotel has been finally been released allowing the project to finally move forward. After years of controversy and delays the project is finally taking off. Syracuse really does need more hotels downtown. The hotel area right now is concentrated in the Carrier Circle area, keeping travelers and convention dollars out of downtown. We already have the Marx, the Hawthorne, and the Sheraton on The Hill which is a great start.

What a great shot in the arm for downtown. Even though the opening of the hotel is 2 years away this is a great leap forward for progress downtown. I remember when the Hotel Syracuse was still open and my Uncle came into town on business and stayed at the Hotel Syracuse. He couldn't believe that there was a hotel close to great dining, the bars, and downtown in Syracuse. He was used to staying in hotel complexes on the outskirts of town and loved being downtown. He was disappointed with the hotel but loved the location.

As long as the hotel has good parking, coparable rates to the outskirt hotels, and great rooms, travelers will be flocking downtown in droves.

If I Were The Mayor...

2006-10-03T21:19:00.000-05:00

A Sunday blog post by Sean Kirst got me thinking about the frustration we often feel when it seems "we" talk and talk, and issue plans and recommendations and reports and proposals, but never seem to get anything done.

Obviously, our leaders have a lot on their plate, and always limited resources with which to accomplish things. But even still…

This got me thinking – what would I do, Day One, if I were mayor? What concrete actions would I take on the problems we face, the stuff that can be worked on with a phone call and some elbow grease, rather than committees and appropriations?

The first thing I would do is take a yellow legal pad, grab a buddy and a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee, and hop in my car. I’d drive around the city, and just get a sense of how it flows together, what works, what doesn’t, what needs improvement. Now, since this is something I’ve done quite a few times in reality, I already have some ideas.

What is glaringly obvious when you drive around the ‘Cuse is that there are pockets of development, of success, all over the place – the problem is, they don’t cohere together, they don’t contribute to one another and feed off each other’s energies. For example, the success downtown with Armory, Franklin Square, and Clinton Square has not spread successfully under the overpass and up North Salina. As a North Side boy, I'm biased, but what about Little Italy?

I’ve talked about this before. The signage is up, the sidewalks are extended…but something is missing. If we’re committed to doing it, here’s where I’d start. I’d call every Italian restaurateur in the city that wasn’t on the street – Copani’s, Dominick’s, Delmonico’s – I’d get a hold of Lombardi’s Importers over on Butternut – and I’d get’em all into one room. And I’d beg, I’d plead, I’d cajole to the best of my political ability, to get some of them to consider Little Italy. It’s a long shot and a tough sell, but if it happened…Imagine Clinton Square festivals in the summer spilling out to sidewalk cafes and trattorias. Imagine Armory to Clinton/Hanover to Franklin to Little Italy, tied together. Suddenly, the stadium, the market, the mall, the train station, don’t seem so far away from downtown. Maybe Little Hanoi springs up along Butternut Street (more phone calls…). I’d be pushing 24/7 trying to make this happen.

Maybe the mayor and the Common Council have been doing this to no avail. Maybe we can’t come up with the funding, the incentives, to sweeten the deal enough for developers and retailers to take the plunge. But I think a lot of this comes down to passion, to getting people excited. Being a true leader isn’t rolling home the barrels of salted pork – it’s having a vision and putting in the man-hours to make real stuff happen. It’s not about cash. It’s about will. It’s about the everyday courage to ask regular people to contribute, for their own good and the community’s.

But it’s also about the little things – the beat up signs, the waist-high weeds, the broken windows. What about spending a little money for community centers, public libraries, churches even, to have rakes, hedge clippers, maybe even a lawnmower or two, available to rent for a nominal fee? What about going to the Boy Scout troops and suggesting some Eagle Scout projects centered on city beautification? What about hiring a couple of permanent jack-of-all-trade “scouts” who drive around the city all day in a truck, looking for little stuff to fix? If the city can’t/is unwilling to do this, why not get all the downtown offices and stores together in a Business Improvement District to do it? I’m just spinning stuff off the top of my head now.

If I were mayor, I’d forget about the fruit high up in the trees (Congel’s Ditch), and even the lower-hanging fruit (CoE, tCC), just for a little while. I’d start by scooping up the stuff already on the ground, and go from there.

What other “easy” things should be on our fantasy mayor’s to do list?

(Not So) Blue October

2006-10-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

Posting has been scant the last few days because I've been struck by the flu and Garrett has been busy at work. But the good news is that a lot of things have happened in our absence. So let's dive in.

1. First, this afternoon's big news is that AXA, the financial firm with 950 employees in downtown Syracuse, will be staying put for the next 18 years. So the MONY Towers (I mean, AXA Towers) will keep their biggest tenant - and downtown dodges what could have been a devastating blow. The first step is reversing commercial flight - the second step is attracting new, major tenants. Progress is definitely being made.

2. Sean Kirst on Friday looked at how some S.U. architectural students are imagining Syracuse without I-81. This is a topic we've covered before, and I gotta admit, I'm still a skeptic. For one thing, wouldn't re-routing the freight haulers that travel the Penn-Can highway, down 690-W to 481-S, cause some serious traffic ties-up potentially? Still, Mr. Kirst make a good point - we've had major transportation links removed from downtown before (see the Erie Canal, the railroad). And it seems that I-81 is due for some renovations. And this blog is dedicated to creative solutions for the 'Cuse. So let's dream about breaking the Downtown Wall. It might even happen.

3. I have a hunch there might be some Connective Corridor developments later this week. Stay tuned.

4. I saved for last the story that really gets me like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. On Friday, a state apellate court refused to block the taking of 12 Carousel Center retailers' lease rights by the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency, basically clearly a major obstacle to Congel's cranes getting back to digging his Ditch.

I try to avoid politics, particularly my own opinions, as much as possible on this blog, but sometimes you gotta get on your soapbox. I'm not a lawyer, nor a constitutional scholar, and maybe some of these nuances are lost on me. But when a government can use eminent domain to seize property and abrogate lawful contracts, not to build firehouses or police stations but rather a shopping mall, something is seriously awry. Private property and the sanctity of contracts are the load-bearing walls of our commercial republic. Every time we chip away at them, even with the intention of serving the public good, we just bring our own downfall a tiny bit closer.

Now this ruling rests on some serious judicial precedent - most recently, this case from last summer. The blame certainly doesn't rest on the shoulders of the court in question, for the continued abuse of the power of eminent domain. Nor should it be said that I am disappointed that Congel's Ditch MAY actually be built. I think it may serve some real good for the city, particularly in terms of what should be the 'Cuse's main economic goal: becoming a center of environmental technology research and development.

But Destiny should not be built like this. Period. If the rights of some of us are violated this way, we are all vulnerable - and we should all be concerned.

End pessimistic ranting - what's next?

Update: Check out the comboxes below, particularly on Garrett's most recent post directly below. Our man J. shares some great ideas about focused development, as well as an update on the CoE. Don't miss it.