2014 Downtown Committee Annual Meeting Executive Director Report
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Transcript of 2014 Downtown Committee Annual Meeting Executive Director Report
Good afternoon! And thank you for coming to the annual meeting of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse.
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Now, how many of you experienced an alternate route, or encountered extra traffic due to construction on your way here? Some of you may see that as an inconvenience, but I see it as part of the unprecedented level of investment happening downtown.
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In fact, the Connective Corridor, running through the center of Downtown Syracuse, is the largest downtown public project in 30 years! This project, and the incredible partnership between Syracuse University,
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the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County, has been recognized nationally, putting Syracuse on the map as a community to be watched.
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Today, we’re seeing more than $353 million in development activity! A direct result of our community’s imagination. Our ability to look at something…..a building, a product….and then identify how it can be made better, is why Downtown Syracuse buzzes with progress. On my way in this morning, my two young sons and I counted:
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Together we’ve re-imagined downtown. And it’s people with an eye to the future that drive this change. I’d like to take a moment and acknowledge the partners who have helped make this progress happen.
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First, Chairman Breuer for his years of service to the Downtown Committee. If you’ve ever attended one of our Board meetings, you’ve witnessed first-hand his vision and passion for our city.
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A similar passion is found in each of our Board members, and I’d like to thank you for your support and guidance. Each of you brings a diverse perspective that advances our downtown programs.
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I’d like to thank our incredible team at the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. Each of you pour your heart and talents into making downtown the best place it can be. I’m truly grateful to work alongside each one of you.
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I’d like to recognize Mayor Miner and her visionary team at City Hall. Her aggressive approach to addressing delinquent properties,
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Since she’s been in office, over 300 properties have been transferred to the Greater Syracuse Land bank.
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Meaning the city will realize $4.9 million in delinquent taxes, and these properties are now positioned to transform our neighborhood fabric.
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She continues to demonstrate her belief in the value of a strong urban core, and has invested $128 million in Save the Rain projects, changing our downtown landscape.
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Partnerships, like ours with the Mayor, Common Council, and the County Executive are why we’ve been able to seize the opportunities that have presented themselves this year.
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Creating a livable community is key to our revitalization. And one of our strongest assets is our culture.
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With more than 35 cultural institutions found in our urban core, Syracuse is unmatched in its offerings.
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In a 5 minute walk from any downtown hotel or office building, you can: Explore the only remaining Weigh Lock Building at the Erie Canal Museum;
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And now more than ever, we recognize our potential. And reimagine downtown as the vibrant center it is.
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Just last week, the Syracuse Media Group ran an editorial – “Crowds, Traffic in Downtown Syracuse Signal a Place Where People Want to Be.” We couldn’t agree more.
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Downtown’s one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Onondaga County. As fast as developers can build apartments they’re being leased.
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People are looking at downtown with fresh eyes, seeing what was, and re-imagining what it can be.
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Today, thanks to the vision of Joe Hucko, it’s alive with 90 residents, the Syracuse Media Group,
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to the ceremonious project launch in 2012, the Pike Block has been a heavy, but important, lift for our community.
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Thanks to the early vision of Assemblyman Magnarelli whose support got this project off the ground,
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Next door to City Hall, developer Jim Prioletti is nearing completion on the $1.7 million transformation
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On the 500 block of South Salina Street, the historic Chimes building is undergoing a $1.5 million renovation, adding 31 apartments and condominiums.
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Earlier this year, the Downtown Committee successfully listed these buildings on the State and National Register of Historic Places.
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Reimagining what this block can be, developers are breathing new life into these historic buildings.
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At 443 South Warren Street, Tom Cerio is underway with a $756,000 renovation, adding two spacious apartments.
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Projects like these have resulted in an 11% increase in our residential population this last year alone.
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Looking ahead, eight apartments will be constructed in the former WFBL Buildings. Tom Cerio’s $3.4 million renovation will maintain the terra cotta art deco façade that speaks to this building’s unique character.
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Icon Companies has presented plans for Icon Tower - a $19 million conversion of the former Excellus Building into mixed-uses.
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It’ll also activate Bank Street, where the City, County and National Grid have invested $1 million to lay the foundation for transformational projects like this to happen.
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On South Salina Street, Ryan Goodfellow has announced a multi-million dollar conversion of a long vacant eyesore. This will transform downtown’s southern gateway with commercial space and 12 new apartments.
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On Clinton Square, developer Dan Queri has announced plans to expand the Amos Building to offer 16 additional apartments.
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Longtime business owner Max Chutinthranand has purchased one of the last vacant buildings in Armory Square. Soon a $3.9 million transformation of Jefferson Street will begin, with the addition of 21 loft apartments.
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And, at 235 East Water Street, Troy Evans and Josh Werbeck will add 3 apartments, expanding upon the established Hanover Square residential neighborhood.
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is now spreading to parts of downtown that never would’ve been considered residential destinations 3 years ago.
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New residents = new commitment downtown. And our community is invested in ensuring that downtown thrives.
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Downtown’s one of the safest neighborhoods in the City, and we’re taking a proactive approach to ensure it stays that way.
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This summer, thanks to support from Assemblyman Magnarelli, the Downtown Committee will install a security camera program.
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Further evidence of downtown’s livability is the 18 new retail businesses that’ve opened in the last year.
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Now, when Kevin Tampone writes about retail openings in downtown, we excitedly see him use the word “Another.” Signals of strength in the downtown market are evidenced by business owners seizing opportunities to introduce new ventures downtown.
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Business owners like Kathie Morris and Michele Graham moved their successful retail businesses – The Changing Room and A La Maison - from Baldwinsville into the downtown center, further diversifying downtown’s unique product mix.
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The diversity of these and other new businesses signals an exciting new chapter in downtown’s retail transformation.
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Their hugely successful “Zumba in the Square” and soon to be introduced “Sunrise Yoga” classes are just two examples of amenities embraced by our downtown community.
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And companies like Dannible & McKee, headquartered on South Warren Street, are early adopters who embraced downtown. Symbolizing commitment for 36 years and counting.
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This year we’ve welcomed 15 new companies downtown. Another 17 companies expanded their presence.
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And people create a dense Downtown Syracuse. Density brings incredible returns for our community.
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Density in a neighborhood drives value – both in financial returns and the ability to grow ideas into businesses.
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We know that Downtown is an economic, cultural and social asset. And, we know intuitively that a strong City center is good for the rest of the region.
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This past year we took a closer look at the value of Downtown Syracuse and what it returns to the community.
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On a value per acre basis, Downtown Syracuse knocks it out of the park. In terms of the City’s total land area, Downtown Syracuse makes up 2% of the taxable land, yet it produces 10% of the City’s tax revenue.
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Downtown is also part of the County, so it pays Onondaga County property taxes. On a county-wide basis, Downtown consumes one-tenth of one percent of the land area, yet it produces 1% of the property taxes. This is a ten times ratio of potency….
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Or, another way to think about it: One employee doing the work of 10 people, from a tax productivity standpoint.
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Data like this is instrumental to demonstrating why downtown matters to all of us. And as stakeholders of downtown, we need to ensure downtown’s value is communicated.
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There’s no more critical game-changer ahead of us than the opportunities presented with a re-imagined Interstate 81.
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Studying this data confirms what we knew already -- What’s good for downtown is great for the region.
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Downtown and University Hill produce the most property taxes per acre in the County. And this most valuable real estate is severed by a highway. We must reimagine the future Interstate 81.
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Doesn’t serve our commuters well because of incomplete connections, dangerous lane changes, and frequent rush-hour backups.
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And, depletes the value of much of the land adjacent to the highway because its current configuration doesn’t foster economic growth. We need to do better. We can do better.
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Downtown Syracuse deserves a solution that re-imagines this urban center as the vibrant core we know it can be.
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And when we look back, we should be able to say we made this happen because we chose not to rely on a one-road solution for the future of Interstate 81. We looked to a comprehensive transportation system that focused on more than just cars.
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I want us all to look ahead to the future. And not limit our minds to the way things have been. Or are today.
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We need your vision if we want downtown to be reborn, repurposed and reimagined. Today I’m asking you to keep this momentum going.
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When you walk out of here today, past a vacant storefront, empty building, or an underutilized space: • Stop and take a picture. • Tell us what you want to see. • What the future could be for that space.
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