Syracuse ARPA funding recipients announced

SYRACUSE — Projects including Moyer Carriage Lofts, redevelopment of a building now known as City Center, and the Gustav Stickley House are among those awarded City of Syracuse ARPA funding. 

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh on Sept. 8 announced the recipients of grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Distressed Property Fund. 

It’s a program created by the city’s department of neighborhood and business development (NBD) and authorized by the Syracuse Common Council. 

The application-based grant program is designed to spur redevelopment and improvement of vacant, distressed commercial, mixed-use, and historic properties in the City of Syracuse, Walsh’s office said. 

The city allocated a total of $1 million in ARPA funding to eight different properties and structures that are vacant and in need of rehabilitation.

“The recipients of the program represent projects across the city that have faced challenges since the beginning of COVID-19,” the Syracuse mayor said. “Now that the funds are allocated, we are one step closer to returning these properties to productive use and generating new investment within Syracuse neighborhoods.” 

Projects awarded funding

The projects awarded funding from the Distressed Property Fund include: 

• Hip Hop Center for Youth Entrepreneurship at 215 Tully St. was awarded a grant of $250,000. The center is being developed by the Good Life Foundation and will serve as a space that inspires the city’s youth through food, art and music.   

• The recipients also include the Gustav Stickley House at 438 Columbus Ave., which was also awarded $250,000. The historic museum and former home of Gustav Stickley, known as the ‘father of the American arts & crafts movement’ is in its second phase of restoration, and will include spaces for educational programming, exhibits, events and rooms for overnight guests. 

• In addition, the Moyer Carriage Lofts project at 1714 North Salina St. and 201 Wolf St. will use grant funding of $125,000. The former Moyer Carriage and Car Factory is being redeveloped into an integrated mixed-use building with quality affordable housing and ground floor commercial space. 

• The city also awarded the City Center project at 400 South Salina St. funding in the amount of $125,000. Currently under renovation, the former Sibley’s department store now houses the Redhouse Arts Center and features spacious offices and ground level retail spaces with an attached parking garage. 

• The development effort at Ra-Menes Food and Gas at 900 South Ave. will use a $100,000 grant. It includes the remediation and complete renovation of a vacant former service station to support a new full-service fuel station on the South Avenue business corridor. 

• The Castle project at 2110 South Salina St. will use $50,000 for the renovation and restoration of the former South Presbyterian Church. It will become a multi-use facility that will host a variety of community centered activities around professional development, awareness building and social engagement to help rejuvenate the Southside neighborhood. 

• The city also awarded $50,000 to the Syracuse Bread Factory at 200 Maple St., which is one of only four Ward Wellington designed commercial buildings still in existence. The project is a complete remediation, redevelopment and activation of a historically significant building on Syracuse’s Near Eastside.  

• The recipients also included the property at 757 West Onondaga St. The $50,000 grant will renovate the building into a mixed-use property with apartments and commercial retail uses on the ground floor.