City of Syracuse to host open houses for community-grid vision plan

A July 2021 rendering from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) on how the community grid will look at Almond Street at Harrison Street near Upstate Medical University. The City of Syracuse is planning open houses on both Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 to provide details on its vision plan for the upcoming community grid as part of the Interstate 81 viaduct-replacement project. (Eric Reinhardt / CNYBJ file photo)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh says the City of Syracuse will host two open houses to introduce the vision plan for the upcoming community grid. The plan is a multi-decade look ahead at how Syracuse can “maximize the positive impact” of the Interstate 81 (I-81) viaduct-replacement project on neighborhoods and mobility. The city […]

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh says the City of Syracuse will host two open houses to introduce the vision plan for the upcoming community grid.

The plan is a multi-decade look ahead at how Syracuse can “maximize the positive impact” of the Interstate 81 (I-81) viaduct-replacement project on neighborhoods and mobility.

The city will release the vision plan online at syr.gov/communitygrid on Wednesday.

The two-hour sessions will be held on back-to-back days on the city’s south and north sides in the last week in February.

The first open house is set for Feb. 27 from 5-7 p.m. in the cafeteria at STEAM at Dr. King Elementary at 416 E. Raynor Ave. The second open house is on Feb. 28 from 5-7 p.m. in the cafeteria at Lincoln Middle School at 1613 James St.

The community grid vision plan is the result of an urban planning and community engagement process funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, Walsh’s office said. It makes recommendations regarding the city transportation network, land use, housing and economic development, public spaces, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

The vision plan is based on neighborhood and stakeholder input, including a weeklong design charette in August 2022, which involved city residents in both visioning and design, Walsh’s office said. To lead the process, the City of Syracuse hired Miami, Florida–based Dover Kohl & Partners, a consulting firm known for neighborhood planning and landscape design related to major public-infrastructure projects.