Hochul provides update as Syracuse Developmental Center demolition work is underway

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced progress toward the $100 million project to turn the site of the former Syracuse Developmental Center into a mixed-use development on Syracuse’s West side. Demolition work is underway at 800-2 S. Wilbur Ave., which is not far from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Following the demolition, the plan is for a project that will include more than 250 new homes, 7.5 acres of green space, and 3,600 square feet of retail commercial space as part of the first phase of construction to redevelop the site, Hochul’s office said in a Friday announcement. “With demolition under way, we are transforming the long-abandoned Syracuse Developmental Center into high quality, mixed-use, mixed-income housing that will rejuvenate this community,” the governor said. “You don’t win transformative projects like Micron without building and investing, and we will continue to work with local leaders like Mayor Walsh to keep building the housing we need, keep investing in new opportunity, and keep driving toward an economy of the future.” Hochul on Friday afternoon provided a project update to a gathering of local officials inside Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School at 227 Magnolia St. on Syracuse’s West side. New York is providing up to $29 million in state funding for the project, which Hochul’s office says will help to support the statewide goals of increasing New York’s housing supply with new market-rate and affordable options and establishing a regional job hub to help drive the local economy. State funding will support pre-development site preparation work, including the demolition and remediation of the existing structures on the site as well as infrastructure investments to expand water and sewer service lines, roads and sidewalks, tree planting, canopy and lighting throughout the site. Mohawk Valley contractor Ritter & Paratore Contracting Inc. has been selected to undertake the demolition/environmental remediation of the existing structures and grading of the site in the building demolition location. “Demolition of the former Syracuse Developmental Center is a critical step toward the long-awaited transformation of this property,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said in the state’s announcement. “The site has been a neighborhood eyesore and public safety concern for years. Getting it back on the tax roll and into productive use will be a catalyst for continued investment in Syracuse’s west side. The 47-acre site is ideally suited to meet the growing need for quality mixed-income housing and high-tech manufacturing space in Syracuse. I thank Governor Hochul for making this long-awaited transformative mixed-use project a reality.” The redevelopment of the 600,000-square-foot Syracuse Developmental Center is a multi-phase, mixed-use project that will include hundreds of new housing units, an advanced manufacturing facility with office space, vibrant new green space, and retail. Phase I of the project is set to begin in late 2025, Hochul’s office said. The state contends the project will help Syracuse and the surrounding Central New York region prepare for the arrival of Micron, whose $100 billion commitment to build a new campus in the town of Clay is expected to create 50,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.