Project to expand the Syracuse Tech Garden continues

Targeting a 2025 completion

SYRACUSE — Crews working on the expansion of the Syracuse Technology Garden at 235 Harrison St. are expected to complete the project in the second quarter of 2025. That’s according to Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, who spoke with CNYBJ on Sept. 5. The $32 million project is adding 46,000 square feet to the facility. CenterState CEO on Aug. 9, 2023 hosted a groundbreaking event for the expansion project on the Tech Garden patio, across from the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. Hueber-Breuer Construction Co., Inc. is the contractor on the Tech Garden expansion. Besides Hueber-Breuer, project partners include QPK Design of Syracuse, which handled the design work, and Eli Smith of E. Smith Contractors of Syracuse. This renovation will add two additional stories to the Tech Garden and create a larger and more modernized space encompassing not only incubation, acceleration and support of tech startups, but also non-tech startups and small businesses run by founders from underrepresented populations, per the Tech Garden website. “The superstructure for the vertical expansion is now done and they’re beginning the process right now of framing out the interior office spaces and conference rooms and elevators shafts … on the interior of the building,” Simpson says regarding the construction crews. “And they’ll continue to work on that until they’re ready to enclose the outside shell, which will happen … hopefully before the snow flies this fall.” The expansion effort includes a 5,000-square-foot roof terrace for companies focused on uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to launch and test drones, a 3,000-square-foot meeting room with seating for up to 180, private tenant offices for 35 additional resident startups, coworking areas, an expanded hardware space for prototype and product development, and a new entrance, as outlined in an Aug. 9, 2023 announcement from the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul. “There’ll be a larger event space; some different size office suites for companies of different sizes; coworking space, absolutely; an outdoor patio and terrace overlooking Harrison Street, a terrace that is dedicated for our [uncrewed] systems and drone teams and companies in the building,” says Simpson. When asked if CenterState CEO has heard from any businesses that would like to be part of the facility when the expansion is complete, Simpson says the organization is “absolutely” talking to tenants about space in the building. “It’s our goal to build as robust a pipeline of potential tenants for when the building reopens as we possibly can,” says Simpson. “There’s definitely awareness in the ecosystem that this project is happening, and I think a lot of enthusiasm about the fact that we’re creating world-class space for these companies.” As the construction effort continues, the Tech Garden building will be closed to the public for the entirety of the project. However, for the duration of the construction, The Tech Garden offices, tenants, and programs have temporarily moved across the plaza to the 8th floor of Equitable Tower 1.

Tech Garden role

Simpson believes the expanded Tech Garden will be a key part of CenterState CEO’s “forward-looking” economic-development strategy. He also feels the facility is a big part of the reason why downtown Syracuse is as “vibrant as it is today.” He went on to say that if you think about the Tech Garden over the last 20 years and you look at downtown Syracuse, he believes the downtown area has “more than [1,200] or 1,300 employees” today whose companies started in the Tech Garden. “That’s a lot of employees who are downtown buying lunch and maybe renting an apartment and just contributing energy and vitality to our city and as we look forward for the next 10 to 15 to 20 years, it’s critically important now more than ever that we create an ecosystem that will help start more businesses than we lose,” he adds. Simpson contends that having a facility like the Tech Garden is one of the “most significant differentiating factors” between successful economies and those that are not successful. “Do you start more companies than you lose, and that is a fundamental guiding principle to all of our work in the tech ecosystem and at the Tech Garden,” he says. Simpson also notes that CenterState CEO is working to build some corporate partnerships in the expanded building, including sponsorship of spaces or naming certain areas of the facility and contributing both dollars and expertise. Simpson on Sept. 5 told CNYBJ that he couldn’t yet name any of the partnerships but said they will be announced in the weeks to come.