“Syracuse lawmakers vote themselves the power to override the city planning commission” (Syracuse.com, 11/29/2011)

Lonnie posted about it here on November 22nd. Well, this may be late notice but TONIGHT all of us can do something about it!

Apparently, the Common Councilors who voted 6-3, with very little transparency or public input, to amend the . . . → Read More: TONIGHT: Tell Mayor Miner to Stop this Power Grab]]> Remember this back in November:

“Syracuse lawmakers vote themselves the power to override the city planning commission” (Syracuse.com, 11/29/2011)

Lonnie posted about it here on November 22nd. Well, this may be late notice but TONIGHT all of us can do something about it!

Apparently, the Common Councilors who voted 6-3, with very little transparency or public input, to amend the City Charter to be able to inject legislative politics into unanimous City Planning Commission  decisions, didn’t get the message from our letters.

Mayor Stephanie Miner is seeking public comment TONIGHT AT CITY HALL on the Common Council’s decision to amend the City Charter for more authority over Planning Commission decisions. The Mayor wants to hear from the public and listen directly to comments to assist in making a decision to act on the City Charter change. She has already come out against it but needs some support from the public for next steps. The vote on the Common Council was veto-proof, but maybe cooler heads will prevail…

The meeting will be at 5:00 p.m. in Council chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall, 233 E. Washington Street, Syracuse, 13202.

Word on the street has it that the Common Council usurped their authority under the New York State Constitution by neglecting to send this issue for a public referendum. This is because the action was a City Charter change, which might be considered differently under state  constitutional law than through the normal local legislative process.

We’ll see what happens and update you on this issue. This could have long-term consequences for sustainable, healthy, and smart development decisions in this City. Our view is that this is just wrong! Head on over to City Hall tonight.

More reading from The Post-Standard / Syracuse.com can be found here, here and here. Again, we urge all interested in smart planning and smart development in this city to OPPOSE this action by the Common Council.

The keynote speaker tonight will be Diane Eggert, Executive Director of the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York, who will give a presentation on starting a community farmers’ market. The Eastwood Neighborhood Association is organizing a Steering . . . → Read More: Eat Where You Live – In Eastwood, Of Course!]]> Tonight, December 13, at 7:00 the Eastwood Neighborhood Association (ENA) will hold their quarterly Open House at Blessed Sacrament Church.

The keynote speaker tonight will be Diane Eggert, Executive Director of the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York, who will give a presentation on starting a community farmers’ market. The Eastwood Neighborhood Association is organizing a Steering Committee to study the feasibility of a regular farmers’ market in Eastwood and all neighbors/members are invited to join. This is an effort that will further the aim of a more walkable Eastwood!

From the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York website www.nyfarmersmarket.com:

Our mission is to support and promote the viability of farmers’ markets through innovative services, programs and partnerships that maximize the benefits of markets to sellers, buyers and communities.

Check out the Farmers’ Market Federation publications page for some fascinating information, including a downloadable “Guide to Developing a Community Farmers’ Market” and a summary of “The Value of Farmers’ Markets”.

Tonight’s ENA meeting is Open to the Public.

To become a member of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association and join this effort contact the organization via e-mail at www.eastwoodneighbor.com/contact or donate on the organization’s website at www.eastwoodneighbor.com/donate.

Word on the street has it that in a meeting last . . . → Read More: Wittigs a.k.a. Steak & Sundae]]> This article was posted exactly one year ago. Do we understand any better now the monetary and quality-of-life impact that design and development, good or bad, have on our neighborhood?  It’s time we got very clear about what we want and do not want in Eastwood.

Word on the street has it that in a meeting last night of the Common Council, the idea of demolishing the old Steak & Sundae building at the corner of James and Midler was brought up. Please correct me if I’m wrong (go ahead! down below, in the comments section), but I thought the owner of this property already asked for this and it was turned down because he had no plan for building something else there.

[Editor's note: corrections will be found in comment section.]

Why is this week any different from that week?  And why would anyone want to reward this person with what he asked for back then? The owner of this property has allowed his building to blight our neighborhood and owes back taxes on it (what happens to you when you owe thousands in back taxes?). He’s been approached a number of times by Stephen Skinner, owner of the Eastwood Plaza, with offers to buy and fix up.

Stephen has spent over $1000 in inspections and drawings, both of which he has shared with me. He has made very serious offers, including the same price that the current owner paid for it when it was still in condition to be rented. Stephen wants to keep the building, rehab it and get a diversity of businesses into it.  He has read the James St. Overlay District Guidelines and has figured out how to follow them and make a profit. So please, don’t anyone tell us it can’t be done.

I have used one of the drawings Stephen supplied to give you an idea of what can be done. Plus an old picture of the same building to do the same thing. Any comments, ideas, suggestions? Please write them in the comment box!

When it was Wittigs - do you remember?

March, 2009

Rough idea of what this might look like

A once-beloved spot allowed to decay

Stephen Skinner could make this happen for us (shop selections my own)

There already is adequate parking behind this building.  What would you like to see in this building? What are your thoughts about how to develop the intersection of James and Midler?

The overall dimensions of the proposed ground sign, including the two piers, is about . . . → Read More: The sign they’ll be voting on April 6]]> There’s some confusion about the sign that the Planning Commission will be voting on come April 6. Here is my understanding of it (corrections, as always, are welcome in the comment section), as reported by a concerned citizen who visited the zoning office:

The overall dimensions of the proposed ground sign, including the two piers, is about 10 ft. high, by about 13 ft. wide, by 2.5 ft. deep.  The piers are 2.5 ft. square, and 10 ft. high.  The space between the piers is about 9 ft. wide, where there will be, I believe, a “Walgreens” sign, and the changeable electronic sign of about 8 ft. width.

Just how big is this, really? According to Common Councilor Kathleen Joy, “The entire sign would be about 100 sq ft. …The architect told me that it needs to be big enough to be seen over cars and the Veterans monument. ”

Okay. Let’s put the proposed sign over the Veteran’s Monument:

The Walgreens sign will dwarf the monument to our fallen heroes. The purpose of such a large sign is to draw the attention of drivers away from anything else they might be looking at. Is this what we want at the gateway to Eastwood?

Come to the Planning Commission meeting April 6 at 6:00 pm and tell the commissioners how you feel.

This was all explained to us in March in this Post-Standard article. Remember? Six of the Common Councilors voted for historic . . . → Read More: Kingsley-True: it’s not a done deal. Action needed immediately!]]> I have been incensed ever since a lopsided vote in the Common Council allowed the Kingsley-True House to be slated for demolition, despite the overwhelming public and professional support for preservation. How could this have happened?

This was all explained to us in March in this Post-Standard article. Remember? Six of the Common Councilors voted for historic designation while only three, Michael Heagerty, Patrick Hogan and Ryan McMahon, voted against it. But in our broken system, the resolution required 7 “yes” votes to pass. I have to ask, what was our dear Mike Heagerty thinking? He, of all people, as owner of Eastwood’s beloved Palace Theater, should understand the importance of historic buildings to their communities.

It is vitally important that the perception of an either-or situation be turned around. It is patently false that this city must choose between caring for sick kids and protecting its history. Albany didn’t have to make that choice. Philadelphia didn’t have to make that choice. What is it about Syracuse that leaves us vulnerable to three people who somehow ended up with this much power?

“…(T)he votes of city officials on the Landmark Preservation Board (9-0); the Syracuse Planning Commission (5-0); and the Syracuse Common Council (6-3), the votes of city officials were overwhelmingly in favor of historic designation (20-3).” (Post-Standard article)

This is what has been proposed for an expansion of the Kingsley-True house for Syracuse’s Ronald McDonald House – a place that looks like a home, not a hospital:

This is what Philadelphia got in their expansion:

And here is what Albany is doing with a previous expansion in which two mansions were connected:

Mike Stanton of PACNY asked Albany architect John Meyers “…if the Albany RMH board had ever considered demolishing the two houses and building a new facility. He said that possibility had never been raised.” Jeff Yule of the Ronald McDonald House of Albany wrote me to say, “We connected the 2 homes in 1990…. Our current project, which you have a photo of is not an expansion it is a renovation of our facility. John Meyers helped with this project as well. We will not do anything to the Ronald House without his loving input and historical perspective. He is an incredible person and one of our founding members as well as a remarkable resource for the people of Albany. ”

It’s up to you.

TELL the Planning Commission Members to follow through on the Mayor’s commitment to preserving our historic assets. Syracuse was recently named a Preserve America Community. Our first act as such must not be the demolition of this building.

SEND an email to zoning@ci.syracuse.ny.us in which you state clearly that you are against the demolition of this historic building and in favor of the expansion that makes kids and their families feel at home.

YOU MAY ALSO DROP OFF COMMENTS HERE:

City Planning Commission
201 E. Washington St, Rm 211
Syracuse, NY 13202

PLEASE ATTEND the Planning Commission meeting this Monday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall. Be vocal. Tell them that you support the expansion, not the demolition, of the Kingsley-True house.

The City of Syracuse thanks you!

Editor’s note:

Since posting this blog, I have received a few suggestions and corrections. I will add them as they come in. So far, the spelling of the Kingsley-True house has been updated, and I have just received further clarification on exactly what has been done at the Albany RMH (above).

This is the proposed new building that would replace a demolished Kingsley-True house: