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By Lonnie, on April 8th, 2009%
Joe Nastri is a long-time Eastwood businessman who was involved in the original Eastwood Review Board that was disbanded by the City.
I too hope that the city does the right thing and upholds the zoning Overlay standards. Assertions have been made time and again that Eastwood looks the way it does because of neighbors and or the Zoning Overlay Guidelines. This is false. The reason why Eastwood has some problems with appearance is firstly because property owners, such as the owner of the old Steak and Sundae building and Byrne Dairy properties have made a conscious decision to allow these properties to fall into disrepair. The plan is for neighbors to get so fed up that we will accept what ever they decide is appropriate.
Continue reading Letter from Joe Nastri
By Lonnie, on April 5th, 2009%
For many years, Kathleen Joy has supported smart, sustainable development in Eastwood. She has been a tireless researcher, an effective communicator, and a source of information that might otherwise have been difficult for the average resident. Some time ago, she started her own blog. As is her habit, when she has something of import to let . . . → Read More: Post by Councilor Kathleen Joy
By Lonnie, on April 5th, 2009%
Last week I contacted every mayoral candidate via whatever means the public at large might do so: their published email addresses or, when that was not available, their contact forms in their mayoral candidate websites. I asked them to comment on any of the posts on this website and/or join the Walkable Eastwood email group to talk to Eastwood residents directly. Only Stephanie Miner responded, and she did so quickly, joining the group, introducing herself, and sending the following letter to the 100+ residents in that group. It is the letter she sent to members of the planning commission (bolding mine):
I am writing to respectfully request that the Planning Commission does not grant a waiver for the proposed Walgreens sign on James Street in Eastwood.
Continue reading Letter from Councilor Stephanie Miner
By Lonnie, on April 4th, 2009%
[Published with permission, bolding mine]
April 4, 2009
RE: Appl no. AS-08-33
City Planning Commission
201 East Washington Street
Syracuse, New York, 13202
Chairman Cowart and Members of the City Planning Commission,
My name is Lance Denno and I am the 5th District Councilor for the City of Syracuse. As such it is my duty to represent the interests and the will of the citizens of Eastwood. As their elected voice, I sincerely regret that due to other commitments I cannot personally appear before you to most forcefully express my objection to this application for a Sign Waiver.
Continue reading Letter from Councilor Lance Denno
By Lonnie, on April 1st, 2009%
What is a sign? What is an animated sign? What is an “indoors” sign? And what is an “outdoors” sign? When I look at the kinds of signs the planning commission will be deciding on this coming Monday, I have to wonder if they’re going to have to figure out what the meaning of “is” is.
Continue reading The meaning of “animated” is…
By Lonnie, on April 1st, 2009%
Syracuse, we are not alone in our fight to maintain a sense of place in our neighborhoods. While Eastwood compromised its unique neighborhood feel to end up with another national chain in its business district, it is still fighting to keep that store from overwhelming the gateway to our community.
We are not Walgreens. We are Eastwood. Our overlay district guidelines were put in place to protect the one thing we can sell to potential investors in our neighborhood: a unique place called Eastwood. The look and feel of our neighborhood is our identity, it’s our “brand.” Fill James Street with national chains and we lose that identity.
Continue reading Just say no to Walgreens
By Lonnie, on March 23rd, 2009%
When people drive into Eastwood from downtown Syracuse, the first thing to greet them at the gateway to our “village” has been this, the Veterans’ Monument. It is in an area that is 50% residential. We finish our Memorial Day parade there, where we gather for speeches and silent contemplation.
The proposed “monument sign” makes our gateway all about Walgreens instead:
Continue reading Who wins monumental competition?
By Lonnie, on March 20th, 2009%
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. ”
Continue reading The sign they’ll be voting on April 6
By Lonnie, on January 15th, 2007%
That decrepit building, known as the “Steak & Sundae building,” hugs the northeast corner of James and Midler. And we want to keep it because it follows the guidelines a lot better than an empty lot. In Eastwood you need a plan before you can just tear a building down.
Below you can see an aerial . . . → Read More: Why do we want to keep that decrepit building?
By Lonnie, on January 15th, 2007%
Eastwood building stays
Post-Standard, January 9, 2007*The building at James Street and North Midler Avenue that houses the Steak & Sundae Restaurant cannot be torn down unless a suitable plan for the site is developed first, the Syracuse Planning Commission ruled Monday.In a 4-0 vote, the commission denied an application by Michael Muraco to demolish the building, . . . → Read More: Read this and be glad
By Lonnie, on January 1st, 2006%
James St. Overlay District Zoning Standards
These are standards by which all development proposals for James St. in Eastwood are evaluated. They are often referred to as “the guidelines.”
“The regulations set forth in this Article establish a specialized district for the Eastwood portion of James Street and are intended to protect and enhance the traditional neighborhood main . . . → Read More: James St. Overlay District Zoning Standards
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