New York Construction Report staff writer
Demolition work has started at the former Syracuse Development Center, paving the way for more than 250 new homes, 7.5 acres of green space and 3,600 sq. ft. of retail space as part of the first phase of construction.
Ritter & Paratore Contracting Inc. has been selected to demolish the existing building.
“With demolition underway, we are transforming the long-abandoned Syracuse Developmental Center into high quality, mixed-use, mixed-income housing that will rejuvenate this community,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “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.”
New York state will invest $29 million in the demolition and redevelopment of the long-abandoned Syracuse Developmental Center into housing and mixed-use property, Gov. Kathy Hochul and local leaders announced in Syracuse Friday.
Phase one will build 230 units of workforce housing.
“When this place closed in 1998, it became a magnet for vandalism,” Hochul said, adding that the eyesore has attracted other negative activities and “weighed down the community.”
“It’s going to be an incredibly vibrant community,” Hochul said once this project is complete.
The city acquired the former Syracuse Developmental Center in 2019.
