News & INSIGHTS

Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse Common Council now officially backs Mayor Ben Walsh’s strategy for tackling the city’s housing crisis.

The nine councilors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the Syracuse Housing Strategy, a long-term plan for dealing with the city’s complex housing needs.

The vote followed a public input meeting held last week that Common Councilor Rasheada Caldwell requested. She blocked a vote on the strategy at the council’s Aug. 12 meeting, saying more outreach on the East Side was needed. Following that session, Caldwell said she was ready to move forward.

The Walsh administration plan, released in April, was informed by a housing industry consultant hired by the city to study the local market. That report was issued in March 2023, and it concluded Syracuse faces a duel crisis of low-quality housing stock that needs investment and a population that can’t afford to pay rent on upgraded properties.

The strategic plan, which was formed through the work of a housing task force that included members of council, targets initial investment in middle-income neighborhoods where residents typically can’t access public support available to more distressed areas. The city’s Salt Springs neighborhood on the East Side and Tipperary Hill on the West Side are first in line for investment.

The new authority, called the Syracuse Housing Strategies Corp., aims to raise $25 million to use for its initial phase. About $7.5 million is secured so far. The corporation’s board will have up to nine members as a result of a separate vote Tuesday to add a councilor at large and a mayoral appointee.

The first meeting of the housing strategy board of directors should take place by the end of September, said Michelle Sczpanski, deputy commissioner of neighborhood development. She expects the city will start outreach work in the targeted neighborhoods in early spring, and the board will have a funding application ready for property owners by July. The goal is to start distributing money by the fall of 2025.

Walsh issued a statement after the meeting thanking the council for backing the strategy.

“It’s a plan that can have major near-term benefits and, with sustained commitment, can restore our housing stock citywide as the need for quality homes continues to grow,” he said.

More information on the housing study and strategy is available online at syracusehousingstudy.com.