Monique Fennell stood in the snow at 100 Angelou Terrace, pointing out the flat ground in the distance where once stood the building with her three-bedroom apartment that she had moved into as a single mom to three kids. After nearly seven years of calling the apartment her home, Fennell had to move out in February this year.
“I didn’t want to move out. I loved my apartment. I loved my neighbors. I loved the fact that the (Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central) was across the street, and at the time, all three of my children went there,” Fennell said.
Fennell is one of several Syracuse Housing Authority tenants at McKinney Manor who moved to make way for the redevelopment of public housing on Syracuse’s Southside.
On Wednesday, SHA and McCormack Baron Salazar, the Missouri-based developer in charge of redeveloping public housing in Syracuse, broke ground on the first phase of the redevelopment. SHA and the company had closed on financing for this first phase of construction at the end of October.
The first phase includes the demolition of Angelou Terrace, 25 townhomes that are part of McKinney Manor. Months after residents moved out, demolition finally began in late October.
The redevelopment, previously valued at about $1 billion, will be stretched out across several phases. SHA will redevelop 672 distressed units across Pioneer Homes and McKinney Manor while building an additional 732 apartment units. The housing authority hopes to house current residents while drawing in new residents who pay market-rate rents.
Pioneer Homes is the oldest public housing project in New York.
More than 100 people gathered Wednesday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the first phase, including Mayor Ben Walsh, Mayor-elect Sharon Ownens, SHA officials and other key stakeholders.
During his speech, SHA Executive Director William Simmons announced that the first new building that will be constructed in the area will be called the Langston. The new street going through the compound will be named McKinney Street to honor the late Judge Langston C. McKinney, the first Black city court judge. McKinney “fought for justice, with his quiet dignity and unwavering strength,” Simmons said.
Speakers and the audience then headed to the construction site where they held up construction spades and flung dirt into the air to signify the official start of the project.
McCormack Baron Salazar, known for similar neighborhood redevelopment projects across the nation, was initially also set to manage the property. However, the housing authority made a surprise move by committing to taking on property management responsibilities once public housing in the Southside is redeveloped. SHA Deputy Executive Director Jalyn Clifford said that was always meant to be the case, .
“It’s just sooner than originally anticipated,” she told Central Current in August.
The second phase of the East Adams transformation project will see a vacant lot at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Burt Street converted into a new apartment building with 125 new affordable units for seniors. It is scheduled to close on financing next week.
About $7 million in brownfield remediation work in the area began last month. Construction is expected to begin in early 2026.
“Remediation of this brownfield site is more than a construction milestone. It’s an investment in long-term health, safety, and dignity for the residents of East Adams,” said Allyson Carpenter, the vice president of development at McCormack Baron Salazar.
The remediation process is being funded partly by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant — SHA won a $50 million grant for the project to support housing and neighborhood redevelopment in the region — while the remaining $3.7 million was funded by U.S. Bank through New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program.
Demolition and construction at Angelou Terrace paves the way for the third phase of the project and possibly the Children Rising Center, Carpenter said.
The Children Rising Center project came to a standstill earlier this year, leading to a volley of blame and fingerpointing among SHA, the city, and the local nonprofit in charge of the project, Blueprint 15. Both the city and Blueprint 15 blamed SHA for failing to finish its plan to redevelop public housing in time to apply for $7 million in tax credits. SHA denied missing any deadlines.
Blueprint 15’s Interim Executive Director Sarah Walton LaFave said the Children Rising Center will offer early learning opportunities to children in a neighborhood where only 38% of early learners show age-appropriate development. Alongside afterschool and summer programs, CRC will also host a play arena for children and parents with early learning opportunities, Walton LaFave said.
LaFave told Central Current that the organization is currently waiting for the transfer of the land and a ground lease to be executed before the board and staff delves into the viability of continuing the project.
The third and fourth phases of the redevelopment of public housing will close at the end of next year or early 2027, Carpenter said. The fourth phase involves the redevelopment of Pioneer Homes.
While the old apartments did not have washers and dryers or central air, the new four story apartments will have energy-efficient amenities, Carpenter told Central Current. They will have washers and dryers in the unit alongside stainless steel appliances. Buildings will also have fitness centers and computer labs. Although the apartments will be mixed income, every unit will be identical to each other, Carpenter said.
“I’’m excited about these buildings growing up, because you know what [there will be] another woman that is going through [something], there’s going to be another man that’s going through [something], and they need that family. They need that support,” Fennell said. “And I thank the Syracuse Housing Authority for being that support for me, because had I not moved down here, I don’t even want to think about what would have happened.”
Read more of Central Current’s coverage
Syracuse Housing Authority to close on financing for second phase of East Adams redevelopment
The redevelopment of public housing, valued at $1 billion, will be stretched across several phases.
Blueprint 15 taps Sarah Walton LaFave as executive director
The interim executive director at Blueprint 15 will stay on as its leader during the redevelopment of public housing on Syracuse’s Southside.
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