The Syracuse lawmaker who stalled the city’s new housing strategy will now vote for the plan, she said after a Common Council meeting Wednesday.
Councilor Rasheada Caldwell, who previously objected to the plan because of a perceived lack of public outreach said she was satisfied with a meeting held by the city to do outreach after her objection.
Caldwell said the meeting had “great turnout” and that her constituents were generally in favor of the housing strategy.
“I’m very pleased, with both the administration and the community,” Caldwell said.
The council is now set to vote on the plan Tuesday.
Caldwell said she held up the Aug. 12 vote because of the lack of outreach rather than any problem with the proposal. Caldwell said the meeting allowed residents to ask how the strategy would affect the neighborhood and its affordability.
“That was one of the four neighborhoods that was mentioned in the housing strategy, and it was the only neighborhood that did not get any communication,” Caldwell said. “And I heard them loud and clear.”
City officials have been working on the plan throughout the year. It is based on a study of the city’s housing market by consultant czb LLC. The firm found it would take more than $1 billion to fix the market’s affordability and quality.
If the plan is approved, the city would begin work in phases. Under the plan, the Syracuse Housing Strategies Corporation would be tasked with giving grants and low-interest loans for beautification projects in selected neighborhoods. The first phase of the project would tackle the Salt Springs and Tipperary Hill neighborhoods and start in 2025. Phase I would cost $25 million. The work in the first phase is estimated to take about a decade to complete.
At public meetings, residents have broadly supported the plan.
Work on other phases would begin incrementally following the first phase.
The Common Council meets again on Sept. 3 and are expected to pass the housing strategy proposal.
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