Sarah Walton, the new interim executive director of Blueprint 15.

A new interim executive director will lead Blueprint 15, the nonprofit working with public housing residents in the city’s Southside as the Syracuse Housing Authority properties are redeveloped. 

Sarah Walton LaFave, who recently served as the city’s director of East Adams neighborhood development, will lead Blueprint 15 as its interim executive director. 

“I’m excited to be in the seat where it really is all about the residents,” Walton LaFave told Central Current during a sit-down interview on Friday. 

Walton LaFave, 34, started her new role on Wednesday, succeeding Raquan Pride-Green, who resigned in August as uncertainty surrounds Blueprint 15’s efforts to push for the Children Rising Center. 

The nonprofit, along with city and Syracuse Housing Authority officials, have been dealing with the aftermath of the project being paused, which precipitated a volley of blame and fingerpointing among city officials, nonprofit leaders and SHA. 

Both the city and Blueprint 15 blamed the Syracuse Housing Authority 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. 

“A huge goal of mine is going to be, how do we kind of continue thinking about how that project [CRC] needs to come together in terms of its timing and its funding and its partners. Really excited to hopefully get some momentum back into that effort,” Walton LaFave said. 

The Syracuse Common Council approved plans for several SHA purchases on Aug. 12, which also included the swap of Eastwood Heights and Latimer Terrace. SHA is now back in charge of the Eastwood Heights project while the city would own Latimer Terrace because of the deal. Walton LaFave said that the organization is 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 Children Rising Center was developed to address acute needs in the community, especially child care options and the opportunity to prepare young kids for school by focusing on early learning. In their Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant application reviewed by Central Current, the SHA cited the school district’s 2023-2024 proxy academic data to emphasize the importance of the project. 

“Only 38% of the early learners in the target neighborhood demonstrated age-appropriate functioning across multiple domains using developmentally appropriate measures,” they wrote in the application. 

The CRC will offer early learning slots to bring children up to speed, alongside afterschool and summer programs, and a play arena for children and parents with early learning opportunities. 

While she is optimistic, the road ahead is beset with some challenges. 

“I do think a challenge is going to be aligning all of the different pieces to a new timeline,” Walton LaFave said. “ … but it’s a challenge worth it because I think the community just sees what that space can mean for them and their family. 

Walton LaFave was appointed in 2023 by Mayor Ben Walsh to lead the East Adams neighborhood redevelopment, as part of the city’s Department of Neighborhood and Business Development. She was responsible for coordinating with key partners and interdepartmental city staff involved in the East Adams project. 

During her time at the city, Walton LaFave grew increasingly familiar with the staff and mission at Blueprint 15, and wanted to continue to assist the team with securing additional funding to continue their work through the fall. With Walton LaFave, the team is going to set some clear, strategic priorities for the next year, including continuing to do the groundwork of connecting residents to resources and community engagement involving literacy, health and empowerment. 

“I think because it is an interim position, I have pretty ambitious goals on what it is we want to do, and so I’m going to be really trying to stay focused on supporting the team here, supporting the organization, and most importantly, I think creating that line of communication with residents when they need it,” Walton LaFave said.

The partners on this project are also collaborating to develop a website to increase communication with residents, she said. Residents will be able to ask questions, respond, and share information directly with Blueprint 15, SHA, Urban Strategies Inc., the New York State Department of Transportation and the city of Syracuse. 

A graduate of Policy Studies and Geography from Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Walton LaFave spent a decade working in nonprofits and community-based organizations. 

At SU, she worked in the East Adams neighborhood and was involved in the Wilson Park Community Center. She has also served as the associate executive director at the Syracuse Northeast Community Center, where she oversaw several programs aimed at addressing the needs and interests of residents in the north and northeast neighborhoods of Syracuse. 

“I want to keep those voices active,” Walton LaFave said. “That’s a real function that Blueprint plays, and I think it’s essential to us not repeating a lot of the things that happened in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s.”

Correction: A previous version of this article stated Sarah Walton LaFave’s name as Sarah Walton.

Read more of Central Current’s coverage

Before the deportation

ICE agents came looking for a French national and the husband of a beloved Hawley-Green business owner, forcing the couple to contemplate a new, uncertain future.

Managing Editor Chris Libonati grins at the camera while standing in front of a blurred, yellow background. He has dark brown hair. by Chris Libonati

Debadrita Sur is a multimedia journalist and Report for America corps member who reports on the I-81 project and public housing for Central Current. In 2023, Sur graduated with a master’s degree in journalism...