The New York State Department of Transportation’s project to remove the Interstate 81 viaduct will free up nearly 12 acres of valuable land in the city’s Southside — which has caused a yearslong debate among stakeholders, residents and others about ownership of the land.
Residents, advocates and city officials have their own visions for the use of this potentially developable land: It could be put back on city tax rolls to generate revenue for the cash-strapped municipality, it could be used to repair the harm done to the historic 15th Ward residents when the highway was built and it could invite more retail business and housing into the area.
They also disagree on who the best steward for the land would be: the city of Syracuse or New York state. The land is largely believed to be located in the historic 15th Ward, where Leon and South McBride Streets meet Martin Luther King W, according to city-hired planning consultants Dover Kohl & Partners.
More than 50 years ago, despite pushback from some local elected officials, the city allowed the construction of the viaduct to cut through the 15th ward.
This led to mass displacement, destroying businesses and neighborhoods, and is a reason why some community advocates say they do not trust the city to address those harms decades later.
City officials have told Central Current the state should expedite the transfer of the land.
“[Construction on the viaduct] is coming home fast,” Mayor Sharon Owens told Central Current reporters during a wide-ranging interview on Jan. 15. “We’ve been turning up the dial a little bit on [pushing for land ownership] now. We cannot wait until the end of the project.”
However, the state will not identify the surplus parcels until construction of the viaduct is complete, nor will they determine ownership before construction ends, said Department of Transportation spokesperson TeNesha Murphy. Construction is anticipated to end in 2029.
And while the state committed two years ago to creating a land use working group with the intent to explore the best use of the land, the group has not been created.
Murphy did not respond to questions regarding when the group will be created or what its goals will be. Murphy instead sent a statement saying the state is working on creating the group, and is planning to hold a stakeholder meeting to explore options for the 10 to 12 acres of surplus land.
State officials previously said the availability of land is subject to how much of it would be used to accommodate the highway, sidewalks, and bike and pedestrian paths.
Those portions of the project would be built after the viaduct is torn down and the Department of Transportation redesigns Almond Street, which runs under and alongside the viaduct.
Disagreements about the future of the almost 12 acres of land among community advocates and residents stem from the city’s insistence on owning the land.
Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, the director at New York Civil Liberties Union’s Racial Justice Center, said neither she nor residents trust the city to repair historic harms. Owens-Chaplin instead believes the state’s Department of Transportation should follow through on its promise to find out what residents want to be done with the land.
If the state transfers the land to the city, the state should add requirements for how the city must use it, she said.
“The reason being we don’t really trust the city of Syracuse to do it without that requirement,” Owens-Chaplin said. “We just want to make sure that folks aren’t getting priced out of the neighborhood.”
Owens-Chaplin fears that the city could sanction the construction of luxury one- and two-bedroom mixed-use apartment complexes. She believes that could facilitate gentrification in a neighborhood already facing the redevelopment of public housing.
NYCLU is also concerned that the city may sell the land to the highest bidder, including Syracuse University or SUNY Upstate Medical University, Owens-Chaplin said.
When the viaduct was built, over 1,300 families were displaced, unleashing a series of long-term socioeconomic impacts that resulted in residents struggling to look for new places to call home.
Residents have suffered the brunt of air pollution from the viaduct, leading to high rates of asthma and other respiratory issues.
While the neighborhood redevelopment has the potential of amending generational harm, Owens-Chaplin said she fears a mixed-income East Adams neighborhood will lead to higher property taxes. That could burden residents in the area who are either retired or have a limited income, she said.
“The goal was to help this specific community,” Owens-Chaplin said. “They were sequestered here from redlining back in the 1950s and now that they’re trying to make this neighborhood better. … We really think that land use is going to be the make or break of if they benefit or not.”
According to NYCLU’s canvassing efforts, community members want a coffee shop, a barber shop or other amenities that they can access without having to use transportation.
While Owens-Chaplin and city I-81 Project Director Joe Driscoll disagree on the best steward of the land, they want the land to be used for diverse development that contributes to neighborhood density and offers social amenities.
NYCLU has in the past advocated for the creation of a community land trust — a vision the mayor also supports. In that case, the community would have a say over the development of the available land.
Owens, the mayor, said she supports the idea of a community land trust, recounting her experience at Jubilee Homes, where residents adopted the land trust model to rebuild a neighborhood in the Southwest Side of Syracuse.
However, the city and the residents are not the only ones who will get a say in how the new parcels of land will be used.
Since it is a federal highway project, the federal government may demand for the land to be used to bolster green spaces in the city, Owens said.
“I have no issue with Central Park in Syracuse, but let us know what it is,” Owens said.
Read more of Central Current’s coverage
The I-81 viaduct removal could create 12 acres of valuable land. Stakeholders still disagree on who should own it.
City and state officials have disagreed for about two years who should own the land. The state has declined to identify where the land under I-81 will be.
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