Open House for Residents of the Salt Springs and Le Moyne area

Published on April 14, 2022

HeadQuarters offers financial assistance to eligible property owners for home improvements and repairs

The City of Syracuse, Le Moyne College and Home HeadQuarters will host a Neighborhood Pride Open House on Saturday, April 23 for residents of the Salt Springs and Le Moyne area neighborhoods. The three hour drop-in session will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Soule Library, 101 Springfield Road, Syracuse.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Le Moyne College President Linda LeMura and other senior leaders of the city and college, as well as representatives of Home HeadQuarters and the Town of DeWitt, are scheduled to visit the open house.

The open house will provide information on the recently completed Le Moyne Area Neighborhood Development Strategy (LANDS) planning process which looked at housing, quality of life, infrastructure, transportation, municipal services and economic development. The east side neighborhood is home to approximately 3,800 residents bounded by Erie Boulevard East to the north and east, East Genesee Street to the south, and Salt Springs Road and Seeley Road to the west.  The LANDS study, conducted by the City, Le Moyne College and the Town of DeWitt, identifies strong neighborhood pride in the area and high interest in greater interaction among neighbors. It makes recommendations to improve physical infrastructure, enhance services and create more neighborhood engagement.

Grants and low-interest financing for home improvements and repairs

At the open house, Home HeadQuarters will have applications and staff on hand to answer questions on available home improvement and repair programs to eligible property owners in the Salt Springs and Le Moyne area neighborhoods. In a housing conditions survey completed as part of the LANDS study, many renters and owners in the area indicated that the homes they reside in need improvements and many listed multiple types of home improvements they need or desire.

CARE Center to provide resources and information for seniors

Le Moyne College’s Center for Aging Resources and Enrichment (CARE) will also have information on spiritual, mental, financial and physical health resources for senior citizens and for individuals and organizations that provide care and support to seniors. Learn more about the CARE Center at https://www.careatlemoyne.com/.

Refreshments, including ice cream donated by Le Moyne College, will be available. For more information about the open house, call the City Planning office at (315)448-8160.

 

Applications for grants to support capital building upgrades and corridor enhancements will be accepted until June 15

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh  today opened an eight week application window for a new Commercial Corridor Improvement program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).  The fund, created by the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development and authorized by the Syracuse Common Council, will foster new growth in neighborhood business corridors, reactivate storefronts and support recovery from the impact of COVID-19.

 “Investing in neighborhoods, children and families is an important component of our ARPA strategy. We are using pandemic relief in ways that stimulate recovery and create lasting improvements in all parts of the city,” said Mayor Walsh. “I encourage City of Syracuse businesses, non-profits and community organizations to consider how they can use the Commercial Corridor Fund to create more vibrant neighborhood business corridors. We’ve set a two month response period to give applicants time to develop creative and compelling proposals.”

The Commercial Corridor Fund will provide grants to support the redevelopment and improvement of underutilized commercial and mixed-use properties, and for quality of life and “catalytic” neighborhood development programs. The fund has five project categories:

  • Level 1 projects are those estimated to cost between $10,000 – $100,000 and include exterior enhancements and/or façade improvements.
  • Level 2 projects are those which are estimated to cost between $100,001 – $1,000,000 and include interior buildout to expand existing business or welcome a new tenant.
  • Level 3 projects are those which are estimated to cost between $1,000,001 – $2,000,000 and include new construction or development, and significant interior and exterior improvements.
  • Quality of Life Corridor Improvements are those estimated to cost up to $2,000,000 and include new lighting, shared parking solutions, shared energy efficiency upgrades and pedestrian safety improvements.
  • Neighborhood Catalyst projects are estimated to cost between $2,000,000 – $10,000,000. These larger projects will include job creation requirements and must involve new construction or adaptive reuse of a longtime vacant structure.

Applicants can be for-profit and nonprofit/501c3 or c4 organizations. All proposed project sites must be located within a qualified ARPA census tract (see map here).

Fund levels 1-3 target commercial-use properties, including mixed-use buildings with residential apartments, that contain a significant portion of vacant and underutilized space. “Significant vacancy” is defined as a minimum of 40% of the total square footage of the building.

Details on the program and the application process can be found at http://www.syrgov.net/neighborhood_and_business_development. Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, April 18, and the deadline for submissions will be 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15. 2022. Applicants can submit electronically to business@syrgov.net or send applications to: City of Syracuse Department of Neighborhood & Business Development, 201 East Washington Street, Suite 612, Syracuse, NY 13202.