Syracuse Planning Commission Meeting – July 28, 2025
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Syracuse Planning Commission Meeting – July 28, 2025
The Syracuse Planning Commission held a regular meeting on July 28, 2025, addressing several land-use items including a resubdivision, a zoning map amendment, a major site plan review, a time extension for an affordable housing project, and a controversial set of text amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance. The meeting featured extensive public comment and debate, particularly over the adequacy of public notice and the substance of proposed changes to Planned Institutional Districts (PID). The commission ultimately approved all items, with the text amendments subject to a condition that staff and Syracuse University work in good faith to resolve concerns before the matter proceeds to the Common Council.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of July 7, 2025: Approved with an amendment to correct a description of a previous project (adding full service bar, eight five iron golf simulation statements, a putting green, and bowling lanes). One commissioner abstained because they were not present at that meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Greg Fauche (attorney for Syracuse University): Expressed preliminary concerns about the text amendments, stating the 300+ page document was posted after 5 p.m. on Friday, July 25, for a hearing on Monday, July 28, denying meaningful public review. He argued the changes include major policy shifts (e.g., to PID section 2.15) that could jeopardize over $500 million of planned university investment. He requested the commission keep the hearing open and defer action.
- Jennifer Bibby (Associate Director for Campus Planning, Syracuse University): Supported Mr. Fauche’s remarks and emphasized that a strike-through version of the proposed amendments was not available until 5:40 p.m. on July 25, despite her daily requests. She noted the PID language had been carefully negotiated over eight years in the 2023 rezone and that the university is still reviewing the changes.
- Jack Mamie (developer, 188 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075): Raised three concerns: (1) removal of the ability to seek a variance to fix an existing nonconformity, (2) lack of clarity on appealing administrative decisions, and (3) a request to lower the 75,000 square foot lot requirement for a fifth story in MX2 district.
- Ray Bartelai (Biggie Tire Company): Addressed a project on Erie Boulevard that requires the removal of the two-story minimum requirement for existing buildings; he was urged to wait for the text amendments to be finalized.
Discussion Items
- Resubdivision R-25-28 (201 & 205 South Beach Street): Terry Luckett of the Syracuse Land Bank proposed merging three parcels to enhance tenant security and comply with zoning. No public speakers. The commission issued a negative declaration under SEQR and approved the resubdivision with a condition to file the map within 62 days.
- Zoning Map Amendment Z-2909 (520-22 Fabius Street): Also presented by Terry Luckett, the amendment would rezone a vacant lot from R2 to R3 to allow a homeowner to merge adjacent lots for additional yard space. No public speakers. SEQR negative declaration issued; motion to approve with a positive recommendation to the Common Council and a condition to file maps at the county clerk’s office.
- Major Site Plan Review MASPR-25-14 (1807 Erie Boulevard West): Troy Bullock of Iron Horn Enterprises represented the new owner (One Remington LLC) proposing a wholesale establishment with storage and light vehicle maintenance. Discussion focused on outstanding department comments (transportation, forestry, DPW). The commission approved with five conditions (permits within one year, work completed in 18 months, county planning commission review, sewer capacity assurance letter, and sanitary flow data submission).
- Time Extension for 710 Van Rensselaer Street (SR-23-02): Kate Johnson of Core Development requested a one-year extension for a senior affordable housing project awaiting 9% low-income housing tax credits. The commission approved the extension, affirming that all original conditions from 2023 remain in effect.
- Text Amendments (Z-2880) to Rezone the Zoning Ordinance:
- Staff (Jake and Mayera) explained the amendments are the second round of updates to the 2023 rezone, intended as clarifications and cleanup. They noted that legal notice (10 days in newspaper, 72-hour posting online) was met.
- Syracuse University’s representatives reiterated their procedural and substantive concerns, particularly about changes to PID section 2.15 (parking standards, development standards). They argued the amendments would eliminate the ability to rely on existing district plans and could affect four recently approved projects.
- City officials (Jake and Mayera) countered that the amendments do not affect approved projects, that the PID section is only four pages long, and that the university’s concerns were vague. They offered to meet with SU to resolve issues.
- After extended back-and-forth, a motion was made to approve the text amendments with a condition that staff and Syracuse University engage in good-faith negotiations to address concerns regarding section 2.15. If no agreement is reached, the matter will return to the Planning Commission on August 18, 2025.
- A separate, unrelated amendment to the fines and fees section (changing “housing trust fund” to “by law”) was also adopted.
- SEQR negative declaration was issued for the text amendments.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes approved (amended; one abstention).
- Resubdivision R-25-28 approved (voice vote, all ayes).
- Zoning map amendment Z-2909 approved (voice vote, all ayes).
- Major site plan review MASPR-25-14 approved (with five conditions; voice vote, all ayes).
- Time extension for 710 Van Rensselaer Street approved (voice vote, all ayes; original conditions remain).
- Text amendments Z-2880 approved (with condition for good-faith negotiations with Syracuse University on PID section 2.15; if no resolution, matter returns on August 18, 2025).
- Meeting adjourned until August 18, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
This evening's meeting of the Syracuse Planning Commission. We have a number of public hearings that we will attend to momentarily. First, we will uh take action on the minutes of our July 7th meeting earlier this month. Those minutes have been distributed in advance of this meeting to the commission members. And I will ask now if there is a motion for action on those minutes. Move approval of the minutes of July 7th, 2025. Uh the like to uh make to the motion. Uh under uh the first item that reads uh Jeremy Thurston, the owner included uh introduced the project and explained that the business is about ten thousand square foot and would include restaurant, it says and bowling lanes. That statement should also actually say restaurant, uh, a full service bar, eight five iron golf simulation statements, a pudding green and bowling lanes. Thank you for that addition. Are you having that? Yeah. Discussion on this motion before us. So I second them in. So we have a motion, it's been amended and seconded and amended. Discussion on this motion now before is for the July seventh minutes. If there's no discussion, then all in favor of the motion, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed, please say nay. I abstained because I wasn't understood. So noted for the minutes. Uh portion of our meeting. Just by way of background for anyone unfamiliar with our process. Following questions from the commission members, uh, we will invite members of the public who wish to speak in favor of the application to do so. Not necessarily the applicant presenting the overview of the project to keep their comments to three minutes. Um that you can remain in the cool council chambers, but we won't be discussing the couple of items. Could you uh tell us Jake which ones they are? The first two new business items on the agenda uh will not be heard tonight. They'll be postponed. So we do apologize for anyone here uh for those two items. First up is a major site plan review uh for 455 Lafayette Road, postponed at the request by the applicant. Uh the developer here um had a conflict and um could not make it, and uh both the developer and the city felt it was uh uh important for the owner to be here for that project. So we expect that to be back before us at a later uh date pretty soon. Uh similarly, another major site plan review uh at 311 uh Gennant Drive was also postponed. Um we're still working with the applicant to get some additional information, and we'll get that back on a future schedule as well. So with that, that leads us to our first item tonight. It's a resubdivision, R-25-28 at 2012 and 205 South Beach Street. Owner is the uh Syries Land Bank applicant. Um this is in the MX2 zone district. Good evening. I'm Terry Luckett from the Syracuse Land Bank at 1941 South Salina Street. Uh 201 South Beach Street is a vacant lot located at the corner of um South Beach Street and East Washington Street. It measures only only 37 feet times 109 feet, so um, it's not really suitable for development. Um, it doesn't meet the size requirements for zoning. Uh properties located in MX3. The adjacent property owner, Leo's R.E. Rental owns the five-unit apartment building at 203 South Beach Street, and um the accessory parking lot at 205 South Beach Street. So she intends to merge all three of those parcels together. Um her goal is to enhance tenant security. She's had a lot of break-ins to cars for her tenants there.
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