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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Syracuse Land Bank Board Meeting - December 1, 2025

Public Meetings — Monday, December 1, 2025

BodySyracuse, New York

SessionPublic Meetings

DateMonday, December 1, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 59:00

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:04

I'll let you know like the all the holds and then I'll consider going to go up for December 8th because we're just going to meet and go over all those further.

0:11

Because I think there's tech holts today.

0:12

So would it be helpful if I joined you for those meetings?

0:17

Because the council's asking what's the land bank going to do with them.

0:21

Maybe in some cases we'll talk outside of it, although that was the question.

0:26

Okay.

0:27

We do kind of go over them, like what like what you have and what what kind of spaces can be made from them.

0:34

But then also I don't know how full it is to get into this positions.

0:38

I don't think that that's the best thing.

0:40

Oh yes.

0:41

We can we can change them.

0:43

Okay.

0:44

I thought that might be what they were concerned about.

0:46

No, we didn't remember.

0:50

Okay.

0:51

No, I know.

0:53

I was I was worried about that.

0:55

Yeah.

0:55

Sorry about that for sure.

0:57

We'll have enough wool makes really hard to do some houses.

1:01

So it's important.

1:02

I'm about to go through the mail on this one.

1:04

But I'll be rubbing so bad.

1:08

Any role from problems.

1:10

We just don't have a whole ton of spots where we have that much, but on pitch, it's like almost the whole block.

1:16

Messy magnolia.

1:18

Yeah.

1:18

I know you need some parking spaces, but I think that corner of Mongolia where it goes up in announcement street.

1:23

There is that elevated portion of Nelson I can be parking as well.

1:26

But we've got to figure out how to deal with that question of the parking because I still think that every home buyer in Syracuse expects a parking space.

1:34

And I don't want just like a bunch of garages sticking out like snouts.

1:38

So but if it's like an elevated parking space in the rear, the row homes like if they face forward towards Magnolia, and then that elevated space on the back.

1:50

Yeah.

1:50

They work over that parked right.

1:52

We will probably well there.

1:54

Stephanie's done those like 10 people.

1:57

Stephanie Festwell's got some ideas for um that stretch we have on State Street, cutting an alley in the back to get to the parking that way.

2:08

It's gotta be a solution to this.

2:11

Yeah.

2:13

Okay.

2:13

You ready?

2:14

Sorry.

2:14

Yeah, no, no problem.

2:15

Uh probably won't wait.

2:16

So she can't tell.

2:17

Okay, great.

2:18

I'm gonna go ahead and call the meeting to order.

2:19

I will note that all board members are present uh with the exception of uh Karen Schroeder, Rob Simpson, Counselor Caldwell, and Councillor Jones Rouser.

2:27

I think we expect at least Councilor Jones Rousser to join us shortly.

2:31

Uh so with that, I will note that the proof of notice is included on the first page of the packet or right on the back side of the agenda if your packets double sided.

2:40

And we'll move to the minutes uh from our November 13th meeting, and I will entertain a motion to accept the minutes.

2:50

Oh any discussion.

2:53

All in favor, aye.

2:55

Opposed, carried.

2:57

All right, so we have uh only other business, no uh voting items.

3:01

So we'll just work our way through them and I'll turn it over to Michelle.

3:06

Um as far as some updated uh block challenge program activity data, we are still continuing to kind of chug along.

3:14

So I made a couple changes to how we have this broken out just to better reflect kind of what has been received versus approved versus dispersed now that we're at the point where we have enough of those.

3:24

Um as far as uh total applications at this point, we are one shy of 200.

3:31

Uh we have technically cleared applications, but we have had four people that have ultimately ended up withdrawing um their applications for uh various reasons.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████72%

Parks and Recreation████6%

Community Engagement████6%

Property Disposition███5%

Procedural███4%

Budget Equity Analysis███4%

Public Engagement██3%

Summary of Proceedings

Syracuse Land Bank Board Meeting - December 1, 2025

The board met to discuss updates on the Block Challenge program, housing strategy geography and pacing, and draft terms for a rental rehabilitation program. The meeting began with approval of minutes from the November 13, 2025 meeting.

Consent Calendar

Unanimous approval of the minutes from the November 13, 2025 meeting.

Discussion Items

Block Challenge Program Update: Staff reported that applications are nearing 200, with total anticipated project investment approaching $1 million. The program is currently about $30,000 over the total budgeted amount, but staff noted a cushion between approved amounts and actual disbursements. Approximately 26 projects have been completed or are ready for disbursement, with several large roof projects skewing the average. Staff encouraged applicants to submit quotes early for planning purposes. The board discussed the possibility of adjusting the 2026 budget to accommodate the program's growth.
Before and After Photos: Staff presented a slideshow of completed projects, including paint jobs, landscaping, driveway resealing, roof replacements, and sidewalk repairs. The photos highlighted the program's impact on property conditions. Discussion included the use of yard signs for marketing and potential social media content for the SYR Neighborhoods brand.
Housing Strategy Geography and Pacing: Staff presented maps showing property condition scores, vacant structures, tax delinquent properties, code violations, land use, and resident participation. The maps indicated high participation in Tip Hill and Salt Springs, with some areas showing more readiness for faster implementation. Staff noted that a more detailed list of day-one program availability across all areas is still being developed. The board discussed the possibility of a middle-range exterior renovation program and the use of capital improvement funds for infrastructure projects in priority neighborhoods. There was also discussion about leveraging TNT (Neighborhoods of Transformation) meetings and supporting the emerging Salt Springs neighborhood association.
Rental Rehabilitation Program Draft Terms: Staff presented draft terms based on Invest DSM's model, with a 30% program cost share and 70% owner share. Affordability requirements include a maximum 2% annual rent increase and income qualification for tenants (80% AMI) tied to investment amounts (3, 5, or 7 years). Board members raised concerns about potential displacement, unintended consequences for sophisticated landlords, and the need to balance affordability with landlord viability. The suggestion was made to focus on code violations and to avoid reducing the number of units in a housing crisis. Staff will conduct focus groups with landlords to refine the terms.

Key Outcomes

The board will continue to accept Block Challenge applications and will consider the 2026 operating budget at the next meeting.
Staff will further analyze pacing and geography data, including potential adjustments to program boundaries, and present a more detailed plan.
The rental rehabilitation program will be socialized with local landlords through focus groups, with feedback to be incorporated before finalization.
The board expressed interest in prioritizing tax foreclosure and vacant property remediation in the target neighborhoods, and in supporting legislative fixes for the vacant property registry.

Meeting Transcript

I'll let you know like the all the holds and then I'll consider going to go up for December 8th because we're just going to meet and go over all those further. Because I think there's tech holts today. So would it be helpful if I joined you for those meetings? Because the council's asking what's the land bank going to do with them. Maybe in some cases we'll talk outside of it, although that was the question. Okay. We do kind of go over them, like what like what you have and what what kind of spaces can be made from them. But then also I don't know how full it is to get into this positions. I don't think that that's the best thing. Oh yes. We can we can change them. Okay. I thought that might be what they were concerned about. No, we didn't remember. Okay. No, I know. I was I was worried about that. Yeah. Sorry about that for sure. We'll have enough wool makes really hard to do some houses. So it's important. I'm about to go through the mail on this one. But I'll be rubbing so bad. Any role from problems. We just don't have a whole ton of spots where we have that much, but on pitch, it's like almost the whole block. Messy magnolia. Yeah. I know you need some parking spaces, but I think that corner of Mongolia where it goes up in announcement street. There is that elevated portion of Nelson I can be parking as well. But we've got to figure out how to deal with that question of the parking because I still think that every home buyer in Syracuse expects a parking space. And I don't want just like a bunch of garages sticking out like snouts. So but if it's like an elevated parking space in the rear, the row homes like if they face forward towards Magnolia, and then that elevated space on the back. Yeah. They work over that parked right. We will probably well there. Stephanie's done those like 10 people. Stephanie Festwell's got some ideas for um that stretch we have on State Street, cutting an alley in the back to get to the parking that way. It's gotta be a solution to this. Yeah. Okay. You ready? Sorry. Yeah, no, no problem. Uh probably won't wait. So she can't tell. Okay, great. I'm gonna go ahead and call the meeting to order. I will note that all board members are present uh with the exception of uh Karen Schroeder, Rob Simpson, Counselor Caldwell, and Councillor Jones Rouser. I think we expect at least Councilor Jones Rousser to join us shortly. Uh so with that, I will note that the proof of notice is included on the first page of the packet or right on the back side of the agenda if your packets double sided.

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