What do you want Syracuse to look like after I-81 comes down? City planners want to know

Still more views on I-81’s future

A view of downtown Syracuse looking south down Interstate 81 at the Interstate 690 interchange at Burnet Avenue and McBride Street. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com

The city of Syracuse is ready to ask residents how they want to redesign the neighborhoods after the state tears down the Interstate 81 overpass through downtown.

City planners have invited residents to attend community design sessions, nicknamed “charrettes,” next week at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, 416 E. Raynor Avenue.

At all-day open studio sessions, residents can describe their ideas to city planners, who will draw them. At the end of the week, the drawings will be presented at an open house.

The focus is on big ideas, said Joe Driscoll, a former city councilor who has become the I-81 project director for Mayor Ben Walsh.

“The viaduct is going to come down. The business loop is going to be created. But what are the other goals the city has?” Driscoll said.

It’s fair to say, people in Syracuse are a bit tired of talking about I-81, he said. But the next conversation will be different than talking to the state Department of Transportation about the highway.

Removing the overpass will bring traffic to street level, forever changing the way people drive through the heart of Syracuse. About 10 acres of vacant land will be freed up for development.

There will be a new exit off of Interstate 690 at Irving and South Crouse avenues, offering a new option to get to East Genesee Street, Syracuse University or the hospitals. There will be a new roundabout on Van Buren Street, which could open new possibilities for a more grand entrance for Dome visitors.

Alongside the highway project, there is already a plan to raze worn out public housing along East Adams Street and replace it with a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments and homes. It’s part of a $1 billion plan to redevelop the South Side of Syracuse.

The city has hired the consulting firm Dover, Kohl & Partners, a Florida urban development firm, to take them through the planning process. It’s a $550,000 study, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

The firm is expected to review economic development and housing strategies, sort out how to use new vacant land and figure out how to reintegrate streets. They will look at walking routes, bike paths and public transportation.

“The DOT is focused on the road itself, 81 itself and moving cars from point A to point B and the most efficient way to do that,” Driscoll said. “Dover, Kohl is looking at everything outside of those lines.”

The firm will send to Syracuse about 18 planners, designers and experts in areas ranging from transportation to housing. They will spend Monday walking door-to-door in neighborhoods along the project.

Residents are invited to participate in open design studio sessions during the following hours:

  • Tuesday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • There will be an open house from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

All events will be held at MLK School. Use the primary school entrance off of the parking lot on the east side of the building.

Read more:

What can Syracuse learn from Rochester about rebuilding a neighborhood split by a highway? 7 tips

$1 billion plan for Syracuse neighborhood near I-81 revealed: housing, high school stadium, other surprises

I-81: Upstate NY’s biggest highway project is about to start, but maybe not where you think

Syracuse Mayor Walsh to state: I-81 community grid should feel like city streets, not a highway

Syracuse embarks on $800 million plan to end public housing as we know it

A clear direction for the new I-81 in Syracuse: After 15 years of talk, we know where we’re going

Interstate 81: Read NY’s complete final plan for removing the elevated highway in Syracuse

Why Joe Driscoll, a musician turned politician, thinks he’s the right guy to be I-81 point person

Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186.

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