Syracuse Experiencing Rebirth

Young Professionals and Suburbanites Move Back Downtown

Melissa J. Hipolit NCC News Syracuse Reporting

March 24, 2008

(Syracuse) Downtown Syracuse is but a whisper of what it was fifty years ago. Real Estate broker Ann Clifford remembers a time when everybody went downtown for everything. “When I was a child, you would walk down Salina Street and there would be four groups of people walking this way, and four this way…I mean, it was crowded,” said Clifford. But it might surprise some folks to find out things ARE picking up.

Young Professionals

Among the city’s five hottest neighborhoods, Armory Square and Little Italy are seeing some of the most growth, especially among young professionals. “There’s a lot of single professional people that live downtown,” said Clifford.
Jay Dietershagen just purchased a condo in Centre Armory for 220 thousand dollars. The 28-year-old works as a bartender in Armory Square. He moved downtown after living in the suburbs, and he likes the convenience. “I walk to work, I walk to lunch, I walk home, I take a nap, I take a shower…you know, I don’t need to leave downtown,” said Dietershagen.

Downtown Living

Clifford estimates the average monthly tax and mortgage payment on a condo downtown is 1250 dollars. She says rents for nicer apartments range from 1000 to 2200 hundred dollars. “When people buy downtown, they pay more per square foot than if you buy in the suburbs, but you buy a lifestyle…they don’t have to drive everywhere…they can go out to dinner, they can go out to music,” said Clifford. Dietershagen bought into that lifestyle when he moved downtown. “I like to have a drink after work…or two, or three…all the good restaurants are within walking distance for me,” said Dietershagen.

Other Residents

Many of the new living spaces downtown are in rehabbed historic buildings, and young people aren’t the only ones buying in. Rick Albright’s permanent home is in Canandaigua, but his business is in Syracuse. He used to own a second home in the city, but now owns a condo in the Loew’s building on W. Jefferson Street. “I put a lot of hours in at work, so the fact that I don’t have to come home and deal with cutting the lawn, or takin’ out the trash…or the usual things that go with owning a home,” said Albright. His twenty-five year-old son also lives downtown in Centre Armory. “I spent a lot of time down here with him and enjoyed it myself…so I decided to move here also,” said Albright.

Jefferson Clinton Commons

The two will soon be moving just around the block to the new Jefferson Clinton Commons. Albright and his son each bought a condo in the soon to be constructed building. Condos there are selling for up to 450,000 dollars.

Drawbacks to Living Downtown

There are some drawbacks to living downtown. Groceries are hard to come by, like those found at the C-L Evers gourmet market in the Amos building. The store carries the basics, but it’s pricey. “That’s probably the biggest drawback…there is no grocery shopping that’s walk to or easy to to get to…you have to go out in the suburbs pretty much to do your grocery shoppin’,” said Albright. For a store like Wegmans or P and C to open downtown, experts say the number of residents living there will have to nearly double. Another problem is the lack of parking downtown. Many of the new apartments don’t provide parking spaces for residents. Dietershagen would like more entertainment options. “If we had a movie theater down here…and, like a concert venue…a better live music venue,” said Dietershagen.

Little Italy

In spite of these obstacles, some experts say the Little Italy neighborhood could be the next Armory Square, especially since the city made streetscape improvements. Developer Cosimo Zavaglia says it was the right time for him to invest in a property there. “I was willing to take the chance. I think it’s gonna be up from now—more people invest money to improve the property,” said Zavaglia. He was one of the first developers to remodel a building downtown into upscale apartments. His new rehab project, 466 N. Salina Street, involves converting a 75-year old one-time bowling alley into upscale apartments. “Nobody can afford to build a place like this—12 foot ceilings—you know…would be so costly,” said Zavaglia. Zavaglia is also proud of his hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops as being nice. The condition of the neighborhood is another matter. The view from a bedroom in one of his apartments is of a dilapidated building and yard overrun with weeds. “Salina is really rough still,” said Clifford.

Rebirth

But for someone like Clifford, who has been working for over 10 years to revitalize her city, it’s projects like these that give her hope. “It’s wonderful to see it come alive again…some lights on at night, and so on—it’s great,” said Clifford. She knows the city will never be what it was in her youth, but the new residences show promise that it will one day regain some of the old hustle and bustle.