Grains of Salt (v53): Community Gridlock (Pt. 3)

Part 1 of this Grains of Salt series provided some history on the I-81 project and discussed Justice Gerard Neri's decision to prevent work on the viaduct but allow work on turning I-481 into I-81. 

Part 2  looked at the Micron project implications, even though that project didn't exist until long after planning for the viaduct removal had been done.

Today, some final thoughts.

Economic development considerations.

• What if the Destiny USA developers suddenly make a few billion on crypto and decide to build the whole Erie Canal/golf course/theme park thing? Would Neri or another judge require a new "anticipated population and traffic growth" study? 

• What about the new $85M aquarium project, and its promised half a million visitors? Should we postpone replacing the viaduct until we get a separate traffic study for that? 

• And if a currently unforeseen major project when the Micron projections are underway, would that trigger a complete stop and restart? Or, can the new project be a supplement to the supplemental EIS? And who owns that decision?

Legal questions. 

• What, if anything, will prevent some other aggrieved party from filing the next delaying lawsuit? 

• Are we soon going to see ads for this project based on the "abused by a priest?" or "did you drink the water at Camp Lejeune?" approach? I can see them now: 

Do you like speeding through the city of Syracuse on the I-81 viaduct?  Are you against having to get up earlier to get to work? Hate having to drive through Dewitt? Are you a fan of a giant viaduct soaring high above the city's streets?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you might be an Aggrieved Party eligible to file a lawsuit to prevent the I-81 viaduct removal project from going forward! Call now!

It won't cost you a thing if we don't win!

• Let's say someone, with the benefit of 15 years of study and tens of thousands of public comments, determines that a tunnel would now be scientifically and economically feasible. Is that a valid reason for a new lawsuit and review?

• After review of the supplemental EIS, let's say Neri or someone else decides we need the Harriet Tubman skybridge viaduct. Will there then be a whole series of discussions on the best design for the skybridge? And if someone doesn't like the answer, can they sue to have the decision reconsidered?

• Who gets to decide who it gets named after? I mean, sure, Harriet Tubman is an icon, but what about Donald 'Nobody in the History of this Country Has Ever Known More about Infrastructure Than Me' Trump? He's an icon, too - can I sue to have it named after him, or maybe after Barack Obama? What's more iconic than being the first - and likely only - Black president in our country's history?

Helpful studies.

• Can we demand northern business corridor merchants commission a study to determine what would happen if they spent money advertising their businesses, instead of relying on free newspaper coverage and endless lawsuits? Where is the comprehensive marketing study on how exit ramp signage, billboards, TV/radio, print, and online ads could be used to help drive customers to these businesses, whether they use the grid and the original I-81 footprint north of the grid, new I-81, or a combo of I-81, I-690, and BR-81? 

• Can we demand those businesses provide detailed sales and occupancy data, including where the customers came from and the route they traveled, and have that independently audited? Let's be sure to look at pre- and post-pandemic data so we know whether they're really going to be impacted by the community grid. This should be required ahead of the NYSDOT doing a supplemental EIS.

• Similarly, can we demand comprehensive impact data from the eastern and southwestern suburbs?  Not just barstool stuff and fear-mongering, but actual data on the specific impacts? This, too, should be required ahead of any NYSDOT supplemental EIS.

If you're asking why anyone should be able to force private companies and suburban communities to provide this kind of data, here's a better question: why can private companies and suburban communities repeatedly force the state to spend our tax dollars jumping through their endless hoops? 

At what point does this end?

From what we've seen, it ends when there's a decision to stop the community grid, unnecessarily tear down dozens of buildings, and erect a massive viaduct that towers over the city. 

It ends when proposed development and investment in Syracuse - technology, housing, business, education, health, and more - are ground to a halt.

It ends only with a decision that defies the wishes of most residents who'd have to live with the monstrosity and those in the greater Syracuse area who cared enough to comment before the community grid decision was made.

It ends when the naysayers win.

One last thing about winning.

In 2018, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh gave his first State of the City address. Here's part of what he said about how we could all win with the I-81 project.

Instead of pitting our communities against each other, what if we stood together, unified, with a plan that creates wins for all of our communities? I believe the decision before us can and should be a source of deeper collaboration and a way to reconnect the economic interests of our City and our suburbs. 

Wouldn't it be great if that had actually happened? 

Grains of Salt (v53): Community Gridlock (Pt. 1)

Interstate 81 runs through the middle of downtown Syracuse on an elevated viaduct.  In 2017, the elevated portion of the highway reached the end of its useful life.

Before and after the viaduct's 'death date, ' multiple solutions have been considered, including fixing the highway until it falls down; putting up a wider viaduct that meets current safety standards; digging one or more tunnels; installing a below-grade highway; creating a street-level grid; some combination of those options; or something else we've not yet considered. 

Perhaps a blessing of unicorns should be an option?

Over the years, we've 'considered' this to death. My last post on the project was nearly four years ago when the state issued its final recommendation; here's an excerpt.

After months and months of fits and starts, including a call for a do-over from our Sonofa Gov Andrew Cuomo to consider a tunnel option, we now have the recommendation from the state, and they believe a community grid is the best option for the Central New York area. 

Since that recommendation was made, there's been no shortage of arguing and complaining, some of which has spilled over into the courts. The current suit was brought by a group called You Can Tear the Viaduct Out from Under My Cold Dead Car, You Sons of Bitches!  The group (its name is shortened to Renew 81 for All in court papers), is led by former Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler, County Legislator Charles Garland, and folks from the east, west, and north suburbs.  

The plaintiffs want a giant skybridge, much wider and higher than the current viaduct. This solution would preserve the northern business corridor - a partially-empty mall that gets much of its tourist traffic from Canada, and several hotels even further north of the viaduct than the mall.  Notably, the mall and the hotels would still be reachable using the same road we call I-81 today, which will be rebranded as Business Route 81.

The skybridge would also preserve life as it's known in the eastern and western suburbs, where I-81 isn't; provide an opportunity to name the bridge after a historical figure (Harriet Tubman is the current choice); and require tearing down some 40-odd buildings in Syracuse forcing businesses, social service organizations, and more to relocate, or close. 

The @SyracuseHistory Instagram account featured the buildings that would be sacrificed in Tubman's name. 

Last November, state Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri halted all work on the project; in December, he allowed paperwork - but not physical work - to proceed pending a January hearing. This week, we got his ruling. According to reporting from Syracuse.com, 

Neri agreed with Renew 81 that the environmental review of the project was incomplete. Among other details, the (justice) said DOT must account for traffic that will come from Micron Technology’s planned chip fab in Clay, which is expected to bring a surge of population growth to the area. He also ordered the state to study the potential for new air pollution along the suburban route of Interstate 481 if the viaduct is removed and traffic diverts to 481.

His decision allows work on I-481 (adding lanes, updating on- and off-ramps, etc.), which makes up the early phases of the project, to continue. But before the viaduct can come down in a few years, WAER reported, Neri wants a supplemental EIS that includes future traffic projections to reflect Micron’s "anticipated population and traffic growth," air quality monitoring on I-481, and a final plan for stormwater runoff submitted before the viaduct is removed.  

In Part 2, I'll look at the possible impacts of Neri's decision. 

The Update Desk: Hire Ground

Late last month, I wrote about a new program here in Syracuse called Hire Ground. Here's some information on the program from the original post:

Syracuse and Onondaga County are collaborating on a program that will help reduce panhandling and help establish an income stream for some of the city's homeless population.

In a few short months, we've moved away from plans to address 'aggressive' panhandlers via a local law, and instead will be looking to give people a leg up towards improving their situation.

The new program will be coordinated by John and Leigh-Ann Tumino founders of In My Father's Kitchen (IMFK), a local non-profit focusing on helping the homeless. Again, from February's post:

The program will have a van with a driver and a caseworker to assist the laborers, who will work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays along side the driver and caseworker - so it's not just a pick-up drop-off program. For each workday, the people will receive a $50 stipend.

So what's new?  Well, the Hire Ground program has some new partners - we learned today that some of merchants as Destiny USA will be helping support the program.

The Eddie Bauer and Carhartt stores are going to provide clothing and shoes for the workers, and Panera has offered to provide one meal a month for a year for participants.

IMFK's Tumino hopes this will be a "catalyst" and inspire other businesses to provide support to the program as well. Maybe someday the program, which got some initial support from the owners of Ziebart and Driver's Village, could become self-sufficient and not need to rely on taxpayer dollars.

The program is slated to get under way on May 1st.

Grains of Salt (v30): SOTC, Part 2

The other day, I took a look at new Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh's State of the City address.

In my first post on the SOTC, I focused on Walsh's plans to leverage collaboration, the careful planning of his Transition Team, performance metrics and accountability, and the work of the I-team to help us innovate our way out of our financial difficulties and into a more successful fiscal position.

Let's pick it up again, starting with the I-81 project.

We will also make 2018 an important year for progress on the I-81 Viaduct project. Syracuse and all of Central New York must seize the opportunity now to drive inclusive growth in the city and the region. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our community. And thus far, we have failed to grab it. We can't afford to wait any longer. 

The facts are out there, Walsh tells us, and he's right. There's a ton of data on the NY DOT website, including the options still under consideration and those dismissed. We've been at this for years now, and we have to move forward at some point. Walsh supports the community grid plan, not a huger viaduct, and not Syracuse's version of The Big Dig. Why?

...commutes will actually be made easier by a street system that stops funneling our entire inbound and outbound daily migration to a major choke point - Harrison and Adams Streets.

...I have had elected officials from outside the City tell me that they understand exactly why I support the community grid, even while they advocate for a different solution. And, to be fair, I understand their position as well.

He's heard and understands concerns in Dewitt about increased traffic, noise and pollution with I-481 being made the new I-81. He's heard and understands concerns from north of the city, in Salina, about loss of tax revenue from hotels and other businesses that have grown up around the current path of the interstate. West suburbs worry about increased truck traffic, as people get off the highway earlier and take back roads to get to points west, disrupting or even destroying the small-village look and feel. And he's heard from our friends at Destiny USA about losing traffic and visibility if the I-81 name is moved to a different location, even if the physical highway will still remain.

And, he's got answers, Walsh does. The concerns are legitimate but solvable; he understands that threats to economic viability should be taken seriously; he gets that main streets are a cornerstone of both commerce and quality of life. Most importantly he's open to collaborative problem-solving.

We should not feel the need to argue over how the current pie is carved up. This city is prepared to work together to make a bigger pie for all. Together we can do transformative things for our city while simultaneously investing in and strengthening the economies of our suburban communities and improving our region's overall quality of life. 

As a community, we have already begun to rise, but handled properly, the I-81 project can be rocket fuel to our ascent. New revenue for our city... Inclusive job growth... A healthier economy and better neighborhoods... All are there. The I-81 opportunity is a clarion call for action and in 2018 the City is ready to answer. 

Specifically on the tunnel, a project which has received significant backing from local State Senator John DeFrancisco, who just announced his candidacy for Governor, Walsh pulls no punches.

Instead of contemplating spending several billion dollars more than is necessary on a tunnel to serve only 30,000 cars per day, what if we invested even a fraction of those dollars and the full power of our collective energy and creativity in undertaking meaningful economic development initiatives in areas outside of the city?

And there was this comment, which was directly related to the I-81 project, but really extends beyond that into Walsh's overarching approach to governing.

Instead of pitting our communities against each other, what if we stood together, unified, with a plan that creates wins for all of our communities? I believe the decision before us can and should be a source of deeper collaboration and a way to reconnect the economic interests of our City and our suburbs. 

He's got a lot of things in mind to help capitalize on the opportunities presented by the I-81 project, including assisting women and minority businesses in obtaining the necessary certification to allow them to grow now through participation on government projects, allowing them to be prepared to work on the community grid (or whatever solution we end up with).

He's partnering with folks from San Francisco in establishing the Syracuse Build program, modeled after City Build, the construction workforce training program they implemented. Other partners include the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency (Walsh was the Executive Director of SIDA under Mayor Stephanie Miner's administration), trade unions, community organizations, and the state departments of Labor and Transportation to move this innovative program forward.  And, he sees it extending beyond just construction training into other potential growth areas.

Walsh is also looking ahead to building new neighborhoods in the areas freed up by the anticipated removal of the viaduct. There's a massive review of the city's zoning ordinances, which started in 2015 when Walsh was still working for City Hall, and he's committed to getting it done this year. As he noted, the last time it happened, his grandfather was our mayor. And the Syracuse Housing Agency, with many properties in the impacted area, is also going to be ready, by engaging the community now to plan what to do then.

What seems clear from this section of the SOTC? Sitting around waiting for something to happen is not the way our new mayor plans on working, and it's not the way he sees us being successful.

I'll close with one more quote from his remarks.

In case you haven't noticed, I reject the idea that people of good will and open mind cannot find common ground.

Wondering, on Wednesday (v3)

For all sorts of reasons which I won't go into, of the most memorable comments in my yearbook way back in the day was one from a close friend that began "I'm starving and thinking of food..."  That's sort of where I am tonight, wondering on Wednesday:

Where will Syracuse's creative Chef Kevin Gentile end up, since he's closed his west-side restaurant?

Will you continue eating at Burger King now that their deal to acquire Tim Horton's (and become a Canadian citizen) is a reality?

Bacon yogurt: discuss.

Say you're a Democrat, and your favorite fast food joint just decided to pay everyone $10/hour, and their  low-cost menu items tripled in price as a result; would you still eat there?  What if you're a Republican?

Are the people eating at Toby Keith's, the Cheesecake Factory or the other chain restaurants at Destiny USA really the same people who aren't eating at local restaurants?

Anyone remember why eating a sausage sandwich at the NY State Fair became a political right of passage? And why didn't anyone tell Zephyr Teachout? Heard she had the ribs instead...

And speaking of the Fair: blooming onion, or deep-fried mashed potatoes on a stick?