The Stand
Salina Crossing project to offer residental and business space
The Southside Community Coalition and the South Side Communication Center, housed at 2331 S. Salina St., will soon have new neighbors.
Heather Schroeder, a development project manager for Housing Visions Unlimited, was all smiles on May 1 when she said that this real estate nonprofit is scheduled to start construction of a residential-commercial combo building at 2223 S. Salina St., just one block due north of the coalition and the center’s locations.
This new building will include 1,200 square feet of space for businesses on the ground level and four one-bedroom apartments on the second floor. Further down the street, at 1916 S. Salina St., Housing Visions will construct a multi-family building with two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units.
In order to complete the Housing Visions trifecta on the South Side, 129-135-137 McLennan Ave., will see the construction of a total of six apartments, two of which will be accessible according to specifications laid down by the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. Applicants diagnosed with traumatic brain injury will get priority in the leasing of the ADA-accessible units, which will be also available at the 2223 S. Salina St. building.
These three South Side endeavors, which total 14 bedrooms plus a resident community room and a computer lab, are part of a larger project called Salina Crossing. According to a Housing Visions brochure, Salina Crossing is “a scattered-site, mixed-use, urban infill development” not only on the South Side but also on the North Side, and it entails the conversion of vacant lots in densely build-up urban sections.
The groundbreaking ceremony for Salina Crossing took place on May 1 at 900 N. McBride St. with Sens. John DeFrancisco and Dave Valesky as well as Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli in attendance representing the State of New York involvement in the project through several sources: the Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the Housing Trust Fund Corporation, the Home Investment Partnerships Program, the Urban Community Investment Fund, and the Energy Research and Development Authority.
At the event, the chief executive of HCR, Darryl Towns, told the audience, “Mixed-use developments such as Salina Crossing re-energize neighborhoods, and enrich quality of life – benefits that will last for years to come.”
The financial contributors to the $14.9 project, besides the state, are the City of Syracuse Home fund, Home HeadQuarters, National Equity Fund and KeyBank.
The monthly rent range (not including utilities) for the Salina Crossing bedrooms goes from $262 up to $785, depending on the number of beds and the site of the building.
Schoeder, the Housing Visions manager, said that construction on the South Side will begin later this month. “I’m proud of having helped plan this development,” she added, “In this sense, it’s my baby.”
— Article by Miguel Balbuena, The Stand community correspondent
