The Syracuse City Council voted 4-1 to adopt proposed ordinance 25-36, an amendment to Syracuse Municipal Code section 6.10 relating to property maintenance regulations for commercial and vacant lots.

Council members debated enforcement language and several substantive edits before the vote. Major changes the council endorsed in the final motion included replacing the prior "same or equal" plant-replacement language with a more flexible requirement to replace dead vegetation with "similar" plants, allowing a property-owner up to a 25% reduction in required vegetation compared with the original site plan in limited circumstances, clarifying that trees may have narrower relocation options, and adding specificity for what constitutes a "substantial change" to a site plan (alterations to percentage of lot landscaping, number or size of parking spaces, or building additions/reductions) while excluding purely aesthetic changes (paint, awnings) from that threshold.

Council members discussed enforcement practicality and timelines. One council member recommended that large, costly repairs (for example, major paving or structural elements) warrant a different timeline or approval path; others advocated an ability for the code enforcement officer and property owner to agree to a reasonable schedule for corrections. The council accepted language that maintains enforcement authority while directing staff to draft clear timelines and appeal options; the final motion struck one proposed phrasing that would have required a property owner be explicitly added to the timeline clause.

The ordinance also added a requirement that worn-out site-plan elements such as wood or rock mulch not expose weed barrier or bare dirt and clarified that the city will require property owners to maintain site-plan elements to prevent visible deterioration.

Motion and vote: A motion to approve ordinance 25-36 with the changes discussed was made and seconded; the ordinance passed 4-1.

What passed: The city code amendment as revised at the meeting; staff will prepare a written copy of the final ordinance language for the record and implement enforcement procedures. The council directed department staff to prepare the exact wording reflecting the discussed edits and timeline language for inclusion in the ordinance record.