The Syracuse Planning Commission put the special-use permit and resubdivision applications for a proposed ACAT smart-greenhouse manufacturing facility on East Genesee Street on hold after extended public comment raised traffic, noise, retaining-wall and land-use concerns.

Ashok Bose, CEO of Sustainable Energy and Agriculture Technology (doing business as ACAT), described a 50-by-50-foot, two-story modular greenhouse manufacturing unit to be assembled on-site and shipped to customers. He said manufacturing would be insulated, loading would be timed to avoid school pick-up and drop-off periods and that NYSERDA had provided early technical support.

Support came from the Greater Syracuse Land Bank (Caitlin Wright), which said the sale of three long-vacant parcels to ACAT fulfilled the land banks mission to return property to productive use. Several nearby residents, however, spoke in opposition at length about proximity to Nottingham High School and Gewonio pre-K, the effect on Meadowbrook Drive apartments, the location in a primarily residential corridor and potential for increased truck deliveries. Brookside Realty, owner of an adjacent apartment complex, submitted a formal opposition citing noise and truck concerns.

Commissioners declined to act on the applications at the meeting. The chair and commissioners urged the applicant to meet with neighbors and staff to address retaining-wall placement, tree/foliage impacts, loading/unloading hours, truck routing and other site details. The commission indicated it would re-advertise the matter for a future meeting and send neighborhood notification cards again. One commissioner suggested the application might not return on the next agenda but could appear within subsequent meetings depending on the applicant's outreach and responses to staff.

The commission did not reach a formal approval or denial; instead it paused action to give the applicant time to resolve neighborhood concerns and confirm completeness with staff. The commission explicitly encouraged targeted outreach to the Meadowbrook-area residents and to verify whether the retaining wall and foliage could be preserved in designs.