Council reviews $10M ESD application for East Adams infrastructure, HUD lead-remediation application and tax-delinquent lot sales to support infill

Housing and neighborhood planning staff briefed the Common Council on several housing initiatives: an application to New York State ESD’s Pro Housing Supply Fund for infrastructure at East Adams, a HUD lead-hazard remediation application, annual operating support for the Land Bank, and a package of sales of long-term tax-delinquent vacant lots aimed at supporting infill development.

Kimon Jordan, Director of Housing and Neighborhood Planning, said Item 70 requests authorization to apply for $10,000,000 from ESD’s Pro Housing Supply Fund to support water, sewer and electrical upgrades for the East Adams redevelopment. Jordan said the ESD program requires a 50% local match and that the city is seeking to leverage Community Neighborhood Investment (CNI) funds for the match; if CNI funds cannot be used, the council will be asked later for bond authorization to provide the $5,000,000 local share.

Michelle Sapanski, Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood Development, described Item 71: a HUD lead-hazard remediation grant application for up to $4,100,000 to remediate lead hazards in an estimated minimum of 115 housing units. She said the application includes a 10% local match that the city expects to cover with existing allocations, in-kind staffing and distressed-property funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. “There is a 10% local match, which we will cover through existing allocated sources, in kind staffing that is already covered through the city budget as well as, distressed property funding that we have allocated through CDBG,” Sapanski said.

Item 72 is an annual operating agreement with the Greater Syracuse Property Development Corporation (the Land Bank) not to exceed $750,000 to continue its work; staff said the scope and funding are the same as last year. Jordan and staff also presented items to convey or clarify ownership of certain city parcels and requested retention of outside title-search counsel Salt City to resolve chain-of-title issues for several Eastwood parcels.

Councilors asked clarifying questions about matching funds, timing and reuse of funds. Jordan confirmed that the ESD match could be met with CNI funds if allowable and that the administration would return to council for bond authorization if necessary. On the vacant-lot sales (items 80–105), staff said these are long-term tax-delinquent vacant parcels and that many are intended for land-bank acquisition or site assembly for future infill housing. The Land Bank’s recent inventory and planned demolitions were discussed as part of an overall strategy to support redevelopment in corridors such as Brighton and Cannon.

Why it matters: If successful, the ESD application would provide critical infrastructure funds to unlock housing redevelopment at East Adams; the HUD lead-remediation grant would support remediation of lead hazards in dozens of units; and the land-bank and lot-sales work are intended to enable site assembly for infill housing.

What’s next: Staff will file the ESD and HUD applications and will return to the council for any required bond authorization if CNI funds cannot be used for the local match. The transcript does not record final votes on the applications during this session.