Council pauses vote on Rescue Mission land sale pending MOU review

Syracuse City Council members discussed legislation to authorize the sale of two city-owned lots on Seymour and West Onondaga to the Rescue Mission but agreed the city will not finalize the purchase-and-sale agreement until a memorandum of understanding is completed and circulated to the council.

Councilor Hogan raised questions about sequencing and asked to see the MOU before the council votes. The City Clerk said she will not "put pen to paper on a PSA until that MOU has been executed and obviously shared with everybody at the table here." Eric Ennis, Neighborhood and Business Development, told councilors the administration and the Rescue Mission are still working through final language and that staff will circulate the draft MOU to councilors as it is finalized.

Why it matters: the legislation would authorize a conveyance of public property and precedes a contractual purchase-and-sale agreement. Council members asked for clarity on the MOU's terms, enforcement arrangements and project build-out before the sale is executed.

Councilors and staff described the project as a mixed-use redevelopment of the Seymour/West Onondaga corner. Ennis said the planned build-out includes retail tenant spaces and office space and that city staff had opportunities to shape project design during review. Staff described on-site parking on the Seymour side, additional parking on Granger and potential on-street parking after planned streetscape improvements. Ennis said the Rescue Mission and the administration have been coordinating with Syracuse Police on enforcement issues around the site.

Councilors asked whether the property or project would be taxable; Ennis said, "Based on everything I've understood so far, taxable." Council members repeatedly requested a copy of the draft MOU; staff committed to distributing the draft to all councilors and said they expected to have a version before 1:00 p.m. the following day for review.

The discussion did not include a formal vote on the legislation authorizing sale. The City Clerk and administration stated the PSA would not be signed until the MOU is executed and shared with the council, and that final contractual terms would be subject to the council's future review when the ordinance or legislation to convey the property comes before the body.

The council also discussed practical site details, including where patrons and staff would park, and the goal of improving the long-neglected corner as part of a broader streetscape effort.

Looking ahead: councilors said they wanted the MOU circulated in full before any final vote on the sale; staff said they will circulate the draft and return the legislation for formal consideration after the MOU is complete.