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Board of Zoning Appeals grants time extension for Gustaf Stickley House renovation to March 2027
Summary
The Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals approved a time extension for the Syracuse Land Bank to complete renovations at the Gustaf Stickley House, citing fundraising delays and recent procurement steps toward construction.
The Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals on March 20 approved a request from the Syracuse Land Bank to extend the approved use variance timeline for the Gustaf Stickley House to March 2027.
The extension will allow the Land Bank and the Gustaf Stickley House Foundation additional time to complete fundraising and begin construction on the landmark property, located at 4308 Columbus Ave and also referenced as 4 South Salinas Street in filings.
Terry Luckett, representing the Syracuse Land Bank, told the board the Stickley house "is a specimen of the arts and crafts style. It's a local landmark, and it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places." He reviewed the property's approvals history: an initial use variance in 2017 for four guest rooms, a museum and two apartments, a 2020 time extension, and a 2021 modification to allow a museum, five guest rooms, one apartment and a small rear addition. The use variance was previously extended in 2025, Luckett said.
Luke Avery Doherty, representing the Syracuse Land Bank and a member of the Gustaf Stickley House Foundation board, said fundraising has been difficult and that the project team has recently issued a request for proposals for the full project. "We expect bids to be due by early May," Doherty said. He said construction start in May might be "a little aggressive," but that the team expects to begin work this summer on the rear addition and first-floor work and hopes to finish the entire project by the end of 2026.
Board members asked for the project's current status and site cleanup. Doherty said exterior work completed in an earlier phase has improved the building's appearance and that interior work has opened the historic staircase and removed nonhistoric components. He described the upcoming work as a full restoration of the first floor plus conversion of the upper floors to guest suites, along with a rear addition and grading and landscaping.
A board member moved to approve the extension through March 2027; another board member seconded. The board approved the extension by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the hearing transcript.
The extension allows the Land Bank and the foundation more time to finalize grant funding and select a contractor, steps the presenters said are already underway. The Land Bank and foundation will proceed with the procurement process and with fundraising while the extension remains in effect.
