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Syracuse preservation board leaves public hearing open on 100 Windsor Place garage and ADU
Summary
The Syracuse Preservation Board held the public hearing open on a proposal at 100 Windsor Place to build a 2.5-car garage and a 582-square-foot accessory dwelling unit after neighbors raised concerns about size, height and precedent; zoning staff will review measurement and use questions before the board votes.
The Syracuse Preservation Board on a February 2025 meeting left the public hearing open for a certificate of appropriateness for 100 Windsor Place, a proposal to construct a 2.5-car garage and a detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Board members said they would not vote until zoning staff clarifies how maximum height and total accessory-structure square footage are measured under the City of Syracuse code.
The matter matters locally because the property sits in the Berkeley Park Preservation District, and neighbors and board members said the outcome could set a precedent for ADUs in landmark areas. The board asked the zoning director to contact the applicant with clarifications and maintained the public comment record open.
Frank Cusimano, of Interctix, representing the applicant (Dr. Brown), described revisions made after the board's site visit. Cusimano said the garage was rotated to align with the driveway, which created space for a rear ADU 582 square feet in size and an 854-square-foot garage. He said the combined accessory structures fall below the district's limit tied to 50% of the main dwelling footprint and that grading, drainage and footing details would keep disturbance off the steep slope behind the lot. "So we are allowed what is proposed currently," Cusimano said.
Nearby residents spoke at the hearing. Rex Jardine, a resident at 112 Circle Road who said he attended a prior board meeting and submitted written comments, voiced support: "What you have before you represents another six-figure investment ... It fits in, and from any angle, I would not mind looking at it," Jardine said.
Neighbors directly adjacent to the site opposed the ADU and the structure's scale. Jim Swanson, who lives at 303 Berkeley Drive, said the plan remains "unnecessarily large and tall at 20 feet, the peak of the garage roof," and described the new footprint as comparable to a new house squeezed into a small lot. Susan Swanson, also of 303 Berkeley Drive, urged caution about allowing a detached ADU in a landmark district and warned the board to consider precedent: "If the precedent is to be set, don't let it be that we can have detached ADUs in landmark areas," she said.
Board and staff discussion focused on two technical issues that must be resolved before a decision: (1) how the City of Syracuse zoning code measures building height (median height versus peak), and (2) whether the board has authority to rule on the proposed use (an ADU) within the preservation district. The zoning director told the board the proposal needs additional review and that zoning staff would contact the applicant with clarifications on measurement and total accessory square footage.
On drainage, Cusimano said the plan calls for storm drains directed to a dry well at the top of the slope to keep drainage on the property. Cusimano also said the ADU footprint stops short of the steep slope and that he had discussed footing solutions with the civil engineering team.
The board took no final vote on the certificate of appropriateness. The record remains open for additional public comment and for zoning staff findings; the zoning director will follow up with the applicant. The board later resumed other agenda items and adjourned the meeting.
