Syracuse, N.Y. – Construction began on the first new apartment buildings for the East Adams Neighborhood transformation project on Wednesday. It’s a $102 million development to replace the public housing units demolished at McKinney Manor.
It’s the first of 11 phases in the $1 billion neighborhood transformation near downtown. Throughout the rest of the project, developers will tear down almost 700 public housing units along I-81 and replace them with over 1,300 new mixed-income units.
Phase 1 will create a four-story building, a three-story building and a string of townhomes, according to Allyson Carpenter, vice president of the development company McCormack Baron Salazar.
It’s called “The Langston,” in honor of late judge Langston C. McKinney, after whom the former public housing was named.
Today’s groundbreaking celebrated the construction of this four-story apartment building at the corner of East Adams and South Townsend streets.Screenshot
These buildings will form 132 units: 63 replacement units for residents who used to live at McKinney Manor and Pioneer Homes, 54 units for families earning up to 60% of the area median income and 15 units for residents paying market-rate.
They will be ready for residents in 2027, according to Bill Simmons, executive director of the Syracuse Housing Authority.
“I want that to be clear. When you guys hear people talk about this project, all our residents have the right to return,” Carpenter said.
She gathered along with Mayor Ben Walsh, Mayor-elect Sharon Owens and other officials to celebrate the groundbreaking at 100 Angelou Terrace on Wednesday.
“We’re going to hold you accountable,” said Tara Harris in response to Carpenter.
Harris is a lead neighborhood navigator working at Blueprint 15, an organization committed to helping residents through this transition. Owens is the president of Blueprint 15.
Angelou Terrace, Chavez Terrace and Latimer Terrace made up the former public housing project at the site, McKinney Manor.
The old townhome-style apartments at Angelou Terrace didn’t come with a washer and dryer or central air. The new construction will have a community room, fitness room, computer lab, children’s play area, geothermal heating and cooling, and in-unit washer and dryers, according to the developer McCormack Baron Salazar.
A new public street, McKinney Street, will also honor the city’s first Black judge.
The $102 million phase includes new water and sewer lines, sidewalks, street lighting and upgraded stormwater systems.
The money for this project came from a mix of private investors, state, local and federal funding. More than $53 million in state subsidies and low-income housing tax credits were provided by New York State Homes Community Renewal, according to the developer.
The developer began demolishing the old Angelou Terrace units in October.
No former residents watched the demolition a few months ago, but a few gathered to watch the groundbreaking of the new building.
“McKinney Manor saved my life,” said former resident Monique Fenell Hill. She moved out of the public housing complex earlier this year because of the demolition.Ryann Phillips
Monique Fenell Hill lived at McKinney Manor for seven years. When she first moved there in 2018, she was raising three children by herself and not working.
“McKinney Manor saved my life,” Hill said.
The neighbors checking in on her made it feel like family, she said. Earlier this year, she moved to another Syracuse Housing Authority property because of the demolition.
She plans to eventually buy a home through Syracuse Housing Authority’s homeownership program.
“I didn’t want to move,” Hill said. “It was a stressful experience, but I’ll tell you that if you attended the meetings and you stayed connected and continued to communicate, a lot of the stress was taken away.”
Developers began cleaning up the vacant lot on Burt Street to begin Phase 2 of the project last month. The next phase will involve building 125 new apartments on this vacant lot owned by the Syracuse Housing Authority for low-income seniors.
