This page is meant to argue for or against wish list points
- 24-hour visitor parking garage (free on weekends)
- Affordable, loft-style apartments
Loft and affordable NEVER go hand in hand, that's just the way it is. And considering how small & poor Syracuse's economy is, I'm shocked that anybody would get a $1k/m apartment. Just buy a house, it's good for your credit, your long term finances and helps the economy. —TravisO
True. True. Just a "wish" of mine I suppose. —joebass123
- Architectural review board
- City-wide car-sharing service
Smells like one of those feel good ideas that don't work out. —TravisO
- Downtown grocery store
People don't mix retail shopping and food shopping, this simply wouldn't work out, even if it was a Wegman's. —TravisO
I don't think I understand your response. Perhaps you can elaborate? You're saying there are no grocery stores in any downtowns in any medium-sized city? —joebass123
- Downtown indoor athletic complex
- Downtown movie theater
- Downtown stadium (for baseball, lacrosse, or soccer)
- Downtown urban park
- Eliminate all surface parking lots
Yes, I'd rather see two parking garages built and open parking lots done away with (except for the ones attached to a specific building, of course) they just so junky looking. —TravisO
- Eliminate I-81 within the city limits
Are you insane, do you realize how much traffic uses that 690/81 interchange, it's critical even when you're just traversing the downtown area. —TravisO
I-81 has to be entirely rebuilt or entirely torn down within the next several years due to deterioration. Studies are already underway by the Onondaga Citiezens League (onondagacitizensleague.org) to gauge the positive and negative effects of what the city would be like with/without I-81 bisecting it. To me, positives like diverting interstate traffic, bringing in natural light, connecting neighborhoods, and opening up immediate downtown areas for parks/development far outweight the negatives of it being a giant, ugly and obtrusive wall that essentially makes it that much easier for people to not even live in the city to begin with. (Though, I suppose that's debatable on whether or not that is a positive or negative thing depending on your point of view). I'm quite aware of how many cars use 690/81. I live directly next to the interchange. Considering that there is only "traffic" from 7am-9am and 5pm-7pm 5 days a week, and if the original/intentional bipass was improved (I-481), I don't see it being as great of a problem if it was redirected as some people like to believe. —joebass123
- Higher-end commercial stores on Salina Street
- Improve cleanliness and general infrastructure maintenance (litter, potholes, sidewalks, traffic lights, crosswalks)
I couldn't agree more, Syracuse has a serious litter problem. I'd like to see litter fines doubled and offset with more public trashcans and for police is actually enforce them. —TravisO
I like your ideas. Something really has to be done. The litter is out of control. I'm curious to see if any of the people running for mayor bring this topic up. —joebass123
- Improve Downtown traffic flow
- Improve pedestrian asthetics around/underneath 690
- Improve signage (more definition on city neighborhoods and attractions with cohesive, clean, and easy to read signs)
- More bike lanes
- More businesses staying open after 6PM
- More mixed-use buildings
Isn't this the definition of what downtown has become and not in a good way. —TravisO
Eh, not really. I was thinking more along the lines of Armory Square: newer 3-story buildings, close to the sidewalk, with commercial businesses on the 1st floor, 2nd floor offices and 3rd floor residential units. —joebass123
- Onondaga Creek Walk (connect Onondaga Lake Park, Onondaga Creek, Franklin Square, Armory Square, and Southside)
- Pedestrian-only street(s)
The eastern half of Walton St in Armory Sq and a block of Marshall St up on the campus sounds like candidates for this. —TravisO
- Trolly or Light Rail system that connects University Hill, Northside, Downtown, Westside, and Southside
Cities that impliment have always discovered the hard way: people use public transit because they have to, not because they want to. Go ask Seatlle about their "monorail tax" for a monorail that was never built, these things are expensive and unused. I admire the idea but the reality is it simply doesn't work out. We should be finding ways on improving Centro, not creating things that hurts it even more, they're barely in business as it is. —TravisO
Light, mass-transit is probably impractical for Syracuse, but it's a wish of mine. Especially for a city that used to have trains running all over its streets. —joebass123
