Franklin Square water tower

The amount of arrogance emanating from Destiny USA can be excessive at times, to say the least. I even get a little pissed-off when I see that huge, unused crane resting outside the mall towering several hundred feet into the air as if to say: "Look at me, goddammit!". The relationship between the city and the mall is awkward and always has been, ever since the city got hosed on the deal from the get-go.

Our latest fiasco comes from last week when Destiny USA began to paint over an old New Process Gear water tower only to receive a "stop work" from the city's codes enforcement. The tower, built in 1921, is one of the most recognizable pieces of architecture in Syracuse and unmistakably identifiable with Franklin Square.

The catch is even if you own the property that the water tower rests on, you still need permission from the city to create any kind of advertisements. As it stands, the Lakefront and Franklin Square both have zoning codes which do not permit any billboards.

It's tough to say what actually when on here, how much discussion or thought there was on the part of Destiny beforehand (if any), or what they were planning to paint on it. I'm certain we'll hear the spin machine take its defense soon. I think when you get down to it, that historic water tower has ties to Syracuse very powerful industrial age and I'm sure the residents of Franklin Square do not wish to see an advertisement for Destiny USA when the site already exists several hundred feet away from where they live. Whatever the case is, the move definitely doesn't show any respect or regard for the city's past or its residents.

And as one resident so eloquently puts it in this article from CNY Central: "If it had something like 'Welcome to Franklin Square' on it, that would be one thing, but if it's going to be a giant neon arrow pointing down the street to Destiny, that might be a little different".

And the awkward relationship moves onward...

Inner Harbor construction to begin soon

According to Syracuse.com, COR Development plans to begin its construction of the Syracuse Inner Harbor project before the end of the year. Aside from renderings that have already been made public, COR plans to present the city its design and site plans within a few months. Among the developments being planned on the 34 acres of former state land over the next 5 to 10 years are...

A marina.

A three-story, 150-room hotel along the south bank.

80 three-story condominiums.

Apartment buildings containing 210 apartments along the western bank (Four-story buildings with retail on the first floor).

A community boat house.

An academic satellite campus (COR is hoping for OCC) with a 50,000 square foot building on the southwestern corner - with a possible 100,000 square-foot expansion in the future.

A total of 120,000 square feet of commercial space.

A total of 200,000 square feet of retail specialty shops.

It's an ambitious project to say the least.

As much as I love its potential, I understand the criticism. Not only could it end up looking very "corporate", but we're giving one company a huge share of land and money and basically saying, "Here you go. Do what you want.". It reeks of Congelism. But I think in this scenario, given the history, successes, and mistakes that have lead us to have a huge contrast of desirable and undesirable settings within such a small amount of land (a half mile radius to be exact), this needs to happen in order to connect the dots between everything.

As it stands today, we have roughly four different vibes happening in the Lakefront...

1. A desirable and huge mall that feels totally disconnected from the rest of the city.
2. A scattered and unorganized arrangement of newly refurbished apartment buildings, shells of old industrial buildings, a creekwalk, and a nearby sewage treatment.
3. A very desirable area in Franklin Square; possibly the city's greatest pedestrian district and asset for original character.
4. A blank slate of land (with water) laying between the mall and Franklin Square.

And as much as I don't want Destiny USA to be associated with this city, we have to come to terms that it's here to stay and a part of our community. And if we want to improve its relationship between where it is right now (on the outskirts of town) to where it could feel psychologically (tied in with the city), we need to start building on the empty land that separates the two.

Picture if you will, a walk from shopping at Destiny USA, to the Inner Harbor for a stroll along the boardwalk, to beautiful Franklin Square for coffee, down the Creekwalk, and into Armory Square. I mean, it will provide so many different environments and relationships within such a short distance. And it could help connect everything without having to use a car in order to do it (ideally).

So this sounds hasty, but I'm all for this thing getting underway as soon as possible. However, I also understand the criticism because it puts a lot of hope and faith into one private company. If you have any thoughts, feel free to leave them below.