I-81: The Beast

"The Beast" from the 20th floor of the Crowne Plaza Syracuse.

Let's Get Busy

Welp, it's only been about a year since the last post here on Salt City Critique. It feels much longer. Not much has changed on my end, but I did move from Downtown into the lovely residential neighborhood of Tipperary Hill recently. My seven years spent Downtown were fantastic and that neighborhood made it very easy to fall in love with (specifically the close proximity to awesome food). Perhaps a post on what I learned and how the neighborhood changed from 2007-2014 is on deck soon.

For now, I've decided to reboot the blog due to the I-81 discussion heating up as of late. Check out ReThink81's boulevard renderings (which look fantastic!) and see what Centro's Executive Director had to say on how his company will handle any possible solution. Those are some big points for the boulevard. Meanwhile, all is quiet from Save81.

In the meantime, let's kick things back into gear with a presentation by James Howard Kunstler from the TED: Ideas Worth Spreading conference in 2004 in Monterey, CA. (Video contains harsh language)

Goethe-Schiller Monument

"It is through beauty that we arrive at freedom." - Friedrich Schiller "Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [Goethe-Schiller Monument wikipedia page]

Nighttime pictures of I-81

Sacred Places Symposium

Grace Episcopal Church in Syracuse (courtesy of wikipedia)

The Preservation Association of Central New York will be hosting a statewide conference to discuss the preservation and potential uses for scared buildings next weekend. The conference will be held on Saturday, November 16th at St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral (310 Montgomery St in Downtown Syracuse).

Local case studies being examined include Grace Episcopal Church, designed by Horatio Nelson White, and the former African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, designed by Charles Erastus Colton.

The symposium costs $40 for the general public and $25 for PACNY members. More information including registration can be found on the PACNY website.

Saving historic places of worship is something that needs to be looked at more seriously as the years move on and as parishes close / merge, organized religion membership dwindles, and by the mere fact that we just don't build places of worship as beautifully as we used to. It's a topic I've been meaning to tackle on this blog for quite some time (and I'll get around to it), so I'm glad that these type of discussions are happening before time runs out on these beautiful pieces of architecture.

Champs-Élysées: Paris, France

Comparing Paris to Syracuse is kind of like, well, comparing a fine Cabernet Sauvignon to a glass of salt water. But the hopeless dreamer in me believes that one day Syracuse's post-Interstate 81 land, a 1.4 mile stretch of highway running from Pearl Street to Adams Street, could somewhat resemble Champs-Élysées in Paris (albeit on a much smaller scale and perhaps incorporating ideas of mass transit).

Obviously, if the boulevard concept is ever realized (which is one of several options being considered by the state), a city like Syracuse cannot realistically expect the exact same results as Paris; especially right from the get-go. Still, it never hurts to think big and to dream. Even without having visited it, you can feel how alive the street is. It emanates from the pictures.

An Analysis of OnTrack Passenger Rail

Former F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse Intern Eric Ennis completed this extensive report on OnTrack, Syracuse's failed rail system, for his senior thesis.

It's a tremendous read and very interesting if you're at all into the idea of Syracuse having a light rail system one day.

Hat tip to F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse for the link.

10 Reasons Why I Do Not Like Save81

"Of course not. You lack vision. But I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on, all day, all night. Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food, tire salons, automobile dealerships, and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see! My God, it will be beautiful."
- Judge Doom, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"

In August of 2013, Save81, a coalition of Onondaga County Legislatures, Destiny USA representatives, and local businesses, was launched. The group is dedicated to keeping the I-81 highway through Syracuse in some capacity (be it underground, depressed, or via a new highway) and is vehemently opposed to a boulevard concept; one of several options being considered by the New York State Department of Transportation.

Since the group's inception, Save81 has managed to gather signatures and add membership from local residents, businesses, and politicians. However, in the process they've managed to ignore recent facts and trends, have shown flaws in their arguments, and have been unable to demonstrate with any sustenance as to why they do not support the excluded boulevard option. This post is not written just because I disagree with their stance. It's written because the group cannot formulate a legitimate argument and is therefore detrimental to an intelligent discussion of I-81. The following are 10 reasons why I do not like Save81.

I-81 News and Updates for July '13

Some recent news bits and thoughts about where we stand in the I-81 discussion...

- State Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald unexpectedly pulled a request to spend $32 million plan in studying the environmental and engineering impacts for the future of I-81.

Apparently the plan was set to go ahead (and the SMTC fully expected it to begin), but was questioned by Kathleen Rapp, chair of the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board who oversaw the meeting. You may remember Rapp as one of the county legislators who unanimously voted that the state rebuild I-81 as an elevated highway.

- Sen. Charles Schumer says, "I would not tell people think small. I'd say come up with what you think is best and then we would try to get the funding."

Nothing overly newsworthy. It's a fairly even-keeled comment and shows we still have a long way to go.

- Owasco residents are concerned about increased truck traffic in the event of an I-81 boulevard through Downtown Syracuse.

Personally, I think this issue should hold very little (if any) merit in the discussion because of its distant proximity to the subject at hand, its lack of immediate social impact, and for just being plain bogus and insignificant.

- Earlier this month, the State DOT asked for public input on I-81 based on the SMTC analysis. For what it's worth, I sent the following E-mail to them.

To New York State Department of Transportation,

My name is Josef Lorenz. I'm a 6-year resident of Downtown Syracuse and am vehemently opposed to re-building an elevated highway through the city.

As it stands, Interstate 81 severs two key areas within Syracuse: University Hill, which contains two of the region's biggest economic engines (Syracuse University and the medical centers), and Downtown Syracuse, the city's epicenter, cultural hub, and fastest growing neighborhood. If we want to continue the positive growth from these neighborhoods seen over the last several years and not dampen their potential space for further growth, the state should be doing everything in its power to encourage these two areas to intertwine and mesh together as much as possible; something an elevated highway currently prohibits.

The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council did an outstanding analysis of the possible options for I-81 which provided comprehensive details in regards to cost estimates, transportation benefits, environmental effects, social and quality of life factors, and economic competitiveness; all of which clearly pointed to a boulevard being a far better option for the surrounding neighborhoods and for the community as a whole.

In addition to the analysis done by the SMTC, the state should also be looking at recent city and nation-wide trends...

 - A 25% growth in residency within Downtown Syracuse over the last 5 years that shows no signs of decline.
 - The potential higher maintenance costs of an elevated highway and what that burden would put on future budgets.
 - How the removal of highways in other downtowns around the nation has resulted in increased real estate values to the immediate areas (something the city of Syracuse desperately needs).
 - Air quality for those who have to interact with and live next to an elevated highway is poor and often includes higher rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
 - Younger generations are currently driving less than previous generations, a reversal in trends for the first time in 60 years.

Given these factors which provide in great detail the negative consequences of rebuilding an elevated highway, I urge the state to consider a boulevard an an option for I-81 through Downtown Syracuse; a decision that will be beneficial not just for the community right now, but for the betterment of the community 50 years from now.

Thank you for your time and best of luck with the planning process.

And lastly, there has been a lot of construction on the highways in and around Syracuse which is causing some summer traffic issues - mainly during rush-hours. Many commenters on Syracuse.com seem to have this fearful notion that this is what would happen if the elevated highway is removed through Downtown, a perspective that I wholeheartedly disagree with.

We have yet to find out exactly what we'll have to work with and how that plan will operate in full detail. It's very possible we have different on and off ramps, different light timings, more lanes, no one-way streets, or even (dare I say) a better overall flow of traffic than what we have in 2013. Anything is really possible at this point. To suggest that this is how things will look in 10 years or to use this construction season as a threat is completely premature and fairly irrelevant.

All Hail The Car (Re: "A point-by-point look at the I-81 alternatives: Commentary")

Minch Lewis, former Syracuse City Auditor and MDA Project Manager, recently wrote a commentary for the Post-Standard in regards to the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council's analysis of I-81 and how that summary provided mixed signals to the public.

While I strongly disagree that the SMTC’s analysis provided little if any mixed signals, Mr. Lewis is certainly entitled to his opinion. However, his arguments, which favored rebuilding I-81 through Downtown Syracuse, consisted of vague points, random figures, irrelevant references to city life from 40 years ago, and used poor examples in supporting his case.

Mind you, this was not an article per-se, but more of a largely worded opinion piece which was printed by the Post-Standard. I understand that the main media outlet in the region is doing its best job (and they have for the most part) to provide a wide range of opinions about I-81 as this is a major decision that will have drastic consequences in either case of a rebuild or boulevard. My concern is when these opinion pieces are filled with very little facts or thoughtful dialogue, such as the one written by Mr. Lewis.

You can find the entire piece here. There's quite a bit to get into, so I'll do more of a response to the individual sentences and paragraphs.

Friday Follow

If you do one thing today, you should probably start following Future Syracuse Committee on tumblr (and on twitter as well @futuresyracuse), which is a wonderfully poignant look at remembering the group of political, business, and community leaders that originally fought against railroad elevation in Syracuse during the early part of the 20th century.

It's striking to see the resemblances with what these leaders were thinking at the time to the relationship that we have now between the city and its elevated highways (specifically the future of I-81).

"Elevation within the city would encumber Syracuse with the poorest and worst planned railroad plant of all the cities in this state, and one of the worst in the country. Our city would then have these barriers, these embankments, north, south, east and west. What use of any more city planning after such a series of walls are built? All we need is a moat alongside to complete our medievalism. This is the era of city planning. For their own comfort, and because of the desire to favorably impress strangers, people of various communities strive to make their cities more beautiful. Any factor which militates against this is sure to be tabooed by the forward looking element in every community." - Louis Will (former mayor of Syracuse), Syracuse Journal, March 14, 1923

Syracuse's Elevated Highways in Pictures

Here are some recent pictures of the elevated portions of I-81 and I-690. Having lived next to them for about 6 years now, I've walked underneath them many times, but had never walked the entire length of I-81 through Downtown before. Some opinions and observations from the experience...

It's huge. The amount of space that the elevated portions take up both horizontally and vertically is massive.

Homelessness is a real problem at the intersection near Erie Boulevard and Townsend.

There's almost no on-street parking around the highways and almost all of the surface lots are privately owned or owned by the NYSDOT.

It's loud. This is an uneducated guess, but I'd go out on the limb to say that the noise level hovers around 70 to 80 decibels; or the amount of volume that comes from a vacuum cleaner. In all seriousness, it would be interesting to see what the exact decibel levels are and how much exposure someone would need for potential ear damage generated by these highways.

I did not feel safe walking underneath the elevated portions; most specifically when crosswalks were poorly marked, but also in terms of personal safety from of the amount of desolation and isolation that they encourage.

There's no sidewalk on the western side of I-81 between Harrison and Adams streets, so anyone living in the Pioneer Homes who needs to walk north, has to walk on a dirt path (which you can actually see on Google Maps).

On to the pictures...

West Genesee Street Love, or How I Learned to Start Worrying and Question Onondaga County

As my dad says quite often, "Some change is good, Joey. But some change is not so good.".

It might come off as a bit Yoggi Berra-ish, but that statement echoed with me a lot last year as I looked from my apartment window onto West Genesee Street.

If you were around the city at all last year or even up until now, you probably noticed the above average amount of construction going on all over the place. Downtown and University Hill had a lot going on. Roads, bike lanes, new buildings, etc... A growing community is something to generally be proud of (when it's done correctly) but it can also make getting from point (a) to point (b) tricky on occasion. I won't dive into each and every project, but one of the construction zones that hits closer to home is the Save the Rain project along West Genesee Street; a program designed to help contain sewage overflow. The project is spearheaded by Onondaga County (with construction carried-out by an independent contractor). It was scheduled to finish in August of 2012, but the finish date ended up being closer to December of 2012. I only know this because of the constant drilling, pavement machines, beeping, and tree cutting that happened outside of my apartment building well into last winter.

Just to preface, I'm generally not one who gets behind the county on many decisions; for the main reason that, historically speaking, they tend to know very little on how to plan for an urban environment like Downtown. To use some examples, it's the same organization that wanted to build a sewage treatment plant next to Armory Square, liked the idea of putting a baseball stadium in the middle of nowhere, and recently passed a vote to suggest to the NY DOT that rebuilding I-81 through Downtown would be wonderful before doing any of their own cost analysis or interpretation of any design concepts. This project on West Genesee Street isn't quite as extreme as those examples. The end results of this project can go either way. There's good change and there's bad change.

On the one hand, it saves money, prevents sewage overflow, and its objectives seems to be clear: a safe, clean, and reliable solution for sewage run-off; all of which are difficult points to disagree on. However, my concern lies with its aesthetics and how they were overlooked or in some cases not even taken into consideration. And many of these details that fell by the wayside will end up having long-lasting effects on the overall character, feel, and function of the street. There are several areas to look into so let's get rollin'...

Syracuse Love

Thoughts from the SMCT's public meeting on I-81 yesterday. Hat-tip to Jim.

Salt City Critique's proposal for I-81

The I-81 debate is catching fire as of late. There was a meeting in Salina about I-81 last month, four proposal companies are being reviewed by the state, the Onondaga County Legislature did a premature ejaculation vote on keeping I-81 as a highway, I wrote a letter to the editor about the vote on Syracuse.com, The Post-Standard editorial board wrote their response to the vote, then the Town of Owasco voted to keep I-81 as a highway (where town supervisor Ed Wagner will be galavanting around Cayuga County to dredge-up support to keep I-81 as a highway through Downtown Syracuse), and there is another public meeting on I-81 next week.

Owasco? Yikes. Let's keep this discussion within the same ballpark. That's like saying I have a right to input on tolls on the Jersey Turnpike.

And we're still many months away from any sort of official word from the state.

So at the risk of turning this into an I-81 discussion blog, which at this point is pretty much what this place already is, I thought I'd lay out my plans for what I hope is done with I-81. Let's kick it...

Proposal for I-81

1) Dismantle the elevated portions of I-81 between Adams St. and Pearl St. This isn't an opinion, but a mandatory project that the New York State Department of Transportation will be conducting sometime around 2017.

Construction of the I-690 and I-81 interchange in the middle 20th century

2) Encourage and re-route I-81 travel to I-481. I'm not a licensed traffic engineer, but I'm guessing that this is what the state DOT will be doing anyway during the dismantling process. As I see it, cars will still be able to drive north on I-81 into the Adams St. area and south on I-81 into the Pearl St. / Salina St. area, but we may see signs as far south as Nedrow and as far north as North Syracuse that detour thru-traffic to I-481. Again, all speculation. Though, if this is the case, I have a feeling this is going to be the messy part of the entire project regardless of whatever solution NYS decides on. People will be over-reacting and up-in-arms about traffic times and on and off ramp delays in and around Downtown. Maybe rightfully so in some cases because I can see it getting tricky around rush-hour times, so it actually might be difficult if there are no sensical on or off ramp solutions or detours that NYS encourages.

3) Rename I-81 between I-481 N and I-481 S as the Syracuse Intercity Highway (or some variation thereof). Rename I-481 as I-81. This is more or less a smoke and mirrors tactic to cloud the fact that cars will be adding several minutes to their commutes around Syracuse via the old I-481.

Map demonstrating new I-81 and the Syracuse Intercity Highway

4) Have the new Syracuse Intercity Highway dump in and out at Adams St. (south of Downtown) and near Erie Blvd. (north of Downtown), create simpler and easier transition to I-81 at Pearl St., and improve all of its on and off ramps north to regional transportation center.

5) Build a civic parkway beginning at Adams St heading up toward Erie Blvd; two, one-way streets bordering a neighborhood park stretching ~0.8 miles in length with stop lights at most intersections (lights at Madison St, E Genesee St, E Fayette St, E Washington St, E Water St, Erie Blvd E) which restores this section of Downtown to its original streetscape and grid pattern.

Map demonstrating new greenspace and the Syracuse Intercity Highway

6) Construct the parkway as a likeness to Commonwealth Ave in Boston, MA. A park in the center, buffered by two one-way streets, buffered by sidewalks.

7) Add bike lanes between the street and sidewalks (which could help spur growth) and connect them to routes along Connective Corridor.

8) Require specific building permits and zoning laws on the new plots of land in front of the sidewalks. The new zoning laws: units at least 2 or 3 stories high (strictly mixed-use or residential buildings only) located close to the sidewalk.

9) Decrease the speed limits to a sensible 30 or 35 mph, have crosswalks at each intersection, and have parallel parking on each side located along the new parkway.

10) Name the new parkway the Almond Street Parkway. It's catchy, reminiscant of the old street that I-81 was towering over, and brings some much needed elegance to the city.

11) Plant almond trees along the center of the new greenspace to match the name of the parkway and bring some much needed color into Downtown.

12) Tie the new greenspace together with Forman Park, creating one centralized park for Downtown and University Hill; a symbol of unification between the two neighborhoods.

13) Plant a tree (something different, an oak perhaps) or a water feature at the nexus of the two parks, signifying the abandonment of the elevated, concrete highway through Downtown - which is similar to what the residents did in Greenwich Village when they blocked an elevated highway running on top of their neighborhood in the early 1960's. The tree still stands today.

My hopes and expectations

It will take some time, but I'm hoping the city will grow specifically between Downtown and the medical centers. Will traffic be a harder handle between Erie Blvd and Adams St? It's possible - but specifically only during weekday rush-hours. Street traffic volume as well as current I-81 traffic volume is very low outside of rush-hours.

Other predictions: real estate values rise along the ex-highway that is now beautified (just like it's happened in other cities that have done the same thing), the university and medical centers begin to intertwine with Downtown (just like other successful cities do), new businesses and more jobs move in and around Downtown, more people move into the city (specifically around Downtown) as a result of its current and potential growth, and the city's tax base begins to grow, giving them desperately needed money to spend on police and fire departments, schools, utilities, and housing.

That's mine. If you have thoughts, critiques, or ideas of your own, feel free to write them in the comments.

Food for thought on I-81

This is short, SimCity-ish video of Rio de Janeiro's plans to transform its entire waterfront district in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. The city is planning to demolish its elevated highway, construct an underground tunnel (totaling about 0.9 miles in length), and rebuild its streetscape along the old highway. Hat tip to The Atlantic Cities.

I can't say I like all of the ideas in this video (especially the parts that hint of neighborhood gentrification), but it's interesting to see what they might be doing there and compare that to what kind of effect those types of things could have on a region like Central New York; especially considering that an underground tunnel idea has been floated before, the possibility of bringing a real park to Downtown Syracuse, and what future changes to I-81 could have on I-690.

Neighborhood parks

"You can neither lie to a neighborhood park, nor reason with it. 'Artist's conceptions' and persuasive renderings can put pictures of life into proposed neighborhood parks or park malls, and verbal rationalizations can conjure up users who ought to appreciate them, but in real life only diverse surroundings have the practical power of inducing a natural, continuing flow of life and use."

-Jane Jacobs, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities"

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...

215 Tully St

I wandered around this afternoon taking pictures in the Near Westside and found myself at 215 Tully St. I didn't even know that building existed and am glad I randomly stumbled upon it. The art is gorgeous and I had to take some pictures. Coincidentally, two younger guys were walking along side of the building discussing the graffiti so I asked if they had any additional information about it. Turns out they were two of the artists.

You can find more information about 215 Tully and some of the artists in this article from Syracuse.com.

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.