Some nearby residents fear increase in traffic and noise on East Genesee Street.
View full sizeThe Essi family sit on their patio at 2300 East Genesee St., in Syracuse. They are (from left): Majid Essi; his mother, Nour Essi; and his father, Majdi. They and some of their neighbors oppose the proposed location of the Syracuse Real Food Co-op, which would be across the street from their residence (upper left corner of photograph). Syracuse -- A plan to move the Syracuse Real Food Co-op to East Genesee Street has neighbors pitted against one another.
Thursday afternoon, residents from Fellows Avenue, Allen Street and surrounding neighborhoods met with the city Board of Zoning Appeals, which ultimately postponed its vote to Aug. 19 on the co-op’s proposed move to 2200 E. Genesee St.
Currently, the only tenant in the Genesee Street building is Dr. Enrique Armenta, a plastic surgeon. Because Armenta’s lease is up in 2012, Carolyn Simmer, of Fellows Avenue, said she supports the co-op’s move. Simmer said she does not want a vacant building next to her home.
“An empty space is a magnet for crime and vandalism,” said Simmer, who has lived next door with her husband, Daniel Sanders, for three years. “Our feeling is that all change doesn’t mean bad change. It will be nice in the wintertime to have fresh food within a walk.”
Dorothy and Corry Lyons, who live across the street from Simmer, have been residents of Fellows Avenue for 31 years. Dorothy Lyons, a retired Syracuse University administrator, said she supports the co-op but does not want it in her neighborhood.
“I have nothing against the co-op, nothing,” Lyons said. “But I don’t want my zoning changed. ... This is a residential neighborhood. I don’t want the additional traffic, the additional noise, the additional litter.”
Nour and Majdi Essi, who live directly across the street from the proposed co-op site, said they’re also opposed to the move.
View full sizeThe proposed new location of the Syracuse Real Food Co-Op, 2200 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. View Proposed location for Syracuse Real Food Co-op in a larger map
“I’m against it 100 percent. I don’t think it’s going to look good to have a grocery store right there,” said Nour Essi, whose family owns and operates Mom’s Diner and Tap’s Bar on Westcott Street. “In the summertime, we sit out here. And imagine all the traffic, the noise, the lights. It’s not going to be as comfortable as it is now.”
If the variance is approved by the zoning board, the co-op will move from the 1,200-square-foot location it has occupied at 618 Kensington Road since 1976. The space on East Genesee Street would give the co-op 8,264 square feet.
Co-op general manager Travis Hance said the co-op started looking for a new location in 2000. In that time, revenue has increased from $300,000 to about $1.6 million. Of the 12 locations that were being considered, the Genesee Street space was the best choice in terms of “financial feasibility and impact on the neighborhood,” Hance said.
The planned expansion would allow the co-op to offer more produce, meat and seafood selections; add a deli with a hot-and-cold food bar, grab-and-go sandwiches and sushi; and put in a seating area. The co-op also would increase employment from 18 to more than 75 people, Hance said.
Although he acknowledges there will be an impact on the community, Hance said he believes it will be more positive than negative.
“We want to be good neighbors and we want to partner with the neighborhood and be an asset to the community, rather than a liability,” he said. “We understand that it can be very hard to envision the future and it can be very scary to picture a commercial business there.”
Hance said they’ve heard from as many as 25 people who strongly oppose the move and about a dozen people in the neighborhood who are strong supporters. In addition, he said, they have more than 100 letters in their file.
Said Hance: “It’s been a very contentious issue.”
Fernando Alfonso III can be reached at falfonso@syracuse.com or 470- 6078.