Syracuse, NY -- Mayor Stephanie Miner very much wants to walk away from a contract to lease classroom space at the old Syracuse Developmental Center, the city corporation counsel said Wednesday. Corporation Counsel Juanita Perez Williams said it is clear the developer has not secured financing to buy and renovate the center. But Miner won’t terminate the lease until...
The former Syracuse Developmental Center is seen shown in this aerial photo.Syracuse, NY -- Mayor Stephanie Miner very much wants to walk away from a contract to lease classroom space at the old Syracuse Developmental Center, the city corporation counsel said Wednesday.
Corporation Counsel Juanita Perez Williams said it is clear the developer has not secured financing to buy and renovate the center.
But Miner won’t terminate the lease until school Superintendent Daniel Lowengard responds to a sharply critical letter she sent Wednesday. In it, Miner blamed Lowengard and the school district for the “continued failure” to secure the temporary classroom space, Williams said.
The district needs the space to move forward with a slow-moving, major reconstruction of Dr. Weeks Elementary School and H.W. Smith K-8 School.
The city says the developer, Health Consortium-USA, was supposed to have the financing in place, buy the property and pay off $1.3 million in back taxes by Aug. 10. The developer disputes that deadline.
Williams said she has not heard recently from Health Consortium, other than a letter from its lawyer last week about the deadline. The developer told The Post-Standard that financing would be in place by Tuesday. Lowengard said he talked to one of the Health Consortium principles, Chris Davis of the Houston-based Davico Realty Group, Tuesday. Davis said he had investors lined up but needed a couple of more days to complete the financing, according to Lowengard.
Lowengard said he thinks the developer will come through with the financing in time for the construction projects to go forward as planned.
“The mayor seems to want to make this personal. Well, now’s the time for business minds to act collaboratively,” he said.
--Contact Maureen Nolan 470-2185 or mnolan@syracuse.com