Syracuse’s Connective Corridor is picking up speed, with three projects ready to launch this year and major street reconstruction to follow in 2011, corridor leaders said. Work is ready to begin this fall on a $1.5 million upgrade to East Genesee Street’s Forman Park and on another landscaping project near Syracuse University’s The Warehouse at 350 W. Fayette St.,...
An artist's rendering shows plans for Forman Park, where a $1.5 million upgrade is planned through the Connective Corridor project. The park sits just east of the Interstate 81 overpass, be´tween the eastbound and westbound lanes of East Genesee Street. Work is set to begin this fall with a new fountain and benches. The project also includes landscaping, walkways and lighting. The design is by landscape architect Richard Newton, of the Philadelphia-based firm Olin.
Syracuse’s Connective Corridor is picking up speed, with three projects ready to launch this year and major street reconstruction to follow in 2011, corridor leaders said.
Work is ready to begin this fall on a $1.5 million upgrade to East Genesee Street’s Forman Park and on another landscaping project near Syracuse University’s The Warehouse at 350 W. Fayette St., said Marilyn Higgins, SU vice president of community engagement and economic impact.
“We were very determined we would not show pretty pictures of things that won’t be built. These things are happening,” Higgins said.
Syracuse University is leading the corridor project and will probably be ready around August to kick off a state-funded grant program for facade upgrades along the corridor, she said.
The Connective Corridor aims to better connect Syracuse University to downtown and the cultural, civic and business sites in between. So far, it includes a dedicated bus route and several public art projects.
Plans for overhauling East Genesee Street and University Avenue are being accelerated, so both streets will be under construction next spring. University Avenue’s one-way traffic will be converted to two.
“It’s good for businesses and much more effective for traffic flow and access,” said Jeff Nadge, of Barton & Loguidice engineering firm.
Designs for both streets show added bicycle lanes, greenery and lighting. State and federal funds are paying for the $6.6 million in street upgrades. Forman Park, which sits beside the Renaissance and Parkview hotels on East Genesee Street, will gain curved red benches, a larger fountain, full landscaping and a pathway of bricks memorializing members of law enforcement agencies in Onondaga County. The park will retain its mature trees and get more plantings to help soak up rainwater, said Richard Newton, a landscape architect with Philadelphia-based Olin.
The park project, funded mostly through New York state, will start with fountain replacement, paving and benches this fall. Landscaping and lighting changes will wait until spring 2011.
Syracuse is directing $385,000 toward the project. The city set aside the money years ago for improvements along East Genesee Street, but it held off on spending it because of Connective Corridor plans to re-do the street and streetscape, said Tim Carroll, city director of mayoral initiatives. Onondaga County also is providing $50,000 toward green infrastructure.
The Warehouse landscaping project includes construction of an outdoor cafe area and a small “bicycle bodega” for repairs and sale of cycling-related items, Higgins said. A group of SU students will run the shop, she said. The $500,000 for the project will come from state funds SU received for the corridor.
The facade program will provide up to 25 grants of $25,000 for upgrades to buildings along the route. Improvements might include banners or awnings that help define the corridor, Higgins said. Business and property owners along the route can expect to hear more details about the program later this summer, she said.
--Meghan Rubado can be reached at mrubado@syracuse.com or 470-3260.