The Syracuse Common Council recently heard an update on the city’s strategy to address housing insecurities. A top priority is to prevent displacement.
Michelle Sczpanski, the city of Syracuse’s deputy commissioner of neighborhood development, said the approach is to build on strength, saying neighborhoods shouldn’t be competing against other neighborhoods.
“Every neighborhood needs something, every neighborhood's starting in a different place and I think the way that we're achieving that balance is by acknowledging the different starting places and making sure that the approaches in each of them are tailored to what those starting places are," Sczpanski said. "So it's not going to look the same everywhere.”
Sczpanski said they’re working to be intentional about tying incentives to conditions that are tied to affordability so people of all different income levels can continue to live in the city as upgrades are made to the housing stock.
Councilor Pat Hogan said the city has never had a coordinated strategy for addressing housing.
“And this is really it right here," said Hogan, "in my belief, to create balanced neighborhoods all the way through, and maybe open up all those different opportunities for people to live in the city.”
A public hearing on the strategy is set for July 30 at City Hall.
