Property around an almost dead mall in central New York could be transformed into a new walkable community full of housing, shops and medical care, at the same time Micron is developing chip fabricating plants down the street.
Syracuse area developer Guy Hart, of Hart-Lyman Companies, has come to an agreement with owners of the Great Northern Mall, to buy the approximately 26 acre property this summer.
Hart said after taking control of the property, the next step is finding a partner with experience in projects like this. And thanks to Micron’s $100 billion plan to build a chip fabricating plant in the town of Clay, connecting with national companies, isn’t a problem.
"They’re looking at this market and they’re looking at what’s coming," Hart said. "And in an economically challenged national and international landscape, they’re seeing Syracuse as one of the few diamonds in the rough."
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said Hart’s concept fits in with the county’s new comprehensive plan, which encourages center driven development.
“Walkable communities where people can live, where they can potentially work," McMahon said. "They can go and get all the amenities they need. Whether it’s going to the gym, going to the coffee shop, going to the doctor, getting their hair cut, going to the dry cleaner."
Hart says the bulk of the mall will be torn down; and there are some tenants on the property that will stay. Interest rates and retail trends will determine how the center will look, he likened it to some other lifestyle centered communities in Florida and other parts in the south. Hart won’t make promises on a timeline, but does expect it to be up and running about the same time Micron expects to complete part of its chip plant.
"What I think you’ll see is five years from today, a substantially complete project," Hart said. "With the possibility there might be pockets that aren’t finished yet, because we think it’s good to wait, because it’s going to enhance the project."
