Syracuse University and the Central New York Community Foundation are collaborating to create a Syracuse Beautification Fund, which will help protect and maintain public parks in the Connective Corridor district.

The Beautification Fund, which was launched Thursday, is being established to “improve the front yards” of areas along the Connective Corridor, said Linda Dickerson Hartsock, who oversees the Connective Corridor as director of SU’s Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development.

“The project is something we’ve been talking to the community foundation about for a while,” Hartsock said. “We’ve found that it’s really difficult for Syracuse and other cities upstate to maintain public infrastructure such as parks.”

The Connective Corridor, introduced by Chancellor Nancy Cantor in 2005, aims to connect the university and downtown area with a $42.5 million, three-phase transportation and streetscape improvement project.  Phase one finished last fall, while phases two and three are slated for completion by 2015.

Though the foundation is working with business owners, the city still has issues about who will take care of public space, Hartsock said. She added the fund was created to potentially serve as a model for other neighborhoods to create beautification funds in the future.

“You want to create a culture of stewardship where we take care of our city,” Hartsock said. “I think the fund, in conjunction with the façade improvement program, will help because property owners are making these improvements in their own front yards.”

Grant recipients in the second round of the Connective Corridor’s improvement program were also announced Thursday. Of the 30 businesses that applied for the second round, only 16 were grant recipients, Hartsock said, including Café Kubal, Everson Museum of Art and the Onondaga Tower.

The Façade Improvement Program creates opportunities for private investors to get involved with improving the area by purchasing and renovating buildings that are vacant or in poor condition. SU has awarded $875,000 to local businesses between the first two rounds, Hartsock said.

A community-based Façade Improvement Committee selected businesses on a need-based scale, choosing those that needed the most help or would spark significant improvement downtown, she said.

Gannon’s Isle Ice Cream Shop, a recipient of the Façade Improvement grant, received nine tables and 28 chairs to accommodate extended outdoor seating, said Patrick Gannon, general manager of the store’s downtown location.

Gannon said the store is still in the process of obtaining artwork for a storefront sign, so the outdoor seating has already helped attract customers to the space.

“A lot of people have had trouble finding us, but now we just tell people to look for the red tables,” Gannon said. “It really pulls people off the street now that they know we’re a restaurant.”

The Façade Improvement Project has the potential to help build a neighborhood feel for new residents that move downtown, Gannon said. When residents see more people on the streets, it fosters a “sense of community,” he said. Gannon added that more improvements need to be made outside of Armory Square, so that the entire city can grow.

“Adding tables is a small thing that can have a bigger impact,” he said. “To have people sit outside, it promotes the chance that people slow down and stop and enjoy their lunch or whenever they happen to come downtown.”

Gannon said as more restaurants and shops are built in the neighborhood, he hopes that people stay downtown for the entire day rather than coming downtown just for dinner or to shop at a specific store.

So far, the improvements have been successful in making others want to improve their businesses on their own, Hartsock said. She said she hopes the grant will hopefully spur a sense of competition in the city.

“Businesses compete, and so should cities. They should compete for young people to live there, attract private investors, and, in Syracuse’s case, to look attractive for professors coming to the university,” she said. “We want to become not just an attractive community but also a competitive community.”

Published on September 29, 2013 at 11:24 pm

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