Syracuse Housing Authority Finances $100M East Adams Phase 2

Syracuse, NY — The Syracuse Housing Authority announced on December 17, 2025 that it is closing on financing for the second phase of the East Adams redevelopment project on Syracuse's Southside. This financing milestone marks a critical step forward in one of Central New York's most significant community transformation initiatives, with the project valued at approximately $1 billion across multiple phases.

East Adams Phase 2: Senior Housing Development

The second phase of the East Adams Transformation Plan will transform a vacant lot at the intersection of South State and Burt streets into a new apartment building featuring 125 new affordable housing units dedicated to seniors. According to the Syracuse Housing Authority, the building design includes five two-bedroom units with the remainder configured as one-bedroom apartments, and will not exceed four stories in height.

The project cost is estimated at more than $100 million, with vertical construction scheduled to begin in early 2026. This phased approach allows the Housing Authority and McCormack Baron Salazar, the Missouri-based development partner, to strategically manage the large-scale public housing redevelopment.

Overall East Adams Redevelopment Scope

The East Adams Transformation Plan represents a comprehensive approach to revitalizing public housing on Syracuse's Southside. The SHA and McCormack Baron Salazar are redeveloping 672 distressed public housing units across Pioneer Homes and McKinney Manor while also constructing an additional 732 new apartment units. This mixed strategy ensures current residents receive modern housing options while the project attracts new residents paying market-rate rents.

Phase 1 broke ground on December 1, 2025, with the Housing Authority announcing that the first new building will be called The Langston. A new street running through the development will be named McKinney Street in honor of Judge Langston C. McKinney, Syracuse's first Black city court judge.

Environmental Remediation & Brownfield Cleanup

Before construction could begin, the project site required significant environmental remediation due to its prior industrial use and classification as a brownfield. The site had high levels of petroleum-impacted soil, lead, and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).

Environmental remediation cost $7 million and was funded through multiple sources:

• $3.5 million from HUD's Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant
• $3.7 million from U.S. Bank through New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program

Hueber-Breuer Construction Company served as the general contractor for remediation work, while Langan Engineering provided environmental engineering oversight. Remediation efforts included soil excavation and off-site disposal, installation of a site-wide vapor barrier and sub-slab depressurization system, and importing and placing clean fill.

Funding & Community Investment

The SHA secured a $50 million grant from New York State to support housing and neighborhood redevelopment. This significant capital infusion demonstrates the state's commitment to public housing transformation and community revitalization in Central New York.

Mayor Ben Walsh noted that the City of Syracuse is developing a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) plan for the broader South Salina/East Adams region using additional state funding. The BOA plan will create an inventory and strategy for remediating other brownfield sites in the neighborhood, generating economic activity and creating additional third spaces for community use.

Local Hiring & Workforce Development

The East Adams redevelopment aligns with broader workforce development initiatives in Syracuse. Like the concurrent I-81 viaduct project, the East Adams development prioritizes local hiring and union apprenticeships, creating pathways to family-supporting construction careers for residents in the Southside neighborhoods most affected by the original public housing development.

Why This Matters for Syracuse

The East Adams redevelopment represents a transformational community investment. Beyond the immediate creation of affordable housing for seniors and market-rate apartments, the project generates:

• Construction Jobs: Multi-year employment during design, environmental remediation, and building construction phases
• Property Tax Revenue: New market-rate residential units will generate tax base growth for the city and school district
• Community Stability: Modern, safe housing reduces resident displacement and strengthens neighborhood continuity
• Economic Development: Successful redevelopment attracts adjacent private investment and commercial development

Timeline & Next Steps

The financing closure on December 18, 2025 clears the way for preliminary construction activities. With vertical construction beginning in early 2026, the project moves from planning and environmental remediation into active building development. Contractors, material suppliers, and trades professionals should monitor the project timeline for bidding opportunities on major phases.

Westside Construction Group brings over 30 years of experience managing complex, multi-phase construction projects across Upstate New York. For construction partnerships and strategic planning on large-scale community development initiatives, contact WCG at buildwcg.com.