VIP Development Named Master Developer for Syracuse ON-RAMP Center at Former Sears

Empire State Development announced on October 6 that CenterState CEO has selected VIP Development Associates, Inc. as master developer for 1300 South Salina Street in Syracuse, the long-vacant former Sears Roebuck store that will house New York State's flagship ON-RAMP workforce training center. The selection moves the project from site control and planning toward a defined development team.

What Happened

According to the state's announcement, VIP will oversee planning for the comprehensive redevelopment of the property, with the ON-RAMP training facility as an anchor tenant (Empire State Development). The development plan is to be shaped through a planning process that includes the ON-RAMP Community Advisory Committee, which the agency says is meant to make sure community perspectives inform the outcome (Empire State Development).

CenterState CEO president Ben Sio said the goal is to make the site "one of the most modern and comprehensive workforce training facilities in the country." Meg Tidd, chief executive of VIP Development, said the firm is glad to help build "a place that can serve Central New York for years to come" (Empire State Development). Empire State Development president, CEO and commissioner Hope Knight, Syracuse Mayor Sharon F. Owens and ON-RAMP Syracuse chief executive Dr. Carlene Lacey also offered statements in support.

The announcement does not include a project budget, a construction start date, an opening date or a design team (Empire State Development).

Background: How the Project Got Here

ON-RAMP stands for One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships. Governor Kathy Hochul proposed it in the 2024 State of the State address, it was funded in the fiscal 2025 enacted budget, and it launched in October 2024 with $200 million to create four workforce development centers in upstate New York (Empire State Development). The centers are intended to bring together industry, academia, social services and community organizations to deliver skills training and wraparound support, with a focus on advanced manufacturing fields such as semiconductors. In 2025 the state named the Capital Region, the Finger Lakes and the Mohawk Valley as the other three locations, forming a network along the Interstate 90 corridor (Empire State Development).

The Syracuse site was announced in March 2025. At that time the Empire State Development board approved $8.5 million as a first phase investment in the flagship center, including capital to acquire and redevelop the South Salina Street property (Governor's Office). The state said the center would anchor a broader revitalization led by the City of Syracuse and CenterState CEO, and that CenterState CEO planned to explore connecting a nearby city-owned lot to the site (Governor's Office).

The same announcement described the program model. In its first year, training was expected to serve 150 to 200 people through career exploration, English for speakers of other languages, financial empowerment and trade-specific instruction in construction and manufacturing, including apprenticeship pathways and an Onondaga Community College electrical mechanical technician program. Staff were to work from CenterState CEO's offices at 115 West Fayette Street while the building is redeveloped. The model is based on the Northland Workforce Training Center in Buffalo, which is built around removing barriers such as transportation, child care, academic readiness and affordability (Governor's Office). The state cited Micron's planned $100 billion investment in Onondaga County as a main driver of regional demand for skilled workers.

What the Master Developer Is Being Asked to Do

The clearest picture of the scope comes from the request for proposals that CenterState CEO and CNY ONRAMP, Inc. issued on November 21, 2025, with proposals due December 19, 2025 (CenterState CEO). Key points from that document:

• The site: two identified parcels totaling about 4.1 acres, including a former commercial building of about 114,000 square feet. A related entity controls 1300 South Salina Street, and the City of Syracuse owns 1350-72 South Salina Street and Martin Luther King West. Adjacent parcels are held by the city, the Greater Syracuse Land Bank and private owners, and the project team may assemble more acreage.
• The role: carry out a comprehensive mixed-finance, mixed-income and mixed-use redevelopment, co-own the project with the sponsors, prepare a master site plan and arrange financing for all phases.
• Financing tools: the developer is expected to secure historic, brownfield, New Markets and other tax credits along with additional financing. Empire State Development has awarded grants toward the capital buildout of the training center and related uses.
• Intended uses: the training center as anchor, locally oriented commercial space, mixed-income rental or owner-occupied housing, supportive services and education, grocery and healthy food options, health and wellness programs, and transportation access and recreation.
• Due diligence already available: the sponsors published a Phase I environmental site assessment and a facilities assessment report alongside the request for proposals.

All of the points above are from the request for proposals (CenterState CEO). The October 6 state announcement does not say how many firms responded or how the selection was scored.

Where Things Stand

With a master developer in place, the next stage is the planning process with the Community Advisory Committee and the preparation of a development plan. Until that plan is public, the size of the training center within the building, the mix of other uses, the total cost and the schedule remain open. The building is described by the state as derelict and as one of Syracuse's historic properties along a historic corridor, which points to a rehabilitation that will need to address both condition and preservation requirements if historic tax credits are pursued (Empire State Development, CenterState CEO).

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• A layered capital stack means a longer preconstruction period. Projects that combine state grants with historic, brownfield and New Markets tax credits typically need approvals from several agencies before closing. Contractors pursuing the work should expect design, environmental review and financing to run in parallel and should not assume a near-term bid date.
• Scope is broader than one building. The request for proposals describes a multi-phase district with housing, commercial space and services around the training center. That suggests separate packages over time: abatement and selective demolition, envelope and structural rehabilitation of the 114,000-square-foot building, training shops and labs with heavier mechanical and electrical loads, and later new construction on adjacent parcels.
• The center is a workforce pipeline for the trades. Construction training with apprenticeship pathways is part of the program from the first year. For Central New York contractors facing the labor demands of Micron and related projects, the center is a future source of entry-level workers and a place to engage on curriculum. We covered the supporting infrastructure for that buildout in National Grid Plans Eight 345kV Lines and 2-Mile Gas Pipeline for Micron's Clay Fabs.
• Other regions should watch the template. Three more ON-RAMP centers are planned in the Capital Region, the Finger Lakes and the Mohawk Valley. How Syracuse structures ownership, community input and financing is likely to inform how those sites are procured.

What to Watch

• Release of a master site plan and renderings after the Community Advisory Committee process.
• Selection of an architect and a construction manager or general contractor.
• Applications for historic and brownfield tax credits, which would signal the rehabilitation approach.
• Any further Empire State Development board action on capital funding beyond the initial $8.5 million.
• Site selection and developer announcements for the Finger Lakes center.

Bottom Line

The former Sears on South Salina Street now has a development lead, a funded anchor tenant and a defined set of intended uses. It does not yet have a public budget or schedule. For builders, this is a project to track through planning, not one to price today.

Image credit: New York State Governor's Office. Image from the source release.

Sources

• Empire State Development, "Empire State Development Announces Selection Of Master Developer For Central New York's Flagship ON-RAMP Center": https://esd.ny.gov/esd-media-center/press-releases/empire-state-development-announces-selection-master-developer
• New York State Governor's Office, "Governor Hochul Announces Major Workforce Development Milestone With Selection of First Flagship ON-RAMP Site in Syracuse": https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-major-workforce-development-milestone-selection-first-flagship-ramp
• CenterState CEO, "Request for Proposals: 1300 South Salina Street Site Master Developer": https://centerstateceo.com/news/request-proposals-1300-south-salina-street-site-master-developer