Spring Break
The Daily OrangeCampus organization showcases downtown living; students encouraged to take tour
By Lauren Bertolini
Posted: 4/27/07, 12:03 AM EST Section: News
The Onondaga Citizen's League is hosting a Downtown Living Tour just after graduation, but this does not mean students are not welcome; they are just trying to guarantee nice weather.
The tour will take place from noon to 6 p.m. on May 19 and is available for anyone interested in living downtown.
Participants will be able to travel at their own pace through the eight different housing exhibits, as well as a rest stop at St. Paul's Cathedral. The tour stops include renovated historic buildings and new construction projects ranging from apartments to condominiums, said Sandra Barrett, executive vice president of the Onondaga Citizen's League.
The OCL is an independent not-for-profit organization that is administered by SU's University College. Tickets are available in advance for $10 until May 15 or on the day of the event for $12. The ticket will allow one entrance into each stop of the tour. "It's for more in the realm of young professionals or those looking to downsize from a big house into something in the city," she said. "But really, it's for anybody interested in downtown living."
Thousands of students and faculty make up the Syracuse University, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and SUNY Upstate Medical University communities, Barrett said. These students and faculty live and work right on the fringe of downtown creating an interest of the area.
The conversion of The Warehouse into university space and the recent announcement that the School of Architecture's move downtown may be permanent sparked interest in downtown. The OCL hopes that the Downtown Living Tour will increase the momentum leading to the retail and services that are needed to create a viable neighborhood, she said.
"If we get more people living downtown it will make those services more in-demand," Barrett said. "There's no diner, there isn't a dry cleaner on every corner, and until we double and then triple the number of people, there is just not enough of a residential population to support downtown."
In addition to the new housing facilities, O'Brien & Gere, an engineering firm, is relocating downtown to Armory Square from East Syracuse.
For students, downtown living may not be affordable. Prices for units in the Jefferson Clinton Commons will start at $230,000, a cost that may exceed many students' budgets. Monthly rentals are available on Walton Street in the former Gray Brothers Shoe Factory for between $1,200 and $1,600.
Even if more housing is made available, Steven Marker, a first-year architecture student said he would still not be interested, despite the School of Architecture's presence downtown.
In the fall, a few students were looking into living downtown, but they decided not to, he said. There are lofts available for rent but he only knows of a few students who have taken advantage of them.
"As an undergrad, I want to be as connected to this campus as possible and living downtown makes it really difficult to feel connection," Marker said.
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