50 New Apartments to Revitalize Syracuse North Side

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Two Central New York housing companies plan to build 50 new apartments in the area near St. Joseph’s Hospital by the end of 2010.

The apartments, called Prospect Hill Homes, are an $11.8 million project of St. Joseph’s Hospital and the city of Syracuse. Home Headquarters and Housing Visions are the two development companies that will handle the 18 month task. They will build one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments.

St. Joseph’s Hospital is located on the hill in the North Side of Syracuse, an area where many of the surrounding homes are falling apart. Hospital director of marketing Kerry Ganci says the neighborhood does not appear attractive and makes some visitors uncomfortable.

“Our patients – particularly those who come to us from rural communities – weren’t feeling as comfortable as they used to feel coming here,” Ganci said. “As you approach the hospital, the neighborhood around it is what you come to first.”

Housing Visions celebrated the groundbreaking of the project this past Tuesday on North Townsend Street. Michael LaFlair, the project manager for Housing Visions, says the houses will be affordable for people with incomes at or below 60 percent of the area’s median income. He says the new houses could increase the potential value of other homes in the neighborhood.

“Maybe the neighbors will think, ‘These things are looking pretty good. They’re going to bring our property value up. Maybe I’ll cut my grass more often. Maybe I’ll fix that fence or put a fresh coat of paint on it.”

LaFlair says there are currently no plans to renovate older houses in the area.