Developer hopes to start demolition work for Onondaga Hotel later this year

SYRACUSE — The Onondaga Hotel project is on track for a tentative parking-garage demolition in late 2025, with a 24-month time frame from the groundbreaking to the opening of the facility. That’s according to an Aug. 26 email from the City of Syracuse to CNYBJ. The developer, Sun Development & Management Corporation, plans to demolish the Warren Street parking garage before beginning work on hotel construction. City officials and the developer announced the project on Jan. 24 in the City of Syracuse’s office space in One Park Place at 300 S. State St. The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency (SIDA) selected Sun Development & Management Companies — one of the largest Hilton hotel developers in the nation — to build the upcoming 240-room hotel at the corner of East Fayette Street and South Warren Street. M. Lemp Park currently occupies the site, which is just north of the South Warren Street parking garage. “We’ve had a lot of housing development, which we know we need, but with some of the housing development, we’ve seen some hotel rooms come offline and that’s presented us with some challenges,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said to open his remarks at the project announcement. In total, the project will result in about 330 construction jobs, 52 permanent jobs, and $87 million in new investment for downtown Syracuse, according to the city’s announcement. “Gaining a new full-service hotel in the heart of downtown Syracuse is an indicator of the economic development progress we have all been working hard to achieve,” Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. said. “The Onondaga Hotel will fulfill a critical need in the local tourism and convention sectors, support additional tourism activity, and create a new third space for our downtown residents and businesses.” The newly constructed nine-story, Onondaga Hotel will be a part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, a high-end boutique brand that focuses on specialty, unique designs rooted in history and local culture. Hotel amenities — including the lobby lounge, restaurant, bar, ballroom, and break-out rooms for conferences and meetings will all be located on the top level — providing a roof-top view of the city and community space for residents and visitors. “Founded in 1989, Sun Development and Management Corporation is a family company with a guiding principle to partner with communities to bring world class hospitality that local residents and businesses are proud of,” Suraj Patel, president of Sun Development and Management, said in the city’s announcement.

Project origin

The City of Syracuse had partnered with SIDA, which issued a request for proposals for the site that it owns at the corner of East Fayette Street and South Warren Street. Crews will build the hotel on both the SIDA property and additional land currently occupied by the “structurally compromised Warren Street Garage right next door,” Walsh said. As a part of the project, the Sun firm will demolish the privately-owned Warren Street garage, per the city. To support the demolition of the parking garage, Syracuse will provide a $400,000 Restore New York grant, Walsh noted in his remarks. “By repurposing this publicly owned land, working closely with our partners, we’re not only meeting the growing demand for hotel rooms and hospitality services in our city, but [also] we’re activating a new, vibrant space in the heart of downtown,” the mayor said. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon used his remarks to announce a $500,000 grant from the county’s hotel initiative, representing the largest grant the county has awarded from the program. “I want to congratulate the City, specifically, for having the vision to go out and look at your real estate and look at how that real estate can perform as we as a community strive to become the hub for memory-technology manufacturing in North America,” McMahon told the gathering in the Burnett Executive Conference Room at One Park Place. “And that’s our goal and we’re going to achieve that goal. And to do that, you need a thriving hospitality industry.”