Tardiff named city director of neighborhood & business data and evaluation

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SYRACUSE — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh recently announced the appointment of Rose Tardiff as director of neighborhood and business data and evaluation. In this post, Tardiff oversees data evaluation and analysis of programs and policies administered by the city’s Department of Neighborhood and Business Development (NBD). She is responsible for managing data collection, along with […]

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Willow Street restoration project was a labor of love

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SYRACUSE — When Joseph Crabbe and his business partner, Rosario Amato, first purchased the old Howard & Jennings pump factory building at 123-129 E. Willow St. in downtown Syracuse several years ago, the plan was to open a restaurant there. The pair already operate eight Original Italian Pizza (OIP) restaurants, but ultimately steered away from

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The pair already operate eight Original Italian Pizza (OIP) restaurants, but ultimately steered away from their restaurant plans for the building with the nearby I-81 viaduct project and increasing costs as key factors.

“We ended up switching gears,” Crabbe says of their plans. “It became too overwhelming to do what we wanted to do.” They pivoted and opted to renovate the 1879 building into ground-floor commercial space and four apartments upstairs.

Once home to the Colella Galleries antique store, the building has quite a history, according to a collection of newspaper clippings and information amassed by Crabbe. Designed by architect Charles E. Colton, the building became a concern to the city in 1971 when bricks fell from the front of the building. Nicholas Collela renovated the building in the early 1970s, and then renovated it again after a 1975 explosion on the 200 block of North Salina Street damaged the building. The building’s fourth floor was destroyed in the blast and wasn’t rebuilt.

Crabbe says they needed to make sure the building, which still boasts two of its original three rooftop gargoyles, was historically restored when they started the project.

“We ended up gutting the entire place,” he says. The business partners spent a total of $1.9 million to purchase and renovate the building. The end result is Willow 123 Lofts — four luxury apartments and 3,000 square feet of commercial space.

The apartments range from about 1,450 square feet to just over 1,600 square feet for the penthouse unit. Each unit has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and 12-foot ceilings. Three units showcase the original wood-support beams of the building. The penthouse includes a mezzanine level and a rooftop terrace. All of the units feature granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances, and parking is available.

The goal, Crabbe says, was to build the kind of apartment he would want to live in.

“I fell in love with the project,” he adds.

While leasing the apartments was fairly easy, Crabbe says he’s having a harder time leasing the commercial space. It isn’t due to lack of interest, he notes, but because he’s being picky about what type of business goes into the space.

“I think it would make a great café,” he says. An office or even retail space would also be a good fit, considering the tenants up above.

Crabbe is ok being patient and waiting for the right tenant for the space, especially with the I-81 project looming.

“When the 81 project is done, that building is going to be on a great corner,” he notes.

New club brings song, dance, comedy, and more to Syracuse

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SYRACUSE — Couldn’t get tickets for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour? The city’s new nightclub, The Song & Dance, has you covered. Do you love metal, emo, pop? Whatever the genre, they’ve got you covered there, too. The club, which opened in early August, is a venue for everyone, co-owner and co-founder Eric Binion says.

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SYRACUSE — Couldn’t get tickets for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour?

The city’s new nightclub, The Song & Dance, has you covered.

Do you love metal, emo, pop? Whatever the genre, they’ve got you covered there, too.

The club, which opened in early August, is a venue for everyone, co-owner and co-founder Eric Binion says.

“You could go there one night and see a bluegrass show, and the next night see a heavy-metal show,” he says.

Binion and his business partner, Dennis Ferry, both work as talent buyers at After Dark Entertainment, Inc., a Buffalo–based independent concert promoter bringing shows to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and the Finger Lakes.

“Opening our own venue in Syracuse was the next logical step,” Binion says. Syracuse makes sense, not just because he lives here, but because the city lacks smaller venues like The Song & Dance.

At about 3,700 square feet, the club can hold just under 400 people, which is exactly the size they were seeking, Binion says.

The idea to open their own club first started about five years ago, and it was a process to find just the right location. “Then we found this spot at the Acropolis Center,” he says.

Located at 115 E. Jefferson St., the building is just around the corner from The Landmark Theatre and has both office and retail space for lease. The Song & Dance is located in the basement, which provides ideal acoustics for musical performances, Binion says.

The pair worked with Ryan Benz of Acropolis Realty Group to find the space and began work at the beginning of this year to get it ready. Unique Development Companies of Syracuse was the general contractor on the project, which included building a stage, green room, bathrooms (including separate bathrooms for performers), and a bar.

“We were able to build the space exactly how we wanted it to be,” Binion says. The interior of the club was intentionally left without any specific theming, he notes, so that all types of acts feel right at home.

The Song & Dance is right in the sweet-spot capacity-wise, he says, for club-sized acts. “It’s that nice in-between spot,” he says. “Not too big, not too small.” More importantly, it means acts looking for venues that size no longer have to bypass Syracuse when setting up their tours.

As talent buyers, Binion and Ferry can now offer their venue up to artists and have been busy booking events including various musical acts and themed nights devoted to artists like Taylor Swift or themes like disco, anime, and gamers.

And while ticket prices are set by the artists, most average around $20, making The Song & Dance an affordable option for a night out,

Along with bringing more performances to Syracuse, the club also helps bring people out in the community when they come to see events, Binion says. He hopes those crowds benefit other area businesses like restaurants. The Song & Dance also sets every performer up with an advance package that includes local business information such as restaurants they may wish to visit while in town.

The nightclub includes a bar and limited food options. The Song & Dance is only open on event nights and employs as many as 10 people per event.

Renovation work on Chimes building slated to start in early 2024

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SYRACUSE — The Allyn Family Foundation hopes to begin renovation work inside the Chimes building at 500 S. Salina St. in Syracuse during the first quarter of 2024 and complete the project in about 15 months. That’s according to Meg O’Connell, executive director of the Allyn Family Foundation, who spoke with CNYBJ in an Aug.

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That’s according to Meg O’Connell, executive director of the Allyn Family Foundation, who spoke with CNYBJ in an Aug. 7 telephone interview.

The foundation, which is made up of members of the Allyn family, awarded a grant of $8.2 million to a nonprofit it set up, called SEED Syracuse, that handled the purchase. SEED is short for Social Equity Economic Development. The building acquisition closed on July 14.

Plans call for renovating the Chimes building into 150 mixed-income units with additional retail and office space on the first and second floors.

“Our work with the Salt City Market’s 26 mixed-income apartments showed us that there is a major need for quality, affordable housing in Downtown Syracuse,” the Allyn Family Foundation said in a July 19 Facebook post.

The 152,000-square-foot structure has 12 floors. O’Connell also notes that the building does have a 13th floor on the top, which basically functions as an office and nothing more.

The Chimes building is listed on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. The previous owner had secured some historical tax credits and started work on completing two phases of renovation work. Even though the owner was awarded the credits, they were never used, according to O’Connell.

“The time has lapsed now. We’re new owners, so we have to go through this whole process [to secure the credits again],” says O’Connell. “We have already put out an RFP [request for proposals] for architectural services and we hope to have an architect on board by mid-September.”

The Allyn Family Foundation will also issue an RFP for a general contractor later this fall, she adds.

O’Connell went on to say that in the time that the Salt City Market has had operations, the foundation has looked at the Chimes building with “increased frustration” that the previous owner, 500 Salina Enterprises, LLC, wasn’t finishing the planned renovation work.

Chimes building interest

O’Connell thinks buying the Chimes building made “logical sense.”

The Allyn Family Foundation has invested “a lot” into the southern end of downtown, including the creation of the Salt City Market.

She also noted additional activity in the area, including the rebirth of the Hotel Syracuse as the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, the renovation work at the Symphony Towers building next to the Marriott and across from the Salt City Market, the Centro bus hub, and the upcoming STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) school.

In her mind, it’s time to add the Chimes building to that list.

“The Chimes building was just this iconic, beautiful, historic building that really was the anchor for downtown, the southern end,” O’Connell says.

Cake Bar brings Vietnamese flavors to downtown Syracuse

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SYRACUSE — When Duyen Nguyen immigrated in 2012 from Vietnam to the United States, she thought she would end up working in New York City as a designer. Instead, she ended up working at a tea room in Syracuse. Fate, it seems, had other plans for her, and Nguyen soon realized the need for places

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Fate, it seems, had other plans for her, and Nguyen soon realized the need for places in Syracuse for young people to hang out that weren’t bars. Couple that with missing the coffee shops of Vietnam, Nguyen put the two together to open Cake Bar, a local bakery and bubble tea shop.

“The whole business plan is to bring a whole Vietnamese coffee culture to Syracuse,” she says. Many coffee shops in Vietnam are open around the clock, and they serve much more than coffee. “You go there to eat a dessert, hang out with friends, and drink a coffee,” Nguyen says.

With an idea and a business plan in hand, she knew Salt City Market would be a great place to test the waters. Cake Bar opened there in January 2021, serving up treats that Nguyen first whipped up for friends and family after missing her favorite treats from home.

“We bring a lot of Asian flavors,” she says. Many of her desserts are less sweet than their American counterparts and feature flavors such as taro, fresh fruits, and seasonal flavors such as persimmon.

The response to Cake Bar was a bit more positive than Nguyen expected, and it wasn’t long before she felt the confines of the small space in Salt City Market, where vendors rent stalls.

She had plans to open a larger location down the road but ended up revamping her plans and opening a 2,400-square-foot second café at 252 West Genesee St. in August 2022.

The second, larger location allowed Nguyen to expand her menu to include some savory items in her menu. She pairs the treats with various teas and Vietnamese coffee in flavors beyond the traditional strong coffee lightened with condensed milk that people might be familiar with. Other options include taro, coconut, frozen, and even egg coffee. She’s already at work expanding her menu even more in the West Genesee Street café and has equipment on order that will allow the business to serve breakfast sandwiches.

“That was a surprise for me,” Nguyen says of having to open a second site a little over a year after opening the first. Her original plan was to use the first year to learn all the ins and outs of running her business and begin marketing it more in the second year. However, with the additional location, the second year in business became a second year of learning in the new café.

“Now this year, we try to advertise for the store,” she quips.

Another surprise for Nguyen was realizing she now employs 17 people — and she’s still hiring more. Adding more staff members is a bit of a dilemma though, she says, because if she adds any more employees to the kitchen, she may need a third, even larger location.

Her kitchen is full right now of team members baking treats and cooking food for the café and with others baking catering orders.

“I’m kind of happy that customers love our stuff,” Nguyen says. And it’s not just young people like she originally expected. At both locations, her customers span generations, and it’s not uncommon to have whole families stop in.

Putting it all together is a labor of love for Nguyen. “Everything I want to do for my business is to represent Vietnam,” she says. “It actually makes me love my country more.”

Cake Bar’s Salt City Market location is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. offering a limited menu of bubble tea, cakes, cookies, and cupcakes.

The West Genesee Street café is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a full menu of coffee, bubble tea, pastries, dessert, and breakfast items.

Carm’s Doghouse heads downtown to Byrne Square Building

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Carm’s Doghouse is heading downtown. The dog daycare and grooming business will open its fourth location this fall in the Byrne Square Building, at 308 West Genesee St. in Syracuse. But the plans don’t stop there, business and building owner Carmen Cesta says. Cesta, who opened the first Carm’s Doghouse in 2010, purchased

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SYRACUSE — Carm’s Doghouse is heading downtown.

The dog daycare and grooming business will open its fourth location this fall in the Byrne Square Building, at 308 West Genesee St. in Syracuse.

But the plans don’t stop there, business and building owner Carmen Cesta says. Cesta, who opened the first Carm’s Doghouse in 2010, purchased the Byrne Square Building for $650,000 in March. His plans include the newest daycare location along with a retail pet store, plus three luxury two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors.

The Cicero native has always had a passion for animals. After graduating from high school in 2008, he spent a few years working for the family towing business before opening his first Carm’s Doghouse location. Two more locations followed after that, and the business currently operates facilities in Cicero, Baldwinsville, and Liverpool.

“This will be number four downtown,” Cesta says. His plans call for 7,000 square feet of daycare, boarding, and grooming space in the building’s basement. That includes a 20-foot by 10-foot inground pool for his canine guests to enjoy.

His entry into the retail pet store business is a natural evolution since his daycare locations already sell pet supplies and his website includes an online store. Cesta says he was able to purchase the assets of a now defunct pet store and is excited to open a full retail location.

The idea for a downtown dog daycare first began percolating about four years ago when the City of Syracuse approached him with the idea as it sought out potential reuse for the Byrne Square Building. The only problem was that the building wasn’t zoned for that type of business, Cesta says. Then the pandemic struck, and the entire process slowed down. The city finally rezoned the building about two months ago, he adds.

“It was about a four-year battle,” Cesta says, adding that the city has been great to work with on the project. He also worked with Pathfinder Bank to finance the purchase.

Cesta’s research showed that the Franklin Square area, with about 450 registered dogs, was a prime market for a Carm’s Doghouse. The area is also home to many offices, which means workers who might not like leaving their dog home alone all day, he adds.

Since he started working on the building, Cesta has already noticed a growing interest, stating that about 200 to 300 people have inquired about the business.

“I think it’s going to do extremely well,” he says.

Plans are still fluid, but Cesta is targeting an Oct. 1 opening for the pet store, followed by the daycare about a month later.

He hopes to begin work on the upstairs apartments by next spring. “By this time next year, the building will be 100 percent complete,” he says.

Cesta, who is doing all the remodeling work himself with a small crew, says the apartments will lease for $2,500 a month and include doggy-daycare services. He says that’s a $600-a-month value, plus offers the convenience of having it located right downstairs.

He is currently hiring for both the daycare and retail operations.

Along with Carm’s Doghouse, Cesta owns several rental properties in the region and is also working with a solar company to open a 150-acre solar farm on 214 acres near Central Square. Cesta purchased the former North Country Plaza, located on the corner of State Route 11 and County Route 4 in the town of Hastings, in 2021 and plans to renovate the plaza.

OCWA water-treatment exhibit appears at the MOST

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The OCWA exhibit about the treatment and transmission of water in Central New York will be available through late November at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) in Syracuse. A ribbon-cutting ceremony on the morning of Aug. 31 acknowledged the opening of the exhibit, OCWA announced. OCWA employees, authority

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony on the morning of Aug. 31 acknowledged the opening of the exhibit, OCWA announced. OCWA employees, authority members, and various community supporters, including elected officials, participated in the event.

OCWA, located at 200 Northern Concourse in the town of Salina, describes itself as “Central New York’s Water Authority.” The acronym OCWA is short for Onondaga County Water Authority.

OCWA’s educational exhibit, called “How Your Water Works,” is on display now through Nov. 26, part of the Syracuse Innovation Station located on the first floor of the MOST. It includes a water-pipe display, historical timeline, photo cutout banner, fun facts about OCWA, and an interactive water table for children to enjoy.

“We often get questions from the community about how our water gets from point A to point B,” Jeff Brown, OCWA executive director, said in an OCWA announcement. “We hope many individuals and families will enjoy our exhibit, and we sincerely thank the MOST for providing us with this unique opportunity to highlight what we do at OCWA and how we serve customers with fresh, safe, and reliable drinking water.”

Lauren Kochian, president of the MOST, also commented on the OCWA exhibit.

“Water infrastructure is such an important part of our world, and this exhibit gives visitors the chance to better understand how water — one of our most valuable resources — is managed sustainably,” she said.

The Syracuse Innovation Station features innovations, industries, and inventions that are “exclusive” to the Syracuse area, providing families with an opportunity to discuss the technology and new advancements in our region. New displays and demonstrations are added regularly, OCWA noted.

About OCWA

OCWA was established by act of the New York State Legislature in 1951 and currently serves about 500,000 residents in Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, Cayuga, and Oneida counties.

The authority says it is among the 125 largest public drinking-water systems in the country, operating two major water-treatment facilities, more than 2,150 miles of main, over 13,300 fire hydrants, more than 60 storage facilities, and 47 pump stations.

About the MOST

The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) is a hands-on science and technology museum for all ages located at 500 S. Franklin St. in the Armory Square area of Syracuse.

The MOST hosts numerous STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education programs and community outreach events annually. It is home to 35,000 square feet of interactive permanent and traveling exhibits.

The organization says its vision is to be a “preeminent science and technology center, inspiring all generations through hands-on education and entertainment.”

City of Syracuse converts Clinton Street into two ways

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh on Aug. 1 announced the completion of a road reconstruction project on South Clinton Street, converting the street from one way to two ways between West Jefferson and Taylor Streets. The conversion makes it easier to get around downtown Syracuse and improves safety for pedestrians and drivers, the mayor

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City of Syracuse moves offices to One Park Place

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SYRACUSE — The City of Syracuse recently completed the move of numerous offices from City Hall Commons to One Park Place. The move was part of the city’s initiative to rehabilitate and redevelop the historic flatiron-style City Hall Commons building. The following City of Syracuse departments and divisions relocated to floor 7 at One Park

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SYRACUSE — The City of Syracuse recently completed the move of numerous offices from City Hall Commons to One Park Place.

The move was part of the city’s initiative to rehabilitate and redevelop the historic flatiron-style City Hall Commons building.

The following City of Syracuse departments and divisions relocated to floor 7 at One Park Place (located at 300 South State St.) and reopened to the public on Aug. 29, after being temporary closed to walk-in visitors for one week:

• Citizen Review Board

• Code Enforcement

• Mayor’s Office to Reduce Gun Violence

• Neighborhood and Business Development

• Neighborhood Watch

• Planning and Sustainability

• Syracuse Fire Department: Bureau of Fire Prevention

• Syracuse Police Department: Ordinance Enforcement

• Syracuse Police Department: Office of Professional Standards

The new city offices at One Park Place will “provide a collaborative and efficient workspace designed to improve staff work environment and enhance constituent services,” , according to a news release from Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh’s office.

Visitors need to check in with the building-security attendant on floor 1 before they can access the elevator to reach city offices, per the mayor’s office. The main entrance to One Park Place should be accessed from South State Street.

The City’s Central Permit Office reopened on Aug. 25 and has a separate entrance located on the south side of the building, on East Onondaga Street. Limited off-street parking is available for visitors at the One Park Place parking lot, located at 343 E. Onondaga St.

“I am excited about what this move means to the people we serve,” Mayor Walsh said in the release. “The new Central Permit Office is more easily accessible and offers a one-stop shop for anyone needing assistance with permits, licenses, and inspections. All other departments and divisions are now located on the same floor, with a central reception and waiting area. The change allows us to deliver more efficient services and improves the overall experience for visitors.”

Pallo fills city communications role for neighborhood and business development

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SYRACUSE — Sarah Pallo has recently begun serving as public information officer for neighborhood and business development for the City of Syracuse. As part of the city Communications Office, Pallo is responsible for a wide range of public information and communication activities supporting neighborhood development, business development, code enforcement, and planning and sustainability, according to

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SYRACUSE — Sarah Pallo has recently begun serving as public information officer for neighborhood and business development for the City of Syracuse.

As part of the city Communications Office, Pallo is responsible for a wide range of public information and communication activities supporting neighborhood development, business development, code enforcement, and planning and sustainability, according to a Sept. 1 release from the office of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.

Pallo is tasked with providing information to businesses and neighborhoods by producing communications and content for web, print, and social media. She will develop and distribute public information to educate and engage businesses, residents, and media on ongoing and upcoming projects and initiatives related to housing, neighborhood health and safety, property development, business opportunities, historic preservation, and land use. Pallo will also work with the public to answer questions and receive recommendations to help inform and improve agency programs, the release stated.

A Syracuse native, Pallo has spent the last 15 years involved in support and development of local businesses in the city of Syracuse. Most recently, she was the general manager at Otro Cinco, where she led the reopening of the restaurant’s new concept and design. She directed restaurant branding and developed a comprehensive marketing strategy to drive business, while working to ensure customers enjoyed their dining experience, the mayor’s office said.

Pallo also worked for the Northside Urban Partnership as a program coordinator for business development. In this role, she shaped the creation and launch of Up Start, a collaborative business-development program that connects local, service-based businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs to the tools and networks that help them thrive, per the release. She also strengthened the local business community by providing engagement opportunities, marketing assistance, and support to Northside businesses and members of SyracuseFirst, a nonprofit that encourages citizens to “think local first”.

Pallo received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and communications at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, or ESF.

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