SYRACUSE — COR Development Company, LLC, is wrapping things up with the second phase of its Iron Pier development project in the Syracuse Inner Harbor and getting ready to move on to the third phase.

The real-estate development company is busy leasing out commercial space in its Iron Pier Apartments, which consists of two four-story buildings with 112 apartments and 37,000 square feet of first-floor commercial space.

First opened in 2018, all apartments at Iron Pier are fully occupied and there is a wait list, says Steven Aiello, director of community and external relations and assistant director of finance at COR.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, things moved a little slower when it came to leasing out the commercial space, he says. “Now momentum is really picking up.”

Iron Pier’s first anchor tenant, Meier’s Creek Brewing Company at Inner Harbor, opened this past January. “It’s been a great success this summer, especially with the public,” Aiello says of the taproom and eatery, which is a satellite location for the Meier’s Creek brewery in Cazenovia.

The pub is popular with Iron Pier tenants as well as walkers and bikers enjoying the Inner Harbor, he adds. And now, a new eatery will be opening soon right next door.

Cafe Blue, operated by Blueberries & Lace food truck owner Olivia Orlando, will open later this year next to Meier’s Creek Brewing.

“There has been a lot of demand for coffee and pastries,” Aiello says. The café will be open in the mornings into lunch serving soups, salads, and sandwiches.

“We think it’s going to be the perfect compliment for now and future development,” he says. “We know she (Orlando) is going to do an absolutely fantastic job.”

Orlando’s Blueberries & Lace food truck regularly participates in events in the Inner Harbor, so her food is already well known to residents, Aiello adds. He expects the permitting process to wrap up in early fall with an end-of-year opening planned for the café.

Interest in the remaining commercial space at Iron Pier has picked up significantly now that places like Meier’s Creek and the 315 Beauty Bar salon, which opened in 2019, are up and running. Onondaga County’s planned $85 million aquarium project to create a tourist attraction is only adding to the interest form other businesses wanting to locate in the Inner Harbor, Aiello says.

It all comes together to create a vision for a vibrant waterfront district that is also connected to downtown Syracuse via the Onondaga Creek. The nearly five-mile path runs from the Inner Harbor to Armory Square and beyond to Kirk Park.

COR’s overall plan for the Iron Pier project includes 600 housing units and up to an additional 100,000 square feet of commercial space. The first phase was the Aloft Syracuse Inner Harbor hotel, located at 310 West Kirkpatrick St. “Having all that built together … really is what makes these live, work, play, dine locations successful,” Aiello notes.

“It’s not just about how many buildings can be built,” he says. “A big part of this is events and programming.” It’s about having businesses that serve the daily needs of tenants and activities for tenants and others to enjoy.”

That said, with a waiting list for housing, COR is moving forward with its third planned phase of Iron Pier and is currently designing senior housing and a new building that will hold more market-rate apartments.

Between the amenities already in place, the aquarium, and even the potential for a chip fabrication plant in Onondaga County, Aiello says things are looking bright for the Syracuse Inner Harbor and the region as a whole. “The outlook for upstate is very positive.”       

SYRACUSE — This fall, Armory Square gains two new options for people looking to get a bite to eat or enjoy a drink when The Taphouse on Walton and sister business Taphouse Bread Company open their doors.

Kyle Mastropietro, president of Mastro Restaurant Group, says The Taphouse on Walton, at 165 Walton St., will serve a variety of beers, wine, and spirits. The taproom has 40 taps, 10 of which will feature the same beers. The other 30 taps will always be changing, he says, and feature local breweries and seasonal brews. It will be “all our local breweries that we are so lucky to have and that are so good,” he adds.

The taproom will also feature a wine-dispensing system for pricier wines, allowing Mastropietro to sell more-expensive wines by the ounce instead of just by the bottle. 

“What this will allow you to do is try that $200 or $300 bottle of wine by the ounce,” he says. Where he can, he wants to bring in new and unique offerings for customers to try.

Paired with it all are sandwiches, cheese boards, and flatbreads, many that will feature bread from the Taphouse Bread Company next door. 

“The food is going to match it all,” Mastropietro says. 

Patterned after a French bakery, Taphouse Bread Company will make pastries and specialize in sourdough bread, featuring some of the same flavor profiles as the beers served next door. “The bakery is going to be the engine for our menu,” he says. Along with supplying bread for the taproom, the bakery will be open to the public.

Mastropietro rents his space from Pacific Properties. The Taphouse on Walton will seat about 84 people including the bar and lounge spaces. The taphouse is about 4,900 square feet, with the bakery occupying another 1,200 square feet next door. He expects to employ about 10 people at the bakery and between 16 and 20 employees at the taproom.

After some delay in getting the necessary permits, work began in June to renovate the space, which was formerly home to The Blue Tusk pub and restaurant. During the permit delay, Mastropietro says he was able to stockpile building materials and supplies and then hit the ground running when work began. He is the project’s general contractor and hired a slate of subcontractors to complete the work.

“Everything is going to be brand new in there,” he says, including new flooring, new plumbing, a new bar, and a completely new layout for the space. “It was exactly what I wanted to do for my next project.” 

Mastropietro declined to disclose the project cost.

“We didn’t want to add something to Armory Square that is already here,” he says of his newest concept. Mastropietro believes the more variety there is and the more successful the businesses are, the more those businesses all lift each other up. “We really care a lot about this neighborhood,” he says.

Mastropietro is hoping for an October opening for his new business ventures. He also owns the Kasai Ramen restaurant at 218 Walton St.