Future Campus Framework Discussion

[IthacaMatt]

I am not a close follower of these things but my understanding is that he was a key player in the establishment of the Land Bank and the development of the Inner Harbor.

Also, I think characterizing the Hotel Syracuse rebirth as 'just the renovation of the Hotel Syracuse' is not very informed or fair. The city has tried to get that hotel, such a key part of downtown Syracuse, renovated for many years with little or no success. How many people swung and missed before this happened?

The renovation was hugely successful. The hotel is already expanding because demand for its rooms is so high. The developer is being asked to lead similar renovation efforts in other cities. The city just landed a major convention with a three year commitment in large part because of the hotel.

Have you been to the hotel post renovation? This was a huge win for the city. Other development in the area has already started or been announced based on the enormous success of the hotel renovation project. It took an eyesore and made it into a huge asset for the city.

What Ben Walsh's 6 years at Syracuse City Hall say about his potential as mayor

Yes, I've been to the hotel numerous times since it opened. I do business at the Tech Garden, right across the street, on a regular basis and often lunch at Shaughnessy's when I'm in the neighborhood. So far, it looks to me like the hotel is still teetering a bit. I don't see a ton of traffic there. I wish them great success, but I think they have a lot more marketing to do.

I have heard about his role in the Land Bank, and that has been somewhat successful in rehabilitating housing stock in poor neighborhoods and getting properties back on the tax roles, but a drive through those neighborhoods show just how much more work there is to be done.

As for his "contribution" to the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor, I wouldn't be bragging on that one so much, since Miner and her son-in-laws who work for COR turned that into a real mess, and a series of embarassing court filings.

He comes from a family who has done many good things for the city, but personally, I'm tired of seeing politics as a family business. It's one of the hallmarks of what holds back this city, in my opinion. It's all the same people who keep making the same mistakes in their positions in government. They carry grudges. They use their positions to mete out payback.

Miner was a disaster. I am hopeful that Walsh can do better. It's a low bar that he faces. Personally, I think someone like Andrew Maxwell was way more qualified to be mayor, but he chose not to run.

 

[OttoMets]

Yes, I've been to the hotel numerous times since it opened. I do business at the Tech Garden, right across the street, on a regular basis and often lunch at Shaughnessy's when I'm in the neighborhood. So far, it looks to me like the hotel is still teetering a bit. I don't see a ton of traffic there. I wish them great success, but I think they have a lot more marketing to do.

I have heard about his role in the Land Bank, and that has been somewhat successful in rehabilitating housing stock in poor neighborhoods and getting properties back on the tax roles, but a drive through those neighborhoods show just how much more work there is to be done.

As for his "contribution" to the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor, I wouldn't be bragging on that one so much, since Miner and her son-in-laws who work for COR turned that into a real mess, and a series of embarassing court filings.

He comes from a family who has done many good things for the city, but personally, I'm tired of seeing politics as a family business. It's one of the hallmarks of what holds back this city, in my opinion. It's all the same people who keep making the same mistakes in their positions in government. They carry grudges. They use their positions to mete out payback.

Miner was a disaster. I am hopeful that Walsh can do better. It's a low bar that he faces. Personally, I think someone like Andrew Maxwell was way more qualified to be mayor, but he chose not to run.

The hotel is often quiet and I share your concern to an extent (though this is Central New York, where occupancy rates hover in the low 60s and margins are very thin), but I wonder if Ed Riley would be going ahead with this major expansion (~60 rooms) if things weren't going well. When the project got underway, the guest room expansion was intended to occur several years out, not 12 months later. I don't know anything you don't, but it's food for thought.

The Land Bank is an unqualified success. I also don't recall Ben having as much involvement as was portrayed here (and it wasn't a heavy lift either way; the state opened the door and the city's administered the program pretty well), but everyone involved has earned some back-patting. They'll need continued buy-in from the council because self-sustainability is years off. But they've stabilized a lot of properties on a lot of blocks and earned good press while doing so.

The Harbor's disappointing. I believe they made the best of a bad situation, convincing the state to conditionally turn the property over after it couldn't generate an offer in a decade, getting three legitimate offers under an RFP in a year, and taking by far the best offer. Unfortunately that offer came from a mediocre suburban plaza developer with no relevant experience, looming indictments, and a dishonest streak with regard to public financing. But there is steel in the air there after 20 years of waiting. I don't love it, but let's not sell that achievement short.

Agree completely about the family business. It's not the root of all the problems, but Syracuse isn't helped by the same couple dozen multi-generational families controlling government. Come on, you're the people who've been making the wrong decisions for 50 years, why should you be the solution, too?

Andy Maxwell would've won by 20 points if he'd gotten his party's nomination. But his party's a mess. And he wasn't going to tangle with Ben as another third-party candidate. He'll be mayor at some point in the next 15 years. We'll see if that's a good thing.

I'd be curious to know which of Miner's failings Walsh can improve on. I can see some low-hanging fruit out there, but there are a lot of challenges that he's got no control over and there have been a lot of achievements in eight years that he'd be happy to sustain or match.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I'd be curious to know which of Miner's failings Walsh can improve on. I can see some low-hanging fruit out there, but there are a lot of challenges that he's got no control over and there have been a lot of achievements in eight years that he'd be happy to sustain or match.

I think the easiest, by far, is just to get along with state government. It seemed like Miner went out of her way to pick a fight with Cuomo, which is just short sighted. Her interpersonal style was sharp and abrupt and she always seemed to be spoiling for a fight. Same thing with Miner's relationship with Joanie Mahoney. Miner clearly had an inferiority complex with her.

That's what I mean by "a low bar". Certainly, Walsh should have learned from his father, in particular, the art and necessity of compromise in politics. It's kind of refreshing that he won as an "independent". I'm curious just how "Republican" his politics will be. So long as he focuses on business development and stays away from the national party's social agenda, he might be able to do some good things. Fingers crossed.

 

[Newhouser]

The hotel is often quiet and I share your concern to an extent (though this is Central New York, where occupancy rates hover in the low 60s and margins are very thin), but I wonder if Ed Riley would be going ahead with this major expansion (~60 rooms) if things weren't going well. When the project got underway, the guest room expansion was intended to occur several years out, not 12 months later. I don't know anything you don't, but it's food for thought.

The Land Bank is an unqualified success. I also don't recall Ben having as much involvement as was portrayed here (and it wasn't a heavy lift either way; the state opened the door and the city's administered the program pretty well), but everyone involved has earned some back-patting. They'll need continued buy-in from the council because self-sustainability is years off. But they've stabilized a lot of properties on a lot of blocks and earned good press while doing so.

The Harbor's disappointing. I believe they made the best of a bad situation, convincing the state to conditionally turn the property over after it couldn't generate an offer in a decade, getting three legitimate offers under an RFP in a year, and taking by far the best offer. Unfortunately that offer came from a mediocre suburban plaza developer with no relevant experience, looming indictments, and a dishonest streak with regard to public financing. But there is steel in the air there after 20 years of waiting. I don't love it, but let's not sell that achievement short.

Agree completely about the family business. It's not the root of all the problems, but Syracuse isn't helped by the same couple dozen multi-generational families controlling government. Come on, you're the people who've been making the wrong decisions for 50 years, why should you be the solution, too?

Andy Maxwell would've won by 20 points if he'd gotten his party's nomination. But his party's a mess. And he wasn't going to tangle with Ben as another third-party candidate. He'll be mayor at some point in the next 15 years. We'll see if that's a good thing.

I'd be curious to know which of Miner's failings Walsh can improve on. I can see some low-hanging fruit out there, but there are a lot of challenges that he's got no control over and there have been a lot of achievements in eight years that he'd be happy to sustain or match.

Are we positive the additional rooms are being finished? I'm not sure that is true anymore and with what appears to be a new hotel going up every time I drive thru the area, I can't imagine there is a rush to add more rooms.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Are we positive the additional rooms are being finished? I'm not sure that is true anymore and with what appears to be a new hotel going up every time I drive thru the area, I can't imagine there is a rush to add more rooms.

I thought the expansion was for apartments on the upper floors, although I might be mixing that up with other buildings being redeveloped downtown.

 

[upperdeck]

So according to Millhouse if he just goes for it on 4th down the city will improve?

 

[OttoMets]

Are we positive the additional rooms are being finished? I'm not sure that is true anymore and with what appears to be a new hotel going up every time I drive thru the area, I can't imagine there is a rush to add more rooms.

It surprises me, too. Not sure if the work began yet, but I'm sure they were supposed to deliver before the bowling convention next year.

We're definitely over-hoteled up here. Not all rooms are created equal, so I think the Marriott will stay competitive (if I were traveling to a Syracuse-like city, I'd stay there or someplace like it rather than in Carrier Circle 100 times out of 100) if they can keep their rates reasonable. But in the early going I believe the event business was making up for a lot of 20% occupancy nights.

I think the easiest, by far, is just to get along with state government. It seemed like Miner went out of her way to pick a fight with Cuomo, which is just short sighted. Her interpersonal style was sharp and abrupt and she always seemed to be spoiling for a fight. Same thing with Miner's relationship with Joanie Mahoney. Miner clearly had an inferiority complex with her.

That's what I mean by "a low bar". Certainly, Walsh should have learned from his father, in particular, the art and necessity of compromise in politics. It's kind of refreshing that he won as an "independent". I'm curious just how "Republican" his politics will be. So long as he focuses on business development and stays away from the national party's social agenda, he might be able to do some good things. Fingers crossed.

Excellent points; I agree with every bit of that. (I know some progressives are upset about Ben's unwillingness to announce support for Syracuse's sanctuary city status; dunno if that's a harbinger of more conservative drift or just a careful political stance, but I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll stay moderate at worst.)

Schools are out of his hands, but I'd like to see improvement in the police department (both nuisance crimes and more serious stuff; Miner neglected the former completely) and it'd be nice if he took hiring a little more seriously. More curious policy minds and fewer politically-connected mistresses and popular ex-SU basketball players would be a great start.

 

[Millhouse]

So according to Millhouse if he just goes for it on 4th down the city will improve?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[dooey139]

Are we positive the additional rooms are being finished? I'm not sure that is true anymore and with what appears to be a new hotel going up every time I drive thru the area, I can't imagine there is a rush to add more rooms.

It's really odd, especially with Riley partnering up with Hayner Hoyt to renovate the hotel directly next door. Don't understand the need for all these hotels in Syracuse but I'm not in the biz so it's not up to me to understand!

 

[upperdeck]

Ithaca has added and is adding about 7-8 hotels over the last few years.. No idea it was needed here but in talking with finance people we are still under served.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[rrlbees]

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

In a message to the Syracuse University community last Monday, Chancellor Kent Syverud made clear the University opposes any tax measures that would harm our graduate students, faculty, and staff, and their families.

For many weeks, the University has been in direct contact with our elected federal representatives regarding the tax reform legislation making its way through Congress. Additionally, we have worked with higher education advocacy groups locally and nationally to amplify our strong concerns in Congress.

Last week in a letter to Congressman John Katko, Chancellor Syverud strongly reiterated the University’s concerns about three very harmful provisions in the proposed legislation that would:

• repeal the tax exemption of tuition waivers for graduate students serving as teaching and research assistants;
• eliminate the deduction for interest on student loans; and
• categorize tuition benefits for employees and dependents as taxable income.

It has been a Syracuse University tradition for students to make their voices heard and much good has come from that. While the future of the tax reform and its specifics remain unclear, we will continue to work with the elected representatives from the Graduate Student Organization to advocate on behalf of our graduate students during this unsettling and disconcerting time.

As Chancellor Syverud said last week, it is important that every member of our community feels supported and empowered, as each of you plays a unique and important role in making this University an exceptional place to live, study, work, and learn.

 

[Whitey23]

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

In a message to the Syracuse University community last Monday, Chancellor Kent Syverud made clear the University opposes any tax measures that would harm our graduate students, faculty, and staff, and their families.

For many weeks, the University has been in direct contact with our elected federal representatives regarding the tax reform legislation making its way through Congress. Additionally, we have worked with higher education advocacy groups locally and nationally to amplify our strong concerns in Congress.

Last week in a letter to Congressman John Katko, Chancellor Syverud strongly reiterated the University’s concerns about three very harmful provisions in the proposed legislation that would:

• repeal the tax exemption of tuition waivers for graduate students serving as teaching and research assistants;
• eliminate the deduction for interest on student loans; and
• categorize tuition benefits for employees and dependents as taxable income.

It has been a Syracuse University tradition for students to make their voices heard and much good has come from that. While the future of the tax reform and its specifics remain unclear, we will continue to work with the elected representatives from the Graduate Student Organization to advocate on behalf of our graduate students during this unsettling and disconcerting time.

As Chancellor Syverud said last week, it is important that every member of our community feels supported and empowered, as each of you plays a unique and important role in making this University an exceptional place to live, study, work, and learn.

The majority of Republicans say colleges are bad for America (yes, really)

 

[Cusefan78]

All that letter confirms is that colleges across the country believe in the 1980 theme of greed is good. Salaries, tuition, housing,... are all through the roof while p5 money rolls in faster and faster and the schools are worried about what boosters can write off. Give me a break. The flip side of this is people will have to pay less in taxes and will have more money to spend with these greedy institutions.

 

[shandeezy7]

All that letter confirms is that colleges across the country believe in the 1980 theme of greed is good. Salaries, tuition, housing,... are all through the roof while p5 money rolls in faster and faster and the schools are worried about what boosters can write off. Give me a break. The flip side of this is people will have to pay less in taxes and will have more money to spend with these greedy institutions.

Except the incentive to give to these "greedy" institutions will be lessened and replaced with the incentive to keep money to their "greedy" selves.

 

[Cusefan78]

Except the incentive to give to these "greedy" institutions will be lessened and replaced with the incentive to keep money to their "greedy" selves.

So then the university will figure out another way to get our money. I will never feel guilty about keeping my own hard earned money.

 

[cuse10]

The fact that the elite Orange Club can be itemized as a donation is the University gaming the system.

 

[Cusefan78]

The fact that the elite Orange Club can be itemized as a donation is the University gaming the system.

Bingo and that is why these universities are writing these letters. It’s all about them getting what they want and not necessarily what’s good for us.

 

[shandeezy7]

So then the university will figure out another way to get our money. I will never feel guilty about keeping my own hard earned money.

No one is forcing you to give up your money. Even in the current tax structure, no one is forced to donate anything. However, it's my opinion that having an incentive for charitable donations is beneficial to society (as there are thousand of non-profits beyond universities that have zero revenue sources beyond donations).

 

[rrlbees]

The fact that the elite Orange Club can be itemized as a donation is the University gaming the system.

Gaming the system? The system allows for the itemization. SU isn’t doing anything wrong. And elite Orange Club? You hate donors? Guess you don’t want D1 athletics.

 

[AAM62]

No one is forcing you to give up your money. Even in the current tax structure, no one is forced to donate anything. However, it's my opinion that having an incentive for charitable donations is beneficial to society (as there are thousand of non-profits beyond universities that have zero revenue sources beyond donations).

this

 

[AAM62]

Gaming the system? The system allows for the itemization. SU isn’t doing anything wrong. And elite Orange Club? You hate donors? Guess you don’t want D1 athletics.

this

 

[Millhouse]

All that letter confirms is that colleges across the country believe in the 1980 theme of greed is good. Salaries, tuition, housing,... are all through the roof while p5 money rolls in faster and faster and the schools are worried about what boosters can write off. Give me a break. The flip side of this is people will have to pay less in taxes and will have more money to spend with these greedy institutions.

A bedrock principle of the founding fathers is that people who buy good seats to football games should pay lower taxes than people who don't like football.

 

[Cusefan78]

I’m still confused on the principle of a forced donation. If you don’t donate you can’t have the seat. Why not just build the donation into the seat price and stop trying to make it something it’s not. Also people for the most part are good natured and don’t look at donations as a write off. They do donations cause it makes them feel good or cause they want to. That won’t change because you can’t deduct it on your taxes.

 

[cuse10]

Gaming the system? The system allows for the itemization. SU isn’t doing anything wrong. And elite Orange Club? You hate donors? Guess you don’t want D1 athletics.

Athletics wasn't the only reason I went to SU. What was it for you, if you actually went there.