Members of the Syracuse Common Council have requested the state of New York return surplus land currently occupied by the Interstate 81 viaduct upon its planned demolition. 

While the portion of the project that includes demolition of the viaduct is still held up in court, the Common Council is looking ahead.   

They say the state forcibly took the land via eminent domain in the early 1960s to build the highway and are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to give the city control over what happens to it next. 

The city is pushing for retail and affordable housing projects along the proposed boulevard once the viaduct is demolished.

Those who spoke said racist policies of the 1950s and 60s created the viaduct and destroyed the 15th Ward — then the nerve center of the city’s Black community — and project planners at the city level stressed they are best equipped to reverse those wrongs of the past.

They say they are looking to create a neighborhood that resembles the 15th Ward — and understand what that takes. 

“I think the city are the ones who have their ear closest to the ground, getting to know the people in the corridor and getting a sense of what people want, what people’s concerns are, and I think we have a vision for how to do that," said Joseph Driscoll, I-81 project director for the city of Syracuse.

The New York State Civil Liberties Union spoke out against the move — expressing concern that recent rezoning efforts by the city have put the concerns of developers before the concerns of Black residents. 

The mayor’s office indicated that they support the Common Council’s request.