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Editorial January 7, 2007 It's time to discuss Route 81 again. What yesterday may have been a harebrained scheme is increasingly understood as a huge money saver. Oh, and it also builds community and real estate value.  At the  Highways to Boulevards web page of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), you can see photos, read more about this option, and see what Buffalo is doing about its outdated highway.  I quote: "Reclaiming Urbanism and Revitalizing Cities "America's twentieth century highway building era included elevated freeways which cut huge swaths across our cities, decimating neighborhoods and reducing quality of life for city residents. This massive concrete infrastructure had devastating effects on urban economies. It blighted adjacent property and pushed access to basic amenities further out. With the Federal and State Departments of Transportation confronting shrinking budgets and cities looking for ways to increase their revenues, it is an ideal time to offer less expensive, urban alternatives to the reconstruction of urban expressways. "New York City, Portland, San Francisco, Milwaukee and Seoul, South Korea have confronted this problem by replacing elevated highways with boulevards, saving billions of dollars and increasing real estate values and economic development on adjacent land. The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) believe that teardowns offer an attractive option for cities struggling with aging highway infrastructure. The strategies are proving themselves in adding value and restoring urban neighborhoods decimated by highway construction." If these cities are taking this idea seriously, is there any reason why Syracuse shouldn't? August 20, 2006 Live in the city-  you'll be happier. In the Wall Street Journal of August 16, there's an interesting article entitled Money and Happiness: Here's Why You Won't Laugh All the Way to the Bank This is such an excellent article, all I'll do is quote from it.  You'll get my point. "...The five professors also studied government data detailing how folks divvy up their waking hours. They found that people with higher incomes tend to spend more time working, commuting and engaging in obligatory nonwork activities, such as maintaining their homes. All of these are associated with lower happiness. "People who are richer aren't having a better time," Prof. Schkade concludes. "But if you ask them about their lives, they report being a little more satisfied" than those who are less affluent. • Buying time. This raises the question: If more money won't make us much happier, what will? Here are four pointers. • Keep your commute short. Tempted to use your latest pay raise to buy a big house in a distant suburb? Don't do it. While we often adjust amazingly well to life's hardships, commuting is an exception. "You can't adapt to commuting, because it's entirely unpredictable," says Daniel Gilbert, author of "Stumbling on Happiness" and a psychology professor at Harvard University. "Driving in traffic is a different kind of hell every day...." Read the rest of the pointers in the article. June 7, 2006 Porches I've been thinking about porches, particularly front porches, for a long time.  I grew up in the heart of the village of Manlius and we always had a front porch on which to eat breakfast, play Stone Teacher, and watch thunderstorms.  We waited on porches for cars to get stuck in the snow so we could push them out.  My grandmother had a porch in Albany.  You could see all the way to the end of the block through the sides of over a dozen open porches. I could sit on Nana's porch late into the evening, listening to the grown-ups talk more openly in the semi-darkness than they would in daylight.  None of the porches of my childhood were enclosed, not even screened.  Somehow they functioned quite well without these "improvements." Now I walk around traditional neighborhoods like Eastwood and wonder about The Encloser.  I figured at first this must have been some kind of a monster who was determined to wreak havoc on neighborliness.  But I found out otherwise from my then 98-year-old aunt in Liverpool.  She said, "Oh, some guy came around back in the '60's and convinced everyone that their porches would last longer if they enclosed them."  Well sure enough, people kept their porches and lost their connections to their neighbors. From where we live now, in an upstairs flat, our porch commands a great view of the street.  We are a one-house Neighborhood Watch, for we really can see much of what's going on for two complete blocks, one in each direction.  We have the great joy of being able to look down on our neighbors without their taking offense.  In fact, some of them have even pleasantly waved to us, those who could see us behind our practical storm windows. Yesterday, we finally took the plunge.  We undid what The Encloser had done some thirty years before we bought the place.  Our contractor was jacking up the sagging porch, so we asked him to also remove the windows, the screens and the framing - everything that wasn't original.  This morning I stepped out onto the porch and felt a flutter of excitement, like a baby bird that has just gotten the courage to leave the nest.  The vista was now vast, a nice breeze filled my porch, and I could hear someone singing nearby. The world is finally mine to view more intimately... or at least my neighbors' houses are!  If you happen to walk by, please wave.  I promise to smile broadly and wave back. Lonnie Chu March 28, 2006 My niece, age 22, just got back from a couple months in Mexico, living and working with Mexicans in and around San Miguel de Allende.  She's got a wonderful blog of the experience, and in the end she sums it up with 10 points that she learned.  I love this one: "6. Having a car is a luxury.  We are trained to be self-reliant, busy, and individualistic.  I'll bet if we tried walking, public transportation, and carpools we would be less lonely and stressed out." ¡Viva walkability! You can see all ten items HERE. And you don't have to take a long trip to learn these lessons! January 14, 2006 Getting a face lift? I just watched a show that put all of life's problems into perspective.  It was about Operation Smile, the organization that sends doctors out to various parts of the world to fix kids' cleft palates and lips, as well as train local medical people how to do it.  They have the volunteer medical people; all that's needed is money to make it happen.  For the average cost of just one face lift, thirty three kids could have their faces repaired and in the process have their lives changed radically for the better.  Does there seem to be something out of balance here? When it stops being all about making the next buck - and I'm talking about the really, really big bucks, when individuals think they can't live on "just" a couple hundred thousand a year - then we can start talking about the world getting back into balance. And real individual happiness.   If you're reading this but you're not happy, try going to the Operation Smile website.  Then do something about what you see there.  And then come back here and help us save the neighborhoods in Syracuse and wherever you live.  When you look at the faces of the parents who didn't even know their kid's face could be fixed, then you'll see how easy it is to fix the problems we face here at home.  It's all a matter of perspective. P.S. Check out The Smile Train, too. Sept. 27, 2005 A matter of vision Published in today's Post-Standard was a sad commentary: "I remember the "good old days" of the '30s, '40s, 50s and '60s, when Eastwood was "walkable." Much as I would like to see it revived, I have lived long enough to know that is impossible times have changed and small businesses cannot survive." George Bernard Shaw said, "You see things as they are and you ask, 'Why?' But I dream of things that never were, and I ask 'Why not? " How much easier it is to dream of things that existed not so long ago!  If people in cities across the country can revive their business districts, why can't we?  For only one reason: a lack of both vision and the courage to put teeth into our plans. Sept. 17, 2005 Car-oriented Walgreens alien to Eastwood locale* To the Editor: At 5 p.m. Monday in City Hall chambers, residents of Syracuse in general and Eastwood in particular are to have the opportunity to speak out on the revised Walgreens drug store proposed for James Street. The store will require a great amount of space on James Street, with a three-lane entrance perpendicular to James Street Auto, and truck traffic will necessarily increase to service this drive-in, 24-hour operation.  Does this building in this location make sense, especially in light of pedestrian improvements currently ongoing on both sides of James Street? And what of the increased pedestrian traffic to and from the Palace Theater? Will not the ambience of that wonderfully restored theater and cafe be negatively affected? We are told by highly paid planners like Richard Florida that socioecononic diversity is an ingredient of successful neighborhoods. The proposed Walgreens store will displace such diverse venues as a music shop, beauty salon, hardware store, restaurant and day-habilitation site. In light of decreasing oil supplies and increased gasoline prices, should we even be promoting drive-in facilities?  Judging from increased waistlines, planners and those in policy-making positions should be doing all they can to promote safe, secure walking environments. Eastwood is one place where such planning has been initiated. Let's give these sound, coordinated improvements our wholehearted support. Richard Askeland Sept. 3, 2005 With gas prices over $3/gallon, auto-centric development is looking mighty short-sighted.  The unthinkable can happen.  We soon may be walking a lot more than we did in the days of cheap gas. Eastwood is already walkable. Let's keep the drive-thru stores and the unnecessary acres of parking where they belong: low on our list of priorities. With or without disasters, it would behoove all of us to find ways to enjoy our neighborhood without having to drive. August 28, 2005 Walgreens will COST us. Why? Since the early 1980's, our city forefathers in their flawed thinking have foregone long-term stable housing property tax revenue for larger, short-term tax revenue gains by approving franchise type drive-thru land uses (KFC, Burger King, Eckerds, Rite Aid, Jreck Subs, etc.) over the past ten to twenty years.  What has resulted in places like Butternut St. is a high crime corridor and declining real property values.  Was this trade-off worth it in the end?  READ ON July 22, 2005 Today I learned that someone from Oregon chose to buy a house and  live in Eastwood because of what she read in this website.  This website is all about planning, all about having a vision for what can happen here and following through until that vision is realized.  There's only one thing that can stop all this forward momentum: decision-makers who think we're so desperate that developers  don't need to follow the overlay district guidelines.  But I believe that if they know that the sort of vision represented on this website is attractive to the very people who would put energy into bettering our neighborhood, they might realize that the reverse is true: ignoring this vision for Eastwood will drive away those who would continue to put in their volunteer time only if they know that the city will use its powers of enforcement to back them up.  Every decision the city makes about development here is crucial.  The whole city is watching.

Home  Home for some lucky people is the neighborhood of Eastwood in the city of Syracuse, NY.  Eastwood started out as a village, and a number of its residents would like to maintain its village atmosphere.  For the sake of our community's economic, social and physical health, we encourage smart growth and pedestrian-friendly development in a walkable, sustainable community as outlined, in part, in the James Street Overlay District Zoning Standards and the Syracuse Comprehensive Plan News and events "A Conversation With Diane Rehm" Wednesday May 2, 2007 at 8:00pm at The Palace Theatre in Syracuse Tickets go on sale today - Monday March 19 at 9:00am. GENERAL ADMISSION PRICES:  $25 per ticket for the main level or $20 per ticket for balcony seating. To purchase tickets by phone, call WRVO at 1-800-341-3690 or you may purchase tickets online.  Call today as seating is limited. WRVO is the only place to purchase tickets to see Diane Rehm at The Palace Theatre in Syracuse. Huffstir's opens in Eastwood A website reader has sent me this email: Huffstir's just opened on Tuesday, 3/13, at 2700 James Street, corner of Hillsdale.  The owner/chef is Dave Huff (formerly with the popular New York Roast).  Phone number: 431-HUFF   It's open Mon - Sat, 10 AM to 9 PM.  Delivery is free.   The menu is amazing and features great salads (including Gyro and Taco), appetizers, grilled or cold sandwiches/wraps (such as hot pastrami, reubens, and big burgers), pasta, seafood, sauteed dishes with sauce, and grilled steaks, pork and chicken.   I tried the Chicken Parm dinner for $9.95 (a standard by which I initially judge diners) and the cheesecake. Everything was great, the sauce was superb, and the portions are generous. Prices and service are exceptional, too. Huffstir's is take-out at this point, but as soon as the weather is reliably good, we'll be able to dine al fresco on their patio.  What a delightful way to support a business in our neighborhood! Cafe Kubal opens at Eastwood Plaza Walk into Cafe Kubal and you immediately know where you are. There is no other cafe like it, for where else will you find the work of The Craftsman Ron Cosser, who carries on the artistry of Gustav Stickley, fronting the counter that holds your freshly-roasted bag of coffee beans?  You'll also find Austrian-style pastries, a variety of coffee drinks and teas at reasonable prices, and a 1904 coffee roaster at work.  Cafe Kubal is located in what's commonly known as Sacred Melody Plaza, but the plaza recently got a new lease on life and is now officially the Eastwood Plaza.  MAP MORE INFO AND SLIDE SHOW It's businesses like these that create a sense of place, that foster a sense of authentic human attachment and belonging.  We welcome businesses to Eastwood that are, whenever possible, locally owned and operated, for it's the people from here who understand the needs of the people who live here. Call to Artists Floating Galleries Syracuse creates temporary art exhibits that transform vacant storefront windows into 24/7 public art galleries. FIRST DEADLINE: MARCH 15, 2007 Do you know an artist? Pass this information along! Floatinggalleriessyracuse@gmail.com Kids learn to ski at Sunnycrest Park Lessons every Sunday at 2:00 and Wednesday at 5:30 As older cities shrink, some reinvent themselves Updated 12/27/2006 4:22 AM ET      By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY "...Slowly, old American cities that have been in a downward population spiral for a half-century or more are reinventing themselves as, well, smaller cities. They're starting to adopt — many, like Richmond, do it unknowingly — tenets of the burgeoning, European-born "Shrinking Cities" movement. The idea: If cities can grow in a smart way, they can also shrink smartly. "Everybody's talking about smart growth, but nobody is talking about smart decline," says Terry Schwarz, senior planner at Kent State University's Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio. The center runs the Shrinking Cities Institute in Cleveland, a city that has lost more than half its population since 1950. "There's nothing that says that a city that has fewer people in it has to be a bad place." Global warming probably caused by human activity, U.N. report says Updated 2/2/2007 12:57 PM ET USA TODAY staff and wires A United Nations report issued today by the world's top climate scientists said global warning was "very likely" man-made and would bring higher temperatures and a steady rise in sea levels for centuries. ...Even though the report is "a little cautious and conservative" because it represents the views of more than 1,000 scientists from more than 100 nations, Cicerone says its findings "are going to bring more awareness to all of us that this climate change is real, in an area where there's been a lot of confusing information until now." READ MORE Thank you, Dr. Emanuel Carter! You saw it here back in August of 2005.  I was begging for professional urban planners to be added to the city administration's staff.   Designing Syracuse City needs in-house urban planners to make the most of its many assets Sunday, January 28, 2007* By Emanuel Carter SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry "...(A) succession of administrations have managed the city without including, at a senior level, professional urban planners with the critical skill sets of planning, design and environmental management. "We are not alone in doing business this way. Cities we like, however, include (in senior positions and as crucial participants) professionals trained in planning, design and environmental management, and they conduct national searches to get the skilled practitioners they need." Hardware mainstay moves in Eastwood Sunday, January 28, 2007* BOB NIEDT "The long-timer bounced over to the Sacred Melody plaza, 3525 James St., from 2313 James St., at the corner of Grant Boulevard." Well, it's actually the "Eastwood Plaza" but few of us think of it as such!  We're thrilled that True Value has stayed. Visit them, folks, and support your local economy.  Keep Syracuse dollars in Syracuse! You can bring your spent fluorescents to True Value Hardware (that's compact, U-shaped, and/or 4-foot fluorescent bulbs). They'll ship them for recycling.  Keep hazardous waste out of the environment! Northeast Stunned By Freak January Snowfall (leave it to TheOnion.com to come up with this one!) "SYRACUSE, NY—In a rare instance of icy-cold January weather, much of the Northeast awoke Tuesday morning to find itself buried under nearly 1.5 inches of snowfall...." Community Leaders Look to Revitalize Eastwood Eastwood, Syracuse (WSYR-TV) Reporter Kevin Torres "There is a plan in the works to help revitalize the Eastwood section of Syracuse...."   Read the text, see the video Thank you, Kevin, for doing this report! A slight error: mention is made of "Tomorrow's Community Today" which we all know as Tomorrow's Neighborhoods Today (TNT). That meeting will be held on Monday, January 22, at 7:00 p.m. in the Huntington Elementary School.   More information here Landlord email group opens Your webmaster has opened an email group for landlords, real estate investors, and property owners in the Central New York region.  You can find it at REI online GROUPS, and it's spam- and advertising-free.  Discussion questions have ranged from "Who's a good plumber?" to "Why did that landlord go to jail?" and much, much more. Run by a landlord who cares about this city's neighborhoods, this group is primarily an educational tool for those who know that doing good means doing well, too. Read this and weep: "Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it." Eastwood Took Its Shot at NBA Glory Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY)* November 22, 1999 Author: SEAN KIRST POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST "The three teen-agers crouched Sunday on the James Street sidewalk, near the half-demolished remnants of the Eastwood Sports Center. Hands in pockets, they rattled off the rumors about what was coming next. "A Pizza Hut," said one kid. "We could use one of those." His buddy Justin said, "I heard a combined Taco Bell and a Kentucky Fried Chicken." "They were surprised to learn the Sports Center was a part of sports history." ... "It could have survived," said Elva Kendrat, "with good ownership." Signs Saved at Sports Site; Daniel Biasone's Former Bowling Center To Be Razed Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY) November 18, 1999 Author: Gloria Wright Staff writer "Although saving the signs was a "small success," Williams said he regrets losing the building. "It's one loss that the building is gone. The greater loss is what's going up in its place," he said. --> Note: For you gentle readers who don't know this location, it's at James St. and Midler Ave., and since this 1999 demolition, nothing has gone up there but a small building housing Kristen's Ice Cream, closed half the year. Most of the lot is Read this and be glad:          (Why?) Eastwood building stays Post-Standard, January 9, 2007* "The building at James Street and North Midler Avenue that houses the Steak & Sundae Restaurant cannot be torn down unless a suitable plan for the site is developed first, the Syracuse Planning Commission ruled Monday. "In a 4-0 vote, the commission denied an application by Michael Muraco to demolish the building, put down gravel in its place and fence the lot. Muraco said in his application that there is no interest in the building from buyers or prospective tenants. The sole current tenant, the restaurant, is planning to move out. "Six Eastwood residents spoke against the demolition in a hearing before the vote. They said the building isn't marketable because Muraco has let it run down. The residents said the building should either be rehabilitated or replaced, but that a fenced gravel lot was unacceptable. No residents spoke in favor of the plan." This makes us at Walkable Eastwood very happy. The building, although in sorry condition, is better than yet another wasteland at that intersection.  The building also technically complies with the Overlay District Guidelines in that it holds the corner and has entrances and transparency to the street.   Thank you, Planning Commissioners, for sticking to standards (see below)! Public art in storefront windows? The 40 Below Public Arts Task Force is leading the effort to initiate and identify quality public arts projects that work to create a sense of identity for our region’s urban cores. This Task Force is comprised of artists, community leaders and interested volunteers.   One of their current projects is called FLOATING GALLERIES According to Kate Clark, the chair of the Public Arts Task Force, "This Committee is working with property owners to display artwork in their vacant storefronts.  We aim to have some 'floating galleries' up and running by spring 2007.  The Committee is currently creating a brochure for both property owners and artists to promote the program." Learn more about how this is being done in Los Angeles Are you and Eastwood artist?  Do you have art work pertaining to Eastwood?  Would you like it featured in an Eastwood storefront?  If so, please contact Lonnie Chu. Burglar thwarted by Eastwood neighbors Police credit neighbors for solving burglary From the Post-Standard, Saturday, January 6, 2007* Alert neighbors led Syracuse police Friday to a man police say burglarized a South Collingwood Avenue house. The first call came into the county’s 911 Center at 3:06 p.m. reporting a man was removing ladders and window frames from the house at 269 S. Collingwood Ave., said Lt. Joe Cecile, speaking for the Syracuse police, said. “Several neighbors called 911 and tracked the suspect as he walked from the scene,” Cecile said. “They were able to tell police which house he went into.” Joshua L. Lobdell, 22, of 322 S. Collingwood Ave., was arrested at his home and charged with second-degree burglary, a felony, and criminal mischief and petit larceny, both misdemeanors. The ladders and window frames taken totaled $775, Cecile said. Cecile credited the neighbors in helping solve the burglary quickly. “No police department could ever duplicate having neighbors like these,” Cecile said. -- Robert Baker, crime and safety reporter Take good care of yourself From the 1/5/06 Post-Standard* In cooperation with the US Postal Service, the Onondaga County Health partnership for Health Living will provide free screening info for cervical, breast and colorectal cancers, including free home stool test kits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at these sites: Tuesday, Jan. 16, Eastwood Station, 2509 James St. Friday, Jan. 19, Nedrow Post Office, 6709 S. Salina St. Friday, Jan. 26, Teall Station, 226 Teall Ave. County residents age 50 years or older can receive a $5 gift certificate when stool tests are completed within 30 days. No appointments necessary. Benches on James St. Your webmaster's son, daughter-in-law and grandson recently moved to Eastwood from Florida.  They took a walk along James St. today, bought a snack and then went looking for a place to sit down where they could eat it. Then came the phone call: "There aren't any benches on James St.!  We'd stay here to do more shopping if we didn't have to leave to find a place to eat.  Can we come over?" Well, I'm thrilled to have them over, but what about the benches?  Lisa Matthews of the TNT Beautification Committee had the answer: "Two benches have been approved to be put along James in the Spring. The style had to be approved and then it had to go in front of the Common Council to make sure that we could put them in the right of way. The cost is approx. 700.00 per bench. TNT monies are funding these benches and the idea of the benches has been part of the streetscape project but it comes down to simple funding. While we are still working on other ways to get more benches, it is more important that the rest of James Street be completed. We will also be sitting at some point in January with Guy Hart Jr. to see if he would be interested in buying benches for that end of James Street. Once the new benches get placed possibly other property/business owners will be interested in investing in some for their stretch of street. Will keep you posted." So... business people, members of clubs: consider buying a bench for James St.!   Setting standards for Syracuse's 'sustainability' (alternate site) Wednesday, December 06, 2006* SEAN KIRST POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST "Lonnie Chu is absolutely sure that a visiting team of architects will make wonderful recommendations tonight at the Oncenter. She is absolutely sure that this "Sustainable Design Assessment Team," sent here by the American Institute of Architects, will provide thoughtful suggestions that could trigger healthy growth in greater Syracuse." READ ON Standards circa 2005 A letter to the editor from well over a year ago was talking about sticking to standards.  Hmmm... must be a theme. Why Can't Planning Board Stick To Its Standards? Who is this woman? A certain under-40 family has chosen to move back to Syracuse from sunny Florida.  (There was too much heat, not enough choices at the grocery store, too much traffic, an over-stressed constabulary, not enough diversity and definitely not enough snow.)  While renovating the attic in their new home on Hixson Ave., they found three negatives, scanned them and sent them to me.  Do you know who this woman is?  Cross-country skiing for beginner youth. Free lessons and free equiptment rentals. Sunnycrest Park, Robinson St., Syracuse. Sundays, Dec. 3-March 25. Register in advance. 423-3145 What's playing at the Palace Theatre? 'Plan 9 From Syracuse' Ryan Dacko, the prospective filmmaker from Syracuse, has succeeded in running 2,950 miles across the United States in an effort to catch the eye of a Hollywood producer. While this didn't happen, other projects are in the works. Dacko began his journey on Aug. 15 at the Palace Theatre in Eastwood.  He is seen here at the handprints of Clint Eastwood.   Read more   TNT Area 6 – Eastwood 5-Year Planning Summary of Information for Workshop #3 Big Box Toolkit: Countering Mega Retailers, Rebuilding Local Business View the Henninger High sports schedule CNY Music Center changes hands, locations The James Street icon is moving up the road after longtime owner retires.* Monday, August 14, 2006 By Mark Bialczak Staff writer Company wants to build Syracuse, ESF, Siemens would be partners. It could cut city's power bill.* Sunday, August 06, 2006 By Greg Munno and Nancy Buczek Staff writers "The Siemens Corp. plans to build a "green" power plant in the city of Syracuse and sell the power to the city and school district at rates lower than they are paying now, according to the city and company..." --> This is great news!  A hundred years ago, Syracuse-area willow was being used to make baskets for the world.  Now it can help save the environment.  But why is this of concern to Eastwood?  Read the whole article, but dont' miss this part: "Several sites are being considered for the plant, with the most likely being a 4-acre undeveloped plot between Erie Boulevard and Interstate 690 slightly west of Thompson Road..." and this: "Using wood for fuel does create pollution, no matter how efficiently it is done. The Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency was banned by the state from burning wood mulch and yard waste when its trash incinerator opened in 1994...." What a trade-off.  Something to think about! We have been awarded two grants for the James Street Business Corridor! The first, and most exciting grant, will not get started for AT LEAST 6 months: Housing Trust Fund Corporation New York Main Street Grant  Where do your tax dollars go? In March, 2006, the City of Syracuse partnered with the Northeast Hawley Development Association (NEHDA) to apply for this grant to develop a façade program for the James Street (Eastwood) Business Corridor. Similar to the Little Italy Mainstreet Grant that the Housing Trust Fund Corporation awarded NEHDA last year, the Eastwood application received $200,000 in assistance.  One to one matching funds will be contributed by the participating property owners and the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) will provide zero interest loans, if needed.  The result of this investment will be the attraction and retention of businesses and jobs, contributing to the competitiveness of Eastwood as a thriving, desirable neighborhood in which to reside. New York State Council on the Arts Grant In July, 2006, the City of Syracuse Department of Economic Development won a $1,200 Technical Assistance Grant for the James Street Business Corridor. The Syracuse Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) has committed the $600 matching portion of the grant. These funds will be used to hire landscape architect Dudley Breed to create drawings that illustrate how well-planned facade and streetscape improvements can inspire public and private investment along the James Street Business Corridor (Eastwood). Questions?  Contact Kate Clark in Economic Development: KClark@edsyracuse.com Restored porch provides a new view of life Monday, July 24, 2006 * SEAN KIRST POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST (scanned picture of article) (picture that went with article) A blogger has found us.  Nice little article about the Walkable Eastwood website.  Interesting link to the Project for Public Spaces.   Have you noticed the streetscape improvements running further down James Street?   Pickled Pepper's Presentation Pleases Planning Panel: Proposed Patio Passes Tuesday, May 30, 2006 City planning board approves request for new patio at James St. restaurant.  What is currently a take-out place will have outdoor seating for 20 and an improved look. Taking a stroll not only boosts our health and reduces our weight; it also keeps us happy By Jay Walljasper Ode Magazine, June, 2006 The benefits of living in a walkable community from an international and historical perspective.  This is a great magazine, full of good news about how grassroots activists are quietly making this world a better place to live. Preservation group to present six awards Sunday, May 21, 2006* FRANK BRIEADDY STAFF WRITER "The Preservation Association of Central New York will present awards to individuals, companies and even a Web site that help to fulfill the nonprofit's mission of preserving and restoring historic and architecturally significant buildings, neighborhoods and grounds in the community." ... Guess what the web site is.  :-) Downtown demands imagination to succeed Wednesday, May 03, 2006 * SEAN KIRST In this article, Sean reports on a conversation with Doug Sutherland,  a developer who is co-chairman of an Onondaga Citizens League study called "Fixing the Hub."   When envisioning what our city ought to be, (Sutherland) often refers to what he calls "the triplets:" Syracuse, Providence, R.I., and Portland, Ore. They were all roughly the same size in 1970, Sutherland said, and all three cities faced significant economic problems. Providence and Portland responded in energetic and visionary ways. Syracuse remained locked for too long into what Sutherland called the "wrongheaded" thinking of the 1950s and 1960s. See Sean's followup blog (scroll down to "More from Doug Sutherland: What makes a city work").  Eastwood is mentioned favorably because we fought to keep suburban-style development out of our urban neighborhood. And now... your webmaster's response to that blog. Life After the Oil Crash "Deal With Reality or Reality Will Deal With You" Issues FAR more pressing, and FAR more dire than the location of a Walgreens.  Read just a few of the links in the article above - then think of the impact on our neighborhood of a looming global disaster.    Sunnycrest Park Association has its own website! MAP Sunnycrest Park at Caleb Ave. and Hickok Ave., Syracuse, NY Walgreens 'plan' woefully incomplete  Thursday, January 05, 2006 (*) To the Editor: Walgreens finally gets its way! At the last planning board meeting, Walgreens told us it could not change the proposed plan. Less than a month later, it has a new plan....  (continue) Walgreens Foes Rap Plan Approval - Some Say Questions on Drugstore Unanswered, City Says Concerns Addressed. December 25, 2005 Greg Munno, Staff writer "In the wake of the Syracuse Planning Commission's approval of a controversial Walgreens in Eastwood, residents who opposed the project are asking why the commission acted when several uncertainties about the plan remained". City's people should take priority over parking Vibrant cities are more about people than parking Wednesday, December 21, 2005 SEAN KIRST POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST* "...(T)hanks to the neighbors, this drugstore will have a pedestrian entrance off James Street, the main drag in Eastwood. It will have windows along James Street instead of sheer walls. It will be part of a "streetscape," rather than an island. "Even so, many residents who opposed Walgreens are devastated about the version finally approved by the Planning Commission, in which a parking lot will serve as a western gateway to their neighborhood's "downtown." But what matters as much as the decision itself is what Mayor Matt Driscoll and his administration take out of the process."  Read the whole article Then take a look at what I stuck on this site some nine months ago: We look forward to seeing the new design and to comparing it with the Principles of New Urbanism from newurbanism.org such as "Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings....  Human scale architecture... More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking... (not fewer - Walgreens would wipe out six businesses with a net loss of some 85 jobs)...places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human spirit."  Walgreens gets the green light to build (Tuesday, 12/20/2005, Post-Standard*) "The Syracuse Planning Commission Monday unexpectedly passed a controversial plan to build a Walgreens at the entrance to the city's Eastwood neighborhood."  This is the new siteplan that has been approved by the Planning Board. The issue in Eastwood is setting a precedent December 18, 2005 A letter to the editor Eastwood: the canary in the coal mine The blog of Post-Standard columnist Sean Kirst is widening the discussion from Eastwood to where it belongs: how certain kinds of development affect the whole city.  Sean Kirst article: Mall expansion warrants public design discussion Carousel Center expansion plans Urban Planner Maureen Harding on Destiny Lonnie Chu on "Destiny" Good Jobs First: Accountable Development and Smart Growth for Working Families Two amazing websites to play with: Urban Advantage Photo-realistic visualizations that make development visions palpably real and understandable.   Tour of New Urbanism Practices A virtual tour of New Urbanism practices that includes photos and illustrations.  Walgreens can do it if held to standards: Is Poland, Ohio (where???) BETTER THAN EASTWOOD? I don't think so! Do you know anyone in city government? Encourage them to read the articles linked to this website!  Click here for some contact info. The Dinosaur, by design Sean Kirst stated in his column of Septermber 26 that there is a "subject that may determine, more than anything, the future of the city: "Urban design. "Yes, urban design - the simple matter of how things get built and whether they're built right."   Kirst's October 7 blog is about design again.  And Walgreens. And one of the most successful and quintessentially Syracusan businesses: the Dinosaur Barbecue (recently deemed by New York Magazine to be providing the best barbecue in New York City!).  Kirst says, in part: "(P)eople go there because it offers something unique - and because it embraces, rather than fears, authentic city ambiance. The funny thing is, if the Dinosaur went by the Walgreens rules, a true Syracuse phenomenon would probably dry up and close its doors." The Incredible Shrinking Box Retailers shape stores to fit urban settings "...While building in neighborhoods requires rethinking architecture, footprint size, and loading dock placements and adding masked parking decks, Mr. McMahon said it can be worth it: Urban stores often out-perform their suburban counterparts. Increasingly, retailers are recognizing what he calls the place-making dividend: 'People will stay longer and spend more money in places that actually earn their affection. Strip shopping centers are retail for the last century, and mixed use is the retail environment for this century.'" A mayor supports high standards "All Things Considered, September 1, 2005 · Robert Siegel talks to Joe Riley, mayor of Charleston, S.C. Riley, who was first elected mayor in 1975, led the recovery effort in Charleston in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo devastated the region.   An excerpt:  Siegel:  "You’re a mayor who is very much involved in urban planning.  … How different might New Orleans emerge from a hurricane, how different did Charleston come out of the hurricane from what it was before? Riley: “Charleston came out better and stronger.  We didn’t compromise our standards.  We adhered to our preservation requirements.” What do urban planners do?  And what kind of training do they need in order to be considered professional urban planners?  This question has come up because various planning activities in the city, including the TNT assessment review, have underscored the need for something of which Auburn has three and Syracuse has not one: a professional, experienced planner. This is not a city planner, not a community developer, not a liaison person. Syracuse already has several good people of this type. No, this is someone with an advanced degree, at least a Masters, who has experience in a vast variety of areas covered by the article at the above link. Despite the fact that it is just for downtown, The Downtown Master Plan (click here to open it in a large .pdf file), prepared for the city by ESF students last year, has relevance for the entire city and is part of the overall Comprehensive Plan. It recommends the following: Action 1: Require elected and appointed officials to reference the Downtown Master Plan in ALL (caps mine) decision making. A bulleted point under this states: "Hire profesional staff with qualifications in planning and design professions."   Bulleted Item under Action 2: "Require planning and design expertise of key staff." Action 6: "Require professional qualifications for city planning commission and Board of Zoning Appeals." Action 7: "Create a professional planning staff." Note on Page 48 that states for TNT Sector 1 that the city has "inadequate resources to respond to their needs." Okay...now for the Syracuse Comprehensive Plan of which the Downtown Master Plan is a part:   It says on page 37: "Hire additional Planning Staff".  Also please note what is says there about recommending that each sector prepare a "plan." How many more recommendations do we need before we find a way to get the specific, professional help we need to plan the future (starting today) development of our city?   Big-box stores and fast-food restaurants cost taxpayers more than they produce.  Read the eye-opening results of a study done of another city. One Happy Big-Box Wasteland: Oh my yes, there is indeed one force that is eating away the American soul like a cancer - By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist Wednesday, August 17, 2005 Okay, so it's a bit of a rant, but a very well written one with crucially important ideas.  An excerpt: "This is the new America. Our crazed sense of entitlement, our nearly rabid desire for easy access to mountains of bargain-basement junk has led to the upsurge of soulless big-box shops which has, in turn, led to a deadly sense of prefabricated, vacuous sameness wherever we go. And here's the kicker: We think it's good. We think it helps, brings jobs, tax money, affordable goods. We call it progress. We call it choice. It is the exact opposite."   Read on to find out why it's the opposite.  Why Elmwood Works This Buffalo, NY, neighborhood not only works for the people who live there, it's exciting as a destination.  Take a look at this slide show to see what could be done in Eastwood (click on the little arrows at the top right corner of the screen).