January 23, 2019

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We are writing as stakeholders and civic leaders who represent numerous institutions,
organizations, communities and neighborhoods in the greater Syracuse area, to convey our strong
support for a Community Grid (Option CG2 as presented in the October 2016 Department of
Transportation design materials) to replace the current path of I-81 through the City of Syracuse.

Choosing the best build option to replace the current I-81 viaduct is a critical issue for the future
of Syracuse and the Central New York region. After due consideration of the engineering and
design work produced by the New York State Department of Transportation to date, and research
into the best practices through the United States and the world, we find that a Community Grid
alternative is the best choice for Syracuse and Central New York for advancing:
• A Vibrant & Growing Regional Economy;
• Social, Racial and Environmental Justice;
• A Healthy & Sustainable Environment;
• Fiscal Responsibility & Regional Cooperation.

We are confident that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will support a Community Grid
as the most fiscally responsible and best option to advance economic growth, improve our
quality of life, and reverse the racial injustice caused by the construction of the I-81 viaduct. In
expressing our support for a Community Grid, we are not asking you to make a premature
decision to support one build option over another prior to the conclusion of the EIS process.
Rather, we respectfully ask that you advance the work of completing a full and robust EIS as
mandated by applicable state and federal statutes.

Economic Growth: The economic vitality of a region is closely linked to the economic vitality
of its urban core. Syracuse is undergoing a vibrant revitalization of its Downtown, University
Hill and the Lakefront Areas. Downtown Syracuse has become one of the most preferred and
rapidly growing residential neighborhoods in the region. Downtown is now a hub of activity that
no longer empties at 5:00 pm. The path forward must not encroach further on the city or require
the removal of even more of the city's infrastructure and historic assets. We find that a
Community Grid is the best option for continuing recent investment, creating mixed income
development, mixed use development, increasing economic opportunity, and creating new jobs
that will promote more investment and new tax resources for the city and county.

Social, Racial and Environmental Justice: When I-81 was constructed it intentionally cut
through predominantly Black, working-class neighborhoods that planners considered a blight on

January 23, 2019 |Page 1 of 4

the rest of Syracuse. Numerous households of predominantly Black families were displaced by
the project that decimated the 15th ward.

The construction of I-81 spawned suburban sprawl with resources and residents fleeing to the
suburbs, leading to both neighborhood and school segregation. As you put it during your opening
remarks at a 2016 conference on sustainable economic development and collaborative
governance held at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, the construction of I-81 through Syracuse
was “a classic planning blunder.”

There is compelling evidence that the urban renewal programs that produced the I-81 viaduct
were a significant contributing factor in creating the segregation, concentrated poverty, and
inequality of opportunity that exists today. After its completion in 1969, residents realized I-81
was an economic, social and design failure. The area under and adjacent to I-81 never appealed
to developers, and remains vacant, underutilized or blighted in the present day.

A Community Grid that improves traffic movements on our streets, and that reknits the fabric of
neighborhood life by creating new development opportunities along the current path of I-81
through Syracuse is the best option for addressing the social and racial injustices created by
original construction.

A Healthy and Sustainable Environment: The negative environmental impacts are one of the
biggest unintended consequences of suburban sprawl that followed the construction of I-81. The
construction of the Federal Highway System that bisects cities across the country has encouraged
a lifestyle of car ownership and daily driving. Highways dissuaded the need for public
transportation that is costly to provide in sparsely populated areas. This has created a built
environment which forces us to act in environmentally irresponsible and unsustainable ways that
threaten our health and the viability of the planet.

A Community Grid is the best option to advance urban design practices consistent with “Smart
Growth” principles and policies. Human health and wellbeing are enhanced in a community
which offers "Complete Streets" that are safe for walking, biking and mass transit which reduces
vehicle use and the pollution it creates.

Fiscal Responsibility and Regional Cooperation: We find a Community Grid to be the most
fiscally responsible option, with the lowest cost for construction and maintenance, and the least
disruptive during construction for our residents, employees and visitors. We understand that the
first two years of construction of a Community Grid would focus on improvements to the current
I-481 corridor and other arterials leading into the City of Syracuse before the existing viaduct is
removed. The lower cost and the improvements to I-481 (re-designated as I-81) will provide
opportunities to employ construction and mitigation funds to address the needs and interests of
surrounding communities.

Now is not the time to double down on planning blunders and decades old mistakes. Rather, we
can unite the region around a robust city while mitigating traffic impacts for adjacent towns and
villages. All can benefit from a Comprehensive 81 plan that partners with suburban towns to
address their concerns about change.

January 23, 2019 |Page 2 of 4

Instead of spending hundreds of millions (or even billions of dollars) on constructing a new
viaduct or tunnel, we believe a Community Grid provides the best opportunity to harness our
collective energy and creativity in undertaking meaningful economic and community
development initiatives on a regional scale. This strategy will unite communities throughout the
region in developing a plan that creates wins for everyone.

Respectfully,
Rachel May, Senator
Al Stirpe, Assemblyman
Ben Walsh, Mayor
Helen Hudson, President
Susan Boyle, Councilor
Latoya Allen, Councilor
Joe Driscoll, Councilor
Steven Thompson, Councilor at-Large
Khalid Bey, Councilor-at-Large
Timothy Rudd, Councilor-At-Large
Michael Greene, Councilor
Kerin Rigney, Councilor
William Simmons, Executive Director
Merike Treier, Executive Director
Bob Doucette, President
Leslie Paul Luke, President/CEO
Bob Haley, Pincipal
Kirk Narburgh CEO/Managing Partner
Ruth Heller, Executive V.P.
Twiggy Billue, President
Walt Dixie, Director
Peter Sarver, Convener
Barry Lentz, Board of Directors
Jason Evans, Board of Directors
Doug Balle, Property Owner
Robb Bidwell, Owner/President
James V. Breuer, Chairman
Stephen F. Case, Owner
Luke Esposito, Esposito
NYS Senate, 53rd District
New York State Assembly, 127 District
City of Syracuse
Syracuse Common Councilor
Syracuse Common Councilor, District 3
Syracuse Common Councilor, District 4
Syracuse Common Council, District 5
Syracuse Common Council
Syracuse Common Council
Syracuse Common
Syracuse Common Councilor-At-Large
Dewitt Town Board
Syracuse Housing Authority
Downtown Committee of Syracuse
Armory Development & Management
St. Joseph’s Health
Sustainable Planning, Architecture & Urban Design
King + King Architects
1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East
National Action Network (NAN)
Jubilee Homes of Syracuse
Moving People Transportation Coalition
Community for the Grid (C4G) Campaign
Rethink 81
Balle 31, Inc.
Tier One Building Services
Hueber-Breuer Construction Company, Inc.
Acropolis Realty Group
Urban Realty Group

January 23, 2019 |Page 3 of 4

Troy Evans, Owner
Tony Fiorito, Preident
Louis G. Fournier, III, President
John Funiciello, President
Joseph H. Hucko, President
Peter Muserlian, President
David C. Nutting, Chairman/CEO
Matthew Paulus, President
Ed Riley, Managing Partner
Norm Swanson, President
Jeremy Thurston, President
Grazi Zazzara, Jr., President
Anthony Rojas, President
Vincent Pietrzak, Treasurer
Grant Johnson, President
Dean Biancavilla, Co-Director
Craig French, President
Michael Collins, Executive Director
John Przepiora, Board of Directors
Tania S. Anderson, Chief Executive
Mark Cass, Executive Director
Rich Puchalski, Board of Directors
Sharon Sherman, Executive Director
Andra Leimanis, Board of Directors
Misse Ross, Coordinating Committee
Carol Baum, Steering Committee
Andy Mager, Sales Manager
Christine Wood
Claudia Klaver, Founder
Commonspace Properties, Inc.
Partnership Properties, Inc.
Sutton Real Estate Companies
JF Real Estate Inc.
Washington St. Partners
The PEMCO Group
VIP Structures Inc.
Paulus Development
Hotel Syracuse Restoration, LLC
Woodbine Group, Inc.
The Hayner Hoyt Corporation
The Icon Companies
CNY Chapter, American Institute of Architects
Upstate Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architecture
Preservation Association of Central New York (PACNY)
Urban Design Center of Syracuse, Inc. (UDC)
Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS)
Syracuse Northeast Community Center
GreeningUSA
ARISE, Inc., An Independent Living Center
Northside Learning Center
Syracuse United Neighbors (SUN)
Greater Syracuse Tenants Network
Alliance for a Green Economy
CNY Solidarity
Syracuse Peace Council
Syracuse Cultural Workers
Uplift Syracuse
Syracuse Suburbs for the Grid
January 23, 2019 |Page 4 of 4