The city of Syracuse, earlier this month, had residents of an apartment building on the North Side leave their homes due to safety concerns related to winter weather.

The 477 James St. apartment complex was closed due to safety code violations. Paul Driscoll, commissioner of the Syracuse Department of Neighborhood and Business Development, did not detail what those safety or code violations were but said the safety of the building was a concern due to a structural violation within the building.

“The city’s engineer walked through the building and said that it was not safe for the winter,” Driscoll said.

Syracuse’s code enforcement department representatives declined to comment for this story.

The main concern for the city was to ensure the tenants were safe, Driscoll said. The windows and doors in the building — which was constructed in 1890, according to Onondaga County property records — are now boarded up.

Before the mandatory evacuation of the apartments on Oct. 13, there were 22 occupied households out of the approximate 40 units that were available in the building, Driscoll said. Some residents had already evacuated, Driscoll said, but Oct. 13 was the last day tenants could leave.

Driscoll said there was a collaborative effort between the tenants and owners to help the tenants find housing.

Half of the residents found alternative forms of housing on their own, Driscoll said, while the rest were assisted by Catholic Charities of Onondaga County. The city has an annual contract with Catholic Charities, he said.

Catholic Charities was unavailable for comment on this story.

Ryan O’Connell, manager at the corporate office of Colonial Laundromat, said many of the complex’s residents would come to his facility to do laundry. He said business shouldn’t be affected despite the building’s closure.

Sally Santangelo, executive director at CNY Fair Housing, said her organization only deals with discriminatory housing. Santangelo, though, said she is still concerned about displaced individuals who are looking for affordable housing.

Driscoll said the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development has been working with the owner of the building to determine the complex’s next step. The owner, Driscoll said, plans to renovate the property into another residential facility. He said the owner hopes to do some interior work on the building as well.

The building’s owners declined to comment on this story.

The city would directly supervise the renovation process, Driscoll said, which will allow the city to ensure the building will be rehabilitated.

Published on October 24, 2017 at 12:36 am

Contact Bianca: bmoorman@syr.edu