SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)–A peaceful quiet envelops the 300 block of Montgomery Street where the Carnegie Building lives, the silence broken only by the occasional car.
It’s hard to believe this still street is only steps away from the busy, bustling East Jefferson Street.
County Executive Ryan McMahon hopes that renovating the Carnegie Building and bringing in planning, community development and economic development departments will bring growth to Syracuse’s economy. He invites the city of Syracuse to bring in similar departments, according to Syracuse.com.
The Carnegie Building previously housed both county and city departments for five years, up until 2016.
Devon Hubbard, owner of the Brine Well Eatery on East Jefferson Street, beamed at the possibility of a Carnegie Building revamp. But will it bring more customers?
“I hope so, that’s the goal. But you know the more businesses that we put downtown, the more traffic there is, the more foot traffic, more people are going to need lunch, dinner, breakfast all that stuff,” said Hubbard.
The Carnegie Building, owned by the county, has not been renovated since 1996.
Sarah Hassler is the founder and CEO of Hassler Hospitality with an extensive background in the food industry. Hassler has started consulting restaurants downtown and agrees that a renovation of the building and bringing in county and city departments would be great for downtown Syracuse businesses.
“It’s what we need. We need more boots on the ground, because you don’t know what’s going on unless you’re down here,” said Hassler.
McMahon estimates the cost of the renovation to be around $4 million, up from former County Executive Joanie Mahoney’s proposed $3.4 million renovation six years ago.
