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About the Downtown
Committee of Syracuse
Your Source for EVERYTHING Downtown Syracuse
The Downtown Committee is a private, not-for-profit, professional Downtown management organization that represents all property owners and tenants within the central business district.
Our team is specialized in the areas of Economic Development, Marketing & Communications, Environmental Maintenance and Security who provide our services for all located in - or looking to locate to - Downtown Syracuse.
Our mission is to improve Downtown Syracuse by strengthening its economic base, increasing its attractiveness, and assuring that it’s clean, safe and accessible.
Signature Events
We produce several annual events, to support constituents and showcase Downtown Syracuse as a destination.
Departments
We're always willing and ready to assist you. If you have questions and aren't sure where to find the answers, start with the Downtown Committee.
Economic Development
The Downtown Committee's Economic Development programs include a variety of efforts to strengthen Downtown Syracuse's economic base through:
- Prioritizing buildings and sites for development
- Retaining and attracting business to the city center
- Finding potential spaces for your business to best meet your needs
- Listing available real estate and continuously updating properties as needed
- Researching and promoting housing development and urban living
- Collaborating with community partners to seize opportunities to make new connections to benefit Downtown
The Economic Development department provides support for you and your business through:
- Identifying incentives and grant opportunities
- Locating available parking, providing a comprehensive list including lots, garages, operators and rates
- Tracking and continuously updating information including Downtown Syracuse demographics; Semi-Annual Occupancy Reports and Retail Reports detailing market trends; Databases of all downtown businesses, retail and properties
The goal is to deliver a positive Downtown experience, increasing connectivity and accessibility through:
- Serving as a community liaison with the City of Syracuse
- Transforming Downtown's landscape through urban planning and placemaking initiatives to consider the human scale of neighborhoods and pedestrian amenities to ensure Downtown's vitality
- Establishing a "Pop-Up" retail program, linking entrepreneurs with available storefronts to add vibrancy to our downtown environment
- Developing the "Downtown Wishlist" and laying groundwork to make those desires a reality
Environmental Maintenance
The Downtown Committee's Environmental Maintenance crew is the driving force behind efforts to ensure Downtown is attractive, clean and accessible by providing the following services:
- Litter patrol and control
- Street furniture repairs and replacement
- Sidewalk snow clearing assistance
- Mowing grass, cutting weeds and trimming hedges
- Parking lot management
- Streetscape maintenance such as flushing sidewalks, gum busting, graffiti removal and cleaning up doorways of vacant buildings
*Please note, although the Downtown Committee assists property owners by trying to provide a minimum clear path so that pedestrians are able to walk throughout downtown to access properties and amenities; in the city of Syracuse, sidewalk maintenance including snow clearing and removal is ultimately the responsibility of the property owner. The Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. is not liable for injury incurred as a result of insufficient clearing/removal of snow by the property owner.
The Downtown Committee undertakes beautification programs to support a vibrant Downtown Syracuse through:
- Installing and maintaining flower baskets throughout the summer months
- Maintaining trees throughout Downtown Syracuse
- Partners in Planting Program, a program developed to foster employee appreciation and engagement
- Organizing annual spring & Earth Day cleanup efforts with the community
Marketing & Communications
The Downtown Committee's Marketing and Communications efforts aim to celebrate Downtown Syracuse and stir excitement about all that happens through:
- Ensuring information is easily accessible to all Downtown stakeholders
- Promoting your business opening, new program or event(s) through producing a weekly electronic newsletter (reaching over 11,000 people - click here to subscribe!) and pushing out the news through Social Media platforms (reaching 28,000+ people)
- Welcoming new retail businesses, restaurants, and cultural institutions to Downtown by assembling welcome packages, listing your business here on our website, and customizing orientation programs for new employees
- Coordinating promotions with Downtown retail boutiques, restaurants and cultural institutions
The Marketing & Communications team showcases Downtown's vibrancy through:
- Organizing annual and special events (Visit our "Get Involved" page for more details!)
The goal is to communicate a positive message about Downtown's growth and desirability, paving the way for future development by:
- Producing informative publications (Click here to browse the collection)
- Maintaining and continuously updating this website and providing consistent social media content
- Identifying, meeting and anticipating the needs of new residents, homeowners and employees through survey distribution and analysis
- Building Downtown's fanbase to yield new stakeholders
- Updating mailing lists of Downtown constituents
- Providing support to Neighborhood & Business Associations
Parking & Accessibility
The Downtown Committee engages in a number of parking-related programs to ensure that Downtown Syracuse is accessible by:
- Operating two Downtown Syracuse lots after-hours for event parking
- Maintaining a comprehensive list of all parking lots and garages, operators and rates
- Participating in a parking & transportation committee with other community partners
- Assisting with conducting parking studies and implementing study recommendations
- Assisting property owners, business owners and residents with finding sufficient parking
Security
The Downtown Committee's Security team maintains Downtown's status as a safe neighborhood through:
- Establishing the Downtown Security & Information Center at 230 Harrison Street (map)
- Answering and responding to calls to 423-HELP
- Installing and maintaining security cameras
- Holding personal safety seminars for Downtown residents and employees
- Offering security audits for Downtown businesses
- Patrolling Downtown every day
- Serving as a liaison between the business community and the Syracuse Police Department
- Distributing security information to Downtown businesses and residents
- Proactively addressing quality of life concerns through a Downtown task force to improve the outreach of social service providers
Check out our Security Tips from the Downtown Committee of Syracuse's Security Team- Security Tips.pdf
