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The Syracuse City Common Council unanimously voted to designate 727 Comstock Ave., a former Syracuse University fraternity house, as a locally protected site during its Monday meeting.

The designation has been on the council’s agenda since its Sept. 16 meeting. SU originally applied to tear down the structure, a 119-year-old mansion, to build a Comstock Avenue wing of a proposed Ostrom Avenue dorm. The university has since withdrawn its application and developed new plans that do not include the lot.

Now that the Comstock property has received the protected site designation, SU must go through several additional steps if it wants to demolish the site in the future. To demolish a protected site, city zoning laws require the applicant to obtain a certificate of appropriateness or an economic hardship appeal.

On May 17, the university first submitted its application to the Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board requesting permission to demolish the property. The university planned to build a 703-bedroom residence hall, four to six stories tall, on the lot following its demolition.

To stop the application, the SLPB drew up a motion to designate the house as a locally protected site. The city defines protected sites as “buildings, structures, sites, landscapes or objects that are linked to people or events of significance to the city,” according to the board’s website. Other protected landmarks include Syracuse’s City Hall and the Landmark Theatre.

SCPC voted in favor of the designation during its July 29 meeting, which sent the motion to the council for the final decision. The protected site designation has been on the council’s agenda ever since SU withdrew its initial demolition application.

In an August meeting with the council’s economic development committee, 2nd District Councilor Patrick Hogan encouraged SU to instead renovate and refurbish the property. University officials at the meeting said they did not have plans to restore the site.

The property has been uninhabited since 2022 when the Zeta Psi fraternity sold the house to the university for $3.14 million. It was previously owned by local attorney Charles Estabrook, who sold the property to the fraternity in 1924.

Other business:

• The council again pushed back its vote on the local implementation of New York state’s Good Cause Eviction Law. As part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget, the law will prevent price gouging and include provisions to protect tenants.
• Councilors approved an in-kind donation of seven Hydrorider aqua bikes from SU, worth approximately $7,000, on behalf of the Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs. The aqua bikes will be for fitness classes and other public use at the Southwest Community Center.
• The council approved the installation of an honorary street sign for SU alumnus Andrew R. Branch and his dedication to the community. The sign will be taken down and donated to his family after one year. Branch graduated from SU in 1957.

Published on October 29, 2024 at 1:12 am

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu