Syracuse Sees Growth in Downtown, Riverfront Areas
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
SYRACUSE – The town and chamber of commerce have boosted their efforts in promoting the downtown and riverfront areas. The downtown area has seen some growth in the past year with new stores including Westmain Tavern, celebrating its first year this month; My Red Moon, a Pierceton art and antique store that recently opened a Syracuse location; and a specialty food market, M.themarket, that will open on East Main Street by summer. “The town is starting to bubble up,” Jason Traycoff, a longtime chef and veteran of the restaurant industry who runs Westmain with wife Emily, said this morning. “There’s a lot of revitalization going on in the whole Main Street area.” He said he would like to see more interesting restaurants move in, such as small cafés and coffee houses, as well as more professional offices. The Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce has been working diligently on the downtown and the Syracuse Riverfront District for the past year, said Executive Director Tammy Cotton. The town also established a Riverfront District at Jason’s urging, a designation which allows restaurants to apply for alcohol licenses beyond the regular quota. “We are very excited about the new opportunities that the Riverfront District provides and even more excited about the entrepreneurs that are moving businesses here,” she said. She also noted the same building that houses the new market and the chamber has a second storefront available that interested parties are already looking at. Cotton added that Westmain “has really been an integral part of spearheading the movement. They have been very successful, a small farm to table style restaurant that is full every evening. Syracuse is doing well, there are many other plans in the works to bring more culture and arts to the downtown as well.” Jason Traycoff presented the riverfront idea to Syracuse Town Council at the July 2013 meeting, saying it could entice businesses to the area. He said today the designation, used now in close to 50 Indiana towns, gives a “shot in the arm” to economic development. He researched the idea when planning his own restaurant and visited Lafayette to see its district and speak with its redevelopment commission. Syracuse qualified because Turkey Creek approaches downtown, stopping at the bottom of the hill from his restaurant, a block and a half away. Syracuse recently added the Riverfront District to its comprehensive plan, at the suggestion of Town Manager Henry DeJulia. The plan anticipates new development in the district – which encompasses an area along Dolan Drive and Huntington Street – which would include some town-owned property and Syracuse Elementary School. Development would “maximize public access to Turkey Creek and help to create high-quality recreational and economic development opportunities,” the updated plan states. “(T)he waterfront will be attractive, accessible, walkable, and culturally vibrant, benefiting from and enhancing the quality of life inherent in a small town.” The long-term goal of the riverfront plan is to establish waterfront public access along the Dolan property, which is owned by the Town of Syracuse, and develop a cultural arts center at the elementary school owned by the Wawasee School District. DeJulia said at a March 30 public discussion on potential uses for the school, which will be vacant by 2017 when students move to a new elementary, that the town was interested in turning the school into a cultural arts center or joining it with the riverfront district. The addition also proposes a Riverfront Revitalization Plan, which would address issues such underused commercial and residential properties; pedestrian-friendly transportation access; cultural and artistic opportunities and preservation of historic resources; and growth management and protection of community character and quality of life. “This Riverfront Revitalization Plan is a voluntary, grassroots effort which brings together local government, commerce and industry, environmental interests and private organizations to assess current opportunities and constraints and to build a consensus on the desired future of the Riverfront District,” the plan states. The project should begin, the plan says, with improvements to the approach of the Dolan property, which might include features such as a gazebo, fencing, parking, banners or a sitting area with picnic and barbecue facilities. Other proposals for the property include a formal launch site for small non-motorized watercraft; the promotion of bird-watching; and landscaping and amenities such as benches, bicycle racks, informational kiosks and parking areas. Development of the elementary school for active community use would bring artists and arts-related organizations and businesses together to share their talents and connection, the plan says, with an opportunity for artists, artisans, actors, writers and musicians to mingle with galleries, theaters and publishers. The project also could include a series of learning events focusing on five arts areas: visual, artisan, theater, music and literary. A Cultural Arts Center also could showcase Syracuse’s historic and cultural resources, according to the plan, and may include an interpretive center for Syracuse’s history, a Syracuse-Wawasee museum, gallery space for local artists and an outdoor amphitheater for performances. The plan also calls for updating the zoning; attracting mixed-use revitalization projects while protecting the community’s historic character; protecting the waterfront as a natural resource; and protecting the town’s recreation character by protecting open space. “The economic vitality of a community’s ‘Main Street’ commercial district and the promotion of small business development are critical components of a successful Riverfront District development strategy,” the plan states. “‘Main Streets’ provide the services necessary to enhance the visitor experience (accommodations, food service, entertainment, shopping, etc.). Attractive storefronts and pedestrian friendly streetscapes significantly improve the character and sense of place of the downtown commercial district.”
