Photo: Witthaya Prasongsin / Moment / Getty Images
Ground has officially been broken for new apartments in Syracuse's East Adams neighborhood. The $102 million development, named "The Langston" in honor of the late Judge Langston McKinney, is set to replace the public housing units that were demolished at McKinney Manor. The project marks the first phase of an extensive $1 billion neighborhood transformation near downtown Syracuse.
The Langston will feature a four-story building, a three-story building, and a series of townhomes, creating a total of 132 units. According to Allyson Carpenter, vice president of the development company McCormack Baron Salazar, 63 units will be replacement homes for former residents of McKinney Manor and Pioneer Homes. Fifty-four units will be available to families earning up to 60% of the area median income, and 15 units will be market-rate.
The buildings will include modern amenities such as a community room, fitness room, computer lab, children's play area, geothermal heating and cooling, and in-unit washers and dryers. A new public street, McKinney Street, will also be constructed to honor the city's first Black judge. The development is expected to be ready for residents in 2027.
Funding for the project comes from a mix of private investors and state, local, and federal sources, including over $53 million in state subsidies and low-income housing tax credits provided by New York State Homes Community Renewal. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by local officials, including Mayor Ben Walsh and Mayor-elect Sharon Owens.
According to Syracuse.com, this project is part of a larger plan to replace nearly 700 public housing units along I-81 with over 1,300 new mixed-income units. The next phase will focus on building 125 new apartments for low-income seniors on a vacant lot owned by the Syracuse Housing Authority.