SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — In Syracuse, there is an ongoing conversation and community meetings around the push to amend the current zoning codes. Syracuse, a city that was largely impacted by redlining, is still experiencing some of the lingering effects of redlining to this day.
On Wednesday, the Common Council held there a community meeting with residents to devise an effective plan for the implementation of these new codes.
Andrew Pitt, a resident of Syracuse for over 30 years said he has his concerns about the zoning initiatives that are being presented.
“I’m concerned about how it will impact us politically. You know what I mean, as they reshape the neighborhood so do the political views, and those that lived there will no longer have their voice heard, so I am concerned about that,” Pitt said.
Residents say they are eager to have their voices heard when they become aware that this conversation is happening. For some people, the term “zoning code” feels like a synonym for redlining. So not all residents are truly happy about the change the city will soon undergo, and some even fear displacement.
Andrew Pitt said he has a vision for what he wants to see come to fruition.
“I would like to see my community get back to what it was, an actual community right now, I feel like. Right now, a lot of young individuals are trying to do things. I really would wish the other guys would take them under their wings and give them some guidance. We fight not just a loud battle but an effective battle,” Pitt said.
More meetings are being planned, and as a collective both Common Council and longtime Syracuse residents want these codes to bring communities together rather than divide them.