Mayoral candidate hopes to create jobs through "Sustainable Syracuse."
By John Mariani
Staff writer
Weaving a variety of urban plans with his political ideas, mayoral candidate Howie Hawkins unveiled a Syracuse redevelopment plan Monday that he called his Green Party's "alternative to Destiny USA."
Dubbed "Sustainable Syracuse," Hawkins' proposal calls for a series of steps designed to make the city more energy efficient and attractive to new businesses, creating thousands of jobs that he said would pay better than those envisioned by the developers of Destiny USA.
Among those steps would be to re-dig the Erie Canal through Syracuse, restore Onondaga Creek to a more natural setting, and create a network of park-like "greenway" corridors with walkways, bike trails and light-rail transportation.
The proposed greenways would include one to replace the elevated portions of Interstate 81, which would be torn down.
The proposal also includes turning every building in Syracuse into an energy producer, using solar heating and panels. The city could become energy self-sufficient "through a mosaic of renewable sources including wind, solar, . . . hydro and biofuels," Hawkins said.
The process would be guided by neighborhood assemblies, the neighborhood "town meetings" that Hawkins has proposed to give residents more power to make city decisions. It would be financed in part through a municipal bank, a city-owned institution that Hawkins has proposed to make loans to residents and business owners.
"I believe we can get a renewable energy base in 10 years," Hawkins told a midmorning news conference at the top floor of the Marx Hotel, with its panoramic view of the city. He declined to set any other timetables or to speculate on a total project cost.
"These are all elements, food for thought, the beginning of the conversation," Hawkins said. "This is not the last word."
Mayor Matt Driscoll, Hawkins' Democratic opponent, could not be reached for comment. Republican challenger Joanie Mahoney said she was looking forward to reading Hawkins' proposal and gave him credit for advancing "big, bold ideas." She said she supports making Syracuse more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and, if elected, would include him in conversation toward making it happen.
Bill Harper, a Republican running for councilor at large, said the Sustainable Syracuse plan transcends party politics.
"If you are a Syracusan, if you believe in Syracuse, you have to listen to Howie," Harper said at the news conference.
Sustainable Syracuse is not his idea alone, Hawkins said, but the result of conversations among Green Party members about plans and ideas that had been drawn up by community members, groups and consultants, and then often shelved. He cited nationally known urban planner Andres Duany and researchers at the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry, including city planning professor Emanuel Carter, among the inspirations.
What the Greens added, he said, was the need for "democratic political and economic institutions" to pull it off.
Carter said he recognized the Greens' Onondaga Creek ideas as elements of several studies he's participated in over the past few years.
"Part of what I was trying to get across was that the (creek) corridor can do two things," Carter said. One, he said, is to serve as a location for parks, urban farms and forestry. The other would be to serve as a commuter route for walkers and bicyclists, tying the South Side with downtown and Onondaga Lake, Carter said.
Carter said he liked Hawkins' ideas, except for excavating the old canal. "The idea of digging it up and having it frozen for six months out of the year, I don't see much value in that besides nostalgia," he said.
F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse explored the canal idea six or seven years ago and was told by city officials that it could not be done, said Charlotte "Chuckie" Holstein, the civic group's executive director. "There was so much stuff in there that it would be almost impossible to get rid of," she said.
© 2005 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.
Posted by syracusegreens at October 25, 2005 02:52 AM