A long-vacant commercial property in Syracuse is moving toward redevelopment as New York expands its workforce infrastructure for advanced manufacturing. CenterState CEO has selected VIP Development Associates Inc. as master developer for 1300 South Salina Street, which will become the site of the state’s flagship One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships, or ON-RAMP, workforce training center.
VIP will oversee planning for the comprehensive redevelopment, with the workforce center serving as an anchor tenant. The planning process will also incorporate recommendations from the ON-RAMP Community Advisory Committee.
The 1300 South Salina Street property is a former Sears Roebuck store that has remained vacant for an extended period. The redevelopment is intended to bring new activity to the site while establishing a workforce training facility serving Central New York.
The ON-RAMP center is expected to provide residents with training connected to growing industries, including advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and construction. The facility will also connect participants with support services and other resources intended to help them enter and advance in these fields.
For the surrounding community, the project combines redevelopment of an underused property with a workforce development component tied to regional employment demand.
As master developer, VIP will guide planning for the property's redevelopment and coordinate the development concept around the ON-RAMP facility. Community input will form part of the planning process through the advisory committee established for the initiative.
The project is being advanced through a partnership involving Empire State Development, CenterState CEO, ON-RAMP Syracuse and local stakeholders.
The redevelopment is also aligned with broader efforts to strengthen Syracuse's South Salina Street corridor and repurpose a property that has remained unused.
New York launched the ON-RAMP initiative with a $200 million investment to establish four workforce development centers in strategic Upstate locations. Syracuse was selected as the flagship location, followed by the Capital Region, Finger Lakes and Mohawk Valley.
The centers are intended to bring together employers, educational institutions, social-service organizations and community groups to provide skills training and related support for workers entering high-growth advanced manufacturing industries.
The initiative is particularly relevant to regions experiencing increased investment in semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing facilities, where employers require workers with specialized technical skills.
The Syracuse redevelopment links two major construction and economic development priorities: revitalizing a long-vacant property and expanding the workforce pipeline for advanced manufacturing and construction.
For developers and contractors, the project also illustrates how adaptive redevelopment can be paired with workforce infrastructure. A successful transformation of the South Salina Street property could provide Syracuse with a training hub while putting an underused commercial site back into productive use.
Source: ESD.
