City of Syracuse passes new housing ordinance

City of Syracuse passes new housing ordinanceOctober 24, 2005SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

On Oct. 24, the City of Syracuse Common Council passed General Ordinance No. 46, which will require one- and two-family, non-owner-occupied dwellings within a city-defined Special Neighborhood District to obtain a Certificate of Sufficiency every three years. Multiple-unit, non-owner-occupied dwellings (such as multi-family apartments) and other non-owner-occupied dwellings within the Special Neighborhood District are also required to obtain a Certificate of Compliance every three years under the new ordinance; before now, the Certificate of Compliance was required once every five years.

Previously, all non-owner-occupied dwellings required a Certificate of Suitability–a zoning approval that is issued following an inspection by the City of Syracuse, documenting the intention of ongoing use of a property. The new Certificate of Sufficiency and the increased requirements for Certificate of Compliance are additional enforcement tools, providing for inspections of non-owner occupied dwellings every three years to determine whether a property is compliant with its associated Certificate of Suitability. Landlords whose dwellings lack the proper certification may face the possibility of city code enforcement action. The new ordinance takes effect when it is signed by the mayor. This is anticipated within the next 10 days.

The Special Neighborhood District encompasses much of the neighborhood east of the University. The area is bounded by East Genesee Street on the north, Westmoreland Avenue on the east, Meadowbrook Drive and East Colvin Street on the south, and Comstock Avenue and Ostrom Avenue on the west.

For more information, contact the Office of Government and Community Relationsat (315) 443-3919 or the Office of Off-Campus Student Services at (315) 443-5489.As they become available, updates will be online at http://govt-comm.syr.edu.