(January 10, 2012) Syracuse, like Buffalo, has its eyes on revival of its waterfront. And like Buffalo did, Syracuse is considering  a giant Bass Pro Shops store to anchor the redevelopment of 28 acres along the old stretch of Erie Barge Canal between the Carousel Mall and downtown’s Franklin Square. ( Bass Pro ultimately didn’t get built in Buffalo.)

Three developers presented their  proposals to the public and also to a five-person committee charged with recommending one of the developments to the City of Syracuse. The proposals range vastly in type and scope: one proposed a 140,000 square-foot Bass Pro Shops store as a catalytic anchor for the Inner Harbor district; another presented a plan to renovate an old canal maintenance building into twenty townhouses. The third developer proposed a $350 million mixed-use development featuring 500 residences, retail stores, office space, a hotel, and a campus for Onondaga Community College.

Some have lamented that the proposals are being made without a master plan for that part of the city; others have pleaded for restoration of the area into natural open space.

Read more at Syracuse.com

photo Syracuse.com