City of Syracuse

Project Description
The ReZone Syracuse project will comprehensively revise and update the City’s Zoning Ordinance and Map to facilitate the implementation of the Syracuse Land Use & Development Plan 2040 (LUP), a component of the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan 2040. The five overarching goals of the LUP are:

1.	Preserve and enhance Syracuse's existing land use patterns
2.	Protect and enhance the character and "sense of place" of Syracuse's neighborhoods
3.	Ensure high-quality, attractive design throughout the City,
4.	Promote environmentally sustainable land use patterns, transportation options, and site plans, and
5.	Ensure that development regulations and review processes are efficient, predictable, and transparent

The City’s first Zoning Ordinance and map was adopted in 1922, at a time when the concept of regulating land use was first introduced in New York State through its enabling statutes. The City’s Zoning Ordinance has been updated several times since then, but it was typically performed in a piecemeal manner which has created a document that is not easy to use or administer. The current Zoning Ordinance, with its strict separation of land uses, lack of effective design standards and complex administration does not reflect the City’s vision.

Project Objectives
Considering the general project description above, the project objectives include:

•	Ensure the new Zoning Ordinance and Map implement the recommendations of the City's adopted Comprehensive Plan 2040, including the Syracuse Land Use & Development Plan 2040,
•	Transition from the current use-focused, Euclidean Zoning Ordinance to an updated ordinance that incorporates principals of Form Based Codes, Smart Growth, Traditional Neighborhood Development, and Transit Oriented Development, among other current best practices,
•	Develop and/or improve standards regulating urban design, urban agriculture, lighting, signage, landscaping, parking, site design, infill development, and vacant land management,
•	Promote and facilitate historic Preservation,
•	Develop sustainable development provisions regarding: climate adaptation, renewable energy infrastructure, green building materials, and green infrastructure,
•	Increase protection of natural resources, including open space, water bodies, topography, and tree protection
•	Streamline the development review process, by creating more predictable zoning regulations,
•	Update the format and structure of the Zoning ordinance to be user friendly, and include illustrations and graphics
•	Remove inconsistencies, outdated language, and reduce the complexity of the Zoning Ordinance,
•	Facilitate increased public awareness of , and participation in zoning review and processes, and
•	Increase ways to use technology to provide and receive information from the public.