VILLAGE OF LIVERPOOL – About an hour into his annual State of the County Address on Thursday, March 20, County Executive Ryan McMahon announced that a massive apartment complex is being proposed along Lake Drive in the village of Liverpool.
McMahon received a burst of applause after he made this statement: “Today I’m pleased to announce that the Gormel family, a staple in the village of Liverpool, and local developer Lou Santaro will be investing in a $46 million housing project on Lake Drive facing Onondaga Lake. The project will be 168 units, with 99 one-bedroom units and 69 two-bedroom units.”
He added that the development team is also considering restaurant and retail uses, plus an in-ground pool and fitness center.
Contacted a few days after the announcement, Adam Gormel – whose family owns The Retreat, The Cobblestone and the Barking Gull – said that the proposal is in its earliest stages.
“We’re excited, but we’re taking it just one step at a time,” Gormel said. “There are a lot of details to take care of. It’s no sure thing.”
The developers’ concerns include the possibility that prices for building materials – including wood and steel – could rise significantly in future months.
Gormel said that McMahon had seen some drawings of the apartment complex and asked the developers if he could announce it on March 20. The county executive urged them to include some mixed uses.
Over the last couple decades, the Gormel family has purchased virtually all of the properties along Lake Drive, and around the corner onto South Willow Street where they own the Barking Gull as well as the building that previously housed the White Water Pub.
So the Gormels have been considering some type of development there on that so-called Basin Block for some time. Back in 2018, the Gormels floated plans for a 45-unit complex, complete with impressive artists’ renderings, but a shaky economy discouraged investment, and the project fizzled.
This time, the Gormels have a solid investment partner in Lou Santoro, an experienced East Syracuse real estate developer and owner of Attilio’s Restaurant at 770 James Street.
To design the apartments, they have engaged one of the most versatile architecture and engineering firms in Syracuse – QBK Design – whose portfolio includes the New York State Fair’s Exposition Center, the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview and Syracuse Technology Garden expansion.
The developers, however, have not yet applied for site review from the village planning board, according to village Codes Officer Bill Reagan.
Mayor Stacy Finney, who attended McMahon’s March 20 speech, said she was not completely surprised by the announcement.
“I am not sure of exactly where they are in the process,” Finney said. “From my understanding these were preliminary designs, and not set in stone. I am sure once the design is finalized, the Gormels will follow to correct procedures.”
After more details are ironed out, Adam Gormel said they’ll contact the village planning board. That board met on Monday, March 24, and engaged in what Chairman Bob Bradt characterized as a “casual conversation” about the news.
Reagan was there, and he told the planners. “It’s all speculation until we get an application [for a site review].”
ellementor.com
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