LETTER: Over 100 suburban residents petition for community grid

To the editor,

In a short time, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) will complete the Environmental Impact Study regarding the I-81 decision. We, the people of Onondaga County, will then have 45 days to make our voices heard on this critical decision.

As suburban residents, we support the community grid option because we wholeheartedly believe that our towns surrounding the city will be greatly benefitted. Our region has suffered the consequences of a misguided planning decision of an inter-city highway* for over 60 years and it’s time to remove it and allow the city to flourish with a community grid.

As countless other cities have had renewed prosperity in their region when they removed this vestige of the past, we know that we have everything to gain from moving forward with a new vision for Syracuse. The effects of this highway slashing through Syracuse has been a major contributing factor for its dubious distinction of the most segregated and poverty-ridden city in the U.S. The community grid is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reverse course on these unacceptable woes that affect us all. As suburban residents, we must insist on a decent way of life for everyone in Onondaga County and not just for the suburbs.

We encourage every suburban resident to become educated on the facts and not be frightened by the entities who want to keep a status quo that only works for some to the detriment of many. Find out how this is not a unique problem and that many other cities* have taken bold and successful steps to remove their highways. Learn how our city was decimated in large part by these kinds of infrastructure decisions of the past. Learn how a community grid will NOT create slower commute times nor great traffic jams.

You are needed to help the leaders to make the correct planning choice. This is the most important decision facing the future of Onondaga County. Contact your assembly member, county legislator, County Executive Ryan McMahon, the DOT and Governor Andrew Cuomo and let them know that the Community Grid is our best bet for a better future for us all.

*Accessmagazine.org/fall-2009/paved-good-intentions-fiscal-politics-freeways-20th-century-american-city/

*Theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/syracuse-slums/416892/

*Escholarship.org/uc/item/5fd6n8hr

Signatories:

Kerin Rigney, DeWitt

Mike Rigney, DeWitt

Amy Lutz, Fayetteville

Melissa Whipps, Fayetteville

Beth Ferri, Fayetteville

Heather Allison Waters, Fayetteville

Elaine Denton, Manlius

Scott Severance, Manlius

Emily Buchanan, Manlius

Mary Kuhn, DeWitt

Harris Lindenfield, Manlius

Jacqueline Schmitt DeWitt