Construction has begun on a $100 million, 125-apartment affordable housing development for seniors in Syracuse's East Adams neighborhood. The four-story building, named The Simmons, is the second phase of a wider neighborhood redevelopment tied to the planned removal of the elevated Interstate 81 viaduct, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.
The Syracuse Housing Authority and developer McCormack Baron Salazar are building the project on a vacant site south of downtown that previously served as a SUNY Upstate Medical Hospital parking lot. The state did not announce an opening date or application timeline in its release.
Who the apartments will serve
All 125 apartments are reserved for residents age 62 or older. Priority will go first to seniors relocating from Pioneer Homes, a public housing complex slated for future demolition and redevelopment, then to former residents of McKinney Manor, which was demolished in 2025. Other Syracuse Housing Authority seniors may also be eligible, the state said.
All units will be affordable to households earning no more than 60% of the area's median income. The release did not give a monthly rent schedule or the dollar income limits applicants will face when leasing begins. Every apartment is supported by a Section 8 project-based voucher administered by the housing authority.
The development is named for William Simmons, the recently retired executive director of the Syracuse Housing Authority. Its planned amenities include a community room, library, fitness center, landscaped open space, paths, seating and terraces.
Eight apartments are designed to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities, and three are designed for residents with sensory disabilities. The all-electric building will use geothermal heat pumps and energy-efficient appliances, according to the state.
The site is near public transportation, restaurants and a pharmacy, a location the state says will help older residents remain connected to daily services. The project is intended to let longtime residents remain in the East Adams neighborhood as its public housing is replaced.
How the project is financed
State and federal low-income housing tax credits awarded through New York State Homes and Community Renewal are expected to generate more than $45 million in equity. The agency is also providing $36 million in subsidy, the governor's office said.
The property is participating in the state Brownfield Cleanup Program. Once completed, it could qualify for $11 million in state tax credits tied to that program; those credits are contingent on completion and eligibility, not money already paid to the developer.
Rep. John Mannion said he secured $850,000 in federal community-project funding for the broader East Adams transformation. Sen. Chuck Schumer cited more than $33 million in federal low-income housing tax-credit support for the senior building. The release did not give a final accounting that would permit those figures to be added without overlap to the listed financing sources.
A larger change around I-81
The East Adams Neighborhood Transformation Plan is a multiphase Syracuse Housing Authority effort expected to build or preserve about 1,500 homes across several properties. Its first phase is under construction and will replace McKinney Manor with 117 affordable homes.
The work is intended to reconnect a neighborhood divided by the construction of I-81's elevated viaduct. State officials have linked housing redevelopment with the broader plan to remove the highway structure and reconnect the street network. The senior building's construction start does not mean the viaduct has already been removed.
Hochul said the state wants to replace aging public housing while preserving a place for current residents in the neighborhood. Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon described the senior apartments as part of a longer-term effort to stabilize and reinvest in East Adams.
The project is part of New York's five-year housing plan, which aims to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide. That statewide target is distinct from the 1,500-home East Adams goal and from the 125 apartments now under construction.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal says it has created or preserved more than 2,600 affordable homes elsewhere in Syracuse under the current administration. That citywide figure includes past work and should not be read as the number of apartments available at The Simmons.
No relocation schedule for Pioneer Homes residents was included in Tuesday's announcement. The housing authority and developer have not yet described when prospective tenants outside the priority groups can apply, leaving those practical details for a later phase of construction.
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