New York state will invest in the demolition and redevelopment of the long-abandoned Syracuse Developmental Center into housing and mixed-use property, Gov. Kathy Hochul and local leaders announced in Syracuse Friday.

The governor said the state is putting up $29 million to start the demolition and begin a three-phase project to revamp the 47-acre area on the city's west side. Phase one would commit funds to build 230 units of workforce housing, and by the end, more than 400 units of town homes and apartments would be available, as well as space for the tech sector and green space.

“When this place closed in 1998, it became a magnet for vandalism,” Hochul said, adding that the eyesore has attracted other negative activities and “weighed down the community.”

“It’s going to be an incredibly vibrant community,” Hochul said once this project is complete.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said eliminating one of the neighborhood’s biggest examples of blight is one thing, but what it is planned to turn into is another.

“We have a dynamic, mixed-use, mixed-income project that is going to transform this part of the community, transform it for the future that’s ahead of us,” Walsh said.

The city acquired the former Syracuse Developmental Center back in 2019 after the previous owner ceased paying taxes on it.