Feature of the Month: Open Atelier Architects completes $5.4 million Butternut Commons project in Syracuse; Project team includes: C&D Laface Construction, CHA Associates and Fortune Engineering

A new $5.4 million, 32,500 s/f mixed-use building stands on the corner of Butternut and Townsend St. on the city's Northside. The four-story building designed by Syracuse-based, Open Atelier Architects, has taken the place of 10 abandoned properties and has sparked renewed interest and revitalization in a struggling neighborhood. The project owner Giovanni LaFace, Butternut Street, LLC, has a special connection to the Butternut neighborhood. Three generations of his family, including himself, have lived on this block and even in one of the deteriorating structures that was demolished to make room for the building. Having worked with his family in the construction business all of his life, LaFace decided to take on a project of his own and Butternut Commons was conceived. The project team, comprised of Open Atelier Architects, C&D Laface Construction, CHA Associates and Fortune Engineering, spent several months in pre-design to create a program that would be attractive to the city as well as the surrounding community and that would take advantage of various incentives offered for economically distressed areas. The program was attractive to the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency (SIDA) because even with tax breaks, the project would reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in income for the city. Consequently, SIDA awarded Butternut Commons over $1 million in tax exemptions and the project was underway. Inspiration for the project design came from the charm of the surrounding neighborhood and the eye-catching contemporary updates just completed on the hospital. "The modern and bright colors of the façade complement the large scale hospital directly across the street, yet the articulation of the brick, stone and EIFS reduce the scale to something more comfortable for pedestrians," said Anthony Catsimatides, AIA, Open Atelier Architect principal. The building is a perfect mix of old and new and re-activates a blighted corner into a vibrant community asset." The first tenant to sign on to the project was local pharmacy, Kinney Drugs. The pharmacy chose to move their location from a small site inside the hospital to the corner lot to offer more products and better serve the surrounding community. As the project anchor, the design concept was developed around the pharmacy's needs and footprint. Prototypical Kinney Drugs stores have long walls with limited a window which is appropriate for suburban locations but was not ideal for this active city corner. To mitigate the streetscape "dead zone" that would be created by this floor plan, Open Atelier Architects worked with Kinney's to push the building ten ft. into the parking lot along Butternut St. and allow for the creation of two additional retail spaces along the street corridor. Another important urban design solution centered on relocating the normally front-facing drive-thru lane to a location near the rear-parking lot to create a pedestrian friendly atmosphere on all sides of the building. By allowing access to the drive-thru within the parking lot, valuable street frontage was saved and neighborhood walkability was preserved. "Our goal was to create a feeling of safety and walkability using lighting, awnings, attractive signage and landscaping to create a place where people want to live and shop," said Catsimatides. "With any luck some the exterior enhancements we suggested will be incorporated as the project is occupied." In addition to the Kinney's, the complex has two retail leases pending and has already signed a Cricket store. The stores provide additional amenities and shopping opportunities for the roughly 3,500 people employed by the nearby hospital. Interest in the retail stores has ranged from pizza shops, Thai restaurants and coffee shops. Above the ground floor retail spaces, 12 two-bedroom apartment units offer 1,000 s/f floorplans. Unit amenities include fully equipped kitchens with granite countertops, 1.5 or 2 bathrooms, a foyer and in-unit laundry rooms. Several tenants have already made Butternut their home and leasing is expected to be complete in early summer. The completion of this project along with growing investment by St. Joseph's has sparked renewed interest in development projects along the city's Northside. The response from city officials, the team and Kinney Drugs and the community as a whole has been one of appreciation and hope for the future of one of the city's most historic and cultured neighborhoods. A phase II of the project is expected to kick off in the near future that will offer another opportunity to energize the neighborhood. Open Atelier Architects provides innovative design solutions for mixed-use, retail and commercial projects in Syracuse and across the northeast. Our team is committed to providing sustainable, smart growth oriented design solutions while respecting project budgets and timelines. For more urban design and architectural thought leadership follow our blog at www.urbansyrup.com.