Syracuse council renews Comstock Avenue closure for SU housing construction

The stretch of Comstock Avenue between Waverly Avenue and Marshall Street will stay closed for another 90 days, keeping South Side traffic funneled around Syracuse University’s construction zone while residents, students, hospital workers and nearby businesses absorb the detour. The renewal extends a closure that has been in place since late December 2025, as the university builds two new dorms slated to open in fall 2027.

City rules require the road closure to come back before the Syracuse Common Council every 90 days, and members are using that process to press for answers before approving another extension. At the June 1 Common Council meeting, Councilor Chol Majok introduced the ordinance but the council held it for further discussion instead of immediately reauthorizing it. Majok said unresolved issues still remained, including how the costs should be divided between the developer, Syracuse University, and the city.

That cost fight has become one of the biggest flashpoints around the project. Reporting in March said Syracuse University could face more than $5 million in permit fees to keep the one-block closure in place for the full project period. City staff later estimated the current fee methodology could total roughly $2.6 million for a full two-year closure, a gap that has sharpened the debate over how aggressively the city should enforce its own rules on repeated extensions.

University documents have said the block in front of the Comstock Avenue Garage will be fully closed during construction, with traffic detoured onto Ostrom Avenue and Marshall Street. Residents have already complained about traffic and access disruptions, and the latest renewal keeps those conditions in place while crews continue work on the housing project.

The broader buildout is part of Syracuse University’s push to move more student housing onto the main campus and away from South Campus. In a May 6 update, the university said 544 University Place is on track for completion in summer 2027, while 315 Waverly Ave. and 501 Comstock Ave. are both on track for August 2027.

The Comstock Avenue plan has been years in the making. Syracuse University bought the former fraternity house at 727 Comstock Ave. in 2022 for $3.14 million, then scaled back demolition plans after resistance from city review boards before moving ahead with the larger housing project. For now, the council’s renewal keeps the street closed, but the repeated 90-day approvals are turning the closure into a test of how much disruption the city will tolerate and on what terms.