Syracuse officials turn vacant house into housing safety lesson
A vacant Academy Place house became a live checklist of peeling paint, broken windows and carbon monoxide risks as Syracuse officials showed what to catch before families move in.
A vacant house on Academy Place became a live checklist for Syracuse families facing the city’s most common housing hazards. On June 16, officials opened 324 Academy Place, a Greater Syracuse Land Bank property, for the annual Healthy Housing 101 tour so residents could see peeling paint, broken windows, water damage, electrical hazards, infestation concerns and poor maintenance before those problems turn into emergencies.
Deputy Commissioner of Code Enforcement and Zoning Jake Dishaw said the tour was meant to do two things at once: show a property that could be rehabilitated in the future and teach the public what violations look like now so they can be corrected earlier. Mayor Sharon Owens joined the walkthrough and said early warning signs matter, especially when water, electricity and infestation are involved. Dishaw said several agencies participated, including the county lead program and the fire department, because safe housing affects the whole community, not just the landlord.
The city’s housing data help explain why the warning is so urgent. Syracuse has more than 40,000 parcels, and the vast majority are more than 70 years old. City officials say code enforcement is the first line of defense for safe and healthy housing, while the open-data housing portal lets tenants use the Look Before You Rent map to check a property’s rental-registry status, certificate of compliance and open code violations before signing a lease. The Syracuse Lead Hazard Control Office also works to identify lead-based paint hazards and help get them measured and removed, and visual lead-hazard assessments are part of rental inspections for new or renewing certificates every three years or after a general complaint.
Carbon monoxide was another focus, with officials reminding visitors that the gas cannot be seen or smelled. Syracuse fire officials install carbon monoxide detectors in owner-occupied homes, and city ordinances reference Amanda’s Law, which requires essentially all residences to have alarms installed. The annual tour fits a larger push to address vacant, blighted properties and tenant safety at the same time, a concern in a city where about 60 percent of residents rent and where a loose outlet or a patch of water damage can turn into a major hazard if nobody catches it early. Healthy Housing 101 was also held last year at 528 S. Midler Avenue, underscoring that Syracuse is treating housing safety as an ongoing public lesson.
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