OwnershipandManagementofVacantLotsRepurposedforStormwaterCapturein

Syracuse,NY

ATLANTICSTATESLEGALFOUNDATION,INC.(ASLF)

SENYStormwaterConference2015–10/14/2015

Paul M. Harris, Hongbin Gao

AboutASLF•  ASLFisaNewYorkbasedNGO,

headquarteredintheNearWestsideareaintheCityofSyracuse

•  Establishedin1982toprovidelegal,technical,andorganizaVonalservicestoindividualsandorganizaVonsdealingwithenvironmentalissues

•  IsincorporaVnginnovaVvestrategiestoimproveeconomic,social,andenvironmentalsustainability

•  HasbeentakingaleadingroleinprotecVonandrestoraVonofSyracusewaterwaysandaddressingCSOissues

ASLF Office Building at 658 West Onondaga Street, Syracuse, New York

LearningObjecVves•  GreeninfrastructuresoluVons

towardcompliancewiththecourtorderedCSOmanagementrequirement

•  GreeninfrastructuresoluVonsforrepurposingurbanvacantlots

•  Post-construcVonownershipandmaintenancechallengesrelatedtovacantlotrepurposing

•  ThelandtrustasatoolforconVnuedmanagementandconservaVon

ASLF Office Building at 658 West Onondaga Street, Syracuse, New York

VacantLotIssues•  Economicallydrainingfor

acommunity

•  Lowerpropertyvalues

•  VisuallyblighVng

•  Increasedcrimerates

•  Publicnuisanceandhealthissues

PropertyValueDegradaVonaroundAVacantPropertySource:TempleUniversityCenterforPublicPolicyandEasternPennsylvaniaOrganizingProject.“BlightFreePhiladelphia:APublic-PrivateStrategytoCreateandEnhanceNeighborhoodValue.”Philadelphia,2001.

VacantLots:OpportuniVes •  StormwaterretenVon•  RecreaVon•  Urbanforestry

•  Urbanagriculture

•  HabitatcreaVonandconservaVon

ASLF:CurrentVacantLotPrograms

SaveTheRainVacantLotProgram•  AmendedConsentJudgment(ACJ)

–  FirstEnteredin1989–  1stACJAmendmentin1998

–  2ndACJAmendmentin2006

–  3rdACJAmendmentin2008

–  LandmarkRevision–the4thSVpulaVon:In2009,whenOnondagaCountygainedfederalcourtapprovalofitsnewSavetheRainGreenInfrastructureprogram,SyracusebecamethefirstcommunityintheUnitedStateswithalegalrequirementtoreducesewageoverflowswithgreeninfrastructure(GI).

–  Requires95%ofoverallCSOcaptureby2018,with6.3%throughGI,whichtranslatesto~250milliongallons/year

hep://savetherain.us/

SaveTheRainVacantLotProgram

hep://savetherain.us/

•  Partners– OnondagaCounty– CityofSyracuse– ASLF

•  ProgramDevelopment•  Outreach•  SiteAnalysisandSelecVon•  ConceptualDesign

–  UrbanOrchard–  CommunityGarden–  UrbanForestry

SaveTheRainVacantLotProgram

•  UrbanOrchard

•  701OswegoStreet

•  RunoffReducVon:195,000gallons

•  CSOReducVon:93,600gallons

Before Aier

SaveTheRainVacantLotProgram

•  RainGarden+Trees

•  1344WestOnondagaStreet

•  RunoffReducVon:133,000gallons

•  CSOReducVon:63,840gallons

Before Aier

SaveTheRainVacantLotProgram

•  RainGarden+Trees

•  1344WestOnondagaStreet

•  RunoffReducVon:133,000gallons

•  CSOReducVon:63,840gallons

Before

Aier

GLRIUrbanForestry•  Partners–  OnondagaCounty–  OswegoCounty–  USDAForestService–  CityofSyracuse–  LandBank–  ASLF

•  ProgramDevelopment•  Outreach•  SiteAnalysisandSelecVon•  ConceptualDesign•  TreePlanVngs•  MaintainOnlineDatabase

GLRIUrbanForestry

•  Over600treesplantedbyFall2015

•  VacantBrownfieldsandPrivateProperty

•  Amaturetreeuptakesapproximately1,000gallonsofstormwaterperyear

•  Asingletreemaystoreupto100gallonsofwater

•  OnondagaCountycouldconsiderourtreeplanVngswhenassessingACJcompliance/modeling

VacantLandandUrbanGreening•  ASLFongoingprogram– GIGP

•  Partners–  Syracuse-OnondagaCountyLandBank–  SageLandTrust– ASLF

•  ProgramDevelopment•  Outreach•  SiteAnalysisandSelecVon•  ConceptualDesign

–  GreenInfractructure–  UrbanForest–  Communitygardens,Orchard,Restorednaturalarea

VacantLandandUrbanGreening

OperaVonsandMaintenance:CurrentModel

•  Intermunicipalagreementforlotmaintenance

•  CountycontractswithOnondagaEarthCorps

OperaVonsandMaintenance:CurrentModel

OperaVonsandMaintenance:Challenges

•  City?County?CommunityGroup?PrivateciVzen?LandBank?LandTrust?

•  MunicipaliVesuninterestedinprolongedownership

•  Uncertainfutureforgreenprojects

•  Liabilityissues

Ownership

OperaVonsandMaintenance:Challenges

•  City?County?CommunityGroup?PrivateciVzen?LandBank?LandTrust?

•  Adheringtocompliance

•  Greenprojectvs.Greyproject

Maintenance

Source:ChesapeakeStormwaterNetwork

OperaVonsandMaintenance:Challenges

AdministraVon•  Thenatureofurban

greenprojects:small,geographicallyscaeered

•  ManagingproperVes•  CoordinaVng

maintenanceandsubcontractors

•  Communityoutreach•  Fundraising

OperaVonsandMaintenance:LandTrust

OperaVonsandMaintenance:LandTrust

•  ConservaVon:Keepinggreenprojectsinperpetuity,taking“undevelopable”properVes

•  AdministraVon:ManagingproperVes,contractors,funding,insurance,etc.

•  Maintenance:ProperupkeepofGI,andkeepingincompliance(asperthemandate)

•  Communityoutreachandbuy-in:AppropriateoutreachtocommunitypartnersandciVzens,integraVngrecreaVonalopportuniVes

•  Fundraising:SeekingaddiVonalandsupplementalfundingwiththeeventualgoaloffinancialindependence

•  TheSageLandTrust