Title: Petition to Adjust the Official Boundaries of the Salt Springs Neighborhood

Purpose:

We, the undersigned residents respectfully petition the Department of Neighborhood & Business Development and the City of Syracuse to expand the official boundaries of the Salt Springs Neighborhood to the south and east. This expansion reflects the lived realities of community ties, shared history, and ongoing collaboration among adjacent blocks of residents who actively participate in Salt Springs activities and initiatives. This petition is being put forward by the Salt Springs Neighborhood Association.

Proposed Boundary Adjustment:

We ask that the official southern and eastern boundaries of the Salt Springs Neighborhood be amended to match those designated as Salt Springs in the documents of the Syracuse Housing Strategy Corporation. The revised boundaries would include all property bordered by Westmoreland Avenue on the west, East Genesee Street on the south, and the City's legal boundary on the east. On boundary streets, the neighborhood includes homes on both sides of the street. The official map designates I-690 as the northern border, though for our purposes the Salt Springs Neighborhood Association will consider Erie Boulevard East as our northern boundary.

Rationale:

People within current Salt Springs Neighborhood boundaries have long built community together with those of the adjacent area between Salt Springs Road and East Genesee Street, particularly for over a year now through the Syracuse Housing Strategy Steering Committee, in neighborhood meetings sponsored by Le Moyne College, and in the Salt Springs Neighbors group on Facebook, these together involving hundreds of neighbors forming bonds of affinity and cooperation and leading to the formation of the new Salt Springs Neighborhood Association currently seeking incorporation and recognition.

This adjacent area is currently designated as part of the Meadowbrook Neighborhood. However, the easternmost sign welcoming people to Meadowbrook Neighborhood is on the opposite side of East Genesee Street and not inclusive of this area, reflecting the common notion of that neighborhood's boundaries. We doubt that many people along Meadowbrook Drive even know that residents across East Genesee Street are officially part of their neighborhood. Rather, we believe that East Genesee Street, a busy artery of the city and a strong barrier to pedestrians, makes a more natural division.

The current official southern boundary of the Salt Springs Neighborhood is Salt Springs Road itself, meaning that residents on the south side of Salt Springs Road and nearby blocks are officially not in the Salt Springs Neighborhood, dividing neighbors who see themselves as belonging together.

At the eastern and southern edges, residents who might otherwise be isolated deserve to be included in a neighborhood that embraces them, as well. We believe that all city residents deserve to be part of a neighborhood. The new boundaries will tie together residents along the north side of East Genesee Street and unite us with nonprofit organizations and businesses within those boundaries, as well.

Residents in this expanded neighborhood have regularly attended Salt Springs events, contributed to neighborhood projects, joined Salt Springs groups, and identified with the neighborhood.

Expanding boundaries in this way affirms these neighbors' commitment to shared agency. A revised map recognizing this will enable easier and more accurate planning, grant applications, and service delivery. Moreover, it will avoid confusion where the City's own Housing Strategy Corporation uses a different set of borders than those officially constituted.

This definition of Salt Springs has been adopted by the Salt Springs Neighborhood Association as the area we serve.

Requested Action:

We ask the City of Syracuse to:

1. Review and approve the proposed boundary expansion.

2. Update official neighborhood maps and planning documents.

3. Recognize the expanded area in future civic engagement, funding, and development initiatives.