The Syracuse Common Council voted unanimously on Monday to pass legislation in hopes of creating Promise Zones on the Southside of Syracuse.

A Promise Zone is an initiative created by President Barack Obama in 2013 that aims to revitalize high poverty areas, said Common Councilor Pamela Hunter. A total of 20 Promise Zones are expected to be announced over the next three years, according to a White House press release.

“It will increase economic activity, decrease crime and hopefully lift the community out of poverty,” Hunter said.

The Common Council is currently waiting for the Promise Zones to be granted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It’s very difficult to tell whether the department will grant the zones, Hunter said. She said the final decision would most likely occur within the year.

Many parts of the city are below the poverty level, but the council chose the Southside for the program because they thought it would appeal more to the community. Creating Promise Zones on the Southside would be beneficial because the neighborhood is the gateway of the city, Hunter said. Most people pass through it to get to other areas of the city, so establishing zones there makes a better case for the grant.

“The Southside has been an overlooked area as far as development is concerned,” Hunter said. “Reducing crime there is much needed.”

Obama announced that he would designate 20 Promise Zones nationwide in his 2013 State of the Union address. On Jan. 9, the first Promise Zones were announced in a ceremony at the White House. The first locations were San Antonio, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, southeastern Kentucky and the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma.

The Promise Zones support local communities through accountability for goals, intensive federal partnership, help accessing resources, national service and investing in what works, according to the White House release. According to the Center for American Progress, community-driven efforts, comprehensive strategies, outcomes at the systems level and data-driven results are four key components in applying for the program.

Obama also proposed cutting taxes on hiring and investment in areas designated as Promise Zones to attract businesses and create jobs.

“If the U.S. Department of Housing and Development designate the Syracuse Promise Zone, it would make us receive preference for certain federal programs over a 10 year program.” Hunter said. “We would also receive a federal liaison to work with federal community stakeholders and with the community to meet its needs.”

This would be an ongoing project, Hunter said. It could go up to 10 years depending on the grant.

The legislation is still vague since the Common Council is still in the process of applying for it, said Bob Dougherty, common councilor, whose district encompasses the Southside. If they were to get the designation, the city would receive five workers from Volunteers in Service to America. These workers would get a stipend to pay for their food and lodging.

“Let’s say they were working in the Southwest Community Center,” Dougherty said. “This would be a way to get workers at the agency.”

Dougherty said the Common Council proposed Promise Zones to fight the poverty occurring in the city. He mentioned that a few city schools have received some Promise Zone workers already.

Published on November 12, 2014 at 12:01 am