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This drawing dated September 2011 shows a proposed Syracuse University sports stadium at the intersection of Erie Boulevard East and University Avenue. SU officials have not disclosed what sites they are currently evaluating for a stadium.

(QPK DESIGN)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A company that is working to develop the state-owned Kennedy Square property in Syracuse mapped out a plan more than two years ago to locate a new Syracuse University sports arena next to Kennedy Square at the junction of Erie Boulevard East and University Avenue.

COR Development Co. and its architectural firm, QPK Design, drafted detailed schematic plans in September 2011 for an SU stadium at the foot of University Avenue, just east of the 12-acre Kennedy Square property, according to documents submitted last year to Onondaga County officials.

The 2011 drawing shows a three blocks-long stadium adjacent to the state-owned former public housing project site, sprawled across several parcels including a city-owned park and some private properties. The pictured stadium is bounded by University and Walnut avenues, East Fayette Street and Erie Boulevard.

It's not clear whether that precise location is still under consideration for a stadium, although county officials have sought state support for an arena project in the Kennedy Square area.



Ormand G. Spencer Park in Syracuse, seen from East Washington Street and University Avenue, is included in an area that was proposed for a new SU stadium in 2011.

Representatives from the university, COR, and Onondaga County all declined to discuss the drawings, which were obtained by Syracuse.com from an anonymous source. Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner's aide, Tim Carroll, said city officials had not seen the plans.

The 2011 drawings show the stadium built on land that includes a small city park. City officials have taken no steps to convert the parkland for non-park use, which typically requires state legislative approval, Miner said.

According to two sources familiar with the drawings, they were submitted to Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney in June 2013 during a meeting between Mahoney, SU Athletic Director Daryl Gross, and Steve Aiello, president of COR. The three discussed the possibility of a new SU sports arena, according to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last fall, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signaled that he wanted to promote economic development in Central New York, Mahoney successfully used the COR proposal to seek the governor's support, the sources said.

Since then, however, Syracuse University has commissioned a $100,000 feasibility study to evaluate the potential for a new stadium at three locations, according to Miner, who spoke with the university's consultant.

This view from the corner of Walnut and East Fayette Streets in Syracuse shows part of the site proposed in 2011 for a new Syracuse University stadium.

In addition to a spot near downtown Syracuse, the feasibility study considered locations at Drumlins Country Club in DeWitt and at SU's south campus, Skytop, Miner said.

SU has not released the study, and it's not clear whether the study analyzed the same Syracuse location that is shown in the 2011 drawings submitted to the county. Miner said university officials have steadfastly refused to disclose a specific location for a Syracuse stadium, or whether a location has been chosen.

In December 2011, three months after the stadium drawing was dated, Upstate Medical University announced that it would team up COR Development to redevelop the former Kennedy Square public housing complex, a mostly vacant 12-acre site owned by the state. COR's 2011 drawing shows plans for a hotel, apartments, offices and retail stores on the state property, which extends roughly from East Forman Street to University Avenue.

Upstate officials said this week that they have not had any talks with state, county or other officials about building a sports area on the former Kennedy Square property, now called Loguen Crossing.

COR Land Company LLC owns a corner parcel at East Fayette Street and Walnut Avenue, a property that is part of where the proposed SU stadium sits on the schematic, according to city tax records. The company bought the building and lot at 1129-31 E. Fayette St. in late 2008 for $149,000 from Beisan Hamdan, according to the records.

2011 SU Stadium Drawing by The Post-Standard

Contact Tim Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 315-470-3023 or on Twitter @TimKnauss. Staff writer Teri Weaver contributed to this report.

