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Syracuse University students fill the Carrier Dome stands for a Dec. 3 basketball game against Indiana. Onondaga County officials are pushing for a new, state-subsidized SU sports arena, but Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner wants to see more details before backing the idea.

(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Hope is fading that Syracuse will get state help this year to build a nearly $500 million sports arena in Kennedy Square, and Onondaga County officials are on the verge of asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fund alternative projects instead, the chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature said Monday night.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shown an interest in providing state funding this year for a significant economic development project in Central New York, and County Executive Joanie Mahoney asked the governor to help build a new stadium for use by Syracuse University athletic teams and other tenants, said Ryan McMahon, county Legislature chairman.

But local roadblocks, including "a lack of enthusiasm from city hall,'' have prevented the project from coming together, McMahon said. As the deadline looms for Cuomo to present a state budget, McMahon said Mahoney may be forced to pitch other ideas to the governor. Cuomo is due to present a budget by Jan. 21.

"The county executive believes the governor is serious about helping Central New York with a regional project,'' McMahon said. "And the state has their timelines with doing their budget. We need to respect that. If (the stadium project) can't come together right now, we need to try to make the state interested in other projects in the region.''

Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon said the SU arena proposal met "a lack of enthusiasm" from Syracuse City Hall.

McMahon confirmed rumors that have swirled around Syracuse for more than a week, that Mahoney's administration, Cuomo's office and Syracuse University have discussed plans to build a stadium on the site of the former Kennedy Square housing project between University Hill and the heart of downtown. The facility would be privately owned and operated, and SU would be the anchor tenant, McMahon said.

"It's a concept that has been explored recently and we're willing to still explore it,'' McMahon said. "We're concerned that all the pieces (might not) come together in the time frame needed to get state funds secured for this project.''

McMahon said he has not been a party to discussions with the governor's office, but he has conferred with Mahoney about the project, which would require significant county funding in addition to the state's contribution.

Demolition crews take down the last remaining section of the former Kennedy Square apartments on the near east side of Syracuse in this April 2013 file photo.

McMahon did not offer any specific details about why the stadium proposal is foundering, but pointed to the lack of enthusiasm from Mayor Stephanie Miner's office as "part of the reason.''

"It's a complex partnership for a regional project that requires state and county funds as well as working with Syracuse University and a private owner-operator,'' McMahon said. "It also would require some support from city hall. And there's been to date a lack of enthusiasm for the project from city hall.''

Miner said she has expressed neither support nor opposition for the stadium concept, but wants to see more details before deciding whether it would be good for the city. She has requested details from SU officials, who promised to provide them, she said. Miner said she learned of the proposal "less than a month ago.''

"The university can be an engine of economic development or it can be an island. With something this big, we want to make sure it is economic development for the entire community,'' Miner said. "I haven't seen a schematic of where a proposed stadium would be, much less where parking would be, how the funding would happen, what the funding vehicles would be. There are just a whole load of unanswered questions.''

Mayor Stephanie Miner

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud on Monday confirmed he has talked with Mahoney and Miner in recent months about building a new arena to replace SU's aging Carrier Dome, which opened in 1980.

McMahon said he and Mahoney discussed alternative locations for a stadium, outside of the city, but decided not to pursue them. "Those locations would not have the impact that a location in the heart of the city would,'' he said. "It's better that if Kennedy Square is not going to happen that we take a deep breath and go back to the drawing board.''

The former Kennedy Square site, which includes 14 acres sandwiched between East Fayette and East Water streets, is owned by Upstate Medical University.

McMahon said he believes there is no more than a week or so to revive the stadium idea. "We're potentially missing an opportunity here," he said.

Miner said she is waiting to see an analysis of how the project would impact neighborhoods on the near east side, traffic patterns, parking, and other critical factors. She said she has not been told that the project faces a deadline and does not believe local officials should rush to endorse the project.

"A project this large deserves to have a thorough vetting done, so that we don't make a mistake,'' she said. "This is a project that is a 30-year decision, and I don't think you want to rush into those kinds of decisions, because the people who end up being victimized are the community.''

Contact Tim Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 315-470-3023 or on Twitter @TimKnauss.