Syracuse Tomorrow

CenterState CEO advocated strongly at the state level for the passage of Green CHIPS, a critical part of attracting Micron to Central New York. It provided New York State’s leadership with key insights as it developed and passed this new legislation, which has the ability to position the region and state to attract even more transformative projects. Green CHIPS is an amendment to the Excelsior Tax Credit program that allows the state to offer up to $500 million a year in state tax credits to chip companies that build new factories in New York state with a focus on reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.

CenterState CEO advocated for the successful creation of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, which represents the largest and most effective national preservation incentive available to developers, driving private reinvestment for the redevelopment of historic buildings and communities. This federal tax credit helped ensure projects such as the transformative Pike Block in downtown Syracuse and the restoration of the Hotel Syracuse were brought to fruition.

CenterState CEO was among a coalition of leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors that strongly advocated for the passage of the New York State Land Bank Act, passed in 2011, that enabled the creation of the land banks in the state. The New York Land Bank Association (NYLBA) was formed in 2015 to support those land banks. The NYLBA has since contracted with CenterState CEO for staff support to the otherwise all-volunteer organization. The CenterState CEO team continues to support the New York Land Bank Association by advocating for legislative reform and helping to secure funding.

The Greater Syracuse Land Bank has been a vital tool for combating vacancy, blight, and putting properties back on the tax rolls. The Greater Syracuse Landbank has generated $1.9 million a year in property taxes and sold more than 1,200 properties since its creation in 2012.

CenterState CEO helped to create the NUAIR Alliance, bringing together a coalition of industry and academic partners to lead a regional bid to the Federal Aviation Administration to become one of the country's first UAS test sites. Today, NUAIR drives economic development through innovations in UAS and Advanced Air Mobility to safely integrate into the national airspace. It does so through a proven network of systems, from incubators and investors to customers and partners.

Since then, New York State has prioritized the growth of the unmanned system industry through significant investments and support. This includes funding of efforts in New York for the safe integration of drones into the national airspace, including an Advanced Air Mobility corridor and beyond visual line of sight operations for uncrewed aircraft systems; support for NUAIR; funding for the GENIUS NY program, administered by CenterState CEO, as well as for the expansion of CenterState CEO's business incubator, which will further entrepreneurship and innovations in the UAS industry sector.

The creation of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority moved control of the airport from the City of Syracuse to a regional board in 2011 in order to better serve the airport's customer base across multiple counties and parts of Canada. It also strengthened the airport's ability to attract more competitive air travel to the Central New York market. CenterState CEO strongly advocated for the creation of the Authority at the city and state levels, and continues to partner closely with the Authority to attract new airlines and routes, reduce fares and promote use of the airport.