New Owners Planning Redevelopment of Fingerlakes Mall

Aerial Fingerlakes Mall provided by Fingerlakes Mall

Auburn, NY – Vachi Fingerlakes, LLC purchased Fingerlakes Mall from Fingerlakes Mall Acquisition, LLC on September 19, 2022, for an undisclosed amount. Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC will serve as the mall’s property management team.

Fingerlakes Mall is a 400,000 square foot one-level specialty retail shopping center anchored by Bass Pro Shops and family-owned Track Cinema. Ideally situated on Route 5 midway between Syracuse and Rochester, Fingerlakes Mall is easily accessible from the NYS Thruway and NYS 690. 

Vachi Fingerlake’s first action was to negotiate an extension of the current Bass Pro Shops lease of 85,500 square feet to ensure this anchor store remains in the Finger Lakes region through at least 2037. Securing this 15-year lease is an encouraging first step to ensure that the economic activity generated by Bass Pro Shops continues to benefit the region. 

Currently, multi-stage redevelopment plans are being considered to further revitalize the mall and the community it serves. According to Sutton Real Estate Company, a total of 55.31 acres of development potential exist. No further plans have been released. 

Featured on:
New York Real Estate Journal 

Aerial Fingerlakes Mall provided by Fingerlakes Mall
Aerial image of Fingerlakes Mall provided by Fingerlakes Mall

Sutton Real Estate Company Leases Unique Downtown Space in an Office-to-Retail Conversion

301 West Fayette Street Syracuse, NY 13202

The ability to think big and make a space work within the box vs. outside opens new doors to a top-floor expansive space for Marisa’s Fortress of Beauty in Downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square. Kristen Nave and Ben Lewis of Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC. recently represented the landlord in a creative 3,700 SF long-term lease of a 3rd-floor office to retail conversion space at 301 West Fayette Street. 

Office-to-retail conversion spaces are a great way to think inside the box when looking for commercial spaces. NYC has had multi-level retail, mixed-use spaces for years, and it’s fantastic to see this happening in Downtown Syracuse. The Armory Square area is densely populated with residential apartments, a retail shopping experience, and fine dining options. 

According to the 2022 Downtown Syracuse Development Forecast provided by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse…

“In 2022 alone, 22 projects totaling $180 million will create 312 new housing units, at least six new corporate headquarters, and enhanced arts and cultural facilities in the central business district.”

For Marisa’s, the decision to move a salon from the ground level to an upstairs space was easy. The expansive 3rd-floor space provided the room the salon desperately needed while providing each stylist with individual rooms, plus opportunities for expansion. Stairs or an elevator help customers easily access the Salon from the ground floor.

Tenants of 301 West Fayette Street

The historic Crown Building on the corner of West Fayette and Franklin in Armory Square currently includes Kitty Hoynes Pub & Restaurant on the ground floor, hiline powered by Gardner & Capparelli on the second floor in Class A office space, and now Marisa’s Fortress of Beauty on the top floor.

Looking for Commercial Space? 

If you have been considering listing your space, contact Ben or Kristen at Sutton to fill your space!

Featured on:
New York Real Estate Journal 

301 West Fayette Street Syracuse, NY 13202
301 West Fayette Street | Syracuse, NY 13202

Keeping up with Commercial Office Space Trends

Interior Design

Ever since the pandemic hit in 2020, COVID-19 has changed pretty much everything — what we grab when we leave the house, how we work day-to-day, how we travel, and even commercial office space trends have changed.

But what are the changes in the commercial office world that you should know about? Are you behind on making some of these changes? Are these changes a must?

If you are trying to keep up with commercial office work trends, then keep reading because you’ll want to know all about them!

Flight to Quality in Commercial Spaces

We’re seeing a flight to quality occur in Syracuse, NY, and throughout the country. Spaces that don’t require a lot of construction in quality locations are going fast!

Being able to re-envision an existing space, and stay within a construction budget, are being prioritized when it comes to commercial spaces. This is where tenant leases are going. Currently, we have a wonderful space 13,500 SF for lease at 115 Solar Street in Syracuse NY. We can help you find the flexible spaces you need.

Spaces That Incorporate Collaboration

Collaboration is one of the newest trends in the corporate world. This is partly what has created co-working spaces all around the country and here in Syracuse, NY. Another reason for this is to increase human interaction in the workplace. With private doors and office spaces that are closed off between people, there is not a whole lot of collaboration or even interaction. But that’s changing, and part of what’s changing is how a workspace floor is laid out. If you want to keep up with the trends, you’ll want to incorporate a few things into your commercial space:
  • Team workroom 
  • Tables in an open space to promote collaboration 
  • Benches and hangout areas
By incorporating these things into a commercial office space, you can be sure that there will be more interaction and collaboration among employees. In addition, co-working spaces are here to stay for remote workers. When workers want to collaborate, they head to a space for more interaction during the workday. Or to work with others on a project, they can go to this space.

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Office Space Table and Windows
Hallway
Office Space Table, Windows, Exit Door

More Touchdown Spaces

If you haven’t heard of this before, you’ll want to familiarize yourself as this is another huge trend in 2022. A touchdown space is basically a space where a worker can sit down, set up their laptop, plug it in, and be productive.

Gone are the days when there needs to be an actual desk. Workers can actually be productive elsewhere, and sometimes that can be better than an actual desk as a workspace!

In the office space, set up tables and chairs around with plugs at all of them. Set up couches or tables with booths where people can set up for the day.

Changing scenery can actually help boost productivity in the workplace, so allowing workers to have different spaces every single day can make employees more productive.

Open office touchdown space
Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

Conducive for Hybrid Work Models

After COVID-19 hit and remote work took over for a good portion of two years, a hybrid work model is being adopted by more and more companies.

This also means that commercial space is going to look different. There’s no point in having multiple offices for every single employee all of the time. Instead, there can be some offices, some meeting rooms, and open space for workers to work when they come in.

Making sure there is a meeting room or two is also important as this can be where meetings take place with both those in the office and those that are working remotely that day. A monitor or a screen in these meeting rooms is a must.

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A Focus on Employee Well-being

There has been a shift to focus more on mental health in the workplace as well. While there are not a lot of changes to make to focus on employee well-being, there are some that can help with it.

Here are a few:

  • Add in more windows for natural light
  • Create an outdoor space for employees to get fresh air and work
  • Add plants and greenery
  • Have a state of art air purification system
  • Create flexible work hours for employees
  • Allow hybrid work schedules
  • Change the setup of the commercial workspace to be more collaborative and interactive to accommodate hybrid workers.

It’s crucial that employees feel valued by a company, and sprucing up the way the office looks and feels is one way to do that.

You may also want to invest in the type of furniture you add to a space. Some people want to work on couches and feel comfortable doing so — or maybe even a bean bag! Ergonomic chairs and stand-up desks can provide many health benefits. Giving employees what they want in a space is crucial for their mental health and their productivity on the job.

Thoughtful Interior Design

There’s more to a space than just furniture, though. An office space should tell the story of the brand through interior design.

If your company is all about bright colors, you’ll want to incorporate these in art, in the color of the furniture, tables, kitchen appliances, and more.

Making the office space feel like more than just a building can make the work environment more inviting. Gone are the days of plain, blank walls.

Say hello to beautifully redesigned spaces!

Interior Design
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Commercial Office Space Trends

If you have been thinking about changing up your office space, you now know how to make a commercial office space better than ever – even making sure that it is up to date with the trends of the time.

If you don’t have office space yet, check out our commercial property listings! While you make the space what it needs to be, we’ll take care of the rest. We can even help you develop the space into your vision! Let us help you today!

Resurgence of Franklin Square Park

From left to right Fernando Araya, Steve Conrad, Linda Llewellyn, Taylor Zekri, and Paul Harvey. Missing from photo Robbie Lewis.

Franklin Square Park is alive with natural beauty! 

What was once a neighborhood full of factories due to the salt industry centered on Onondaga Lake is now a transformed neighborhood full of residents, employees, history, and vibrant life! Franklin Square today is a live-work neighborhood including multiple businesses: Freedom of Espresso, Boulangerie, Central Rock Gym, and Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC., to name a few, along with connected neighbors and a stunning park (see before and after images below) thanks to the recent dedication and hard work of local volunteers and donors!

Working Together 

Beginning in May of 2020, with a motivation to get outside, Linda Llewellyn, a Sutton resident, took it upon herself to begin work on weeding the overgrown gardens in Franklin Square Park. Slowly but surely, Linda cleaned out multiple overgrown beds and started to plant flowers while gaining attention from other local park volunteers and visitors. Linda’s creative efforts and ability to connect to people organically have resulted in a dedicated park volunteer and donor group working in partnership with the City of Syracuse. The volunteers have taken over management of the gardens in Franklin Square Park, Plum Street Circle, and parts of the Onondaga Creek Walk. 

IMG_9625_Linda Llewellyn
Franklin Square Park
Franklin Square Park
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Before pictures of Franklin Square Park, 2020 provided by Linda Llewellyn.

The volunteers handle all grounds maintenance, including but not limited to buying, digging, sweeping, weeding, planting, pruning, and designing. The City of Syracuse has recognized the volunteer’s work. The city mows the grass, trims the high trees, gives water access, plumbers run the sprinklers, and the city picks up the piles of debris. Freedom of Espresso has even donated their coffee grounds which make an excellent insect repellent! The Lofts at Franklin Square, managed by Sutton, have made available storage facilities and access to tools, including a large water vessel on a cart to help bring water to less accessible areas for the volunteer group to use. 

This year the volunteers were invited at the end of May to select hundreds of flowers from the Syracuse City Greenhouse, which resulted in taking over more raised beds within the park. The volunteers also took a field trip to Oswego, NY to help gather and replant hosta’s and ferns, from a lovely couple’s home who wanted to downsize their 40 year old garden which helped to expand the outside beds. The volunteer group was awarded two grants between 2021 and 2022 from Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today, (TNT) which have allowed even more beautification of the park and for the volunteers to support local nurseries such as Aspinall’s Tree Nursery and Landscaping, Chuck Hafner’s, Dickman Farms and Little York Plantation. Each of the eight sectors of the city can be awarded a grant through TNT, so we encourage you and your neighbors to learn more!

This summer is a beautiful time to explore the park and view the artistic creations of the volunteers. You’ll find many unique plants and items planted in memory of others. Nature has a way of drawing people near during times of isolation. It’s incredible to see how the park has positively impacted the environment, and the mental and physical health of many volunteers, residents, and the larger community. The volunteers have brought together the city, business, and multiple people, which is truly inspirational.

Franklin Square Park
Franklin Square Park
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Franklin Square Park
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Franklin Square Park
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Franklin Square Park
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Franklin Square Park
Plum Circle
Franklin Square Park
Franklin Square Park
Franklin Square Park
Hydrangeas

After pictures of Franklin Square Park, 2022 by Mariel Mirra.

Franklin Square Park (FSP) Tree Walk

Linda and Robbie Lewis, another park volunteer, recently expanded their knowledge and became CommuniTREE Stewards through the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Wanting to put their classroom knowledge to use, Linda and Robbie partnered with the volunteers and created a tree walk, “Franklin Square Park Tree Walk” using Google Maps.

Today, anyone can indulge in taking a walk in the park while identifying the different trees’ genesis and species of the trees currently marked (20+). This map also helps meet the goals of the city’s Urban Forest Master plan and connects the entire community to the urban forest. Future ideas on expanding the tree walk, including an interactive component, are already being brainstormed!

Franklin Square Tree Walk

Volunteers and Donors

Securing donations from friends’ gardens and the ability to purchase bulbs and plants from local nurseries has been vital in gaining traction in the overgrown park. A majority of work completed in 2020 was donated by two volunteers and a resident of Sutton, which included 17 yards of mulch. Today more than half a dozen independent gardeners have shared and continue to share their bounty when splitting perennials in their gardens. This work would not be possible without the amazing volunteers and donors we would like to recognize.

2022 Volunteers

Fernando Araya, Tom Calzolaio, Steve Conrad, Dan Downes, Anne Downes, Shanzea Farooqu, Paul Harvey, Robbie Lewis, Tom Lewis, Linda Llewellyn, Sana Zekri, and Taylor Zekri.

2022 Donors

Sutton Real Estate Company, Freedom of Espresso, Tomorrow’s Neighboorhoods Today, Inc., Bonnie Calzolaio, Jane Dorsey, Sally and Paul Dussere, Judy Fox, Shelly Episcopo, Karen Lang, Barbara and Walter Smith, Doug Sutherland, and Carol Valentino.

From left to right Fernando Araya, Steve Conrad, Linda Llewellyn, Taylor Zekri, and Paul Harvey. Missing from photo Robbie Lewis.
Volunteers from left to right Fernando Araya, Steve Conrad, Linda Llewellyn, Taylor Zekri, and Paul Harvey. Missing from photo: Tom Calzolaio, Dan Downes, Anne Downes, Shanzea Farooqu, Robbie Lewis, and Sana Zekri. Photo by Mariel Mirra.

Interested in relocating to Franklin Square?

Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC. manages multiple properties in Franklin Square, including The Foundry, The Lofts at Franklin, Lakefront Lofts, and Plum Court. Sutton currently has two large offices for rent at 115 Solar Street in Syracuse, NY. 

To learn more, check out https://suttoncos.com/commercial/lofts-at-franklin or contact Kristen Nave. 

Franklin Square Plum Court
Franklin Square Park
Freedom of Espresso
Franklin Square