Syracuse, New York, council votes against reopening scrap yard

The Common Council of Syracuse, New York, has voted 9-0 to oppose plans by Montreal-based American Iron & Metal to reopen the former Roth Steel scrap yard, which it purchased from a bankruptcy court.

An online report on www.syracuse.com, a Syracuse Media Group website, says the vote means the city council will ask the city planning commission to block the development of the scrap yard near Onondaga Lake, where it says millions of dollars have been spent to clean the water and develop the lakefront area.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner has stated the city’s law department does not think the city can legally block a new scrap yard from operating at the site.

The legislators passed the resolution anyway, though it does not specify legal grounds for revoking the permit. Instead, it asks the planning commission to do so if city lawyers and code officials agree the revocation would be “lawful and for good cause,” according to Syracuse.com.

The resolution says “the bankruptcy, environmental contamination and cease of operations at the Roth Steel site provide the city of Syracuse with a unique opportunity to revisit the use of this important area of the city lakefront.”

The four-person planning commission, members of which are appointed by the mayor, is not required to follow the council’s request in its resolution, according to the Syracuse.com report.