SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The City of Syracuse is moving forward with its lawsuit against the company that promised to rescue the former Skyline Apartments, with code enforcement officials alleging that the company provided inacurrate updates on renovation progress.
On April 2, the city filed a lawsuit to ask a judge to appoint a new receiver to operate the building. The city is also requesting that the judge require Clear to make $2 million available for that receiver to use for renovations. The legal action came about two years after Clear took over the former Skyline, a move that was meant to spell the end of the years of horrific and dangerous conditions inside the building. Clear quickly relocated or evicted tenants in 2023; but the city said the work appeared to stop there.
The final straw for Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens came in March, when city firefighters discovered that a broken pipe had caused flooding on eight floors. Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Craner said in court documents that they found several feet of water in basement areas, with every floor surface covered by at least half an inch of ice. Icicles were visible on the outside of the building where water leaked through windows…