Syracuse development agency considers taking Hotel Syracuse by eminent domain

The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency spent an hour huddled with its lawyers behind closed doors Tuesday morning discussing the possible use of its eminent domain powers to acquire the historic downtown hotel.

Ben Walsh, the agency’s executive director and deputy commissioner of the city’s Office of Neighborhood & Business Development, said lawyers explained the agency’s legal options for using eminent domain to take the hotel. However, no vote was taken during the executive session, he said.