Editor’s note: Article updated Saturday to include comments from the parking garage owner and a city spokesman.
Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse codes enforcement department has temporarily shut down a large downtown parking garage.
The garage at 325-345 S. Warren St., with more than 400 parking spots, was declared “unfit for human occupancy,” according to a sign posted by the codes department. The sign was dated Wednesday.
The city closed the parking garage for unsafe construction work, Syracuse spokesman Greg Loh said Saturday.
The work site had no traffic or pedestrian control plans and no barriers to prevent cars or people from falling into large holes in the concrete floor, Loh said.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration alerted city officials to the hazards, Loh said.
Sam Ghalchi, who owns the parking garage, said the bottom level is open and has been operating normally since Wednesday. The other six floors have been closed, he said. He expects the entire garage to reopen sometime next week.
The parking garage has 12 open violations, according to city records. The city cited the garage with four violations saying it had structural problems.
Three of them were first recorded in 2017. The latest building problem, cited in 2021, was for one of the garage’s staircases being declared not structurally sound.
The city also noted faulty handrails, improper electrical wiring, hazardous electrical systems and unclean interiors in its violations.
Ghalchi said he has been working to resolve the code violations.
Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950.