City Mistaken: Inner Harbor Aloft Hotel is Not Included in OCIDA PILOT, Will Pay Property Taxes
In interviews regarding the PILOT agreement between the Onondaga County Industrial
Development Agency and COR Development for the Inner Harbor project, Mayor Stephanie
Miner has incorrectly stated that the Aloft Hotel is part of the PILOT agreement.
During today’s interview with Susan Arbetter for the WCNY television show Insight, the
following exchange took place:
Start:
Stephanie Miner (SM): “COR had said we’re not going to get a PILOT for the hotel. There were
several other larger pieces of land that were yet to be developed and then it was our
understanding that there would be no PILOT.”
Joanie Mahoney (JM): “You’re saying something that I’m just hearing now maybe for the first
time but are you saying that they said they wouldn’t get a PILOT on the hotel but the rest of the
property they didn’t make that commitment on?”
SM: “No. What I’m saying is that they specifically said they wouldn’t get a PILOT agreement on a
hotel and what that to me illustrates the larger point; that they said that specifically, we have
that in writing and yet they went to Onondaga County and then they got a PILOT on the hotel.”
JM: “Actually, I think what you are looking at maybe is the application but the OCIDA pilot I
don’t think is on the hotel.”
SM: “It is. Exhibit B of the inducement has the hotel.”
JM: “But it’s not in the PILOT that OCIDA granted.”
SM: “It is.”
End:
The Inner Harbor development is divided into multiple parcels. The parcel where the hotel is being built is Tax ID 117-01-10. While that parcel was included on the application that COR submitted to the Onondaga County IDA (see attached document “IDA Application Exhibit B”) it was not listed as one of the parcels included in the PILOT agreement that the OCIDA board approved (see attached document “Master Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreement Exhibit A”). The only mention of this parcel in the PILOT agreement is on a chart explaining calculations on Fair Market Use Valuation Table (see attached document “Master Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreement Exhibit B”).
The purpose of Exhibit B is simply to establish Fair Market Usage Valuations for Inner Harbor properties. It does not make the Aloft Hotel parcel exempt from real property taxes in any way. It is hoped that this clarification will encourage the City to withdraw its current lawsuit and work to move the Inner Harbor project forward.