McMahon Scrapped the Downtown Jail Plan. Now He Wants a Public Safety Campus at Jamesville.

County Executive Ryan McMahon reversed years of planning to merge the Jamesville Correctional Facility into the downtown Justice Center. Instead, he is proposing the opposite: move all Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office operations out of downtown and consolidate them at a new public safety campus in Jamesville.

McMahon announced the shift during his 2026 State of the County address on March 27. Sheriff Toby Shelley endorsed the plan immediately.

Why the Reversal

The downtown Justice Center is aging fast and expensive to maintain. Jamesville, at roughly 30 years old, is in better condition, has adequate parking, and has room to expand. McMahon framed the decision in economic terms: a downtown with the potential to attract corporate headquarters — especially with Micron bringing thousands of jobs to the region — should not be anchoring its Convention District around a jail.

Shelley called it a critical step forward and a unifying priority that transcends politics. He noted that Jamesville has room and parking that downtown does not.

What Moves to Jamesville

The plan calls for all Sheriff’s Office operations to relocate, creating a centralized public safety campus. McMahon and Shelley are forming joint exploratory committees to study the specifics. No cost estimate, timeline, or detailed facility plan has been released. The committees will determine what needs to be built, renovated, or consolidated.

A judge ruled in April 2024 that the county has the legal authority to close Jamesville, clearing the previous merger plan. That ruling now gives McMahon flexibility to repurpose the site instead.

What Happens Downtown

The move would free up two significant State Street properties: the Justice Center and the Sheriff’s headquarters. McMahon described them as key pieces of real estate in the Convention District, envisioning private sector development including housing, hotels, parking, and green spaces. The county has allocated $1 million separately for streetscape improvements and studying a vertical expansion of the Convention Center parking garage.

McMahon’s pitch: a downtown Syracuse that competes for corporate headquarters and foreign investment, not one defined by its correctional facilities.

Early Reaction

Public reception has been positive in initial reporting. Downtown workers described the potential for a more walkable, vibrant city. No organized opposition has surfaced.

The proposal was announced alongside updates on the aquarium project and Micron’s community investments, reinforcing McMahon’s broader theme of repositioning downtown Syracuse for growth.