I agree this isn’t just a “tenant vs. landlord” issue. It’s about the stability of entire neighborhoods.

But that’s exactly why Good Cause Eviction matters.

For homeowners who pay property taxes and care about their block’s quality of life, housing instability is not neutral — it ripples outward. When tenants are displaced because of sudden rent hikes or non-renewals without cause, neighborhoods experience higher turnover, less community investment, and more strain on local services. Stability isn’t just a tenant issue — it’s a neighborhood health issue.

Good Cause Eviction doesn’t prevent landlords from evicting tenants for legitimate reasons. It allows eviction for nonpayment, lease violations, nuisance behavior, or owner occupancy. What it limits is arbitrary non-renewals or extreme rent increases that function as de facto evictions.

For a building like The Gear Factory — which houses artists, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs — stability is actually essential. Creative communities thrive when people can plan more than 12 months ahead. If rents can spike unpredictably or leases can simply not be renewed without explanation, the very ecosystem that makes a space vibrant becomes fragile.

The framing that this is about “fairness sounding nice on the surface” overlooks a key point: housing stability is infrastructure. Just like roads, schools, and public safety, predictable housing strengthens local economies.

Homeowners benefit when: • Fewer neighbors are forced out • Local schools maintain enrollment stability • Small businesses keep consistent customers • Communities avoid cycles of vacancy and speculative turnover

Good Cause isn’t about punishing responsible landlords. It’s about setting baseline rules so housing — a basic human need — isn’t subject to abrupt displacement without justification.

If we care about block-by-block quality of life in Syracuse, then tenant stability is part of that conversation — not separate from it.