This article first appeared on syracuse.com on May 19, 2026
By Tim Knauss
Syracuse, N.Y. – The new owners of Ballantyne Garden Apartments knew they were in for a heavy lift. The property was rife with code violations. It had become a magnet for squatters, prostitutes and drug dealers.
But Brooklyn resident Mendel Klein and his partners believed they could turn around the 140-unit complex in the North Valley neighborhood of Syracuse. They bought it last year at a foreclosure auction for $4 million.
Now they are pursuing an ambitious vision: They want to transform Ballantyne Garden Apartments into something new: The Cortile, a luxury apartment complex.
They’re talking high-end kitchens with stone countertops. Free WiFi for a year. Gated entrances and private security. Pickleball courts. Fitness rooms. Coffee bars. Basement theaters. Rooftop terraces. Maybe even, someday, a swimming pool.
If The Cortile succeeds, it could transform the neighborhood, Klein said. But the vision hinges on this: Will prospective tenants be willing to pay roughly $2,000 a month in rent?
A rendering envisions rooftop lounge areas, one of the possible amenities planned for The Cortile, formerly Ballantyne Garden Apartments. Ballantyne Garden Group LLC
The aggressive renovation plan would cost millions, and the group has no government subsidies, Klein said. Before the owners decide on what level of amenities to aim for, they are looking for expressions of interest from prospective tenants on their website.
Feedback from renters will guide the owners on how far they will invest in luxury amenities, Klein said. Key parts of the transformation, including the plans for fitness rooms, lounges and other common areas in the basements, will require approval from the city.
“Our goal is to make really high-end apartments,” Klein said. “We want to make it real friendly, nice. … But it really depends on a lot of things. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the town. It’s up to the tenants.”
Here’s a snapshot of what the complex looks like today:
Six out of every seven apartments are vacant and waiting to be renovated. The entrances to the property have been gated off and require a key fob to open. Some 200 security cameras have been installed outside and inside the four buildings.
Most of the previous tenants left on their own, and more than 30 were evicted, Klein said.
Brian Phipps, one of the few remaining tenants, has lived at the complex for 14 years. He said the new owners have restored stability and eliminated crime.
“These guys are real good,” he said. “They’re doing what they’re supposed to do. They got rid of all the people that ain’t supposed to be here. They picked the apartments up.”
A rendering shows plans for the exterior appearance of The Cortile, a Syracuse apartment complex formerly known as Ballantyne Garden Apartments. Ballantyne Garden Group LLC
The owners leased apartments to about 20 existing tenants who were faithfully paying rent and abiding by their leases, Klein said. They pay about $1,100 a month for apartments that have undergone basic renovations without the high-end finishes planned for the other units, he said.
The question now: How far can they push renovations of the whole campus?
The apartment complex is located just off South Salina Street, two blocks north of Valley Plaza. The plaza is scheduled to get a new grocery store this summer and a pharmacy in the future.
Syracuse code inspectors have been pleased with the progress at The Cortile to date, said Sol Munoz, a city spokeswoman. There are outstanding code violations on some of the vacant apartments that have not yet been renovated, but none on the occupied dwellings.
“Management has been responsive and acted quickly to enhance safety by investing in onsite security personnel and installing cameras,” Munoz said.
Syracuse police also report positive progress thus far. They have been given access to the camera system and key fobs to enter the complex, Klein said. Police calls to the property have been cut in half.
During the six months from November 2024 through April 2025, for example, police were called to the property 57 times, according to data provided by Sgt. Thomas Blake. During the six months ending April 2026, police were called 28 times.
Klein said he and other members of Ballantyne Garden Group LLC, the new owner, have years of experience owning and managing rental properties in Brooklyn. One of the partners, David Eidlisz, is also a co-owner of Centennial Gardens, a 126-unit complex near Onondaga Park in Syracuse.
During a recent tour of The Cortile complex, Klein and renovations supervisor Abe Goldstein talked about how they hope to transform graffiti-laced hallways into elegant corridors and dark basements into brightly lit fitness centers and study lounges.
“Over here we could have a coffee station,” Klein said, pointing to a corner of a sprawling basement (which once served as a fallout shelter, according to signs on the building.) “Here we could have a little sitting area, a small lounge.”
But it’s all contingent, Klein said, all fluid. Everything depends on how much interest they get from tenants, and whether city officials approve all the renovations.
A rendering shows pickleball courts, one of the possible amenities under consideration depending on tenant interest at The Cortile, formerly known as Ballantyne Garden Apartments. Ballantyne Garden Group LLC
The complex includes 62 one-bedroom apartments, 71 two-bedroom apartments, and seven three-bedroom apartments. The four buildings, each three stories high, stand around a central courtyard. The new name, Cortile, harkens back to the enclosed courtyards of Italian palazzos built during the Renaissance.
Under previous owners, tenants at Ballantyne Garden Apartments had complained for years about poor living conditions. In February 2023, Syracuse code inspectors declared the entire complex to be unfit for habitation, citing sewer backups, faulty boilers, common areas strewn with trash, and more than 40 other code violations.
The same month, Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored mortgage agency, sued former owner Abraham Wieder of Brooklyn to seize the property after Wieder defaulted on the $6.7 million mortgage. A court-appointed referee sold the property to Klein and his partners in March 2025.
Since then, it has taken a lot of work to stabilize the property, Goldstein said. The first step was to put up entrance gates and dozens of security cameras to watch the grounds. Heating and hot water equipment were repaired, and most of the basement leaks were fixed. They replaced hundreds of broken windows.
“Let me tell you that we had a hard time getting insurance on the property because close to 60% of the windows were broken,” Goldstein said. “Every step of the way was a process.”
The owners of The Cortile hope the new apartments will appeal to young professionals, Micron employees, first responders and hospital workers, among others.
“We are confident that this investment will help strengthen the community and provide quality living opportunities,” said Joseph Hoffman, an investor and spokesman for the group.
