The next step for the former Walgreens site on Route 11 is not yet settled: Cicero planning board members want either a signed second tenant or more information about parking before continuing their review. The request follows the withdrawal of CAVA from the proposed redevelopment, while Shake Shack remains its anchor tenant, according to Citizen Portal.
The proposal concerns an approximately 11,000-square-foot building at 7939 Brewerton Road that was planned to include both restaurants. CAVA had submitted a sketch plan for the site, but Planning Board Chair Mark Marzullo said the chain was later removed as a proposed tenant and that he did not know why, syracuse.com reported. The reason for the change remains unconfirmed.
Parking and a second tenant remain open questions
The board’s request leaves two possible paths for the applicants: document a second tenant or provide a parking study. It does not establish that parking caused CAVA to leave, nor does it mean a replacement tenant has been selected. Earlier board discussion also resulted in a request for revised plans and additional documentation, according to Citizen Portal. The site’s review is therefore still centered on the proposal and information before the board, rather than a confirmed final tenant lineup.
CAVA has not publicly explained its decision. A company spokesperson told syracuse.com that the company had no update to share publicly. The outlet also reported that Streamline Acquisitions Co., which owns the plaza, did not respond to its request for comment.
Regional context does not explain the Cicero change
CAVA’s withdrawal from this proposal is not, by itself, evidence of a retreat from the region. The chain recently opened a restaurant in New Hartford, according to WKTV. That opening provides a nearby example of CAVA’s continued activity, but does not indicate why the company left the Cicero plan or whether it will pursue another Onondaga County site.
The property’s former use also fits a broader retail backdrop, though not a confirmed explanation for this particular vacancy: Walgreens announced plans to close 1,200 stores over three years as it responded to flagging sales and changing consumer behavior, NBC News reported. That national announcement does not establish why the Cicero store closed or how it relates to the proposed redevelopment.
For now, Shake Shack remains the confirmed anchor in the plan, while CAVA is out and the second-tenant question is unresolved. The planning board’s request for more parking information or a signed tenant marks the immediate issue for the redevelopment; the available reporting does not say when the applicants will return or what tenant, if any, could replace CAVA.
