Syracuse drone detection company plans new Inner Harbor headquarters, 100 more jobs

Syracuse, N.Y. — A developer and manufacturer of high-tech sensors that detect drones is looking to expand with new headquarters in Syracuse’s Inner Harbor area.

Hidden Level Inc., founded as a tech startup in 2018 by four ex-SRC employees, has submitted plans to the city for a $45 million project near its current facility on North Geddes Street. The company has grown into a national leader in the drone detection and monitoring industry, a sector that’s gained sudden interest with recent unexplained drone activity in New Jersey and New York.

The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency on Tuesday scheduled a public hearing next month to consider Hidden Level’s application for more than $2 million in tax breaks. The company plans to build a three-story, 73,000-square-foot facility that would include space for offices, manufacturing, engineering and labs, warehousing and specially designed testing chambers.

Hidden Level plans to retain its 1014 N. Geddes space, where it employs 90 people. The company says it will add 100 employees over the next five years with the new space. Construction should start in March and be completed by November 2026.

The project site is on 2.7 acres of vacant land directly across from the Aloft Hotel and the main pedestrian entrance to the Inner Harbor piers. It is bounded by West Kirkpatrick, Solar and Spencer streets. Bankers Healthcare had once planned to build a $35 million headquarters at that spot, but the project fell through when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Hidden Level is part of Central New York’s growing drone innovation industry. The company has clients in the public and private sector in the military, law enforcement and aerospace sectors. Among its more well-known projects has been providing drone surveillance at the New York State Fair, where it has helped the New York State Police.

In its application with SIDA, the company said Syracuse, and the Inner Harbor area specifically, are a key part of its ability to recruit and retain staff.

“Selecting Syracuse’s Inner Harbor for headquarters is both strategic and personal,” the company wrote. “The founders, with deep roots in Syracuse, aim to drive economic development and create high-skilled jobs in their hometown. … Syracuse offers access to a skilled workforce, research institutions and a tech-friendly environment. The City’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program enhances the area in walkability, infrastructure and amenities, that will attract top talent.”

Hidden Level is seeking tax breaks from SIDA, including a $103,500 mortgage recording tax exemption and $1.9 million in sales tax exemptions on construction materials. In addition, it’s seeking a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes plan to reduce property taxes, but the value of that exemption has not been calculated.

The site is currently owned by a limited liability company controlled by Hueber-Breuer Construction, the general contractor for the project. According to its SIDA application, Hidden Level will buy the site for $5.5 million. The Hueber-Breuer entity purchased the property for $3.1 million in 2023 from an LLC formed by Bankers Healthcare.

City reporter Jeremy Boyer can be reached at jboyer@syracuse.com, (315) 657-5673, Twitter or Facebook.