UTICA — The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties has announced an initiative that it says will result in a “vision-and-action” plan for downtown Utica’s several districts, “to tie together current and future developments that are reshaping the area’s urban center.” 

The Community Foundation made the announcement in late April in partnership with the City of Utica, Oneida County, the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce, Mohawk Valley EDGE and the Genesis Group.

“So much has happened in recent years, and, with much more on the way, we decided that it was time to put the pieces together in a meaningful way, to make sure that they work together,” Alicia Dicks, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, said in a news release. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for this community to make the most of a rising tide of optimism and lay the groundwork for an increasingly vibrant, livable city.”

The group is working with NBBJ, a Seattle, Washington–based architecture firm, to prepare the plan, which will embrace a “broad definition of downtown Utica.

That definition ranges “from Bagg’s Square and the Bleecker Street corridor on the east, to the Brewery district on the west; from Harbor Point on the north to Oneida Square and the arts district on the south.” 

The new downtown hospital and the Genesee Street corridor will form the “core” of the plan; the U District and Oriskany Street improvements are also “critical elements.” The result will be an “urban-design framework” that will help guide future development and other steps to make downtown Utica “greater than the sum of its parts.”

“As downtown Utica continues to grow and redevelop, we must work collaboratively to ensure our community reaches its absolute potential,” Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said in the release. “I commend the Community Foundation for their proactive efforts, and all of our partners who have worked diligently on this exciting initiative.”

Working with the Community Foundation and its partners, NBBJ is discussing the matter with an array of elected officials, community leaders, key business owners, and neighborhood groups. Over the last several months, the firm has also drawn on previous planning studies and documentation, so that the current project “complements” existing and historical economic-development and urban-planning work.

“Utica has a rich history of architecture, tremendous natural assets and a wonderful diversity of social capital that this plan will build on,” Kim Way, NBBJ principal, contended in the release. “We are excited to be a part of Utica’s transformation, and the plan envisioned for the City will provide guidance for future development, infrastructure improvements and placemaking opportunities — changes that will support a walkable and livable 21st-century urban center.” 

The revitalization of downtown Utica is an “essential” component to the success of Oneida County,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. added.

“We are happy to work in collaboration with the city, the Community Foundation, NBBJ and our other community partners in executing our shared vision of how to take its development to the next level. I believe the U-District’s Adirondack Bank and Nexus centers can serve as a launching pad that, together with MVHS’s downtown medical center campus and Harbor Point, will link every district of Utica and completely transform our entire region.”

The U District is described as a conceptual plan for the Utica arts, sports & entertainment district, per a document on the website of Oneida County government.

“We’re really at the beginning stages of what will transform this community over the years to come,” Dicks said. “What NBBJ will provide is a strategic framework, a roadmap, a guide … and realizing each of the elements that it foresees will be guided by community residents and stakeholders.”