UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County, which is working in partnership with the City of Utica and the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, unveiled its revitalization plan for the city’s Cornhill neighborhood to “make it safer, stronger, and a more connected community.”
“The people of Cornhill deserve the same investment, care and opportunity as every other neighborhood in our county,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said in an announcement. “This plan takes meaningful steps to deliver safe streets, inviting public spaces and vital infrastructure that connects residents to jobs, housing, and community life. It’s not just about fixing streets or planting trees. It’s about building a Cornhill that honors its past, serves its present and secures a better future for generations to come.”
The Cornhill Revitalization Public Realm Improvement Plan, developed in partnership with the city and the Community Foundation, and outlines targeted investments in infrastructure, streetscape enhancements and public space improvements to support the redevelopment of one of Utica’s most historic and diverse neighborhoods.
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The Community Foundation has already released its plans for the construction of two new impact centers to provide housing, educational programs, workforce-development opportunities, and spaces for entrepreneurship and cultural expression.
Some elements of the revitalization plan, created by the Oneida County Department of Planning, include safer streets that are accessible with wider sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks, lighting, signage, and stormwater-management features; improved parks and green spaces through tree planting, updated amenities, and connections to adjacent development; and streetscape designs that reflect community identity and cultural history.
“This plan is the product of collaboration and care,” Utica Mayor Michael P. Galime said. “Cornhill has always been a neighborhood of resilience, heritage, and heart and now it has a roadmap that matches that spirit.”
The plan emphasizes a phased, fundable approach, guiding future grant writing, public-private partnerships, and capital planning.
The plan is a mix of short-, medium-, and long-term priorities with specific projects outlined along key corridors including James, West, and South streets as well as areas like Kemble Park and the West Street Impact Center zone.
Some of the high-priority actions outlined in the plan include developing gateway nodes at key intersections; activating underused public spaces by adding lighting, seating, art, and programming; improving pedestrian and transit access; and establishing a unified maintenance strategy with the city and local partners to ensure long-term care of these improvements.
“An initiative of this magnitude takes collaboration, partnership, and a continued eye on the needs and wants of the residents in Cornhill to ensure equity, opportunity, and lasting impact,” Community Foundation President/CEO Alicia Fernandez Dicks said. “Oneida County’s improvement plan for the neighborhood compliments the greater Cornhill Revitalization Project by looking beyond the impact centers to the streets, accessibility and safety components that will surround them.”
