Utica’s downtown Genesee St. area will receive $10 million in funding as the Mohawk Valley’s winner of the fourth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).
As in the first three rounds of the DRI, one municipality from each of the state’s 10 regional economic development regions is selected as a $10 million winner.
Genesee St. is Utica’s primary commercial corridor. It has emerged as a hub for growing finance, hospitality, and arts and cultural offerings and serves as the seat of the city and Oneida County government and civic affairs. Adopting a people-centric creative placemaking approach, Utica will spend the money on activating public spaces, recruiting entrepreneurs, revitalizing historic or vacant buildings, advancing multimodal transit efforts, and developing mixed-use housing options.
“The award of this $10 Million for Downtown Utica will continue the revitalization of this great city. Once again, I thank Governor Cuomo for his commitment to the Greater Utica area, and Downtown Utica, specifically. The Governor has been a great partner in the City’s resurgence,” City of Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said in a statement.
Utica will now begin the process of developing a strategic investment plan to revitalize its downtown. A local planning committee will lead the effort, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners.
