UTICA, N.Y. — A 43-unit housing development and art gallery is coming to downtown Utica, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
Construction has begun on the 42,627-square-foot Artspace Utica Lofts at 1020 Park Ave. Artspace Projects, Inc. is the owner/developer for the $18.6 million project, Matthew W. Meier of HHL Architects in Buffalo is the project architect, and Calogero Partners serves as development consultant. The development has an expected completion date of spring 2024.
The development furthers Utica’s goal of expanding mixed-use affordable-housing options as part of its $10 million New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award.
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Artspace Utica Lofts (www.artspace.org/utica) will be constructed on three vacant lots in Utica’s Arts and Cultural District on Park Avenue within the DRI target area. It is centrally located between the Stanley Theatre and Munson, and a new public walkway/linear park will be created along the western edge of the property to connect with the city’s planned new public-event space along King Street.
The 43 apartments will be a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units affordable to households earning between 40 and 80 percent of the area median income. They will serve artists and other eligible individuals and families. Artspace will also include 770 square feet of community space to be used as an art gallery.
“Artspace is thrilled to start construction on Artspace Utica Lofts,” Becky Carlson St. Clair, Artspace director of property development, said. “It has been a long time coming, and the community has been incredibly supportive as we navigated through challenges. We believe this community-initiated project will be transformational for Park Avenue, the downtown, and will benefit the city as a whole.”
The four-story building is designed to meet the requirements of the NYSERDA New Construction – Housing program. The all-electric building will feature energy-efficient heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, along with four electric-vehicle charging ports and four charging-ready connections for future expansion.
The building will also utilize green-infrastructure practices such as bioretention basins and permeable pavers to capture and treat stormwater runoff.
Funding for the project includes $10.8 million in federal and state low-income housing tax credits and $3.8 million in subsidies from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The New York State Council of Arts awarded $1.3 million, and the project received a $650,000 grant from Utica’s DRI fund. NYSERDA committed $172,000 in funding and the city also awarded $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“Arts in the city has been a strong component of the quality of life in Utica, as evidenced through such institutions as Munson, Sculpture Space, the Stanley, Player’s Theatre, the Uptown Theatre for Creative Arts, Film Utica, and many others too numerous to mention,” Mayor Robert M. Palmieri said in a release. “For the first time in the city’s history, however, Artspace Utica Lofts provides a home for artists of all kinds to live, work, and collaborate.”
