UTICA, N.Y. — Between housing and parks, the city of Utica has a busy year ahead with construction sites around the city. Urban and Economic Development Commissioner Brian Thomas shared a run down of projects at the Feb. 28 Genesis Group Economic Development Forum. City funding toward the projects comes from Downtown Revitalization Initiative and […]
UTICA, N.Y. — Between housing and parks, the city of Utica has a busy year ahead with construction sites around the city.
Urban and Economic Development Commissioner Brian Thomas shared a run down of projects at the Feb. 28 Genesis Group Economic Development Forum. City funding toward the projects comes from Downtown Revitalization Initiative and American Rescue Act funding, he noted.
Thomas listed five different housing projects going on in the city, ranging from new construction to rehabilitation of existing apartments.
Artspace Utica, located at 1020 Park Ave., focuses on live/work space for artists with 43 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units and community space. Matthew W. Meier, of HHL Architects in Buffalo, is the architect fort the $14 million, 42,627-square-foot project. Thomas expects the project to break ground this spring with an anticipated spring 2024 completion.
A $25 million project at Johnson Park Center will create two residential-housing facilities with 62 units for people of low to moderate income. “They have all their funding in place,” Thomas notes, with groundbreaking expected this spring.
The Mayro building at the corner of Genesee Street and Bank Place will get an overhaul thanks to $4 million in Restore NY funding and $1 million from Empire State Development, Thomas said. When complete, the building will feature 47 apartments on the top floors, office space on the second and third floors, and commercial space on the ground floor.
Work will also begin soon on an old warehouse at 700 Broad St. to develop 74 apartments for low- to moderate-income residents. Finally, the Chancellor Apartments on Bleecker Street will get a complete rehab of 66 units, he said.
Also on Bleecker Street, Chancellor Park will receive $4 million worth of work. “It’s one of the oldest parks in the city,” Thomas said. Work will include converting tennis courts into pickleball courts and installing an interactive fountain. The city will bid the project out in a few weeks, he added.
An amphitheater using the natural slope of the terrain is one of the planned projects at Roscoe Conkling Park, along with improvements to the ski lift, a disc golf course, and an outdoor skating rink. The city will also make improvements to the skate park at Lincoln Playground and add another skate park at T.R. Proctor Park.
Work at T.R. Proctor Park will also include an all-inclusive playground, a dog park, and a splash pad, Thomas said.
Valley View Clubhouse will see a number of improvements from a two-story addition to house improved restrooms, locker rooms, and a new bar and grill in a $4 million project.
The city is also working with Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) to develop a master plan for the re-development of the St. Elizabeth Medical Center campus. MVHS will vacate the campus later this year when it relocates to the new Wynn Hospital campus. A request for proposals yielded eight responses, Thomas said, and the city is reviewing them now.
“Most of these projects will be under construction this year,” Thomas said of the extensive list shared at the forum.
