Utica’s Downtown Genesee Street
Utica’s Downtown Genesee Street was selected as the winner of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award in the Mohawk Valley region.
Genesee Street, Utica’s primary commercial corridor, 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. Previous efforts to enhance the area’s pedestrian and cyclist amenities, leverage central and historic anchor buildings, promote inclusivity and equity, and stimulate the growth of new businesses have rendered the increasingly young and diverse neighborhood ready for catalytic DRI investment. Adopting a people-centric creative placemaking approach, Utica will leverage the DRI support to build a downtown that unites the community, attracts new residents and visitors, and stimulates economic investment. Strategies supporting the community vision for “Connecting People, Place, and Purpose” include activating public spaces, recruiting entrepreneurs, revitalizing historic or vacant buildings, advancing multimodal transit efforts, and developing mixed-use housing options.