Laura Cohen, director in the Department of Urban Economic Development, told the Utica Common Council on Monday that the city will submit two state applications seeking capital funds for targeted commercial districts.

The city plans to apply for the 2025 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), which the Department of State can award up to $10,000,000, for a West Utica boundary described as the West Utica commercial corridor/Greater Brewery District. The administration will also seek New York Forward funding, a smaller program with awards up to $4,500,000, targeted to a walkable Uptown District in South Utica.

The applications are intended to fund capital improvements, not operating or startup programming, Cohen said. Staff presented an initial list of proposed projects and partners for each boundary and said they are holding public outreach meetings and targeted stakeholder discussions ahead of the November application deadline.

Among projects discussed for West Utica: sidewalk and streetscape improvements on Oriskany Street West; rehabilitation of private commercial buildings including the Chamberlain Building and River Lofts Hotel; a small-business assistance fund for improvements under $75,000; municipal parking and playground upgrades; and private redevelopment concepts at Globe Mills and other sites. For Uptown, staff described streetscape work, a small-business assistance fund, possible improvements at Murnane Fields and outreach to major property owners to identify redevelopment opportunities.

Council members and several speakers asked why North Utica and other neighborhoods were not included in this round. Cohen and staff said the DRI and New York Forward programs require a contiguous commercial area and that the West Utica proposal originated from longstanding stakeholder work in the Brewery/Barrick Street area. Staff said future rounds could target North Utica but that the current boundary reflects where local momentum and preliminary project commitments exist.

Staff said the state typically expects local proposals to show leveraged projects exceeding the state award (for New York Forward, staff said applicants commonly show $6 million–$8 million in projects for a $4.5 million award; for the DRI they seek proposals totaling significantly more than the $10 million award). Cohen said many projects identified to date are private developments that would use DRI funds only for capital improvements.

Next steps: staff will continue public outreach, finalize the maps and project lists, and file applications by the announced state deadline. Cohen said the city will publish meeting dates and materials once finalized.

Ending: Cohen encouraged residents and property owners to submit input through the public meetings and the city’s outreach materials in the coming weeks.