Too often we have heard the complaints of area residents lamenting downtown Utica’s broken status. “Downtown Utica should be a nexus for the Mohawk Valley,” so-and-so will say. “Instead, it’s vacant and everybody avoids it.” So-and-so, we must add, would not be alone in his or her thinking. “When other cities are constantly adding 30 and 40 story buildings, downtown Utica hasn’t seen a building erected in decades,” another area person might echo. “Utica’s downtown needs a face-lift,” someone might say. “The Catholic bookstore should be replaced with a Borders, the wig store with a Banana Republic and The Triangle Cafe should be a Starbucks.”
Okay, the latter complaint might be a little too extreme, but we will agree that these assessments, spoken frequently and often among area residents, are all too true in an age when a reverse migration of people from suburbs to urban areas is occurring. While the economic, cultural and social scenes in New Hartford and Clinton continuously thrive, downtown Utica has suffered from decades of local neglect–until now.
A report from the Department of Urban and Economic Development recently mailed to local residents reported on how the city of Utica is bouncing back. The $8.5 million construction project not too long ago of the Utica National Insurance Company’s headquarters was the first downtown construction to take place in decades. The new building may only be two stories, but it created 200 new professional jobs downtown.
If big buildings are what people crave, we can report that the Stanley Theater is getting a major overhaul. Construction work on the Stanley appears to include (from our eyewitness observations) a new stage and an expansion of the south side of the theater replete with a modern-looking facade and underground parking. Cranes can be seen looming over Utica and sidewalk bridges are set up in front of the historic theater.
We must also mention that there is construction near the Kennedy Plaza apartments (though we’re not sure what they’re building yet). A low rise building, still a steel frame skeleton, is being erected. If anything, this new building will be sure to add life and brilliancy to the cityscape of Utica once it is completed.
(Featured above left is the APAC call center which serves Verizon customers in the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S. Incorporating technology and professionalism, call center jobs are among some of the best paying careers today which do not require a college education. AAA will be relocating a call center from New York City to Utica soon and this will create 30 to 40 new downtown jobs.)
We are also happy to report that the ongoing revitalization of downtown Utica has not just been economic and cultural. A social rebirth is taking shape in the city as well. Many new independently and locally owned restaurants have popped up in recent years. The only complaint about these restaurants is that they are often closed at night, the time when most people like to go out to dinner. Area residents seeking a nice dining atmosphere in the evening hours must instead go to New Hartford where chain restaurants like Applebees and 99 compete for patrons with older, independently owned establishments like Symeons and the Phoenician. Still, the Brewery District on Varick St. is coming back to life with clubs like Hollyrock and the soon to open Nail Creek Pub & Brewery.
Utica has a long way to go if its downtown life is ever going to rival that of Syracuse or Albany, but we celebrate the long overdue city development as one of the most favorable achievements in Utica’s modern history. Complaints still ring throughout the Mohawk Valley, however, and seem to emphasize a certain pointing-of-fingers at area residents for ignoring their downtown and not making it a nexus. “All of the trendy and technological expansion seems to occur far away from downtown Utica. Barnes & Noble, Panera restuarant, the new Cineplex, the Rome technology park and the Utica Business Park (which is really part of New Hartford). People are basically saying we don’t care about our downtown. They’re saying we want this shit for ourselves and we don’t want to make it accessible to anyone in Utica. That’s just wrong.” This is a verbatim quote from an acquaintance of mine, and I will not use his name. But his sentiments are echoed by many people in Oneida County.
Finally, development in North Utica and elsewhere in the city is complimenting the development that it occurring downtown. The $5.9 million 83-room Hampton Inn is almost near completion and the Riverside Center continues to thrive as a popular shopping destination. North Utica can also expect to see major residential development soon as the United Group prepares to invest $28 million to build 70 single family homes, 40 townhouses and 144 market-rate apartments for senior citizens. This project promises to be remarkable as it will be the first residential development the city of Utica has experienced in decades.
Also worth mentioning are all of the new Dunkin’ Donuts which have been springing up in the area in recent years. There is one in Oneida Square, North Utica, Clinton and the company has announced plans to build stores in East and West Utica. In addition, the aging New Hartford Dunkin’ Donuts was recently rebuilt to reflect the newer store designs.
In conclusion, it can be said that things are looking up in the area. Recent development has given the city of Utica and its surrounding suburbs a much needed face lift. One could argue that the Mohawk Valley is starting to look like Albany or Syracuse. Furthermore, the ongoing construction of large, modern homes in New Hartford suggests that all of the recent commercial development is a reflection of an accumulation of local wealth rather than just a mere touch-up to make things look “nicer.” This writer, however, views all of the new commercial and residential development with trepidation. Like many Central New Yorkers, we here at The Utican realize how easily things can go south in this region. All it takes is for one business to leave the area and it creates a domino effect. If all of the new homes, businesses and places to shop look nice and attractive now, think of the nightmare it would be to have a city filled with boarded up box stores, vacant chain restaurants with their half-legible signs eerily tattered and large homes filled with squatters. I don’t think the Utica area could ever recover if the current bubble (if I can call it that) bursts.
I, for one, would not stick around to find out.
Dude, you create a good portrayal of the way things are looking up in your city and then you end on a completely pessimistic note. You seem to be saying that your city is coming out of the dark ages and then you say, well, we could easily end up like Flint, Michigan if we’re not careful. That’s a total bummer to anybody who just spent all that time reading your post and feeling good about the progress the Mohawk Valley is making. It’s like painting a beautiful picture and then throwing elephant dung all over it.
By the way, is that The Electric Company in the first photo? If so, I’ve been there to see some shows. It’s a cool place and has a nice, artsy atmosphere. That was a good touch to include that picture because The Electric Company is one of the finer spots in Utica which always seems pretty depressing and run down each time I go there.
What d’ya mean Utica is “coming back?” I didn’t know it ever went anywhere.
Thanks to Eliot Spitzer committing millions in funding, work crews have recently begun demolishing the eyesore of West Utica known as The Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center Campus. God forbid they let the children of Donovan junior high attend school in the shadow of that haunted place all these years. That, in my opinion, would scar anyone for life. I was fortunate to go to New Hartford so I don’t have the hit-by-brick brain damage that the kids who went to Donovan have.
Amy, I appreciate your humorous comments about Donovan, however, I think the problems of Donovan students stem from much deeper sources than having the former Psych Center looming over them while they attend school. But you are right, the macabre building stands as a grim reminder of what these kids will face in the future if they don’t turn their lives around. I admit that such a negative influence is unhealthy for these children who probably have home lives that are anything but normal. As someone who has worked at Donovan I have seen so many broken kids who have been the victims of abuse, parental neglect and many students have one or more parents who are in jail, committed to a mental institution or dead. The saddest thing was having to teach a girl who had her ear cut off by an insane grandmother and seeing a boy whose face had melted because he was scalded with acid by his brother at the age of four. You are right, the Psych Center needs to go.
I agree with VT Dan. The original passage was so full of life and hope, but finished up with some dark comments. Utica has done so much to bring back interest to the area. The downtown projects, including the Stanley expansion, are huge boosts. The conversion of some of the older warehouses into residential units is really what will help bring people back to downtown. I think “loft” living is really desired and I wish more developers would get in on it. There are so many great old buildings downtown and we can’t let them get razed for another parking lot like so many before. The new book published UTICA: THEN AND NOW captures our amazing history and we need to preserve what we have left. It’s the history that will also contribute to further interest in the area. The Brewery District and the increased activity at the Aud have helped to draw a lot of attention from the younger adults. I thnk it’s great that the Griffis park and New Hartford are having so much development, but we need to sink our efforts into Utica itself. Though not big, Utica is the metro center of the Mohawk Valley. Suburban development with urban decay is the downfall of so many cities in the Great Lakes and Northeast and we need to bring back our urban center so that the area as a whole can thrive.
Yes, sink that money into some nice lofts, preferably ones with rubber walls.