Mayor Galime Announces Official Submission of Requests for State Funding Totaling Nearly $15 Million

Utica, NY – Two applications seeking State assistance for economic and community development projects were recently submitted by the city of Utica.  After months of extensive community outreach, an application requesting $10 million through Governor Kathy Hochul’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) program was submitted last week; that application proposed a slate of projects for the Greater Brewery District / West Utica Commercial Corridor.

At the same time, a second application requesting $4.5 million through the Governor’s New York Forward program was also submitted which proposed various projects for the city’s Uptown district in South Utica.

A link to copies of both applications has been posted to the City’s website (www.cityofutica.com) and may be found under the ‘CONNECT WITH UTICA’ section of the homepage.

Mayor Galime stated:

“The Greater Brewery District in West Utica and the Uptown neighborhood of South Utica represent two vitally important sections of the City – both have dense development with a mix of uses that attract a wide diversity of both residents and visitors daily.  If awarded, this assistance will benefit numerous legacy companies that have been located in Utica for decades, employing our citizens and providing services to our residents – all of which has been an ongoing focus of my administration.  I commend the Department of Urban & Economic Development staff, in particular Deputy Commissioner Chris Lawrence and Director of Community Development Laura Cohen on the development of two incredibly worthy and outstanding applications”.

Both applications will now be reviewed by the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council along with representatives of various State agencies; award announcements are expected within the next several months.