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BetterUticaDowntown

Premise | Vision | Neighborhood
Where Utica's Boilermaker History began, BUD envisions A Better Hospital Neighborhood!


Wynn-BUD Initial Project Sites

March 25, 2024 - Onieda County is required by law to pay owners "fair market value" for their properties at both 442 and 418 Lafayette Street. The county seems to have little urgency and word is they don't wish to pay fair market value as the owners fought the taking and hospital project's bulldozers.

July 4, 2022 - We Lost, the #NoHospitalDowntown Message was not heeded and their urban renewal boondoggle continues erasing Downtown Utica's historic past...

An absolute shame they've destroyed Downtown Utica's Boiler-maker Past and totally ignored Utica's current Oneida County Medical District.

April 12, 2022 - Introducing The John Carton Medical Building proposed as the "highest and best use" as eminent domain takes 418 and 442 Lafayette Street. This MOB is named in honor of Utica inventor and boiler-maker Mr. John Carton.

August 17, 2021 - Seeking to preserve a small part of Downtown Utica tied to the Boilermaker Road Race's roots, our opposition to eminent domain advances. Read the Appelant's Brief: Truett-Cerini Vs. Oneida County.

August 5, 2021 - We're working for A Better Hospital Neighborhood, in addition to trying to understand Oneida County's Downtown Hospital Parking Garage Planning process.

August 3, 2021 - Opposition prepares pleadings against Oneida County Hospital Parking Garage Eminent Domain, by 525-527 Oriskany Street LLC.

June 30, 2021 - Second lawsuit against proposed hospital parking garage location has court appearance set, see Truett-Cerini Vs. Oneida County. The first lawsuit was for the, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Parcel.

June 17, 2021 - Why destroy Utica's boiler-making history and heritage? Modify the large parking garage for The Wynn Hospital and see a Better Utica Downtown emerge.


Wynn-BUD Initial Project Sites

June 14, 2021 - MVHS is seeking to Help Oneida County On Their Hospital Parking Garage Eminent Domain effort.

May 16, 2021 - Oneida County has a Challenge to their Eminent Domain action...

Looking back, Eminent domain settled for new Utica hospital and Why Utica, Oneida County would handle eminent domain for new hospital.

January 23, 2021 - Read additional comments to Oneida County's threat of Eminent Domain, submitted by Joe Cerini and Brett Truett. Buildings in CoLa worth saving: 418 Lafayette Street and 442 Lafayette Street.

Eminent Domain & Lawsuit Timeline:

(1) Public Hearing held 12/23/20,

(2) Additional 30-day public commenting period ended on 1/22/21,

(3) Oneida County’s 90-day decision-making period; 1/23/21 to 4/22/21,

(4) Oneida County “Findings & Decision” deadline: 4/22/21,

(5) Certified letters to property owners and legal notices in newspapers will no doubt confirm a taking prior to a 4/22 deadline, and finally,

(6) From Oneida County's decision date, an Article 78 lawsuit will drop within 30-days!

January 4, 2021 - Read the public hearing on Oneida County's Eminent Domain Threat. Original video and audio posted here on Oneida County's Facebook page.

February 18, 2020 - Our allies and Facebook Friends have done what they could (and their still fighting!), but time to revise our call-to-action...

Which means BUD has to make lemonade from lemons, introducing Utica's Central Park!

The people of Utica were left out of our new hospital's planning. That's no way to develop a new hospital, a community, or a neighborhood.

Placement of the hospital into the small Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood, our small downtown, is wrong, especially since Utica is already home to the Oneida County Medical District. This voice offers our message...

Another prominent voices from City Hall explains, We Have A Lot To Lose. For hundreds more, see these Voices. Please read our continuing story below. You may also connect with BUD on Facebook at BetterUticaDowntown or attend meetings at City Hall. Lets keep a HUGE hospital out of downtown.

Let's save CoLa and place a new hospital elsewhere; taxpayers will win, regional healthcare will win, Downtown Utica, and the Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood will win!

May 12, 2019 - We're meeting to talk about the proper way to revitalize a neighborhood. It does not include using wrecking balls or bulldozers...

Please plan to join us 6PM, on May 20, 2019! More information coming soon.

February 6, 2019 - We work hand-in-hand with #NoHospitalDowntown. Together we know that urban renewal is destructive. You cannot revitalize a neighborhood with wrecking balls and bulldozers. We know the CoLa Street Grid is curcial...

Watch this page and social media as Better Utica Downtown adds details and costs to our Visions for a better downtown!

January 15, 2019 - Big news across the street from Cola, Utica AUD has news on funding of Nexus Center...

This makes CoLa real estate a much more spectualar investment for further developiong a livable, walkable, downtown lifestyle destination!

October 8, 2018 - Looking into the Cola, we're identifying the streets and blocks into a well neighborhood...

Learn more about CoLa's; West Edge (WE), Central West (CW), Central East (CE), and East Edge (EE).

July 6, 2018 - BUD welcomes all Utica Boilermaker Runners and Fans! We ask, "Did you know Boilermaker history began right in the Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood?" If not, or even if you did, please read this account called, A Utica Boilermaker15K History Lesson.

To get a sense of the neighborhood in the 1800's, view the 1884 Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood map; in this year The Carton Furance Company and Russell Wheeler & Son were producing furnaces and boilers on the banks of the Eire Canal, powered by coal arriving from Pennsylvania via the Chenango Canal.

May 29, 2018 - New owner has closed on purchase and seeks to fend-off hospital bulldozers, as he buys a historic property in #mvhsdowntown footprint; Downtown hospital opponent: I’m ‘buying myself a lawsuit’. Read about the property's neighborhood and history posted today, at 442 Lafayette Street.

April 29, 2018 - This week offers another special event! Please attend as Better Utica Downtown and #NoHospitalDowntown continue the Downtown Utica conversation as we welcome noted author James Howard Kunstler to Utica, open to the public.

January 27, 2018 - A neighborhood rebounding, 40+ businesses and buildings prime for new residents and mixed-use developments, plus Erie Canal era historical assets...

Three battle continues, are Eminent Domain Battles Ahead?

Oneida County and City of Utica residents, you have a choice, come to one or two meetings at Utica City Hall:

Monday, August 28, 2017 at 4:20PM

Taxpayer Finance Committee Meeting
Council Members To Discuss Parking Garage Funding
Come sit, no voting, speaking or protesting required!
Just listen as the government discusses your future tax bills!
Utica City Hall
1 Kennedy Plaza, Utica

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at 7:00PM

Regular Common Council Meeting
Council Members To Hear #NoHospitalDowntown Presentation
Come sit, no voting, speaking or protesting required!
Hear the truth about downtown and hospitals
Listen as the government discusses your future tax bills!
Utica City Hall
1 Kennedy Plaza, Utica

Better Utica Downtown's media campaign has officially kicked off! The Battle For Our City continues! Listen in to one of our radio ads...

More ads and voices to follow! Let's make Downtown Utica a very desirable place to live, walk, shop, and remember (and experience) all the things we fondly recall from days gone by. It will cost a LOT less than the current concept! Learn more about BUD's Vision

Downtown Utica would be forever setback if 34-acres of the Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood were bulldozed for a hospital district. Inner-city hospitals are not desirable places, they are very poor development concepts, and in the poor city of Utica (See Utica schools have highest poverty rate in Upstate NY), the results could be devastating. Our currently vibrant downtown renewal process would most certainly be negatively impacted.

Portions of the "Buckmobile" were produced on Lafayette Street, in a building that today is 100% functional and utilized by Wilcor International, located at 333 Lafayette Street. BUD says "Embrace Utica's history, not bulldozers!", for a Better Utica Downtown! Connect and join Better Utica Downtown on Facebook.

We hope that you will join the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica and #NHD on Monday, June 26th. Walk the historic downtown Columbia Lafayette Neighborhood...

Full list of events for the day are here Battle For Our City All are welcome to participate.

Better Utica Downtown, the BUD Movement has begun!

A new Utica group has formed, BUD will develop the central Columbia-Lafayette Streets to Keep Utica's Neighborhoods Connected Please connect with BUD on Facebook and Twitter

NOTICE: First public meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 11, at 10:00 AM. The group is meeting at the Wilcor International Showroom, located at 333 Lafayette Street, Utica, NY Wilcor is located across from the Salvation Army, and just behind the Utica Police Department parking lot.

BUD would like to hear from you! We're surveying businesses and property owners in the immediate area of the Hospital concept in person, but alos have a online survey, please let BUD hear from you BUD Seeks Your Input!

Watch these other BUD voices and videos:

⬛ Shawn Corrigan, Why BUD Now?
⬛ Bill Corrigan Sr. On Utica Hospitals & Downtown
⬛ Shawn Corrigan, Building BUD
⬛ Shawn Corrigan, Clarity, Growth, Change
⬛ Shawn Corrigan, Your downtown?

And the video that got BUD started...

Let's come up with a plan, let's bring people downtown, with ideas, new businesses... we can make Downtown Utica very successful again!

BUD has started the "Better Utica Downtown" business plan that will developing the better plan for Downtown Utica's Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood

Read links below to understand how Utica's BUD has looked at the concepts offered for Downtown Utica, and why BUD is building a better plan.

Our Premise Oneida County was offered a grant rooted in 2015 New York State legislation. The offer was for $300 million to improve healthcare facilities, but absent was information from the medical community, a study and or plan of regional healthcare. All citizens knew were the ongoing efforts to merge three hospitals into a single entity. However, with that merger still not complete, we’ve jumped forward to the concept of building a ... Read All

Our Vision As our plan comes together we will add additional content to this website. Our group is charting a new vision, one to show that a much Better Utica Downtown is possible. You will see how the Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood will be further developed to become a more desirable place to do business, visit, and live. You'll learn how we will work with other Utica Neighborhoods to develop increased connectedness ... Read All

Our Neighborhood We have been busy working, providing safety and running our businesses. That's what we've been doing in the Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood. Yet with plans underfoot to remove us and our history, we are ready to become a more desirable place to do business, visit, and even live. Here's what we look like today ... Read All

Connect with BUD:

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We're Building A Better
Columbia-Lafayette Neighborhood Building A Better
Wynn Hospital Neighborhood