Cornhill Revitalization Project: The Bigger Picture

The Cornhill Revitalization Project is a long-term, neighborhood-wide effort focused on creating new opportunities for residents, strengthening community connections, improving quality of life, and supporting investment throughout Cornhill.

THRIVE Cornhill is a flagship initiative within the broader revitalization effort – not the revitalization project itself.

At the center of THRIVE are two new construction sites being developed on West Street and James Street. THRIVE is the project name used in submissions to New York State funding partners for the development of these two neighborhood anchor facilities. The spaces are intended to serve as anchors for broader neighborhood revitalization by bringing programs, services, recreation, workforce and educational opportunities, community gathering spaces, and partnerships directly into the neighborhood.

But the work extends beyond brick and mortar of the James Street Renaissance Center and West Street Impact Center. The broader Cornhill Revitalization effort includes continued resident engagement, neighborhood vibrancy and public-space improvements, arts and cultural initiatives, workforce connections and economic opportunity, and partnerships with organizations working to address priorities identified by the community.

Think of the Cornhill Revitalization Project as a broader, long-term vision for the neighborhood, with THRIVE Cornhill, a two-site, one-project anchor, as a vehicle for turning that vision into action.

As the work moves forward, the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and its partners will continue engaging residents and neighborhood stakeholders to help shape priorities, build partnerships, and connect new investments and opportunities to Cornhill.

Where is the investment coming from?

The THRIVE Cornhill development is bringing nearly $80 million in investment into the neighborhood, made possible through a combination of state and federal housing resources, tax-credit equity, local funding, philanthropic investment, and developer financing.

The largest share, approximately $47.1 million, comes through New York State programs and resources, including affordable housing tax-credit equity and investments through Housing Finance Agency- Homes and Community Renewal, Empire State Development, NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and NYS Energy Research and Development Authority. Another $24.7 million comes from equity generated through the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

Additional investment includes approximately $1.6 million from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, $1.27 million from the City of Utica, and approximately $2.2 million in developer and sponsor financing.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties has committed $4 million to the development, helping leverage significantly greater public and private investment into Cornhill. This nearly $80 million investment represents the funding associated with the two-site THRIVE Cornhill anchor development, which includes a total of 102 living units and nearly 40,000 square feet of community space between the James Street Renaissance Center and the West Street Impact Center.

The development is in partnership with People First, Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (MUNPC) and the Collective Impact Network, among other project partners. The Cornhill Revitalization Project is a 30-year commitment to the Cornhill community, extending beyond the development of the centers to support long-term programming, operations, partnerships, neighborhood initiatives and continued investment.