Utica Downtown Parking Plan Discussion
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: November 27, 2012
After the railway debate, some Utica councilmen held a community
conversation to discuss another big topic in our community. Mayor Rob
Palmieri announced his downtown parking plan last month. Part of the
plan is to add alternative parking sites and pay stations. Another
includes reconstructing Genesee Street into a boulevard, converting the
current four lanes down to two and adding a median. And this worries
some community memebers.
"Putting a median down Genesee street, making it 2 lane highway. I think that would be devastating for all the businesses downtown and severely inhibit the flow of traffic downtown. I think we can dress up downtown, do green-scape issues, without changing the road from 4 lanes to 2 lanes," says Tom Clark, manager of the Adirondack Bank Building.
The estimated cost of the project is $15 million dollars. Part of the funding will come from grants and part will come from the city.
"Putting a median down Genesee street, making it 2 lane highway. I think that would be devastating for all the businesses downtown and severely inhibit the flow of traffic downtown. I think we can dress up downtown, do green-scape issues, without changing the road from 4 lanes to 2 lanes," says Tom Clark, manager of the Adirondack Bank Building.
The estimated cost of the project is $15 million dollars. Part of the funding will come from grants and part will come from the city.


