Demolition of Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation Building Clears Way for West Street Impact Center

The $74 Million Cornhill Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative took a significant step forward with the demolition of the Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (MUNPC), or Leisure Time Activity Center building on West Street. The demolition clears the way to start construction on the West Street Impact Center which will serve as one of two anchors for this community’s historic transformation.

The West Street Impact Center will feature 78 mixed income apartments, a multipurpose gym for youth and adult fitness activities, co-working space for community nonprofits, senior activities, workforce training, and more.

The building replaces the treasured Leisure Time Activity Center which provided social programming, bible studies, community gathering space, and formerly youth daycare services under the management of MUNPC for 45 years.

This initiative is a collaboration between several community partners, including the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, MUNPC, The Collective Impact Network, City of Utica, and People First. Demolition planning was made possible thanks to the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank and Oneida Herkimer Solid Waste Authority.

“This step signifies not just progress but a promise that we hold to this community,” said Community Foundation President/CEO Alicia Fernandez Dicks. “A brighter, more inclusive future lies ahead for this community and the impact centers are just the start.”

“We deeply cherish and honor the important role that Leisure Time has served throughout Utica, including the historically innovative programming for the older adults and Black members of our community,” said MUNPC Board Chair Hilda M. Jordan. “We are truly excited for the many opportunities the impact centers will develop in the community and are happy to see MUNPC's mission to promote community wellbeing continue on for years to come.”

In addition to the West Street Impact Center, the James Street Impact Center will repurpose vacant lots to create 24 units of mixed-income housing and offer other services and spaces to support the needs of the neighborhood. 

To complement the development of the impact centers, the Cornhill Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative also includes projects like park improvements, lighting and pedestrian safety upgrades, development of empty lots, and the creation of an urban fitness trail—all of which are in progress.