WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW

UTICA HOUSING STUDY

City of Utica, NY

WHAT HOUSING ISSUES ARE FACED BY A CITY tHAT IS GROWING AGAIN AFTER DECADES OF DECLINE?

SUMMARY

Utica is a city of roughly 65,000 in the central part of New York State, situated partway between Syracuse and Albany. The city, like most of the industrial Great Lakes region, has had its share of economic struggles in recent decades but has begun to grow in population largely due to refugee resettlement.

In preparation for its next act, Utica hired czb for guidance on how to facilitate new housing development and rebalance its housing market in support of community goals. czb's assessment, including strategic recommendations, was completed in June of 2022.

UTICA HOUSING STUDY

Engaging the Utica community in the conversation

The project's Online Open House provided an opportunity for the public to learn about key housing issues, and to provide input on questions of strategy and prioritization that face Utica and many cities with a similar background.

Input from the Open House was used to inform the development of policy guidance and strategies.

Need and Demand in Utica and Oneida County

Determining what problems exist and how to intervene with responsive policies and tools requires understanding the distinction between households that represent demand for housing and households that represent need for housing. czb's assessment used this disintinction to frame the forces that influence Utica's housing market and to pinpoint the types of investments that are most likely to achieve goals related to affordablity versus goals related to the city's competitiveness within the regional market.

Strategic Opportunities

Five strategic opportunities that reflect a framework for responsive decision-making were outlined in czb's report to serve starting points for the City of Utica and its partners as they develop a comprehensive housing strategy for the community.