Common Council hears ideas for developing downtown
May 4—The Oneonta Common Council asked a lot of questions Tuesday night, May 3, and got nearly as many answers, as members tried to clarify their collective vision for the future of downtown Oneonta during a three and a half hour meeting.
The council heard a presentation on a Market Street development plan for an 11-acre area that is currently primarily parking lots. The plan has several related parts — some already underway, and some conceptual future proposals.
Consultants from Delaware Engineering presented the big picture: redeveloping the blocks below Main Street, including South Main Street and Market Street. Although the boundaries have not been precisely defined, the location covers about 4.7 acres of public land, and 6.7 acres of private land.
The area under consideration includes the Oneonta Sales building that is slated for demolition, the city parking ramp, Water Street, the Clarion Hotel, Muller Plaza on Main Street, two banks surrounded by public and private parking lots, the former Stella Luna restaurant and a field currently used for the Oneonta Farmers' Market.
In their presentation, consultants Mary Beth Bianconi and Sandy Mathes called the area "a dead zone of asphalt" dominated by an aging parking structure. When Oneonta was founded, this area was all wetlands, with Silver Creek meandering through it and a pond that was a popular swimming and ice skating spot. Later, Broad Street ran through the site from Main Street where Muller Plaza is today down to the train station, with dense downtown buildings on either side.
The Broad Street businesses were demolished in the 1970s to make way for a modern downtown shopping complex, part of the city's urban renewal program that was never fully realized.
There are many ideas but little clarity about the future of the site. The overall plan is to make the area a destination, and simultaneously reconnect Main Street to the railroad, to create a "multimodal hub" with improved pedestrian connections and a relocated transit center beside the parking garage.
"The whole purpose of the effort is to advertise what's available," said City Administrator Greg Mattice after the meeting. The city would not be directly involved in the private properties, but "can help in some ways to leverage grants and historic tax credits."
Delaware Engineering solicited developers to discuss the redevelopment and only got one response, from Bonacio Construction in Saratoga Springs. Their staff came to Oneonta for an initial tour and meetings, which Mathes likened to a "warm hug."
Other parts of Market Street redevelopment are in process as part of the ongoing Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The street itself will be redesigned with narrower traffic lanes and wider sidewalks that include plantings and street trees.
"We're trying to make this be another Main Street," Mattice said. The vehicle lanes are 16 feet wide currently, while 11 feet would be sufficient. The sidewalks are 5 feet wide now and will be expanded to about 15 feet. The city has put out a request for qualifications, and expects to review design proposals this spring. The new transit hub on Market Street will use the street side of the parking ramp for bus transfers.
Council Member Dave Rissberger, Third Ward, said he supported the development concepts but expressed frustration that the council has been left out of the communication loop as if the plans were being kept secret.
"We need to have better discussions about economic development," he said.
Mike Forster Rothbart, staff writer, can be reached at mforsterrothbart@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7213.
