It is welcome news that the city of Utica and the Mohawk Valley Health System have formed a strategic partnership to develop a master reuse plan for the St. Elizabeth Medical Center, 2209 Genesee Street.

St. Elizabeth, which has served the community well for generations, along with the Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare facility, are to shut down when the downtown Wynn Hospital opens its doors — expected in October.

Both neighborhoods around these soon-to-be-shuttered facilities deserve to have a voice in the process by which a reuse master plan will be developed.

In the case of south Utica, emotions are still raw in the recent city Planning Board approval of a proposal for a new Stewart’s Shop to be located at 2634 Genesee St. — less than a mile from the St. Elizabeth Medical Center campus.

As evidenced by the hundreds of residents in the south Utica neighborhood who signed onto petitions or crammed into the recent Planning Board meeting, it is clear that residents want to be involved in the process from the start — and have their views on how to protect and advance the character of the neighborhood as well as on the revitalization efforts of the city as a whole.

We applaud city and MVHS officials for including the community in the reuse master planning process and hope that they will not just hear what residents in the impacted areas have to say but genuinely listen to their thoughts, concerns and suggestions.

As Mayor Robert Palmieri said in announcing the strategic partnership: “The Wynn Hospital project has been a transformation project in the city of Utica and we need to make sure that positive transformation extends to the properties being vacated, particularly St. Elizabeth.”

“While redeveloping this [St. Elizabeth Medical Center] campus will be a challenge, it’s also an opportunity to ensure our city and its neighborhoods continue to grow and thrive,” Palmieri added. “I’m happy that MVHS has committed to our shared goal of making sure that there’s something wonderful in store for south Utica and our entire city.”

“As we begin our expansion of our downtown campus, MVHS wants to remain committed to its obligations to repurpose the existing campuses, both at St. Elizabeth and St. Luke’s campus in New Hartford,” said Bob Scholefield, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Mohawk Valley Health System.

Officials with the city and MVHS are expected to develop a consultant team to assist in identifying multiple reuse scenarios, with the public’s interest in mind.

Previously, MVHS engaged with potential developers interested in purchasing St. Elizabeth’s, however, those plans fell through due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

City and MVHS officials say both parties share the goal to have the St. Elizabeth campus redeveloped in an appropriate way that would be best for the south Utica neighborhood. Both parties have also identified shared principles as part of their agreement, including:

For the Genesee Street frontage, provide for a mixture of uses consistent with the Genesee Street corridor as it exists within that section of south Utica;

For the balance of the property, provide for upscale, single family residential development with a mix of ownership styles; and

Scale, style and architecture reflective of the surrounding neighborhoods and commercial districts.

We look forward to seeing the resulting master planning process unfold and the synergy that can created by all parties coming together to benefit the neighborhood, the city and the region.