Reimagine the Canals Competition Information Session

REIMAGINE THE CANALS COMPETITION SITE TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

November 13 to 17, 2017 OVERVIEW

Site tours of various sections of the Canal System took place for interested participants between November 13 to 17.

The following slides provide a summary of the highlights from these tours. The purpose of this deck is to serve as a helpful resource for interested individuals who were not able to attend these tours in order to understand the context of the Canal System and the varied landscapes and developments in communities along it.

The highlighted locations that are mentioned in this deck do not reflect NYPA’s and the Canal Corporation’s priority sites for Competition submission ideas. We encourage submitting teams to identify segments or sites from any portion of the Canal System for their proposals.

The Glens Falls Feeder Canal delivers water from above Glens Falls to the Champlain Canal. The Feeder Canal Heritage Trail runs along most of its length. Read more about it here.

Image taken from www.parks.ny.gov

The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is located at Fort Hunter, Town of Florida, in Montgomery County, and includes a two-mile-long segment of the original Old Erie Canal, including a series of locks from the Old Erie Canal, the Enlarged Erie Canal, and the remains of the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct. Read more about the Historic Site here.

Site tour participants had a chance to see how locks work on the Canal System. Read more about navigation and the functioning of locks here.

Little Falls is a canal community that attracts visitors because of its beautiful landscape including both the canal and the Mohawk River, and small businesses in historic buildings nearby. Read more about Little Falls here.

The Herkimer Terminal along State Route 28 in Herkimer County was historically used as a point for freight transfer along the Barge Canal. Through a public-private partnership, it has been adaptively reused as a restaurant and gift shop. The public spaces around it are used for programming activities in the summer.

Image taken from www.uticaharborpoint.org

Utica Harbor Point comprises more than 100 acres of waterfront real estate situated around Utica’s historic harbor, between the Mohawk River and Erie Canal. This site is currently in the planning stage and is a good example of a city along the Canal System that is reclaiming its waterfront for development. Read more about the plans for this site here.

Image taken from positivelyrome.com

Image taken from www.eriecanalway.org Image taken from positivelyrome.com

The Bellamy Harbor Park was developed on land owned by the New York State Canal Corporation. It includes a large dock, promenades, boating/fishing landings, and picnic areas. The park is well-equipped for evening activities and hosts some citywide events during the year. Read more about the park’s facilities here.

Image taken from www.elifeinthefingerlakes.com

Image taken from www. baldwinsvillebedandbreakfast.com/neighborhood.asp Image taken from www.eventseeker.com

Baldwinsville, NY is one of the most popular destinations for recreational boaters. The Budweiser factory located by the canal has created an amphitheater at the rear of the building for programming events and activities. Read more about why this village attracts so many visitors here.

Image taken from www.cruiisingthegreatloop.com

The Village of Phoenix has embraced its waterfront by hosting many community events along the Oswego Canal and encouraging businesses to set up there. Read about Phoenix’s strategic plan for its Canal Waterfront District here.

Image taken from www.chittenangolanding.com Image taken from www.chittenangolanding.com

The Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum’s objective is to demonstrate the importance of the historic Erie Canal. The site showcases the only remaining boatyard on the historic canal, which includes a reconstructed canal-side store, walk-on canal boat exhibit, sawmill, blacksmith, and woodworking shops, mule stable, and a visitor education center. Read more about this museum here.

Image by David Lassman / The Post-Standard, 2005

The Syracuse Inner Harbor area is set for development of office, hotel, retail and residential spaces along the waterfront area. Read more about the plans here.

The Camillus Erie Canal Park is a destination for visitors to explore a museum about the old Erie Canal. The site includes the only navigable aqueduct in New York State and hosts boat tours for visitors and school children. Read more about this park here.

Lockport is a very popular destination for tourists to take cruises on the Erie Canal and learn about the history of canals and its infrastructure. The community is in the process of restoring five old Erie Canal locks (referred to as the Flight of Five), which is adjoining today’s Canal System. Learn more about Lockport here.

Image taken from www.cornhilllanding.com Image taken from www.cornhilllanding.com

The Corn Hill Landing residential development in Rochester is an example of a successful partnership between the Canal Corporation, the City of Rochester, and a developer that has helped unlock value along underutilized canal-side property. Read more about the neighborhood here.

Seneca Falls is another popular destination for visitors and boaters, as it has invested resources in its waterfront areas. It hosted events such as Canal Fest and Locktoberfest in the past, and a non-profit organization is currently developing the Center for Great Women in an industrial mill building on the banks of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.