Downtown renaissance ? Geneva, N.Y.
Downtown renaissance ?
Geneva, N.Y.
Situated along the state?s canal system, Geneva was once a hub for transportation and industry, housing major manufacturers in the 19th century.
But the urban renewal era was not kind to Geneva. As industry left in search of international markets, downtown Geneva?s first-floor vacancy rate soared to over 80 percent and its population fell by nearly 50 percent.
In the 1990s the city council challenged stakeholders to envision a 21st-century Geneva focused on capitalizing on cultural and tourism assets. Property owners, with support from federal and state governments, invested millions of dollars in cultural and tourism ventures, a revived financial services sector and historic preservation targets. Grassroots stakeholders re-energized Geneva?s market capacity through efforts like ?Love Geneva,? a shop, eat and live local campaign.