Ogdensburg, New York
With over 330 acres of publicly and privately owned land along its magnificent waterfront, the City of Ogdensburg has a truly unique setting along the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers. Although manufacturing and paper mills once dominated its waterfront, Odgensburg has made great strides in revitalizing and redefining its character by re-capturing the waterfront assets unique to its location and size. As part of this overall effort, the City of Ogdensburg retained EDR in 2012 to assist with an update of its Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. In addition to designing conceptual neighborhood redevelopment plans, EDR assisted Ogdensburg in identifying a series of priority projects that would advance the policies and goals of their waterfront revitalization program. In Ogdensburg, some assets are more immediately apparent than others. Some, such as the extraordinary vistas of the St. Lawrence River or the importance of the local fishing economy, are evident from the moment you arrive in the city. Others, such as the remaining historic smokestack or the buried mill race that runs across abandoned or underutilized industrial properties, may become prized centerpieces of revitalized neighborhoods. In continuing our tradition of resource-based design, the EDR design team sought to unlock the potential of such assets to contribute to a unique sense of place that welcomes visitors and provides lasting value to residents.