Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente says the proposed U District in downtown Utica is still in the works.
The U District would bring a casino, a craft beer museum and an athletic complex, the Nexus Center, to downtown Utica. County officials estimate that the U District could generate $35 million each year.
Picente says the AUD Authority is about to close on the former Tartan Textile site, and he’s waiting to get a figure on state funding to help with the cost, but he expects to have shovels in the ground soon.
"Nexus, actually we'd like to break ground hopefully sometime this summer, as early as the summer, if all these things line up, which we think they probably can,” Picente said.
Picente is confident that it’s not a matter of if there will be state funding for the project, but rather how much.
