The City of Ogdensburg’s vision for a vibrant, connected, and revitalized downtown has officially become a reality.
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that the City of Ogdensburg has been awarded $10 million through the ninth round of New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) in the North Country, recognizing the City’s transformational vision for its downtown waterfront, cultural assets, housing opportunities, and economic future.
Highland Planning was proud to support the City of Ogdensburg in the development, design, and visual storytelling of the DRI application. Working collaboratively with City leadership and project partners, our role focused on helping shape and communicate a compelling narrative that clearly illustrated why Ogdensburg was ready — and deserving — to win this highly competitive funding opportunity after years of previous attempts.
Together, the team worked to tell a visually compelling story about Ogdensburg’s future: one that connected the City’s seven miles of waterfront, historic downtown core, civic and cultural anchors, housing investments, and economic development opportunities into a unified vision for revitalization. The application highlighted transformational opportunities surrounding the waterfront, Frederic Remington Art Museum, City Hall, library, downtown streetscapes, and key redevelopment sites that could catalyze long-term investment and community growth.
The final application reflected extensive community momentum and support, including engagement with more than 600 residents and businesses and more than 270 letters of support submitted as part of the effort. You can view the City of Ogdensburg DRI Application created and designed by Highland Planning here.
For Highland Planning, this project represented the power of strategic storytelling, thoughtful design, and collaboration. Rather than simply presenting projects, the application painted a clear picture of Ogdensburg’s identity, challenges, opportunities, and readiness for investment, helping decision-makers understand not only what the City wanted to accomplish, but why this investment could be transformational for the entire North Country region.
We extend our sincere congratulations to Mayor Michael Tooley, City staff, community stakeholders, and the residents of the City of Ogdensburg on this significant achievement. We are excited to see the City move into the next phase of the DRI process and bring this shared vision to life.
For more information, you can:
- View NYS Governor Kathy Hochul’s Announcement
- View The City of Ogdensburg’s Announcement
- View the City of Ogdensburg DRI Application created and designed by Highland Planning
For more information about Highland Planning, visit Highland-Planning.com.
Media Contact:
Megan Jasinski Morsch
Director of Marketing and Business Development
585-504-1672 | Megan@highland-planning.com
