This section will outline the details for this Village Profile characteristic by converging the following Village Profile Survey characteristic groups:
- (2) Herkimer County’s Retail Center Hub
- Commercial Shopping (75%)
- Commercial Entertainment (60%)
- Commercial Dining (60%)
- Commercial Shopping (75%)
- (3) Retail offering in Line with Retail Center Profile
- Mom n Pop shops (personalized, Villageesque) (72%)
- Foot Traffic Friendly (parks, pathways w/rest seating, etc.) (71%)
- Farmers Market (local produce outlet) (70%)
- Boutique Shoppes (unique to the Village/Valley) (67%)
- Entertainment venues (clubs, coffee bars, theater, etc) (66%)
- Seasonal Decor - spring, summer, fall, holidays (53%)
- National Chains as Village "Anchor Store" (Hannaford, Lowes, Walmart) (37%)
- Mom n Pop shops (personalized, Villageesque) (72%)
- (10) Pathway of the Retail Center Profile
- Consistent persona/facade of buildings/surroundings throughout the Pathway (69%)
- Zoned specifically to enhance and enable commercial regions (44%)
- Future to feed pathway development in surrounding communities (33%)
Characteristic description
The visionary profile to evolve the Village of Herkimer to become the Retail Center of Herkimer County is one that has garnered passionate discussions for the past several years preceding the development of this Master Plan 2020. This advocacy by Village residents and business owners was further emphasized by the 1st place ranking of the Characteristic Group “Herkimer County’s Retail Center Hub” in the Village Profile Survey.
Current Retail Profile
The development of the Village of Herkimer as the County’s Retail Center is not something new, in that over the years the Village has amassed more national and regional chain locations than any other municipality in the County. As denoting by the map to the right, there are national/regional chains such as Auto-Zone, Applebees, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Verizon, Walgreen’s, Walmart, Stewart’s Shop, Herb Philipson’s, Subway’s, Fastrac, Denny’s, Tractor Supply Co, Red Roof Inn, Burger King, Mavis Discount Tire, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Arby’s, Nice N Easy, and Hannaford.
Though the Town of Herkimer (which includes the Village inhabitants) is over 10,000 residents, it should also be considered how the Village of Herkimer is positioned in southern Herkimer County when assessing its position as its Retail Center.
The map below demonstrates that flow of traffic west from/to east (along NYS Route 90, 5, and 5S) and the flow of traffic north from/to south (along NYS Route 28) all proceed through the Village of Herkimer.
In essence, all primary routes lead to the Village of Herkimer, which positions it as the economic center of travel for Herkimer County.
As noted, having amassed this number of national and regional chains within the Village is validation of the economic value of the Village and its position as the center of flow for Herkimer County.
For such chains to locate in a municipality they need to have done a business assessment that combines key criteria such as location (accessibility by customers), economic value ($ of revenue vs $ of cost per square foot), market appeal (fit of products, service to demographic profile), and operational efficiency (getting product in the door). For all of these companies to do an assessment and choose to locate in the Village of Herkimer means that the Village “has good economic bones”.
Though this document is not the forum for a detailed assessment of the economic value of the Village per its position as the Retail Center of Herkimer County, it has proven its worth to national and regional chains that assessed the Village’s value with no political motivation – purely business.
The Village has:
The map below demonstrates that flow of traffic west from/to east (along NYS Route 90, 5, and 5S) and the flow of traffic north from/to south (along NYS Route 28) all proceed through the Village of Herkimer.
In essence, all primary routes lead to the Village of Herkimer, which positions it as the economic center of travel for Herkimer County.
As noted, having amassed this number of national and regional chains within the Village is validation of the economic value of the Village and its position as the center of flow for Herkimer County.
For such chains to locate in a municipality they need to have done a business assessment that combines key criteria such as location (accessibility by customers), economic value ($ of revenue vs $ of cost per square foot), market appeal (fit of products, service to demographic profile), and operational efficiency (getting product in the door). For all of these companies to do an assessment and choose to locate in the Village of Herkimer means that the Village “has good economic bones”.
Though this document is not the forum for a detailed assessment of the economic value of the Village per its position as the Retail Center of Herkimer County, it has proven its worth to national and regional chains that assessed the Village’s value with no political motivation – purely business.
The Village has:
- Location – National/Regional Chain’s selected locations directly along primary thoroughfares in the Village to ensure visibility and easy access. This include NYS Route 5, NYS Route 28, and primary access routes to the NYS Thruway off of Mohawk Street (including Carolina Street, E & W Albany Street, and S. Bellinger Street).
- Economic Value – As detailed in the earlier section on statistics the average income of Village households is roughly $47,000 (up from $35,000 in 2010). In review of the retail and service providers located in the Village listed earlier, it is clear that they fit the demographics of the Village and surrounding municipalities.
- Market Appeal – The national and regional chain providers of products and services listed earlier in this section fit the demographic profile of the municipalities of Herkimer County. This is evident per retailers such as Walmart and Hannaford, restaurants per Applebees and various fast food, and hospitality providers of Red Roof Inn are all aligned well with the low-middle income profile of the county residents.
- Operational Efficiency – This is where Herkimer offers the most important benefit to the national and regional chains with its direct exit off of the NYS Thruway, as well as the Village being the convergence point for key regional NYS highways. This ensures efficient delivery of products for retailers, including during inclement weather conditions due to NYS road service.
Retail Center Profile
With all of the positive positioning that the Village has achieved per its role as the Retail Center of Herkimer County, it is not without a number of issues, and therefore development opportunities that need to be address.
The primary issue of the retail profile of the Village is the current state of Main Street, which has degraded over the past few decades, from a vibrant retail landscape to one that is now shunned by residents and avoided by retail businesses that are seeking opportunity in the Village.
The photo chronology below depict recent decades where North Main Street had retail appeal and “traffic” – during the 60s, 70s, and 90s. It also provides the desperate profile that has evolved in the past decades from retail appeal to barren streets, shoddy store fronts, the sleep quarters for the homeless, and North Main Street has become the “stoop” for those living in the low income apartments above.
The primary issue of the retail profile of the Village is the current state of Main Street, which has degraded over the past few decades, from a vibrant retail landscape to one that is now shunned by residents and avoided by retail businesses that are seeking opportunity in the Village.
The photo chronology below depict recent decades where North Main Street had retail appeal and “traffic” – during the 60s, 70s, and 90s. It also provides the desperate profile that has evolved in the past decades from retail appeal to barren streets, shoddy store fronts, the sleep quarters for the homeless, and North Main Street has become the “stoop” for those living in the low income apartments above.
This evolution was due to mismanagement of the properties, a lack of clear zoning laws and lax enforcement of existing laws that attempted to regulate the profile and persona of this critical retail asset of the Village. Without a clear vision for all of the retail assets of the Village of Herkimer, this same fate is sure to befall the Village’s other primary retail thoroughfares.
Therefore it is necessary for this plan to define how to restore Main Street to its prior profile, and do so in conjunction with protecting and advancing the other prime retail assets to develop the Village as the Retail Center of Herkimer County. This “other prime retail assets” are those thoroughfares identified by national and regional chains in their placement of locations. These thoroughfares include State Street (NYS Route 5), Albany Street, S. Carolina Street, NYS Route 28, and Mohawk Street.
Therefore it is necessary for this plan to define how to restore Main Street to its prior profile, and do so in conjunction with protecting and advancing the other prime retail assets to develop the Village as the Retail Center of Herkimer County. This “other prime retail assets” are those thoroughfares identified by national and regional chains in their placement of locations. These thoroughfares include State Street (NYS Route 5), Albany Street, S. Carolina Street, NYS Route 28, and Mohawk Street.
Establishment of the Retail Corridor
For the remainder of this document, as noted above the prime retail assets of the Village will be referred to as the Retail Corridor and are depicted in the map below.
or the Village of Herkimer to be the Retail Center of Herkimer County, all streets of the Retail Corridor must adhere to the highest standards of commercial property.
This will require that a new zoning class be defined to support the specific profile of those thoroughfares (streets, routes) identified as Retail Corridors.
or the Village of Herkimer to be the Retail Center of Herkimer County, all streets of the Retail Corridor must adhere to the highest standards of commercial property.
This will require that a new zoning class be defined to support the specific profile of those thoroughfares (streets, routes) identified as Retail Corridors.
The vision is to ensure that all properties residing along the Retail Corridor are legally bound to requirements such as:
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This also affirms what research and location selection was performed by the business analysts of the national and regional chains when determining locationing in the Village.The details of the zoning classification of the Retail Corridor will be a critical requirement for further advancing the Village of Herkimer as the Retail Center of Herkimer County. By overlaying the earlier National and Regional Chain location map with the newly formed Retail Corridor it is clear how the two align to form the Village’s retail profile.
Note that the primary locations selected by both national and regional chains are those that ensure traffic flow from the north (NYS Route 28), the west (NYS Routes 90, 5s, and 5), and the east (NYS Routes 90, 5s, and 5). This affirms the appeal of the Village as the County’s Retail Center. It is our vision to formalize this recognized persona and leverage it on a consistent basis for national, regional, and local product and service retailers. |
Retail Corridor - North Main Street Segment
As noted earlier in this segment, the primary plight of the Village is the degraded state of North Main Street. With the formation of the Retail Corridor zoning classification, the Village will be able to establish the future profile of this once aesthetically attractive business region.
EXAMPLE PROFILES OF N. MAIN STREET
The following example profiles depict a future North Main Street that has established a common building façade, supports a higher density of angular parking, clean appearance, with sparsely populated trees along the roadway, foot traffic safe, and is appealing to local product and service retailers.
Though this is just an example, the profile of North Main Street could become as shown by regimenting its developing through a newly created Retail Corridor zone classification.
EXAMPLE PROFILES OF N. MAIN STREET
The following example profiles depict a future North Main Street that has established a common building façade, supports a higher density of angular parking, clean appearance, with sparsely populated trees along the roadway, foot traffic safe, and is appealing to local product and service retailers.
Though this is just an example, the profile of North Main Street could become as shown by regimenting its developing through a newly created Retail Corridor zone classification.
Another example is provided showing how N. Main Street could be segmented to provide a foot traffic Marketplace in the northern most portion of the newly created Retail Corridor. By creating a one-way (east to west) single lane road that connects North Washington Street over the current driveway of LW Bills through to N. Main Street, vehicle access is provided for north to south traffic.
By having the Marketplace occupying the roadway from the Mary Street intersection to the newly created “Market Street”, there would be a new persona for local retailers, boutiques, clubs, diners, and kiosk vendors that would also be leveraged to profile seasonal decorations for residents to shop, dine, and enjoy entertainment throughout the year. This is another example of what N. Main Street could be transformed to support in the year 2020 and beyond.
By having the Marketplace occupying the roadway from the Mary Street intersection to the newly created “Market Street”, there would be a new persona for local retailers, boutiques, clubs, diners, and kiosk vendors that would also be leveraged to profile seasonal decorations for residents to shop, dine, and enjoy entertainment throughout the year. This is another example of what N. Main Street could be transformed to support in the year 2020 and beyond.
The key to achieving any acceptable profile for the Retail Corridors is to establish a set of zoning profiles that are applicable to the retail community in each of these thoroughfares. Examples of this profiling would be:
- Retail Corridor 1 (RC1): N. Main Street Segment – High level of zoning profile to ensure consistency of building façade and upkeep; focused attention to local product and service retailers; limited street parking only; restricted tenant profile; upkeep and cleanliness of street and sidewalks; no loitering; safe for foot traffic; road traffic controls of speed and pedestrian crossing;
- Retail Corridor 2 (RC2): S. Main Street Segment, S. Carolina Street, Albany Street, Mohawk Street – Medium level of zoning profile supporting local, regional, and national product and service retailers; parking lots supported; tenant profile standard, but limited population; road traffic controls of speed and pedestrian crossing;
- Retail Corridor 3 (RC3): Route 5/State Street, Route 28 – Low level of zoning profile supporting local, regional, and national product and service retailers; parking lots supported; no tenant profile allowed; road traffic controls of speed and pedestrian crossing.
Commercial Business Population Profile: RC1 Zone
As a general guidance for the Village, the profile of businesses existing in the “to be formed” Retail Corridor has a mix of national (i.e. Applebees, Rite Aid, Walmart), regional (i.e. Hannaford, Herb Philipson’s, Stewart’s Shop), and local (i.e. The Endzone Pub & Grill, Hot Swaps, Hummel’s Office Plus, Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner, Weisser’s Jewelers), businesses providing products and services to residents, those that work in the village, visitors, and travelers.
As noted in the zoning profile overview, the RC1 zoned area should be focused on being populated with local businesses – concentrating on Village unique shops, dining, and entertainment – that adhere to a specific profile/persona, including frontal presentation and façade. This profile is consistent with many other communities throughout the country where persona development of that zoned region is an imperative. When opening that region to regional and national chain retailers, it is more difficult to establish consistent persona profiles due that retailer standards for branding, such as signage and frontal décor.
This profiling also enables local businesses to benefit from the foot traffic areas that entice residents and those working in the community to support local business owners.
However, when viewing the Village of Herkimer as it is centrally positioned for travelers and tourists visiting the region, then brand recognition of both national and regional retailers is critical to increasing business traffic. The brand recognition of national or regional businesses serves to entice those that would normally pass the village by, either via the NYS Thruway or NYS Routes 5, 5s, and 28, to stop in and shop or dine.
As noted in the zoning profile overview, the RC1 zoned area should be focused on being populated with local businesses – concentrating on Village unique shops, dining, and entertainment – that adhere to a specific profile/persona, including frontal presentation and façade. This profile is consistent with many other communities throughout the country where persona development of that zoned region is an imperative. When opening that region to regional and national chain retailers, it is more difficult to establish consistent persona profiles due that retailer standards for branding, such as signage and frontal décor.
This profiling also enables local businesses to benefit from the foot traffic areas that entice residents and those working in the community to support local business owners.
However, when viewing the Village of Herkimer as it is centrally positioned for travelers and tourists visiting the region, then brand recognition of both national and regional retailers is critical to increasing business traffic. The brand recognition of national or regional businesses serves to entice those that would normally pass the village by, either via the NYS Thruway or NYS Routes 5, 5s, and 28, to stop in and shop or dine.
This
brings a broad range of customers into the Village, with the added enticement
that the downtown area (RC1 zoned area) provides local venues of interest. Both
dynamics of business profile are positively affected when segmented in a manner
that is fitting with the market demographics of the specific consumer set.
Commercial Business Population Profile: RC3 Zone
Similarly it is important to assess the open areas along the NY State thoroughfares, such as NYS Route 28 as is “mocked-up” in the image to the right showing the an example of this portion being occupied by automotive dealerships positioned on land that is currently classified as “vacant land” as per the Property Class Code map in Appendix A – Maps. By enlisting and developing this land as a newly zoned RC3 classification, the Village can open this up for development – whether it be for automotive sales or a mass market retailer – it will service and serve to draw in traffic from the north and increase the Village’s retail profile.
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Another potential area, as noted in the mocked-up photo on the left, includes transitioning the area across NYS Route 5 from the Walmart location from its mixed Commercial (undeveloped) and Community Service (Herkimer County Garage) to become RC3 zoned. This would then be developed for direct access from NYS Route 5, as is available for access to Walmart. Again – this mocked-up image is suggestive of what is possible once we formalize the rezoning of the Retail Corridor to enhance the Village of Herkimer in its position as the Retail Center of Herkimer County.
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The profile of the RC2 zone is not further expounded on since much of what has developed in that targeted region (S. Main Street, S. Caroline Street, Albany Street, and Mohawk Street) are expected to continue developing in a manner similar to what they have over the past decades. There will be formalizing of the RC2 zone profile and that profile will be applied to all properties.
Pathways of the Retail Corridors Throughout Herkimer County
The broader and longer term vision of the Village of Herkimer being the Retail Center of Herkimer County is to collaborate with the other municipalities of Herkimer County, such as Mohawk, Ilion, Frankfort, Schuyler, Little Falls, Middleville, Newport, Poland, and Dolgeville to adopt the Retail Corridor zone classification. By adopting the Retail Corridor zone classification in all of these municipalities, there would be a consistency throughout the southern portion of Herkimer County where retailers locate and how they are presented/profiled.
The term Pathways of the Retail Corridors refers to the establishment of directional signage from one municipality’s Retail Corridor to another municipality’s Retail Corridor, maps of all Retail Corridors in Herkimer County, and promotional/marketing programs that list all product and service retailers, etc. Though this is beyond the scope of the Village of Herkimer Master Plan 2020, it is presented in hopes of enticing a broader community spirit throughout the southern Herkimer County region.
The term Pathways of the Retail Corridors refers to the establishment of directional signage from one municipality’s Retail Corridor to another municipality’s Retail Corridor, maps of all Retail Corridors in Herkimer County, and promotional/marketing programs that list all product and service retailers, etc. Though this is beyond the scope of the Village of Herkimer Master Plan 2020, it is presented in hopes of enticing a broader community spirit throughout the southern Herkimer County region.
ACTION POINTS
- Create a new zoning classification in support of the Retail Corridor (RC1, RC2, RC3).
- Responsibility: Planning Board, the Zoning Board, and the Village Board of Trustees.
- Establish a two year plan for zoning adoption and adherence of all properties occupying the newly created Retail Corridor.
- Responsibility: Planning Board, the Zoning Board, and the Village Board of Trustees.
- Develop incentive programs for local business occupancy of the N. Main Street segment of the Retail Corridor.
- Responsibility: Planning Board, Village Board of Trustees, Herkimer Oneida County Comprehensive Planning Program, Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency, and the Herkimer Historic Preservation Commission.
- Responsibility: Planning Board, Village Board of Trustees, Herkimer Oneida County Comprehensive Planning Program, Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency, and the Herkimer Historic Preservation Commission.
- Develop and execute a Marketing Plan to promote the formation of the Village of Herkimer as the Retail Center of Herkimer County.
- Responsibility: Planning Board, Village Board of Trustees, Herkimer Oneida County Comprehensive Planning Program, and the Herkimer Historic Preservation Commission.
- Responsibility: Planning Board, Village Board of Trustees, Herkimer Oneida County Comprehensive Planning Program, and the Herkimer Historic Preservation Commission.
- Develop incentive programs for business occupancy of the Route 28 segment of the Retail Corridor.
- Responsibility: Planning Board, Village Board of Trustees, Herkimer Oneida County Comprehensive Planning Program, Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency