The Village of Canajoharie is the recipient of a $4.5 million grant award from New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council (MVREDC) through the third round of the NY Forward program. Building on the momentum of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the NY Forward program is intended to support more equitable downtown recovery for New York’s smaller communities with a focus on hamlets, villages and neighborhood-scale commercial centers. The NY Forward program provides smaller communities with planning and implementation support needed to attract more businesses, residents and visitors while also providing a higher quality of life for all residents.
Located along the banks of the Mohawk River, the Village of Canajoharie was once a thriving hub for transportation and industrial development. Most of the village is located within a historic district due to its abundance of well-preserved architecture from different eras. The Erie Canal trail — a popular destination for bicyclists as part of the Empire State trail — also traverses the downtown business district. With recent investments and its key location along major transportation routes, Canajoharie’s downtown has the potential to become a vibrant riverfront destination and local employment center.
Stay in the know!
Sign up to receive email notifications about upcoming public events.
As a beacon of business and culture in the region, Canajoharie is envisioned as a pedestrian-friendly and accessible downtown, featuring a thriving network of small businesses, diverse retail options, affordable living spaces, and vibrant greenspaces that support a wide range of cultural activities. Our vision is to create a downtown that is visually appealing—enhanced by greenery, benches, flowers, quality lighting, and thoughtful landscaping—all contributing to a clean, fresh look while preserving the village’s historic charm. This charm will be further strengthened through the restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, with welcoming and accessible storefronts. These improvements will promote economic growth by attracting new businesses and development, expanding workforce opportunities, and broadening the overall tax base.
Draft Vision
IMPROVE the viability as a tourist destination by expanding opportunities for boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, niche retail, and restaurants in the downtown.
STRENGTHEN connections between natural assets such as trails, the riverfront, creeks, and the downtown.
ENHANCE the downtown through façade improvements, streetscape improvements, lighting, and wayfinding signage.
TRANSFORM vacant and underutilized buildings and sites into uses that help activate the downtown to attract visitors and improve the quality of life for residents.
SUPPORT development that helps to grow the tax base, increases jobs, and expands housing and retail opportunities.
Draft Goals
