Auburn, New York. For many longtime Auburn residents, two of the most troubling words in the English language are urban and renewal.

But city officials are hoping to reverse many negatives still blamed on the urban renewal projects undertaken more than 25 years ago.

Schenectady-based Synthesis Architects is in the final stages of its study addressing many of those problems. Synthesis reviewed its initial report to business owners and local politicians on Tuesday and Wednesday, at the Chamber of Commerce. After answering questions and asking for advice, the company will now fine-tune its recommendations, determine the costs involved and present a final report to the City Council in a work session early next month.

“They really looked at enhancing the city more than just downtown,” said Wendy Goldman, whose husband, Marty, owns the Liberty Store. “That was really interesting how they talked about pulling the city together. I thought it was great.”

Optimism abounds. “Of the many development plans and policies that have been prepared for the city of Auburn, the urban renewal plans of the mid-Sixties and early-Seventies have had the greatest physical and social impact on the city,” writes AuburnÕs Office of Planning and Economic Development in its introduction to the Auburn Downtown Design Study.

The arterial is probably urban renewalÕs single greatest mistake. Part of the Department of TransportationÕs statewide plan to erase traffic problems in metropolitan areas, the arterial opened in 1976 after nearly 200 homes were demolished to clear the way.

Synthesis proposes a radical change. They suggest turning the arterial into two roads, each with traffic flowing in both directions.

Seeking to slow traffic. “On the arterial, people are flying through, thereÕs no question about that, flying through from both directions,” said John Senisi, a Synthesis partner. “We ended up with a much simpler solution that we think addresses the needs here. The westbound section would be relatively fast, but we want to slow traffic down a little bit.”

“ When we took on the bottom spur, what we now call the eastbound arterial, we created a street, basically. At 25 mph, itÕs more of the local business route. This allows us to concentrate people who are going through the city on one piece of the arterial, at relatively fast speed, and then bring more people into the downtown at the slow speeds.”

Senisi expects the state to grant the cityÕs request for such a change, saying that Department of Transportation has become, “very, very user-friendly now, theyÕre much easier to work with than in the past.”

Probably the most under-utilized asset the city has downtown, Senisi said, is the Owasco outlet. Synthesis proposed a series of projects that make the outlet more accessible.

River runs through it. “The river is the engaging part of this,” Senisi said. “YouÕre fortunate enough to have one very close to your downtown, closer than weÕve seen in many cities. Even though itÕs considered an outlet now, we want to change that name to the Owasco River. I think itÕs got great potential.”

City Planner Steve Lynch said the most common reaction from local residents was, “positive, cautiously optimistic, energized. They think itÕs the right thing to do, the right direction to take.”

Nick Speno, owner of Speno Music, said, “I thought the conceptual presentation was excellent. It gives me visions of a whole lot better things than what I have right now. The changes in the arterial I really like.”

“ IÕm hopeful this will happen,” Goldman said. “Because I know that we have a mayor whoÕs very optimistic, who has some forethought, and weÕre getting businesses to pull together and think that way. As we join forces, I really think itÕs something that we can do.”