Oneida County legislators approved a resolution Wednesday authorizing the county attorney to move forward with parking garage plans for the proposed downtown hospital in Utica.
But that can only happen once the SEQR process is complete.
Once it is, the attorney can have the necessary properties assessed, and come up with a plan to move forward in the acquisition process.
After that, plans will be presented to the legislature for a vote.
"The attorneys in the office are obviously reviewing the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and making sure that we're probably prepared for our role once the city completes its process,” said Oneida County Attorney Peter Rayhill.
The environmental review is expected to take several weeks.
A hazardous material testing has begun for some of the properties in the hospital's footprint.