REVITALIZING HISTORIC BULL’S HEAD By Frank J. Armento, AICP, Senior Project Manager
RES Sustaining Member
West Main Street looking east toward Genesee/Brown Street intersection (1950)
Bull’s Head, a culturally and historically significant area in the equally history-drenched city of Rochester, New York, is the victim of rapid suburbanization, and corresponding decades of disinvestment and decline. Bull’s Head served as the western gateway to downtown providing quick and easy access to the workplaces, culture, recreation, and goods and services that dominated the region. Due to the significance of the area and strong commitment from residents and other stakeholders supporting revitalization, the City of Rochester embarked on a decade-long quest to return the neighborhood to its former glory as a diverse and thriving, residential and commercial hub for investment. To serve as a catalyst for future investment and neighborhood growth, it is essential to remove blight and position the area for transformative revitalization, redevelopment, and reinvestment by conducting land assembly activities including selective site/building acquisition and demolition and environmental due diligence. The sites of former gas stations, dry cleaners, factories, and other industrial and commercial uses that historically supported this vital center of commerce now require remediation to address contamination left behind, making the parcels shovel-ready for new development and appealing to investors and developers. Although the neighborhood has experienced significant decline, it has retained important anchors including St. Mary's Campus, Saints Peter and Paul Church, and neighborhood-based businesses. Bull’s Head Plaza, a prominent anchor decades earlier, has suffered due to disinvestment, blight, decreasing property values, high poverty and crime rates, and other factors. These environmental and economic trends were the impetus for the area’s urban renewal designation. 10 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER AUGUST 2021
The Best Laid Plans
The most successful projects, particularly long range and city planning projects, start with the first conversation. Gaining an understanding of the project goals, constraints, stakeholders, challenges, and potential roadblocks allows the planning team to move forward with the necessary information to satisfy design and community requirements and gain critical buy-in from all parties. The City of Rochester has invested in the redevelopment of the Bull’s Head neighborhood just west of the downtown core since the early 2000s, with revitalization efforts beginning in earnest in 2009. The historically significant area is located at the convergence of six key transportation corridors which have connected commerce, employment, community, recreation, and health services for generations, but is now plagued by poverty, disinvestment, high vacancy rates, vacant land, and brownfield sites. These corridors represent vital transportation routes connecting southwest quadrant neighborhoods and the western suburbs of Rochester to downtown and will benefit immensely through transportation infrastructure improvements as well as enhanced public transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian enhancements. As part of the initial planning effort, a revitalization plan pursuant to the New York State Department of State’s Brownfield Opportunity Area program and an Urban Renewal Plan were created to facilitate revitalization within strategic areas. The City has also been conducting land assembly activities in a 12-acre targeted redevelopment area, acquiring properties, cover article
