REVITALIZING HISTORIC BULL’S HEAD

REVITALIZING HISTORIC BULL’S HEAD

By Frank J. Armento, AICP,Senior Project Manager

RES Sustaining Member

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.

West Main Street looking east toward Genesee/Brown Street intersection (1950)

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,

and engaging in selective demolition and environmental due diligence activities to prepare the area for major redevelopment and revitalization. The effort of assembling large contiguous tracts of land is critical to attracting investors.

The goal of this planning effort was twofold: achieve site designation for the broader 185-acre study area to provide enhanced brownfield tax credits and establish incentives for private sector development and facilitate land assembly activities within the 12-acre targeted redevelopment area centered on the core of the neighborhood. The intensive planning process was crucial in developing the many key elements comprising the project.

Turning Brownfields to Gold

The ambitious plan to create a renewed and thriving destination in the shadow of downtown Rochester centers on several strategies to create a vital community with enhanced jobs and business opportunities; quality, affordable housing; safe, multi-modal transportation infrastructure; and improved public amenities. “The entire project encompasses over 185 acres with one prominent 12- acre targeted redevelopment area at the core of the neighborhood. The contiguous vacant parcels and the Bull’s Head Plaza shopping center form the cornerstone of the renewal project.” said Fisher Associate’s Senior Project Manager Frank Armento.

A network of infrastructure designed to support anticipated growth will include new and reconfigured roads and intersections, and complete streets and streetscapes as well as robust commercial and mixed-use development; multi-family housing; enhanced public spaces; bike and pedestrian amenities; and ample parking. As part of the project, the once highly successful shopping center, Bull’s Head Plaza, will be redeveloped into a walkable mixeduse environment. A classic, autooriented suburban model when completed in the mid-50s, the Plaza now sits underutilized. “As part of the planning effort, we emphasized the importance of committing critical revitalization efforts toward vacant land to the north of West Main Street and Bull’s

Bull’s Head Public Informational Meeting

Head Plaza supported by new accessible and safe transportation infrastructure and streetscape improvements.” said Armento. Just as Bull’s Head Plaza was an integral and economically significant element of the area’s history, it will continue to serve as the anchor for the revitalization effort.

The Strategy

Since a project of this nature touches places where people live and work, a key to its successful redevelopment is gaining consensus from all stakeholders, including residents of the neighborhood, community-based organizations, key businesses, and the general public. Tasked with analyzing market conditions and reviewing economic development opportunities, Fisher was able to share vital information with all parties regarding the viability of the project. “The planning team led by Fisher Associates played a key role in community engagement and analytic support for the Bull’s Head revitalization project.” said Rick Rynski, Project Manager, City of Rochester. Recognizing how important it was to have Bull’s Head residents and other key stakeholders as a united front behind the effort, Fisher facilitated numerous public outreach meetings and workshops to encourage feedback, disseminate information derived from the various studies, and present the resulting recommendations.

Comments from residents and invested parties included value statements such as “provide housing for all incomes in a livable, walkable neighborhood,“ “preserve the urbanist feel of the commercial district yet have new buildings reflect the history of Bull’s Head,” “allow greater diversity of commercial establishments, retail and restaurants,” and “create diverse housing options, including senior housing.” These values helped guide the City in prioritizing improvements and ensuring that area residents’ interests were always kept at the forefront. A concept focusing on the targeted redevelopment area provided a visual framework for transportation infrastructure improvements and opportunities for mixed-use infill investments.

As the revitalization and urban renewal plans have been prepared and the targeted redevelopment area concept has created the framework for investment, Fisher is now assisting the City with the pre-development implementation phase which includes:

- Assistance with grant application preparation to obtain project infrastructure and environmental investigation/remediation funding

- Coordination with the City and lead developer to refine the plan that works in tandem with proposed infrastructure improvements

- Preparation of Phase 2 of the Urban Renewal Plan to establish an appropriate zoning framework to shape redevelopment efforts and facilitate the associated City approval/adoption process

- Assistance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) process for various aspects and phases of the project

Things to Come

While the project is in the pre-development phase as land assembly and environmental due diligence activities continue, a lead developer has been selected to redevelop the targeted redevelopment area. Grant applications are also being prepared to potentially fund transportation infrastructure investment and support further environmental remediation and demolition activities. Among the next steps that will drive developer activity is the demolition of Bull’s Head Plaza in preparation of mixed-use redevelopment. The public will begin to notice infrastructure transformations to the area with various phases of redevelopment expected through 2025 and beyond.

”The highly anticipated Bull’s Head revitalization project represents one of the City’s greatest holistic community place-making efforts in decades,” said Rynski.

For more information on the revitalization of Bull’s Head or how Fisher Associates can guide your city through discovery, implementation, funding, planning, and more for your next development or redevelopment project, contact Frank Armento, Senior Project Manager at FArmento@fisherassoc.com.