Downtown Alive by CITY Magazine

Alive Welcome to Rochester's new center city

Downtowns are the heartbeat of a place. They say a lot about who we are, what we value, our history, and what our vision for the future looks like. They are everybody’s neighborhood. They are very diverse places, and if they become homogeneous in a community like ours, we’ve lost the very thing that makes them places you want to be as well as dynamic talent attractors. Rochester’s center city is undergoing the biggest transformation in nearly half a century, and the old downtown is being rebuilt – block by block, brick by brick. This transformation has been led by housing, and there are now 7,200 people who call downtown home. With 21 housing projects in the pipeline, 3,000 more people will join them by the year 2021.

This varied population includes young professionals, seniors, wealthy empty nesters, lower-income families, and lots of people with dogs. The evolving downtown living scene is drawing people in from the suburbs and creating the most diverse and rapidly growing part of the city. The innovation culture is hot downtown and because of this, the other big story is the DIZ: the Downtown Innovation Zone. There are now 170 innovation and creative-class enterprises in the DIZ – up 59 percent since 2015. The business incubators around Main and Clinton are already pumping, creating a magnetic environment for a wide variety of tech startups and releasing a kind of energy downtown we haven’t seen in decades. More than $864 million is being invested in downtown right now, capping the $2.2 billion invested since the year 2000. Underperforming properties are

being replaced by landscape-changing projects, business incubators, innovation and creative-class enterprises, and thousands of new residents. We are very fortunate to be dealing with real growth. It’s now time to watch for the next great opportunities and to respond to what our new downtown users want. – Heidi Zimmer-Meyer Zimmer-Meyer is president and CEO of the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation.

A P R O M O T I O N A L P U B L I C AT I O N B Y C I T Y N E W S P A P E R I N P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H T H E R O C H E S T E R D O W N T O W N D E V E L O P M E N T C O R P O R AT I O N

the new

DOWNTOWN When the eastern portion of the Inner Loop closed in December 2014, it brought new attention to the revitalization of downtown Rochester. The Inner Loop had been built in the early 1950’s to meet the needs of the time – including a much larger city population. But those needs have changed since then. When the Inner Loop opened for traffic, for instance, Rochester’s population was a little over 300,000 – more than 30 percent higher than it is now. Downtown has changed as well, of course. As recently as the 1960’s and 70's, the downtown area was the focal point of the region for commerce, arts and culture, retail, and government. But, as in cities across the nation, many residents were moving to the suburbs, and shopping malls and office parks were built to meet their retail needs. And as the city's population declined, so did the occupancy of downtown buildings –office buildings as well as buildings housing major retail businesses.At the turn of the 21st century, however, something shifted, in Rochester and in other cities. Residential conversion projects started taking shape, slowly at first, but steadily gaining investment and residents.

2 DOWNTOWN ALIVE

a dynamic mix of residential and commercial

Downtown Rochester at night. PHOTO COURTESY OF RDDC

In mid-sized cities across the country, converting old warehouses and office buildings for housing was gaining momentum – and it became a full-on trend in downtown Rochester by 2002. Airy loft apartments were being created, and new condominium projects hit the downtown market. Key downtown neighborhoods like the East End, historic Grove Place, St. Paul Quarter, and Cascade District saw a flood of projects. Empty nesters and mid-career professionals were discovering the ease and vitality of downtown living, and young professionals were putting off buying houses and instead were moving downtown. For a growing number of people, the American Dream was no longer defined in “Leave It to Beaver,” nuclear-family terms – but more like “Sex and the City,” “Friends,” and “Girls.” Since 2000, 49 buildings have been repurposed for housing units in downtown Rochester. Within the last four years, 1.6 million square feet of downtown space has been converted to residential housing. In 2000, when the conversion trend began, 3,250 people were living downtown. Today, that number is 7,200 – and with 19 housing developments under way or in the pipeline and set to open by 2021, the residential population will grow to more than 10,000.

A CITY NEWSPAPER / RDDC PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION

New townhouses and units in new apartment buildings are snapped up almost as soon as they go on the market. And vacancy rates, which would be considered healthy at 5 percent, sit between 2.1 and 4 percent, depending on the timing of new projects opening for occupancy. Most of downtown’s housing units are rental – roughly 96 percent – and market rates are anywhere from 85 cents per square foot for older loft apartments to more than $2 per square foot for new high-rise and luxury units. There’s now a critical mass of people living around Main Street and Clinton Avenue with more to come. And in addition, downtown – once an area dominated by offices and retail – now features hotels, arts and entertainment venues, a growing college campus, and an expanding museum, as well as more traditional law firms, corporate offices, financial institutions and services, and government. An important part of that change: the growing number of businesses classified as “innovation and creative class,” now totaling 155. The decline of the area’s “big three” companies, and its impact on downtown, may have shaken its foundation, but as smaller and mid-size companies grow within industries like app development, software design, architecture, engineering, and marketing, these edgy and forward-thinking enterprises are playing a key role in bringing new energy to downtown. – LEAH STACY

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NEXTCORPS’ INCUBATOR FACILITIES IN THE SIBLEY BUILDING INCLUDE A LARGE CO-WORKING SPACE

DOWNTOWN ALIVE

WITH INEXPENSIVE, DEDICATED WORK STATIONS WITH LOCKING FILE DRAWERS. PHOTO COURTESY OF NEXTCORPS

Downtown Alive is a specialty promotional supplement produced by City Newspaper and CITY digital media in partnership with the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation

SALES DIRECTOR: Bill Towler ART DIRECTOR: Ryan Williamson TEXT: Leah Stacy City Newspaper rochestercitynewspaper.com 250 North Goodman Street Rochester, NY 14607 585-244-3329

fueling new BUSINESS

the Downtown Innovation Zone Downtown Rochester is rapidly being transformed not only by new housing projects but also by its development as an organically-growing Innovation Zone. The change mimics the congregation of large companies and small start-ups in Cambridge, drawn by the proximity of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The number of innovation and creative enterprises in downtown Rochester has grown to 155. An exciting part of that development is the creation of business incubators: facilities to help entrepreneurs get started and succeed. NextCorps – the tech start-up incubator formerly named High Tech Rochester – is housed in part of Sibley Square, the former Sibley’s department store and office tower now being converted into incubator space, tech and other offices, retail space, residential units, and a food hall. The Boston-based development and property-management firm WinnCompanies is investing an estimated $200 million into the transformation of the Sibley’s building, and an entire floor has been dedicated to NextCorps, which relocated 14 businesses from its Henrietta campus to this new location. NextCorps, which is affiliated with the University of Rochester, consists of entrepreneurs, advisors, venture capitalists, and others who are committed to helping start-up tech companies succeed. It provides a variety of facilities and programs for the start-ups: 3-D printers, laser cutters, and other tools; conference rooms; a multi-media studio; mentoring; networking; roundtables; financial assistance – and affordable work space designed specifically to encourage collaboration and “creative collisions” with other tech entrepreneurs. Among NextCorps’ programs: the Luminate start-up accelerator competition. Last November, 10 finalists in the first round of the competition were awarded $100,000, free incubator space, and mentors in Rochester for six months.

4 DOWNTOWN ALIVE

A CITY NEWSPAPER / RDDC PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION

Also planned for Sibley Square is the new incubator called The Commissary, for entrepreneurs in the food business. The facility will be the only one in New York State outside the five boroughs, providing food industry incubation support and licensed commercial kitchen stations and equipment – all on an as-needed basis. In Sibley Square’s neighbor, the former Rochester Savings Bank, the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is also offering collaborative workspace, programs, and other assistance for start-ups and existing businesses looking to scale up. In addition to the technology start-up story, some of downtown’s innovation companies are growing quite rapidly, adding between 75 and 100 employees over the next 12 months. Downtown is now becoming rich with firms specializing in software design, app development, graphic design, video game creation, website development, architecture, engineering, and marketing. Just two examples: The data protection and recovery firm Datto now has more than 140 employees and is housed in five floors of The Metropolitan. CGI Communications, which works in over 400 cities, has bought three buildings at Main and St. Paul to accommodate its fast-growing workforce. These types of enterprises – both start-ups and established, successful ones –are part of a national trend, congregating in urban areas populated by similar enterprises. And they are playing a vital role in developing a resurgent downtown. Empty buildings that once housed offices and retail are again being filled. In many cases, their presence is helping preserve significant, high-profile buildings like Sibley’s, Rochester Savings Bank, Midtown Tower, and the former Chase Tower. They’re also bringing a new, creative group of workers to downtown Rochester, some of whom are choosing to live nearby as well. – LEAH STACY

who,s D O W N T O W N

An inventory of the innovation and creative-class enterprises in Rochester’s center city

Innovation/tech businesses 2TOUCHPOS SOFTWARE FOR BARS AND RESTAURANTS POS 30 BIRD MEDIA - IT TRAINING ACCELERATE MEDIA - WEB DEVELOPER ACI CONTROLS INC. - INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL APPLICATIONS ADVENTIVE - ADVERTISING SOFTWARE AEDICELL - BETASPACE, BIOMEDICAL ALLWORX CORPORATION VOIP COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS ANABASIS SOFTWARE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND SOLUTIONS ANIMATUS STUDIO - ANIMATION STUDIO ANTITHESIS ADVERTISING ADVERTISING AGENCY ARCHER COMMUNICATIONS WEB DEVELOPMENT AROVIA COLLAPSIBLE POP-UP DISPLAY SCREENS ATOMIC DESIGN INTERNET MARKETING / WEB DEVELOPER BANDWIDTH INC. INTERNET AND PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER BIAMP SYSTEMS A/V HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DESIGN BIZWONK - INTERNET MARKETING BLUE ZEBRA - BETASPACE, SOFTWARE BOUNCE IMAGING THROWABLE TACTICAL CAMERAS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS BRAND NETWORKS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING BRYX SOFTWARE/APPS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS CARESTREAM MEDICAL AND DENTAL IMAGING SYSTEMS, IT SOLUTIONS CARPENTER CONSULTING GROUP WIRELESS SITE DEVELOPMENT CGI COMMUNICATIONS, INC. ADVERTISING CLOUDSMARTZ APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS COUNCIL ROCK ENTERPRISES TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING CUMULUS COMPUTING SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS CYPHERWORX INC. ELEARNING/TRAINING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS D&C DIGITAL - DIGITAL MEDIA COMPANY D4 - DATA SECURITY, FORENSICS, LITIGATION DARKWIND MEDIA VIDEO GAME CONSULTANT AND DEVELOPER DATTO - DATA BACKUP AND RECOVERY DIGITRONIK DEVELOPMENT LABS HARDWARE/SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DOCUMENT SECURITY SYSTEMS IP PRODUCT PROTECTION DOUBLEHELIX DEPTH RESOLUTION TECHNOLOGY DWAITER DESIGN WEB AND MOBILE APP DESIGN EARTHLINK INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER EMPIRE MEDICINALS CULTIVATION OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS ENVATIVE - MOBILE/WEB APP DEVELOPER EZ PB&J - BETASPACE, SOFTWARE FORM COLLECTIVE - WEB DEVELOPER FUSION REACTIONS BRANDING AND MOBILE GAMING GRYT HEALTH ONCOLOGY APP/BETASPACE SOFTWARE I-EVOLVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES INFOPRESERVE NETWORK/DATA BACKUP AND ARCHIVING INTELON OPTICS BIOMECHANICAL IMAGING OF EYE STRUCTURES INTERMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS TELECOMMUNICATIONS

KAVYAR BETASPACE, SOFTWARE KNEESIO HEALTH PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT LAYER 8 GROUP INTEGRATED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS BUSINESS EFFICIENCY LIGHTOPTECH HIGH RES VOLUMETRIC IMAGING LIME CREATIVE WEB DEVELOPER/BRANDING/MARKETING LMT COMPUTER SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS LTECH SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, SYSTEMS INTEGRATION LUMOTUNE DIGITAL GLASSES TECHNOLOGY MANAGED SERVICES TEAM COMPUTER CONSULTING AND SECURITY MARKIT DURABLE IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES MAVIN TECHNOLOGIES SECURITY ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLATFORM MITEL - TELECOMMUNICATIONS MOLECULAR GLASSES ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTORS FOR OLED APPLICATIONS MUSTBEONLINE -WEB DEVELOPER NATCORE TECHNOLOGY SOLAR TECHNOLOGY NETSVILLE - WEB DEVELOPER NOTHING BUT NET SOLUTIONS WEB &APP DEVELOPMENT OFF SITE DATA SYNC DATA BACKUP AND RECOVERY ONTUITIVE PERFORMANCE SUPPORT ORDER SNAPP - KIOSK ORDERING PC RESULTS, INC. IT SOLUTIONS PHRANKLY - BETASPACE, SOFTWARE PHU CONCEPTS CUSTOM WEB APPLICATIONS/MARKETING POINTII - EDUCATION SOFTWARE POSITIVE SCIENCE EYE TRACKING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PRECISION OPTICAL TRANSCEIVERS OPTICAL TRANSCEIVERS AND ACCESSORIES Q WARE CMMS CLOUD-BASED FACILITY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE QUALNOW REALTIME VIDEO CUSTOMER FEEDBACK QÜB9 ARCHITECTURE/CREATIVE CONTAINER USE ROBERTS COMMUNICATIONS ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT ROC PHOTONICS BETASPACE, SOFTWARE ROCHESTER SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FOR THE DIGITAL PRODUCTION PRINT MARKET ROLEMODEL SOFTWARE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SCRIPTABLE SOLUTIONS WEB DEVELOPER/SOCIAL MEDIA SECOND AVENUE LEARNING EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SHORETEL INC. UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SIMPLIMECHANIC BETASPACE, ELECTRONICS SIMPLISHIP BETASPACE, SOFTWARE SIMPLYCLC WEB DEVELOPER/BRANDING/MARKETING SMALL GRID BETASPACE, SOFTWARE STADIUMPARK MOBILE APP DEVELOPER SYSTMS OF NEW YORK, INC. IT SUPPORT, CLOUD SERVICES A CITY NEWSPAPER / RDDC PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION

Restaurant week

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TARSIER OPTICS IMPROVED HIGH-RES HEAT HAZE IMAGES THINKBIO SOLUTIONS CAMERA-BASED HEALTH SENSORS FOR ATHLETES THOMSON REUTERS SEARCH ENGINES/WEB APPS FOR LAW, NEWS AND INVESTING VISIBLEMR DATA VISUALIZATION DESIGN FIRM VISUALDX MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY WINDSTREAM TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Creative C R E A T I VClass E CLASS ENTERPRISES Enterprises

ARCHITECTURA PC ARCHITECTURE BARKSTROM & LACROIX ARCHITECTURE BARTON LOGUIDICE, D.P.C. LANDSCAPE DESIGN BERGMANN ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING/PLANNING BERNUNZIO UPTOWN MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BERO ARCHITECTURE - ARCHITECTURE BLACK DOG DIGITAL MUSIC RECORDING AND PRODUCTION BOB WRIGHT CREATIVE ADVERTISING/DESIGN BORN + COLLECTIVE - MARKETING AGENCY BRANDMINT DIGITAL MARKETING, VIDEO PRODUCTION BREAD & WATER THEATRE - LIVE THEATER BZ DESIGN - INDUSTRIAL DESIGN C&S COMPANIES ENGINGEERING/ARCHITECTURE/PLANNING CALM & SENSE COMMUNICATIONS COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY/DESIGN CHA CONSULTING, INC. ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CITY BLUE IMAGING DESIGN, PRINTING, AND COPYING CJS ARCHITECTS ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN CLARK PATTERSON LEE - ARCHITECTURE DAC GROUP ROCHESTER DIGITAL MARKETING DEWOLFF PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTURE DOWNSTAIRS CABARET THEATRE LIVE THEATER DWYER ARCHITECTURAL - ARCHITECTURE EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC MUSIC EDUCATION & PERFORMANCE ENTERCOM - RADIO BROADCASTING ERIC MOWER & ASSOCIATES ADVERTISING ERNEST DUKES T.E.V. PRODUCTION VIDEO PRODUCTION AND MEDIA SERVICES GALVIN GLASS WORKS LTD. GLASS BLOWING, ART GLASS, STAINED GLASS GARTH FAGAN DANCE DANCE TROUPE AND SCHOOL GENESEE MEDIA CORPORATION MEDIA & INTERNET COMPANY GEVA THEATRE - LIVE THEATER GREENMAN PEDERSON - ENGINEERING GREENTOPIA ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY GRID MARKETING BRANDING, PRINT, DIGITAL, TV AND FILM HBH ENTERPRISES NEWS STORIES AND DOCUMENTARIES HOCHSTEIN SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DANCE PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL AND THEATER HUNT ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, SURVEYORS ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING ICON PHOTOGRAPHIC INC. PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO IHEARTMEDIA - RADIO BROADCASTING KCI TECHNOLOGIES ENGINEERING/PLANNING/CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT KURT BROWNELL PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

LABELLA ASSOCIATES - ARCHITECTURE LAKESHORE ENGINEERING - ENGINEERING LIRO GROUP ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT LOUELLE DESIGN STUDIO CUSTOM DESIGN STUDIO LU ENGINEERS - ENGINEERING M/E ENGINEERING MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING MAKEWAY WEBSITE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT MARATHON ENGINEERING ENGINEERING MARK GROANING GALLERY ART GALLERY/STUDIO MAXIMUM WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICES MANAGEMENT MILLRACE DESIGN ASSOCIATES GRAPHIC DESIGN MYERS CREATIVE IMAGING - PHOTOGRAPHY NORMAL COMMUNICATIONS ADVERTISING Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;BRIEN & GERE ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PARTNERS + NAPIER ADVERTISING/MARKETING PASSERO ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTURE PATHFINDER ENGINEERS & ARCHITECTS ENGINEERING/ARCHITECTURE PIKE STAINED GLASS STAINED AND LEADED GLASS CREATION AND REPAIR PLAN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO ARCHITECTURE/PLANNING/HISTORIC PRESERVATION PRUDENT ENGINEERING ENGINEERING R. JON SCHICK ARCHITECT ARCHITECTURE RAVI ENGINEERING & LAND SURVEYING ENGINEERING/LAND SURVEYING ROCHESTER CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER ART GALLERY ROCHESTERIAT BLOG ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHY & EVIDENCE STORE PHOTOGRAPHY SEI DESIGN GROUP ARCHITECTURE/PLANNING SMITH + ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS ARCHITECTS SNC LAVALIN - ENGINEERING SPHERE SOUND RECORDS MUSIC LABEL AND RECORDING STANTEC PLANNING/ENGINEERING/ARCHITECTURE STUDIO E VIDEO PRODUCTION, PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO, AND MULTIMEDIA EVENT SPACE SWBR ARCHITECTS ARCHITECTURE T.E.V. PRODUCTIONS FILM PRODUCTION T.Y. LIN INTERNATIONAL PLANNING/ENGINEERING/ARCHITECTURE TEXT 100, ROCHESTER OFFICE MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS THE BEAL INSTITUTE FOR FILM MUSIC AND CONTEMPORARY MEDIA FILM AND CONTEMPORARY MEDIA FOR MUSICIANS THE LITTLE THEATRE FILM AND VISUAL ARTS THE STRONG - MUSEUM WATERMARK PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY WENDEL ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING/PLANNING WEX ENERGY ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOW SKIN WXXI - BROADCASTING XCEED ENGINEERING & CONSULTING ENERGY ENGINEERING YOUNG + WRIGHT ARCHITECTURAL ARCHITECTURE

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the big, big

PROJECTS

Left and center: The former Chase bank building is now The Metropolitan, housing commercial uses, apartments, and condominiums. COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN The former Midtown Plaza office tower, now renamed Tower280, has been converted to lower-floor commercial and upper-floor apartments. COURTESY OF TOWER280

in a resurgent downtown

Since 2000, more than $2.2 billion has been invested in downtown development. In the coming year, projects totaling $853 million – some large, some modest – will be underway. With the completion of the Inner Loop fill-in in late 2017, fresh opportunities await developers and city residents. In place of the multi-lane sunken highway, which once separated downtown from eastside neighborhoods, are grade-level On the eastern edge of the center city, Buckingham Properties has begun work on streets, new connections Alex Park, an eight-building multi-use campus. RENDERING COURTESY OF to those neighborhoods, new sidewalks, bike racks BUCKINGHAM PROPERTIES and benches, and a large rooftop dog park, and a fitness center for residents. amount of land ready for development. WinnCompanies is progressing rapidly with its Planned for the new sites: The Strong will $200 million Sibley Square development. The big, expand its museum and will add a hotel, housing, iconic building that was once Sibley’s department and a parking garage. MC Management will build store and its adjacent tower are being transformed market-rate housing on another parcel. Home Leasinto a unique residential, commercial, and tech ing’s Charlotte Square project is adding 10 townhocenter. More than 200,000 square feet of Class A, mes and 49 affordable units. And the city will seek LEED-certified office space have been created in proposals for two additional Inner Loop sites. space that once held clothing, furniture, and kitchenGallina Development, which purchased Chase ware for sale. The popular former Sibley’s tearoom Tower in 2015, is investing $35 million in its redevel- now houses the NextCorps startup incubator. opment, and has rebranded it as The Metropolitan. And in the former Sibley Tower, former offices The building now features apartments, offices (tech are being converted into apartments: both marfirm Datto occupies five of the 26 floors), and a new- ket-rate and, for qualified residents 55 and older, ly opened lobby restaurant, Bar Bantam, and conaffordable units. dominiums are being created on several floors. The The hotly debated Performing Arts Center and building rental units are almost completely filled. Tower proposed for Parcel 5 is still under review by Tower280 at Midtown, the former office tower at city officials, but plans are for a 3,000-seat performance Midtown Plaza redeveloped by Buckingham Propertheater to house touring shows hosted by the Rochesties and Morgan Management, has 14 floors of apartter Broadway Theatre League, possibly an I-Max-type ments and three of commercial space, and it, too, is movie theater, outdoor performance and green space, nearly fully occupied. Tower 280 also includes a firstand, at its rear a 150-unit apartment building. floor, full-service restaurant, Branca at Midtown; a 8 DOWNTOWN ALIVE

A CITY NEWSPAPER / RDDC PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION

In addition, two more major projects are in the pipeline: The ROC the Riverway plan, for which Governor Cuomo recently approved an initial $50 million investment, is to include new and enhanced parks, walkways, and other public amenities along the Genesee River, from High Falls south nearly to the University of Rochester. An early high priority: a major reconstruction of Charles Carroll Park, which stretches from Main Street north to Andrews Street on the west bank of the Genesee River. On Alexander Street, on the border of the Park Avenue neighborhood and downtown, Buckingham Properties is ready to begin a $25 million development it calls Alex Park: a multi-use, 8-building complex on an 8-acre campus at the north end of the former Genesee Hospital site. It will include 300 residential units, office space, retail, and a parking garage. Mindtex Technologies will occupy part of a four-story office-and residential building. And Central Rock Gym will occupy a single-story building on the back side of the property. Downtown is becoming a vertical neighborhood, says Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation. Downtown, with people living and working in high-rise buildings, is designed as a community for everyone –a singular, unique asset to the region. And, Zimmer-Meyer says: “If it is sanitized or homogenized, then the reason for economic rebirth is lost.” Rochester lost more than 35 percent of its population in the 1970’s and 80’s, but the numbers now are steadily climbing. More than 7,000 residents currently rent or own homes downtown, and 48,000 people work at downtown locations. These numbers include a growing millennial population, retirees and other empty nesters, arts and cultural institutions, and the vanguard of tech innovation locally. As Rochester emerges from the shadow of the large corporate businesses it was once known for, downtown has become a high-energy environment – and this is only the beginning, Zimmer-Meyer says. – LEAH STACY

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the main street

PROJECTS

re-envisioning downtown’s central corridor

The city is transforming Main Street, with new sidewalks, parallel parking, trees, and other amenities. RENDERING COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER

Morton’s Steakhouse. Then they crossed the street and bought the former Radisson Hotel – now the Rochester Riverside Hotel – and are investing in significant upgrades. Nearby, DHD Ventures invested $18 million (with more than $3 million in historic tax credits) to turn the former National clothing store into a Hilton Garden Inn. (The project went so well that the Hilton brand uses it as an example of successful building reuse for other potential hotel partners.) In addition, Morgan Management and DHD are currently converting its neighbor, the 89-yearold Alliance Building, into 130 apartments plus an additional new event space for the nearby Hilton Garden Inn. On the north side of Main Street between St. Paul and Clinton, CGI Communications is hoping to invest $50 million in a major project that it

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calls “a state-of-the-art mixed use urban campus” encompassing three buildings in this key block on Main Street. CGI hopes to convert the historic Granite Building at the corner of Main and St. Paul, the current home of the company’s world headquarters, into a mix of apartments, condominiums, retail and office space. The adjacent Atrium and Gateway Buildings would house CGI’s headquarters, indoor parking, employee and tenant amenities such as a fitness center, day care facilities, dog care, retail, and indoor parking. And CGI’s CEO, Bob Bartosiewicz, has already opened the Rochester Auto Museum on the first floor of the Gateway Building. CGI’s three buildings are part of the block once planned for development as the big, multiuse project known as Renaissance Square. Since that plan was abandoned, buildings on the eastern edge of the block have continued to deteriorate, becoming a drag on development. Another drag had been the long line of buses on both sides of Main Street. With the opening of the new Transit Center on St. Paul Street, however, the lines of waiting buses have become a thing of the past. And as development throughout the downtown core has continued, developers have begun to see the block’s potential, believing that buildings whose facades were crumbling can be rescued. And when it is completed, the rejuvenation of the street and sidewalks will serve as a well-designed enhancement to the center city and as an attractive, multi-use corridor that meets the needs of a 21st century downtown Rochester. – LEAH STACY

N OW O P E N !

TAVE

The area surrounding Rochester’s Main Street has experienced a surge in new development, creating life and movement, but Main Street itself has been like the hole in a doughnut. The last redesign of the street took place in the 1980’s, when wider sidewalks, bus lanes, and bus shelters were added. Now city officials have embarked on a $4.3 million upgrade of the street itself, re-envisioning it as a place with a stronger “aesthetic presence,” a main corridor whose appearance and vitality lives up to and enhances the development taking place downtown. During the next year, Phase 1 of the Main Street project will result in new sidewalks and 53 additional parking spots – along with plenty of room to parallel park. The city hopes this revamp will, in turn, generate street level enterprise and activity. The overall Main Street project will include public art and “urban play” installations, bike racks and other amenities to encourage different forms of transportation, and signage to direct pedestrians to downtown attractions. The goal, as the City of Rochester’s website puts it, is to “compliment the surge of public and private development taking place in the Center City and to provide the physical infrastructure, amenities and aesthetic presence reflective of the region’s cultural and economic heart.” The public and private development has indeed become a surge – including on Main Street itself. MC Management, a partnership of longtime Rochester developers Robert Morgan and Dave Christa, bought the Hyatt Regency Rochester in 2016, invested $18.5 million in renovations to the 25-floor building, and brought in a Starbucks and a

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Floor to Ceiling Operable Windows Washer/Dryer In Unit LED Lighting Hardwood Flooring Automatic Window Treatments Granite Countertops Undermount Sinks Tile Backsplash Walk-In Closets Available Open Floor Plans Contemporary Cabinetry and Fixtures

1 Bedroom 1 Bedroom with Den 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom

775 to 1245 sq. ft. 1205 to 1208 sq. ft. 1234 to 1677 sq. ft.

$1400 to $2000 $2100 to $2200 $1800 to $3300

CALL TODAY FOR INFORMATION | 585.454.5440 LEASING@88ONELM.COM | WWW.88ONELM.COM FOLLOW US AT FACEBOOK.COM/88ONELM OR ON INSTAGRAM @88_ON_ELM

COMMUNITY

Newly renovated, The Terminal Building is the newest addition to Rochester’s growing Four Corners Neighborhood. It’s just a short distance away from the Blue Cross Arena, St. Paul Quarter, High Falls District, Corn Hill and many of Rochester’s Theatres, Restaurants, Museums and Galleries. This Brand New Community will feature both one and two bedroom homes with amenities that will include a roof top deck, gym, resident lounge with coffee bar and dog wash area. WHY TERMINAL?

APARTMENT AMENITIES

ENTERTAINMENT

Life Just Got Better! The Terminal Building is just seconds away from all that downtown has to offer as well as 490. Enjoy a summer evening on the rooftop deck or meet your neighbors over a game of pool in the resident lounge.

Individual Climate Control Controlled Access Window Treatments Stainless Steel Appliances Modern Cabinetry and Flooring Views

Blue Cross Arena Frontier Field Eastman Theatre Geva Theatre Center Rochester Riverside Convention Center Festivals and more!

65 WEST BROAD STREET, ROCHESTER NY 14614 | THETERMINALBUILDINGROCHESTER.COM 585.417.6250 | INFO@THETERMINALBUILDINGROCHESTER.COM

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