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While reading this article, I noticed this little obscure tidbit by Joel Seligman.
Quote:
UR is anticipating that it will seek requests for proposals for a project similar to College Town near Eastman School of Music on a 1.6-acre parking lot at Main and Gibbs streets, Seligman said.
Very interesting. So the UofR is looking to build another small collegetown for its Eastman Music school? Oh wow. That's a great location to bridge the development from the East End onto Main St. And it would attract even more housing development into downtown. I really hope this comes to a reality.
More of article:
Quote:
ochester is on the cusp of a major transformation, with new housing at the forefront of change, area civic and business leaders say.
At the 2015 Economic Breakfast hosted by area real estate groups downtown Thursday, speakers pointed to projects such as College Town, City Gate and The Reserve as well as the boom in downtown loft building as signs of growth in the region.
"The time is now," said Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise. "This is going to be a really neat time to be a part of this region."
Following national trends, Rochester is experiencing a boom in urban housing development, said Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester Downtown Development Corp. Since 2000, 2,000 residents have moved downtown with 32 buildings remodeled to suit new housing needs, she said. Another 1,800 people are expected to move downtown in the next few years, she added.
"I haven't seen anything like this in 30 years, so fasten your seat belts," Zimmer-Meyer said.
The popularity of downtown living is apparent across the country as people seek walkable neighborhoods to live in, said Danielle Hale, director of housing statistics at National Association of Realtors. Housing trends mimic what's on television, and millennials and Gen Xers who grew up watching Friends or Sex and the City are likely to seek out urban living spaces, she said.
College Town near University of Rochester is another project that is adding to the vibrancy of the community. University of Rochester president Joel Seligman highlighted the mixed-use site at the summit, noting that retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Moe's have already moved in, with more stores such as Constantino's Market on the way.
UR is anticipating that it will seek requests for proposals for a project similar to College Town near Eastman School of Music on a 1.6-acre parking lot at Main and Gibbs streets, Seligman said.
Developer Anthony Costello of Anthony J. Costello & Sons highlighted what he called his canal projects at CityGate in Rochester and The Reserve in Brighton.
Located near UR and University of Rochester Medical Center off Westfall and East Henrietta roads, CityGate is a $177 million mixed-use site along the Brighton-Rochester border, anchored by Costco but also including other retail, offices, a hotel and an apartment complex.
CityGate is near the new College Town and right near the Erie Canal. Two 150-foot docks are being constructed by Costello at CityGate and The Reserve in Brighton for boating and kayaking, he said.
Sales have been brisk at The Reserve in Brighton since it opened last year, Costello said. The Reserve is a residential community of townhouses and single-family homes with prices starting at $295,000. It is resort-style living with a clubhouse near the canal path so people can walk or bike along the canal, Costello said.
Anyone who can recall remembers the old proposed "cultural district" in the vicinity of the Eastman. It took years for the city and county to come to an agreement. They finally built the garage, the YMCA, Eastman dormitories and the building on Gibbs St., but never developed this one particular parcel. Additionally, at the same time, Geva got tired of waiting and moved to their current location which is beautiful. . What a shame though that we could have had at least a small theater district.
Interesting...I wasn't aware of the history of that parcel.
The theater district could still become a reality. I have a feeling the RBTL is going to end up locating at midtown. So maybe Geva and the RBTL could create a nice little theatre district right there on Clinton.
This has been quietly, but openly anticipated for some time now. I for one am very excited for the University of Rochester to develop this parcel of land, which is known as "Block F." It would really help to bridge the gap onto Main Street. So far it does seem that things are falling into place development-wise in the city. Although I do feel that the East End is not living up to its full potential.
Ideally, Alexander to Main Street should be one continuous urban cluster of mixed use. Right now that is interrupted in several spots. The Inner Loop is the biggest issue here, which thankfully is being corrected. However, I wouldn't mind seeing the large parking lot adjacent to it filled in as well. The land between Scio and Matthews is another problem. Flour City Station is a miserable scar on the landscape and the building it is in is such a forgettable, underwhelming piece of downtown and is so insanely out of place with its surroundings that I often forget it exists. That is until I find myself reflecting on how ugly it is after walking by it nearly every day.
The final (and probably most critically important) piece of East Avenue that should be addressed is the dead zone between Chestnut and Main Street. I understand that little can be done due to the current tenants being government/financial offices, but something needs to be changed to draw traffic to that stretch. There are hardly any cars and virtually zero pedestrians on that part of East throughout the day. Maybe the city could build on that parking lot across from the courthouse, or maybe install a parklet that will interact with the street. The food truck rodeo could find a permanent home here, even. All I know is something needs to be done to truly connect the East End with Main Street to spur development.
Once we reach that "sweet spot" with the East End, Main Street will snowball into a real renaissance. As of right now, I feel that even with the University of Rochester's future proposal on Block F, there is too much of a physical and psychological barrier west of Chestnut Street. To the average person that part of downtown is not much more than empty buildings and bus lanes.
Either way the Eastman School of Music's "collegetown" should be a very welcome change to that block. I love what they did on Mt. Hope. I'm crossing my fingers that this one will be even nicer. According to a 2011 agreement, they have until 2016 to begin development so I expect we will find out very soon what the future holds for this part of center city.
While reading this article, I noticed this little obscure tidbit by Joel Seligman.
Very interesting. So the UofR is looking to build another small collegetown for its Eastman Music school? Oh wow. That's a great location to bridge the development from the East End onto Main St. And it would attract even more housing development into downtown. I really hope this comes to a reality.
Great catch, this would be awesome for the area, and is obviously right next to the East End which is reaching critical mass right now. Along with the development planned for Charlotte Street and Midtown finishing opening up in the next year or so, this is a ton of momentum for a relatively small area.
Great catch, this would be awesome for the area, and is obviously right next to the East End which is reaching critical mass right now. Along with the development planned for Charlotte Street and Midtown finishing opening up in the next year or so, this is a ton of momentum for a relatively small area.
Don't forget the acres of developable land when the Inner Loop is filled in. That project has begun, at least the road is closed.
Don't forget the acres of developable land when the Inner Loop is filled in. That project has begun, at least the road is closed.
Yup, didn't include it because its a little further out time wise, but definitely another game changer. They do have crews over there working already, I noticed the guardrails are all gone and there are big mounds of dirt ready to start filling in. I expect the project to be in full swing one winter subsides.
This has been quietly, but openly anticipated for some time now. I for one am very excited for the University of Rochester to develop this parcel of land, which is known as "Block F." It would really help to bridge the gap onto Main Street. So far it does seem that things are falling into place development-wise in the city. Although I do feel that the East End is not living up to its full potential.
Ideally, Alexander to Main Street should be one continuous urban cluster of mixed use. Right now that is interrupted in several spots. The Inner Loop is the biggest issue here, which thankfully is being corrected. However, I wouldn't mind seeing the large parking lot adjacent to it filled in as well. The land between Scio and Matthews is another problem. Flour City Station is a miserable scar on the landscape and the building it is in is such a forgettable, underwhelming piece of downtown and is so insanely out of place with its surroundings that I often forget it exists. That is until I find myself reflecting on how ugly it is after walking by it nearly every day.
The final (and probably most critically important) piece of East Avenue that should be addressed is the dead zone between Chestnut and Main Street. I understand that little can be done due to the current tenants being government/financial offices, but something needs to be changed to draw traffic to that stretch. There are hardly any cars and virtually zero pedestrians on that part of East throughout the day. Maybe the city could build on that parking lot across from the courthouse, or maybe install a parklet that will interact with the street. The food truck rodeo could find a permanent home here, even. All I know is something needs to be done to truly connect the East End with Main Street to spur development.
Once we reach that "sweet spot" with the East End, Main Street will snowball into a real renaissance. As of right now, I feel that even with the University of Rochester's future proposal on Block F, there is too much of a physical and psychological barrier west of Chestnut Street. To the average person that part of downtown is not much more than empty buildings and bus lanes.
Either way the Eastman School of Music's "collegetown" should be a very welcome change to that block. I love what they did on Mt. Hope. I'm crossing my fingers that this one will be even nicer. According to a 2011 agreement, they have until 2016 to begin development so I expect we will find out very soon what the future holds for this part of center city.
Wow...this is fantastic news. Thanks so much for this info. I had no idea that this plan had been in the works for this long.
I completely agree with everything you've written too. I also believe that this project if it comes to fruition will encourage even more people to want to live downtown and especially in the midtown/sibley building area since it's so close to this area. More people living there, means more people to the economy, which feeds into even more development. So this and the inner loop could be the catalyst to do exactly what you suggest to connect Alexander all the way to Main St. I think one of the next keys is to then get the 600,000 tourists coming to the Strong to want to walk around the new Union St/East End...etc. So I think connecting the tourism is a very important step. I'd also like to see one more big tourist draw right there next to the Strong on the filled in inner loop. If another museum or attraction could be created to draw 200,000 people, just imagine what that area could be like. Close to a million people visiting the museums/attractions, a vibrant college environment, close to another thousand people living full-time in the new housing in Sibley/Midtown Tower/Elm St, and having Geva and whatever other development is in midtown. And then finally, get a few big urban retailers who are willing to go into that area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleBenny
Great catch, this would be awesome for the area, and is obviously right next to the East End which is reaching critical mass right now. Along with the development planned for Charlotte Street and Midtown finishing opening up in the next year or so, this is a ton of momentum for a relatively small area.
I 100% agree!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JWRocks
Don't forget the acres of developable land when the Inner Loop is filled in. That project has begun, at least the road is closed.
I can't wait until spring to see this project going full-steam.
Quote:
Originally Posted by colton821
Great news and would certainly be a very welcome sign for that area. It's not a terrible area, but something like this could make it very nice.
I agree...and I actually think it could connect very well with East Main as it goes further East with many ethnic businesses, which again, isn't really all that bad of an area as you say. It could be a boom to those businesses and give those business owners an opportunity to grow and create a lot of diversity that merges together nicely.
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