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Something I've wondered about for a while. 250 is a busy and vital road on Rochester's east side. There is still some vacant land between Penfield and Webster, but I predict that will get gobbled up soon after the new YMCA and this latest proposal.
The real "problem" that I tend to see, with this alleged "development" of the property along Route 250, is that you have two towns that have their business districts along the roadway. This creates a "funnel effect", as in some places, the speed limit is 55, which is fine, as most of the road could be considered a rural road, at least the middle portion of it.
And as mentioned in the linked article, 250 could easily be widened, and the real estate more or less exists, that would allow it to be accomplished. But then the road hits the long standing villages of Fairport and Webster, where it's a narrow, 2 lane street through those town's business district, which will never change.
Creating more traffic, by building new residences, and widening the road, for 2-3 miles, seems to be a somewhat serious problem in the making. Secondly, whenever I read about "population issues", either in newspapers of news magazines, it seems the focus of the articles is how the population is declining, and/or aging. Therefore, why are we continuing to bulldoze more and more of the rural areas?
Yes, I'm a "baby boomer", and yes, I somewhat helped this phenomenon occur. However, I look at my personal living situation, as well as many of my like-aged friends, and I easily conclude that we, as a generation, didn't have as many children as our parents did, So why the need for more and more housing? I look at all the residences being built for "aging seniors", and while they're nice, I can't help but think who will be living in them, and filling them to 100% occupancy, 10-15 years from now....
The real "problem" that I tend to see, with this alleged "development" of the property along Route 250, is that you have two towns that have their business districts along the roadway. This creates a "funnel effect", as in some places, the speed limit is 55, which is fine, as most of the road could be considered a rural road, at least the middle portion of it.
And as mentioned in the linked article, 250 could easily be widened, and the real estate more or less exists, that would allow it to be accomplished. But then the road hits the long standing villages of Fairport and Webster, where it's a narrow, 2 lane street through those town's business district, which will never change.
Creating more traffic, by building new residences, and widening the road, for 2-3 miles, seems to be a somewhat serious problem in the making. Secondly, whenever I read about "population issues", either in newspapers of news magazines, it seems the focus of the articles is how the population is declining, and/or aging. Therefore, why are we continuing to bulldoze more and more of the rural areas?
Yes, I'm a "baby boomer", and yes, I somewhat helped this phenomenon occur. However, I look at my personal living situation, as well as many of my like-aged friends, and I easily conclude that we, as a generation, didn't have as many children as our parents did, So why the need for more and more housing? I look at all the residences being built for "aging seniors", and while they're nice, I can't help but think who will be living in them, and filling them to 100% occupancy, 10-15 years from now....
The same thing is happening at the Pittsford and Victor villages. That Is why I posted this, as there doesn't seem to be any planning for future growth. RT 250, running from Lake Ontario, to Eastview Mall will continue to grow.
I believe we added about 10-12,000 in the last census, so about 1,000 new residents a year. it could be more than that now, as the home sales are still high.
If they build the Micron plant in Syracuse, Rochester will surely get some spin off development, so we should be planning for more growth.
The same thing is happening at the Pittsford and Victor villages. That Is why I posted this, as there doesn't seem to be any planning for future growth. RT 250, running from Lake Ontario, to Eastview Mall will continue to grow.
I believe we added about 10-12,000 in the last census, so about 1,000 new residents a year. it could be more than that now, as the home sales are still high.
If they build the Micron plant in Syracuse, Rochester will surely get some spin off development, so we should be planning for more growth.
I understand your point, but you have to consider that some of the villages that surround Rochester were founded before cars were even invented, consequently the traffic needs couldn't have been adequately anticipated, therefore planned for......
It's kind of like US Route 15, one of the major north/south routes along the eastern portion of the United States, that originates in Rochester and ends in the state of Virginia. My experience with this road goes WAY back to my childhood, after my family moved to the Rochester area. My father was born in Wilkes Barre, PA, and for various family functions, we travelled back to Wilkes Barre, several times, as far back as 1958.
At that time, Route 15 was a narrow, twisty, curvy, and scary road that was carved out of the side of the Apalachin Mountains. Over time, it became a major highway through Pennsylvania, one that I highly doubt the original constructors ever planned for. The road connected a number of small towns that sprung up along it's path. And while the speed limit on the "open" sections may have been 50MPH, it naturally dropped to 30MPH, possibly less, as you passed through the towns. Therefore you also had the opportunity to experience the "accordion effect".
Eventually, the road became a 4 lane highway, through necessity, but the only way it was possible, was the road took an "alternate path", which bypassed many of the towns, which also involved a MASSIVE amount of earth moving, as well as a "mountain of money". While the congestion around Rochester isn't constrained by geography, like Route 15 was, it's constrained by existing structures, and the life attached to them.
I understand your point, but you have to consider that some of the villages that surround Rochester were founded before cars were even invented, consequently the traffic needs couldn't have been adequately anticipated, therefore planned for......
It's kind of like US Route 15, one of the major north/south routes along the eastern portion of the United States, that originates in Rochester and ends in the state of Virginia. My experience with this road goes WAY back to my childhood, after my family moved to the Rochester area. My father was born in Wilkes Barre, PA, and for various family functions, we travelled back to Wilkes Barre, several times, as far back as 1958.
At that time, Route 15 was a narrow, twisty, curvy, and scary road that was carved out of the side of the Apalachin Mountains. Over time, it became a major highway through Pennsylvania, one that I highly doubt the original constructors ever planned for. The road connected a number of small towns that sprung up along it's path. And while the speed limit on the "open" sections may have been 50MPH, it naturally dropped to 30MPH, possibly less, as you passed through the towns. Therefore you also had the opportunity to experience the "accordion effect".
Eventually, the road became a 4 lane highway, through necessity, but the only way it was possible, was the road took an "alternate path", which bypassed many of the towns, which also involved a MASSIVE amount of earth moving, as well as a "mountain of money". While the congestion around Rochester isn't constrained by geography, like Route 15 was, it's constrained by existing structures, and the life attached to them.
I remember as a kid, going to Florida and taking rt 15. There was a little town along the way called Intercourse PA.
As far a locally, for the older villages, some of the big growth spirts and suburban building happened in the 60's. That was 40 years since the car became mainstream. A little planning, and just reserving the space would have been a lot easier back then. But how do they manage, in places like Austin? I'm sure there is a lot of eminent domain taking place there. I bet there will be lots of houses or front lawns lost in Syracuse if the Micron project happens.
I 390 is a good example of visionary planning. They DID reserve the space and many were quite shocked, I remember, when they started to build the portion in Greece. That is now a very busy highway.
^ Another thing, the villages like the traffic because it brings customers, but too much traffic complicates making a quick stop at your favorite store
I remember as a kid, going to Florida and taking rt 15. There was a little town along the way called Intercourse PA.
Coincidentally, I lived several miles from there, in New Holland, when I was pretty young. My father's first job transfer took us from central NJ to there, for not quite 3 years, before we continued on to Rochester.
The Amish, which have a large presence in PA, certainly had some interesting names for their towns......
I understand your point, but you have to consider that some of the villages that surround Rochester were founded before cars were even invented, consequently the traffic needs couldn't have been adequately anticipated, therefore planned for......
It's kind of like US Route 15, one of the major north/south routes along the eastern portion of the United States, that originates in Rochester and ends in the state of Virginia. My experience with this road goes WAY back to my childhood, after my family moved to the Rochester area. My father was born in Wilkes Barre, PA, and for various family functions, we travelled back to Wilkes Barre, several times, as far back as 1958.
At that time, Route 15 was a narrow, twisty, curvy, and scary road that was carved out of the side of the Apalachin Mountains. Over time, it became a major highway through Pennsylvania, one that I highly doubt the original constructors ever planned for. The road connected a number of small towns that sprung up along it's path. And while the speed limit on the "open" sections may have been 50MPH, it naturally dropped to 30MPH, possibly less, as you passed through the towns. Therefore you also had the opportunity to experience the "accordion effect".
Eventually, the road became a 4 lane highway, through necessity, but the only way it was possible, was the road took an "alternate path", which bypassed many of the towns, which also involved a MASSIVE amount of earth moving, as well as a "mountain of money". While the congestion around Rochester isn't constrained by geography, like Route 15 was, it's constrained by existing structures, and the life attached to them.
I'm too young to have known U.S. Route 15. I know 15A in Monroe and Livingston Counties and there's 415 in Steuben County. When 15 was being built to be expressway. Now there's I-99 in Steuben County (which becomes U.S. 15 from Williamsport, PA) and of course there's the current NY 15 and I-390 in Steuben, Livingston and Monroe Counties. Not once does the current U.S. 15 in PA go near Wilkes-Barre. But U.S. 11 does and goes near Fort Drum, pretty sure you're confusing the two. That being said, 15 or any replacement roads that PennDot and NYSDot create have catered to the growing populations of communities along the corridor from Williamsport to Rochester.
........ Not once does the current U.S. 15 in PA go near Wilkes-Barre. But U.S. 11 does and goes near Fort Drum, pretty sure you're confusing the two. That being said, 15 or any replacement roads that PennDot and NYSDot create have catered to the growing populations of communities along the corridor from Williamsport to Rochester.
I'm certainly not going to argue the geography, as maps certainly do affirm that Route 15 doesn't go near Wilkes Barre. Since I was only somewhere between the ages of 7 and 10, and not yet of driving age, I didn't pay as close attention to the route that my father chose, to get from Rochester to Wilkes Barre.
However, I do remember the different towns that we passed through, the 3-4 times we made the trip, and it seems to me that he tried a couple of different routes, looking for the shortest and most efficient way to get to W-B. Again, I'm talking about making this trip approximately 60-62 years ago, and things were a lot different. For instance, I remember that at one time we were on what is now Route 17, near Elmira (or is that now part of the I99 corridor?), and it was in it's early stages of becoming a 4 lane expressway, and the most direct route, I81, was still on the drawing board. That left Route 15 as the primary means to head south/southeast out of Rochester.
I went down Route 250 yesterday, and the area just north of Atlantic Avenue, on the west side of the road, has been massively "deforested"...I don't know what the plan is, but whatever it might be, it appears to be taking up a lot of land.
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