Meet me in St Louis

My time in Rochester has come to an end. Sadly I have to leave our fair city to finish college. I will still use this blog to comment on development issues in Rochester, but it will be from a distant perspective. For those of you who have enjoyed my work here I am starting a new blog Quaint Louis to talk about development in the Arch City. I'll be sure to bring a little Roc to the Lou:

The next High Falls/Corn Hill/Southwedge etc.

The new urbanization trend is alive and well in Rochester. Downtown has a residential vacancy rate below 4%; there simply is not enough housing downtown to meet demand. As up and coming neighborhoods like the Southwedge mature, urban pioneers will be looking for the next edgy neighborhood to inhabit. Here are two areas bordering downtown that have the gritty urban feel and majestic warehouses that invite the new class of urban dwellers. All they need is a little love and a lot of investment and they could become the next trendy neighborhoods. 

THE CANAL DISTRICT

Situated between the Cascade District of downtown and the historic Susan B. Anthony neighborhood, the Canal District was once an industrial area. Today its warehouses appear abandoned but some operations like Volunteers of America and Neal Barret Woodworking have moved in. Converting these warehouses into lofts, new construction to fill vacant lots, and new streets could really transform this sleeping giant next to downtown:

Canal District Today

Future Canal District. Light blue areas are for new construction, dark blue are existing buildings.

THE BOTTLE DISTRICT

This area sandwiched between the Genesee Brewery and the Coca-Cola bottling plant is a much less stable part of town than the Canal District, but its marketing potential is far more interesting. There are many great warehouses along St. Paul St that are begging for residential conversion. The proximity to the falls is a significant asset for the area. The brewery has tours but I dont think the Coke plant does; if it did that would make two big draws to the area. Add some microbreweries, pubs, and an olde tyme soda parlor and you've turned the neighborhood into a real destination. 

Bottle District Today

Future Bottle District. Light blue areas are for new construction, dark blue are existing buildings.

Hot development sites for post-recession Rochester

Despite the recession, downtown is experiencing a development renaissance. Over $700 million are invested in projects downtown. This number would be much higher if the recession did not take several projects out of the development pipeline. As the economy recovers it will become easier for developers to access credit to finance these projects. Rochester made national headlines as one of the few cities that endured the recession relatively unscathed. This reputation should attract capital from large banks looking for a secure market to invest in. When credit markets do open up, here are the hot development sites that will likely see the first dollars:

BLOCK F
Probably the hottest development site in the city outside of Midtown. This site has had many proposals but has faced opposition from Grove Place neighbors who want the development to blend with the neighborhood. Its location in the heart of the Eastman School campus makes the land very valuable.

 FRONT ST
This brownfield site is all that remains of Rochester's famed Front St. Despite clean-up costs its prime location on the river and in between popular St Paul and High Falls neighborhoods make it very valuable.

EXCHANGE & COURT

Another riverfront property, this parking lot currently hosts the city's concert series 'Party in the Park'. This site is next to Blue Cross Arena and Corn Hill Landing.

67 CHESTNUT

This ugly white building drastically increased in value ever since the redevelopment of Midtown was announced. Behind its sterile facade the building may have good bones. 

D&C unveils three potential sites for MCC Damon campus

In last Friday's edition of the Democrat and Chronicle three potential sites for MCC's new downtown campus were unveiled. The article predates an official announcement from MCC. Here are the sites listed in the D&C:

1. Kodak's 7+ acre parking lot in high falls
2. Three Parcels on the Midtown site
3. St. Joseph's Park

I find it hard to believe that MCC was giving any serious consideration to the Kodak site because there hasn't been any dialog between the company and the college. MCC wants their downtown campus to be in the middle of downtown, and high falls is a little to far from the center for the Kodak site to be in the top of MCC's list.

Midtown would be a great place for MCC to go if the were aiming for the RBTL theater site. The other parcels listed in the D&C don't fit as well--parcels A and C flank either side of Midtown tower where high end apartments and condos will be. Parcel B is in the butt of the Cadillac hotel. That whole side of the midtown site seems better suited for office or hotel space than a community college.

The St. Joseph's Park site seems like the best of the three sites. It's a little farther off the beaten path than the midtown site, but its between the St Paul Quarter, East End/Eastman, and Main St. It will also be close to the new transit center at Mortimer St. The St. Joseph neighborhood is a blank slate because it lacks a concrete identity beyond the relic of an old church facade. MCC could redefine the neighborhood as an urban college town and spur new development around it. I see a bright future for MCC at this site: