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:

Inner Loop reconstruction

The days of the Inner Loop may be numbered. In a few years the bridges over the loop need to be replaced, and the city plans on telling the state to use the money for bridge repair to fill in the eastern portion of the loop instead. This portion from Main St. to I-490 is the least traveled. The state, which is responsible for maintaining the road, will actually save money in the long run through lower maintenance costs.

There is one thing about the Inner Loop that I think needs to be preserved. When I was just getting acquainted with downtown the street system was very confusing to me. Despite this I was confident driving around downtown—I knew how matter how lost I got all I had to do was keep going straight and I would hit the Inner Loop. If the Inner Loop truly disappears, so does its ability to orient drivers and pedestrians. I suggest it still be signed ‘Inner Loop’ to keep its identity as loop around town, but add ‘Boulevard’ to instill its new identity as a pedestrian friendly street. If the street retains its route 940T (Inner Loop) designation it will continue to be maintained by NYDOT funds instead of local taxes.

I have seen some of the plans for the new street grid and I wasn’t satisfied. They featured round-abouts that can be confusing for drivers and therefore dangerous for pedestrians. The ideal redesign for the loop would have the following features:

-One way streets eliminated

-Restored alignment of University Ave and neighborhood streets

-Park Ave connected to Manhattan Sq Park pedestrian mall

Here is what the eastern portion of the Inner Loop looks like today along side my redesign of the Loop. The green spaces are parcels of land freed up by the removal of the expressway or other street alterations.

Proposed skate park for downtown

A few weeks ago I noticed metal brackets appear around the building I work to keep skateboarders off. It got me wondering if there was a place for skateboarding in Rochester. Today I found out about Roc City Park, a proposed skate park off South Ave under the Freddie Sue aka Fredrick Douglas Susan B Anthony Memorial Bridge. I was surprised to find the proposal has approval from the city and is in the process of raising $500,000 to begin construction. Here is a rendering of the park I found on its website roccitypark.com:

I am very excited to know that the city is behind incorporating the skating community into downtown. The park will do a good job bridging the gap between downtown and the popular Southwedge neighborhood.

Demolition/Construction schedule for Midtown

Yesterday city hall announced the demolition and construction schedule for the midtown site:

We will begin to see street and sidewalk closings and the arrival of construction vehicles on August 1st. By mid August they will have removed a significant chunk of the B. Forman building.

Midtown Phases

The city has an important decision to make by September 1st--whether or not to keep the skeletons of two alternate structures. The only two structures that are guaranteed to be recycled are the Midtown tower which will be converted into condos and apartments, and the Seneca building which will make up the bulk of PAETEC's new headquarters. The alternates are buildings which have the potential to be recycled as well, but lack commitments from private sector companies for reuse. The steel superstructures are valuable due to the rising price of steel and would save potential redevelopers time and money. If the city delays the decision on these structures beyond August 1st they will be charged a fee from their contractors.

Buildings that will remain after the demolition

Two projects downtown move forward

Today at noon the Rochester Broadway Theater League made their announcement to move forward with plans for a new theater downtown. The theater will occupy a parcel of the midtown development block that once was home to McCurdy's department store. The project is expected to cost $70 million.

At this evening's city council meeting, city council approved the proposal to abandon Mortimer St. to make way for a new transit center. The new center will replace the open air bus terminal that stretches along Main St. from the Liberty Pole to St. Paul. The center will capitalize on $52 million in state and federal transportation funds slated for the defunct  Renaissance Square project.

Although both projects are not without drawbacks, I believe they will help spur further development along Main St. and will have significant effects on the Sibley building and the Midtown development block. The presence of cranes downtown will energize this city and demonstrate that we are moving forward.