Imagine you are the new owner of a giant, underutilized parking lot*. What would you do with it? Would you leave it as is? Tear out the pavement and start a community garden? What if there was an apartment building next to it. Would you tear it down and build a skyscraper? These are all excellent ideas. We here at filling in solicited input from a variety of fellow RochesterSubway.com contributors, and it’s clear that we all have different ideas about what to do…
*Disclaimer – I am a new part owner of a giant, underutilized parking lot. This one, in fact.
Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you with the alarming headline, but the traffic-calming project that was proposed for Lake Avenue (at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery) is dead. I received word yesterday from a friend in Charlotte that Mayor Lovely Warren has ordered City engineers to kill the planned lane reduction. Warren caved in to pressure from Charlotte residents & merchants who feared the lane reduction would cause traffic jams and hurt businesses in Charlotte.
In addition to reconstructing the 1 mile section of Lake Avenue, the plan would have reduced the lanes from four to three – with one lane in each direction plus a center turn lane. Why would the City take away traffic lanes?! Relax, you don’t have to worry about it anymore…
Drivers who like to speed their cars down Lake Avenue between Charlotte and the city have found a new enemy in the Lake Avenue Improvement Project . The plan aims to reduce automobile speeds to better match the posted speed limit of 35 mph by reducing the number lanes. It would also add safety features for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. But some drivers in the Charlotte neighborhood say the plan will only serve to cause traffic jams and they’ve called on Senator Joe Robach to block it.
If you are a pedestrian… a cyclist… someone who’s ever walked to a bus stop… or a driver who likes the idea of making our streets safer for everyone, you might want to sign this petition in support of the project. And please go ahead and share the link with a few friends.
Welcome back, readers. It’s been a while. Today I’d like to look at a project that we could bring into the pipeline almost immediately. I say could, because there are almost assuredly zoning issues with what I’m proposing. That said, we could still get rolling on it immediately, because the site happens to already be on the market for $10,000! Let’s see what we’re getting for our money, what we’re building, and some numbers on the whole thing…
This final part serves to tie up some loose ends, and to showcase additional trail options and connections in the region. Here, we will go on an alternative route North to the lake, this time on the east side of the river gorge, and check out the parkway and Route 390 trails, which provide us with additional connections. [View this route in Google Earth using this .KMZ file]
If you’ve ever driven down the eastern end of Lyell Ave., or been to a soccer game at Sahlen’s Stadium, you’ve probably seen an enormous old shell of a building looming in the distance. Many times I had seen it’s old edifice sitting silent and, as I usually do, I wondered what the walls contained, what stories it could tell, and what it once was. That’s why one cool September morning I went to meet with the building and see what it could tell me…
In what’s being called one of Rochester’s biggest election upsets, City Council President Lovely Warren handed Mayor Tom Richards his hat in this week’s Democratic primary for mayor.
In another, unrelated election race, Rochesterians are now asking if RochesterSubway.com has any shot of upsetting CITY Newspaper for Best Local Website of 2013 in CITY Newspaper’s own “Best Of” contest (on line #74).
Spoiler alert: The answer is NO! — N… O.
I mean, come on! It’s CITY’s own contest. This ain’t no mayoral race.
For the past few weeks workers have been attacking a 100 ton hunk of slag that was discovered at the Port of Rochester last spring. Yesterday I noticed the giant plume of smoke from the O’rorke Bridge and made my way down to the scene of this epic battle. When the dust settles, who will remain standing? Man? Or The Slag?
Reconnect Rochester has alerted us to an important informational meeting tonight about the Inner Loop’s future (or lack thereof). As we wait to find out whether or not this project will be a recipient of a USDOT TIGER grant, the City is moving forward with plans to scale down a large portion the underutilized 12-lane highway. Ultimately that will mean greater connectivity between downtown and the neighborhoods to the east, and lower road maintenance costs in the long run. If there was ever a big road project to support, this is it.
One of the sites that the city has, let’s say aspirationally, earmarked for development is the site of the former Sherwood Shoe Company. The shoe company itself was incorporated in 1905 by Frederick A. Sherwood, and the factory for it was built on this site at roughly the same time. I’m less sure when it was torn down, but it is on the 1935 plat maps, so it was certainly there through the depression. (UPDATE: the photo above is from 1956)
As for what to do here, I think there are a million great ideas, and I am hoping that we are able to get a good conversation of the various uses: lofts where the factory used to be? More houses? All of these things and more? All great ideas, and I’m not one to come to the table empty handed, so let’s take a look at what I think should go here.
A couple of weeks ago photographer Clarke Conde shared some dirty photos of Rochester’s riverfront on Facebook. Those photos made me sad. Dead trees, algae and trash had been collecting in this section of the river for over well over year. Smelly algae and logs are one thing. But add piles of plastic bottles, clothing, styrofoam, truck tires, other undesirables, and let stew for a year or more? To me, that’s more than a cosmetic problem. If I’m from out of town, I’d probably think Rochesterians just don’t give a hoot.
Thankfully, we all know that isn’t true. We pulled together. And we made a difference…
The City of Rochester recently put the finishing touches on some beautiful hardscaping and pathways connecting Mount Hope Avenue to the Genesee River Trail. Doesn’t a stroll along the river on a warm summer evening sound divine?
Umm, nah… I’ll take a rain check maybe. Have you seen our river lately?! LOOK at this…
Welcome back dear readers. Today we’re going to try something a little different at Filling In. Let’s actually walk through a lightweight proposal in response to the city’s RFP for 19 and 21-23 Berlin St (due by 4pm this Friday, 7/19). Just as a disclaimer; I do not intend to submit this proposal. Additionally, you are welcome to take it and submit it, but I am not to be held liable for any damages should you do so.
David DiPonzio, a firefighter with the Lake Shore Fire District in Greece, sent me these photos (taken by friend Fred Amato) of a strange-looking crater in the middle of the parking lot at Ontario Beach Park. An asteroid? Uh, not quite. This may be the most interesting archeological find since RGRTA dug up the RKO Palace. That big rock you see in the center of the crater is actually a giant hunk of slag – left over from the iron or steel mill that once operated here…
I haven’t been able to find anyone who knows exactly when this mural was painted, but it’s been a fixture in Manhattan Square Park for at least 30 years, says Charles Moreland, Executive Director of Rochester Parkour . The outdoor venue has been mostly abandoned for the past 10 years, but its concrete walls and irregular geometry make it ideal for practicing the fine art of Parkour. Charles’ group can often be found moving throughout the park. Yesterday Charles noticed the mural had been covered with a fresh coat of gray paint…
Mary Smith has lived at 53 Cutler Street on the city’s north side for 30 years. After her husband died, and some serious health problems (spinal surgeries and years of therapy) Mary says she fell behind on her taxes – by about $30,000. The City of Rochester and Monroe County then sold her tax debt to a Florida company called American Tax Funding . Mary says she now has the ability to pay her debt, but American Tax Funding will not negotiate. On Tuesday, they may throw her out of her house and auction off the property. Volunteers with a group called Take Back the Land is helping Mary with a petition to ask CEO, Matthew A. Marini, to cancel the foreclosure auction and negotiate a settlement…
Scientists have known of the existence of DNA for over fifty years. But until recently , no one had ever seen a photograph of that tricky little double-helix. For the preservation community in Rochester, the image above could be just as big of a breakthrough as photographing DNA for the first time. We had a fuzzy idea of their existence, but until today no one had ever seen a map of the city’s Designated Buildings of Historic Value (DBHV). And I mean NO ONE. Not even the people who put the list together…
About a month ago, someone set up a petition in opposition to a plan to demolish 660 West Main Street (formerly Westminster Presbyterian Church) and to prevent the building of a Dollar General in its place. The owner of the petition is using “Susan B. Anthony” as an alias. And this week “Susan B. Anthony” sent me a plea for help via email…
RochesterSubway.com has learned that Marvin Maye, owner of 660 W. Main Street, is making a renewed push to demolish the historic church. And one local theatre group has expressed interest in saving the building…
Dawn Noto, President of the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association says this section of the city is in the early stages of a renaissance. But the turn around of West Main and the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood isn’t happening by accident. Years of planning, community involvement, public and private investment, and careful preservation of valuable historic assets have been key factors. Noto knows this progress is fragile. That with one short sighted development decision, years of work could begin to unravel.
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![Matthew Denker ponders the possibilities at his new property at 93 Marsh Street. [IMAGE: Google Streetview]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/filling-in-marsh-street-01.jpg)
![Matthew Denker looks at the feasibility of filling in this empty lot on Genesee Street. [IMAGE: Google Maps]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/filling-in-446-genesee-street-01.jpg)
![The fifth and final part of Ryan Green's Bike Rochester Series... the El Camino and Route 390 Trails! [PHOTO: Ryan Green]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rg-bike-rochester-el-camino-and-route-390-trails-014.jpg)
![The Port of Rochester shrouded in a thick orange haze. Smoke from an epic battle going on right now. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/slag-button-charlotte-beach-rochester-07.jpg)
![A view of the Rochester Subway looking east from the Meigs Street bridge. A westbound car is shown approaching the Goodman-Meigs station. The Sherwood Shoe Company building on Goodman Street and Uhlen Place is seen in the right background. [PHOTO: Rochester Municipal Archives]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-subway-and-sherwood-shoe-company-1956.jpg)
![Local photographer Clarke Conde has been snapping photos of the Genesee River all year. This patch of trash had been growing slowly like a giant, smelly tumor. [PHOTO: Clarke Conde]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/genesee-river-garbage-clarke-conde-01.jpg)
![19-23 Berlin Street [IMAGE: Google Maps]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/19-23-berlin-street-rochester.jpg)
![Did an asteroid land in the parking lot at Ontario Beach? Not quite. This 100 ton hunk of slag is a remnant from an old steel mill. [PHOTO: Fred Amato]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/slag-button-charlotte-beach-rochester-01.jpg)
![The City recently painted over this mural, a fixture in Manhattan Square Park for probably 30 years. [PHOTO: Kristen Cavanaugh]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/manhattan-square-park-mural.jpg)
![Mary Smith is fighting to keep her home of 30 years. [PHOTO: Julie Gelfand]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/mary-smith-take-back-the-land-rochester-01.jpg)
![A map of Rochester's Buildings of Historic Value [Thanks to: Jim Fraser and Joseph Becker]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-designated-buildings-of-historic-value-map-01.jpg)
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