By Mike Governale
Story updated October 12, 2015.
Next spring construction will begin on Rochester’s first parklet—a mini public space—in front of Joe Bean Coffee Roasters . Parklets are a relatively new urban feature you may have seen popping up in metros across the country. These makeshift public spaces typically extend out from the sidewalk into adjacent parking spaces offering people a place to stop, to sit, and to rest while taking in the activities of the street…
[UPDATE: Help fund this project on Kickstarter ]
This particular parklet—designed by the brilliant team at Staach—will make use of a former fire lane . Staach
is a local company that designs and crafts sustainable, affordable, and beautiful home & commercial furnishings. But they don’t just make furniture. They take spaces, and they transform them into enjoyable and inspiring environments; as evidenced here.
Seth Eshelman, principal designer & founder at Staach, hopes this first parklet will serve as a model for similar projects across town in the near future. His team is actively engaged with City officials and working to encourage other property owners and residents to roll out more parklets in areas that have the space and could benefit from the increased pedestrian activity.
In other cities, parklets have come in many different forms. They sometimes provide seating, bicycle parking, greenery, art, or other visual elements. Though they look like permanent structures, parklets must be designed for quick and easy removal for emergencies or other reasons such as snow removal.
I personally cannot wait to climb up inside this thing with my Mochi-atta-latte-chino and people-watch all day. – Ok, I don’t drink coffee – I’ll just take a warm chocolate milk, please.
Credit to the team that worked on this…
Kathy Turiano
Joe Bean, Owner (Project Advocate)
Seth Eshelman
Staach, Principal Designer & Founder (Design, Graphics)
Brandon Colaprete, Assoc. AIA
Staach, Architectural Designer (Design, 3D Modeling, Rendering)
Anton Siekmann
Staach, Junior Designer (Design, 3D Modeling)
Nancy Johns-Price
City of Rochester, Southeast Quadrant Administrator (Community Engagement)
Erik Frisch
City of Rochester, DES (Transportation)
Madelaine Britt
City of Rochester, Intern (Research)
Mary Turner
City of Rochester, Intern (Research)
Nicole Howley
City of Rochester, Intern (Research)
You Can Help…
A Kickstarter campaign has just launched to help fund the construction of this parklet. Give what you can by November 11, and let’s get Rochester’s first parklet up off the drawing board!
Tags: Anton Siekmann, Brandon Colaprete, City of Rochester, Erik Frisch, Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Kathy Turiano, Madelaine Britt, Mary Turner, Nancy Johns-Price, Nicole Howley, parking, parklet, Rochester, Rochester NY, Seth Eshelman, Staach, tactical urbanism, University Avenue, urban planning
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on Monday, November 3rd, 2014 at 11:10 pm and is filed under Rochester Destinations, Rochester News, Urban Development.
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Ok, but there’s very little foot traffic here. Something in the space next to 585 Monroe ave would make more sense.