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.
Roc City Skatepark, originally planned to be built under the interstate 490 Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge, now has a new location… maybe even several new locationS…
RocSubway was informed over the weekend by two separate and anonymous sources that a new independent grocer may be coming to downtown Rochester in 2014. Admittedly, this may be unsubstantiated and premature. But these sources have been very reliable in the past. And if true, this would be wildly good news for downtown.
And what the hell, this is a blog, not the Associate Press. I think I have the right to circulate some juicy gossip once in a while…
The City of Rochester Bureau of Planning and Zoning is in the process of updating Center City Master Plan. From the City’s website, “The intent is for this document to be a strategic plan [to] help the city measure and celebrate downtown progress, prioritize further research and analysis, prioritize projects, and help secure funding.”
A draft plan can be viewed online , and in a series of open houses the City is now gathering public input on that draft. The last open house is this Wednesday evening (details at the end of this story).
I had a chance to catch up with Jason Haremza, senior planner with the City of Rochester, to ask a few questions about the update…
Are you sick of the crass commercialism of Christmas? Looking to add a little edge to your holiday festivities? Here’s a free event you won’t want to miss. On Saturday, December 7, at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.) snag breakfast with everyone’s favorite holiday demon, Krampus, and help some needy kids at the same time.
Earlier this year we took a look at some amazing photos of this abandoned swimming pool on the University of Rochester campus. Within days of those photos being posted here, the university had cleaned up the scene. These new photos got lost in my computer which is why you’re just seeing them now. But I thought it was worth revisiting…
I was thinking about our collective reactions to the proposed D&C building, and the completed Windstream building. Clearly both buildings are more modest than what many of us hoped to see in this key downtown site (and what the zoning code spells out for downtown). It’s an issue that I think applies to all infill development downtown, and the ideas behind Incremental Urbanism shed some interesting light on it.
Recently, RochesterSubway.com asked Facebook fans who they were voting for in the upcoming race for Mayor. The results are in. Statistically speaking, no one should read too much into this crudely constructed poll. But it did attract some rather interesting results.
If this race were decided on Facebook likes, Tom Richards (Independent) wins hands down with 23. Alex White (Green) finished with 7. And Lovely Warren (Democrat) pulled in 2 (and one person voted for all three candidates). Richards also had the edge with the shear number of comments left.
If anything can be taken away from this, it’s that Lovely Warren supporters were missing in action. Not one positive comment was left for Warren. Either they don’t read RochesterSubway.com, or they are busy on the campaign trail. We’ll know for sure tomorrow night.
DO NOT miss your chance to voice your choice at the real polls tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the comments…
If you live, work or own a business in downtown Rochester, yesterday you might have received a request to answer a few questions. Do NOT throw it away! Trust me. It’s important.
That Downtown Satisfaction Survey is intended to gather insights which will help in establishing a Business Improvement District. What’s that? I’m glad you asked…
If you’re like me, and you enjoy exploring local places most people overlook, here’s a neat project you might want to support. Benjamin Woelk (30, Rochester) and Jason Darnieder (Flower City Media) are working on a documentary travel series that focuses on exploring upstate and western N.Y. He’s calling the project “Slow Road” – a documentary series dedicated to sustaining community, preserving the past, and exploring America’s roads less traveled…
There’s a new development called I-Square being built right now in Irondequoit. It’s one of those “new urban” designs with mixed-use buildings placed along the sidewalk and a little public space in the center of it all. Where’s the parking? Right where it should be, behind the buildings, hidden from the street. The end result will be an attractive street front and a destination for people to come and walk around – maybe spend a little time and money. Very exciting.
But right around the corner, on Hudson Avenue, is a proposal for a new Aldi grocery store. It’s the exact opposite of I-Square – a more typical, drive in & drive out, sub-urban design. This got me thinking…
Within a 30 minute drive of downtown Rochester, beyond the suburban development surrounding the city, is the Village of Honeoye Falls. Honeoye Falls is not a typical crossroads village though. Like Rochester, it was settled due to the location of the waterfalls to provide power to mills in the early 1800s. Unlike Rochester though, it never grew large enough to lose the majority of its Main Street to large suburban plazas, malls, and ‘big boxes’.
Dunkin’ Donuts is interested in constructing a new location with a drive-thru, in a section of the village which currently has a small concentration of commercial development, but the village code currently disallows drive-thru restaurants. The Mayor and some members of the Village Board are supporting a proposal to change the code to allow Dunkin’ Donuts to build a drive-thru even though the village is in the midst of updating the Comprehensive Plan. Convenience and an additional source of revenue for the village government may come at a high cost though if a drive-thru is allowed…
Rochester’s old subway tunnel hasn’t seen a passenger car come through here in nearly sixty years. But lately, redevelopment ideas are arriving with unbelievable frequency. A few weeks ago we were talking about the ROC Low Line; an underground park designed by a team of RIT students. This week, another local group has come forward with a different plan. And these guys want to take theirs beyond just an academic study. Stand clear of the yellow line folks – here comes the “Broad Street Underground” concept…
I happened to be walking by Eastman Business Park this week when I noticed workers messing with the big Kodak sign. My heart of skipped a beat as my first thought was, they must be taking the sign down. I know it’s just a sign. But it’s also part of our collective story. I’d be disappointed to see it go. So I stopped and asked one of the guys if this was the case…
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.
In just its third year the Greentopia Film Festival (September 10-15th) has grown to become the second largest documentary film festival in New York State. Filmmakers’ submissions to the 2013 event were triple the number of those received in 2012, coming in from 31 countries on six continents. Of those films selected as features, four will have their New York State premieres at Greentopia – revealing themselves to Rochester audiences even before New York City moviegoers can see them…
On Saturday, August 17th the Rochester Beardsmen Society hosted the Northeast Regional Beard and Moustache Championships at Water Street Music Hall in downtown Rochester, NY. Competitors from the U.S. and Canada assembled to show off their facial hair and compete in 17 in different categories to determine who’s facial follicles could produce the top ranking tufts…
The Landmark Society is reaching out to the Rochester community to gather facts, events, places, and stories that have been important in the lives of ordinary African-Americans in Rochester. We need your help with this important project…
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After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
Industrial & Rapid Transit Railway (the “subway”) was built in
its place as a link between the five different railroads and interurban trolley
lines that served the Rochester area. As the industrial landscape of Rochester
changed, and highways replaced the railroads, the Rochester subway gradually
became a relic of a bygone era. In 1956 the subway was abandoned and much of
its route was converted into Interstate 490 — built to connect Rochester
with the New York State Thruway (I-90). Read more about the history of the Rochester Subway.
RochesterSubway.com exists to help spark
public dialogue around how we can better connect the neighborhoods of Rochester
NY, surrounding communities, and their cultural offerings. Rochester’s
future is written in her past. Let's rediscover it.
. 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.![The Roc City Skatepark was planned to be built under the I-490 Freddie-Sue Bridge. [PHOTO: RocCitySkatepark.org]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/roc-city-skatepark.jpg)
![A new independent grocer may be coming to downtown in 2014. [PHOTO: benchilada, Flickr]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/grocery-produce.jpg)
![Rochester Center City [PHOTO: RocPx.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-center-city-master-plan-01.jpg)
![A FREE community event, 'Breakfast with Krampus' will bring subversive holiday humor to Rochester. [PHOTO: Provided by Eric Rezsnyak]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/breakfast-with-krampus-2013-01.jpg)
![The abandoned swimming pool at University of Rochester has been cleaned of its desk chairs. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/university-of-rochester-abandoned-pool2-01.jpg)
![Recently, RochesterSubway.com asked Facebook fans who they were voting for in the upcoming race for Mayor. The results are in. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-race-for-mayor-2013.jpg)
![Ambassadors with the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District provide a variety of services including street cleaning and beautification, providing information, and security. [PHOTO: MinneapolisDID.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/downtown-improvement-district-01.jpg)
![Benjamin Woelk wants to produce a grassroots travel documentary series called 'Slow Road.' [PHOTO: Provided]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/benjamin-woelk-slow-road-01.jpg)
![Lewis Childs, co-founder of Broad Street Underground, explains how Rochester's abandoned subway tunnel could be converted into commercial and retail space. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-broad-street-underground-01.jpg)
![The Port of Rochester shrouded in a thick orange haze. Smoke from an epic battle going on right now. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/slag-button-charlotte-beach-rochester-07.jpg)
![This year's Greentopia Film Festival will feature an array of unique films and equally unique screening locations; such as the roof of 1 Capron Street. [PHOTO: Jason Schwingle, TheRochesteriat.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/greentopia-2013-rooftop-screening.jpg)
![On Saturday, August 17th the Rochester Beardsmen Society hosted the Northeast Regional Beard and Moustache Championships at Water Street Music Hall. [PHOTO: Chris Clemens]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/beard-and-moustache-championships-01.jpg)
![African-American dancers among the performers at Bardos' Inn in Gates, N.Y. c1930-1935 [PHOTO: Albert R. Stone Collection]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/african-american-dancers-rochester-1930s.jpg)
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