When Andrea Chervenak received a letter earlier this year from the Town of Irondequoit notifying her that a sidewalk was being proposed for her street, she was thrilled. Unfortunately for Andrea, her neighbors’ front lawns are more important than her children’s safety. To hammer this nonsensical point home, some people even made lawn signs…
Posts Tagged ‘Irondequoit’...

Not In My Front Yard
Sunday, September 11th, 2016Tags: Active Transportation, Andrea Chervenak, Irondequoit, Oakridge Drive, Rochester NY, Safe Routes to School, sidewalks, suburbs, West Irondequoit School District
Posted in Opinion, Rochester Images, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 6 Comments »

RocLinks 3/26/16
Saturday, March 26th, 2016From local development to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
Tags: art, Charlotte Square, Cincinnati, Irondequoit, Irondequoit Square, Lighthouse Point, Matt Denker, Matthew Denker, NIMBY, RocLinks, Victor
Posted in Architecture, Rochester Apartments, Rochester News, Urban Development | 5 Comments »

Inside Rochester’s Deep Rock Tunnel Network
Saturday, April 11th, 2015A few weeks ago we took you on a trip to Van Lare Wastewater Treatment Facility to see where Rochester’s dirty water goes to get cleaned up. It was there that we learned of an extensive deep rock tunnel system that that captures major storm runoff until it can be treated. Known as the Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Program, or CSOAP, this system saves over 1 billion gallons of sewage from overflowing into the Genesee River and Irondequoit Bay each year.
More importantly, this means there are 30 miles of giant smelly tunnels beneath our city just waiting to be explored! Come on let’s go…
Tags: Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Program (CSOAP), I-590, infrastructure, Irondequoit, Irondequoit Bay, Lyceum Street, Monroe County Pure Waters, Rochester, Rochester NY, rochester photos, sewer, sewer tunnel, tunnel, underground, urban exploration
Posted in Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Exploration | 29 Comments »

Aldi Store Hailed as Model of 21st-Century Urban Planning
Thursday, March 5th, 2015You may remember an article I posted more than a year about new plans for an Aldi store in Irondequoit on Hudson Ave. At that time I suggested the building should front the street/sidewalk, instead of being set back behind the parking lot. I thought the result would have been a development that would be more accessible to people who might choose to walk in off the street.
My suggestion was met with all kinds of wisdom from the project architect who has since set me straight. I now understand why it is better community planning to put your buildings in the middle of parking lots…
Tags: Aldi, Aldi's, APD Architects, APD Architects and Engineers, Blossom Road, development plans, Hudson Avenue, Irondequoit, North Winton Village, pedestrian safety, planning, Steve Cleason, urban development, urban planning, Winton Road
Posted in Architecture, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 37 Comments »

Put Your Best Face Forward: Parking Belongs in the Rear
Monday, October 14th, 2013There’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…
Tags: Aldi, Aldi's, development plans, grocery store, Hudson Avenue, Irondequoit, Irondequoit Plaza, planning, suburbs, Town of Irondequoit, urban design, urban development, urban planning, walkable communities
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | 16 Comments »

History of Seabreeze Amusement Park
Monday, May 27th, 2013
About two months ago I attended a presentation by Matthew Caulfield on the history of Seabreeze Park . Caulfield started working at the park when he was a young twenty-something whippersnapper. At some point he got himself a “real job” at the Library of Congress. Now in his 80’s and retired, he’s back doing what he loves, as the park’s archivist. The following notes and images are just a snippet of his entire presentation which he has assembled over time with the help of his friend Alan Mueller…
Tags: Alan Mueller, Arthur Long, Boardwalk Park, carousel, Danceland, Dreamland, George Long, Honeymoon Trail, Irondequoit, Jack Kirby, Jack Rabbit, Karnival Kourt, Matthew Caulfield, natatorium, Old Mill, Paul Moore, Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Rochester & Suburban Railway Co., Rochester Transit Corporation, Seabreeze Amusement Park, Town of Irondequoit
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 111 Comments »

What the Hell is a PILOT and Why Does I-Square Need One to Take Off?
Sunday, October 21st, 2012
The I-Square project which was widely celebrated when it was announced last year has gotten tangled up in “negotiations” over local tax deals. Mike & Wendy Nolan want to invest $13 million to build a 7-building project including a new street, sidewalks and outdoor stage / “town square” area. They say they need a 25 PILOT agreement in order to be able to afford to build and maintain the project they’ve proposed. The Town of Irondequoit have offered a 10 year PILOT. Both sides seem to have dug in their heals. Today the Nolan’s posted a video on YouTube to explain (in detail) their 25 Year PILOT proposal “so that any questions can be answered and any misconceptions cleared up.” Watch the video…
Tags: Cooper Road, development, development plans, Irondequoit, Irondequoit Square, Mike Nolan, movie, PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes), Rochester NY, Titus Avenue, Town of Irondequoit, video, Wendy Nolan
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 4 Comments »

Blink. You missed it.
Saturday, July 28th, 2012
It’s no secret. We all love a good implosion. So like any good citizen I woke up early (9:45am) and made my way over (and around police barricades) to the wrecking site so’s I could shoot some video of this one. I should apologize for the quality, however. With all the local streets closed off to traffic and officials encouraging people not to come out, this was the best location I could find. But you’ll get the idea. It’s an implosion. Wooo hoooo. Roll the video…
Tags: building implosion, demolition, Heritage Tower, implosion, Irondequoit, Rochester, Rochester NY, St. Ann's Community
Posted in Events, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 2 Comments »

Rochester, New York Jigsaw Puzzle
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
I love collecting fun little bits of Rochester history. So a few years ago I bought this Rochester jigsaw puzzle on eBay. Well somehow it slipped behind my sofa and I just recently found it again. It’s like Christmas in July!
Entirely hand drawn, this 513 piece puzzle is jammed with local landmarks, businesses, and fun historic facts. Now I realize I’m a total geek-dork, but I could stare at this thing for days picking stuff out—it’s THAT much fun…
Tags: Cinema Theater, Col. Nathaniel Rochester, Colgate Divinity School, downtown Rochester, Eastman Theater, Ebenezer 'Indian' Allan, Frederick Douglass, George Eastman, German House, High Falls, Hiram Sibley, I-490, Irondequoit, Jonathan Child, Kodak Tower, Liberty Pole, Monroe High School, Punch's Nuts, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Public Market, Sam Patch, Seneca Park Zoo, Silver Stadium, Susan B. Anthony, Toronto, WXXI
Posted in Rochester Destinations, Rochester History | 9 Comments »

Signs of Progress in Irondequoit?
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
I dropped by the Irondequoit Planning Board meeting Monday night because there were two very interesting matters on the agenda. One of those was Irondequoit Square (or I-Square) which RocSubway broke news of here last August. The other involved an all-but-forgotten friend, Chase-Pitkin…
Tags: Chase-Pitkin, Cooper Road, development, development plans, Irondequoit, Irondequoit Square, Mike Nolan, Saint Paul Boulevard, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Stones Learning Center, Titus Avenue, Wegman's
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 4 Comments »

Irondequoit Square
Sunday, August 7th, 2011
Irondequoit is a pretty cool little town; surrounded by water on three sides and the City of Rochester to its south. Home of the HOG (House of Guitars), Sea Breeze Amusement, and Parkside Diner & Whispering Pines
(officially the oldest miniature golf course in the USA). Of course there are also a few clouds that hang over this small-ish town of 52,000 soles – namely Medley Center
and a pretty tired looking retail corridor in East Ridge Road. But put all that aside for a moment. Here comes a smaller project that could have a much bigger impact per square foot… Irondequoit Square. Click the image below for a larger view of the plan…
Tags: Cooper Road, development, development plans, House of Guitars (HOG), Irondequoit, Irondequoit Square, Medley Center, Mike Nolan, Parkside Diner & Whispering Pines Miniature Golf, Rochester NY, Sea Breeze, Titus Avenue
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 43 Comments »
