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DOWNTOWN INNOVATION ZONE ANNOUNCED
On November 4 at the annual State of Rochester's Economy event, RDDC and the City of Rochester jointly announced the designation of a Downtown Innovation Zone! Learn more about this exciting initiative on the new www.RocDIZ.com website, read the great news coverage and view the event presentations using the links below.
Guest Essay: Innovators moving to downtown Rochester
Columnist: Innovation district looks like a winner
Downtown Innovation Zone designated
Innovation Zone, Kodak incubator space announced
EVENT PRESENTATION VIDEOS:
The Rise of Innovation Districts, Jennifer Vey, Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution
Innovation in Rochester's Economy, Gary Keith, Vice President & Regional Economist, M&T Bank
Office of Innovation & Strategic Initiatives; Del Smith, Commissioner, Neighborhood & Business Development, City of Rochester
Kodak Space Project Announcement, Terry Taber, Chief Technical Officer, Eastman Kodak Co.
Downtown Innovation Zone Announcement, Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, President, RDDC & Del Smith
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MAJOR PUBLIC PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD
An array of transformative projects are changing the landscape in downtown Rochester.
- The City of Rochester's Two Way Street Conversion project was recently completed in advance of the new Transit Center opening. Traffic on N. Clinton Avenue and St. Paul Streets (north of Main St.) are now open to two-way traffic.
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 The new state-of-the-art RTS Transit Center opened on November 28 and will be the hub of Rochester's bus network. Clearing the buses off Main Street will pave the way for the East Main Street Enhancement project, which involves the addition of 50 on-street parking spaces and infrastructure improvements between the Genesee River and the Liberty Pole. The addition of on-street parking will pave the way for retail to develop once again on our Main Street. - The Inner Loop East fill-in project will transform an underutilized portion of the inner loop into an at-grade boulevard and create 8 acres of new development land. Construction began this month and is expected to take three years to complete.
- Construction of a brand new Amtrak Train Station, just outside of downtown, is set to begin by the end of the year.
Use the Investment Map on rochesterdowntown.com to view details on the 44 downtown development projects that RDDC is tracking in 2014.
READ MORE:
Move seen as catalyst for change on Main Street
Moving forward: Projects will have major impact
Transit Center transforms transportation, community
Event marks start of Inner Loop redevelopment
Riders get peek at new Transit Center
Changes await east side as Inner Loop set to close
Officials get peek at new Transit Center
New Amtrak station just around the bend
St. Paul, N. Clinton to become two way
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DOWNTOWN MARKET REPORTS RELEASED
The survey results show that downtown's revitalization continues to be led by a booming downtown housing market that's having a significant, positive effect on the whole marketplace.
New housing projects and residential conversions are helping to grow and stabilize the center city, and continued conversion of marginal commercial buildings is helping to "right size" a still soft office market. RDDC predicts that the retail and services markets will continue to respond positively to a center city with increased demand, generated by a growing residential base. More shops, restaurants, and nightlife will create greater street vitality.
RDDC is tracking $758 million in downtown development investment in 2014, including transformative public and private projects planned and underway that you read about in the previous article. These investments, combined with a growing residential housing market, create a bright picture of downtown Rochester's future.
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HOUSING PROJECTS PROGRESS
Big milestones have been reached on several residential housing projects:
- Construction is underway at Woodbury Place, a mixed-use project involving the conversion of 5 buildings (including the former Merkel Donohue building) into apartments, office, and retail space. As part of the project, developer Dutton & Company is teaming up with Geva Theater Center to build 11 apartments that will house its visiting actors.
- Mark IV Enterprises has just cut the ribbon on its $6 million redevelopment of the former Alexandrian apartments building into 58 luxury apartments at 300 Alexander (pictured below). Click here to view photos of an October 30 construction tour.
- A "Tape & Spackle" ceremony was recently held at Bevier Building to mark the beginning of construction (click here to view photos of the ceremony). The building, which has been vacant since 1999, will be converted into 15 residential loft units and office space.
READ MORE:
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PURSUIT OF DOWNTOWN BID HAS REVISED TIMELINE
RDDC has led an exhaustive effort over the last year to educate stakeholders about the impacts of business improvement districts, to share the draft proposal for downtown Rochester, and to get feedback on the draft BID model. Many stakeholders are convinced that a BID is the right answer at the right time to improve the street-level experience downtown.
The draft that went out for feedback in April generated many recommendations. Due to the tight public approval deadlines, more time than originally scheduled is needed to respond thoughtfully to the feedback, and to modify the BID proposal appropriately. Therefore, the schedule has been extended one year to meet the fixed, yearly government approval cycle. The BID launch date is now targeted for July 2016.
The www.RochesterBID.org website is in the process of being updated. A revised timeline will be available in the in the website's Process section in the next several weeks.
READ MORE:
Downtown district delayed, smaller borders likely
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URBAN NIGHTS AT
STUDIO 180 ON DEC 17TH
We end another successful year of our Urban Nights event series on Tuesday, December 17 from 5:30-7:30 pm at Studio 180 in the heart of the Saint Paul Quarter. Relax and mingle in this unique studio space, enjoy cuisine from Tapas 177 Lounge, and tour the Pike Stained Glass Studios and residential lofts located upstairs from the studio. Click here to view details and make your reservation.
SIGN ON NOW FOR 2015 URBAN NIGHTS SPONSORSHIP
It's time to get on board to sponsor the 2015 Urban Nights series! A $500 sponsorship includes your company logo and website link on electronic invitations sent directly to our e-mail list of over 3,000 downtown stakeholders, plus 6 complimentary tickets to use at any of the Urban Nights events! Urban Nights events are promoted throughout the year on our website rochesterdowntown.com with tens of thousands of unique visitors a year, as well as Downtown Rochester on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, contact us at 546-6920 or rddc@rddc.org.
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DECEMBER 2014 EDITION
IN THIS ISSUE:
-Innovation Zone Announced
-Progress on Public Projects
-Market Reports Released
-Housing Project News
-Downtown BID Delayed
-Urban Nights at Studio 180
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Get real-time, daily news about
what's happening downtown on
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UPCOMING RDDC EVENTS
Urban Nights
Wednesday, December 17
$12 members/$15 non-members
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UPCOMING DOWNTOWN
FESTIVALS & EVENTS!
A Christmas Carol
through December 27
Community Holiday Concert
December 7
Rochester Gay Men's Chorus
There's Something About Mary
December 12-13
www.thergmcorg
New Year's Eve Celebration and Fireworks
December 31
Monster Jam
January 16-18
www.bluecrossarena.com
Harlem Globetrotters
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DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT AND ENTERTAINMENT
OPENINGS
Pizza Stop (opening soon at new location, 131 State St.)
Neighborhood: Four Corners
www.pizzastop1.com
Commonwealth Pub
363 East Avenue
Neighborhood: Upper East End
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Annual Report
Latest Newsletter
Contact Us
Learn More
The Red Shirts Safety Team provides a "Walk You to Your Car" Service. Call 732-8808 during these hours of operation:
Mon - Thurs: 1:00 - 9:00 pm
Friday: 1:00 - 10:00 pm
Saturday: 5:00 - 10:00 pm
Sunday: 5:00 - 9:00 pm
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Rochester Downtown Development Corporation
100 Chestnut St., Suite 1910, Rochester, NY 14604
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Downtown Special Services, Inc. Administrative Office 100 Chestnut St., Suite 1910, Rochester, NY 14604 (585) 263-6950 | hzm@rddc.org | | |
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About @round downtown
@round downtown is an e-newsletter resource jointly sponsored by Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC) and Downtown Special Services Inc. (DSSI). In this bi-monthly publication you will find news and information about everything downtown, including:
- Development projects and trends that are changing the face of downtown
- Useful links to downtown news and resources on our website and social media
- Safety and security from our Red Shirts Safety Team
- Upcoming events and festivals and business comings & goings
- RDDC business and social events
- And much more!
Invite your friends and colleagues to join this email list by clicking here:
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