State officials are seeking a design firm to create the blueprint for a future High Falls State Park.
The park would extend north from the base of High Falls, encompassing several dozen acres down in the river gorge. It is a part of the city that is largely off limits to the public today.
This is the second time the state has sought design firm proposals. The last time was in fall 2022. The process was halted for procedural reasons, but it drew a bigger response than expected.
"We actually got more than we'd hoped or expected in terms of both the amount and quality of the respondents -- and from all over the world, and from some pretty prestigious firms,” said Vinnie Esposito, senior vice president of regional economic development with the state.
“So we're very hopeful that will get the same level of interest this time around.”
The pause came over concern the state was pursuing designs for land it did not yet own. So the process was put on hold while officials gathered commitments from existing landowners, including the city and RG&E.
Back at it again, the goal is to hire a firm this spring and begin public meetings as soon as this summer. Some of that outreach already has been happening at the grassroots level with Genesee River Alliance and Greentopia. Design work is likely to take more than a year. Remediation work along the three-quarter mile-long stretch is underway and expected to last another five years.
“The good news is we have time to get it right. And to do it as intentionally and as inclusively as possible,” Esposito said. “But I would expect the design will take at least a year, probably longer, for the meat of it to materialize.”
Work is likely to progress in phases. The request for proposals lays out the extent of improvements: Trails, overlooks, an amphitheater, pavilion, ecology center, play area, accessible shoreline, interpretive areas, pedestrian bridge.
Construction is not likely to start until 2026 at the earliest. It is more likely it will begin in 2027.
“It's such a special part of our city that ... has been underutilized and inaccessible for so long,” Esposito said. “The only challenge with it is it's going to take a while for all this to happen.
“But between this and the Inner Loop North, I mean, there's just real opportunity to create something very special on the north side of downtown.”
