Downtown leaders say they are moving forward with efforts to “invest in the future and vibrancy of downtown” Rochester.
No, they're not resurrecting the Business Improvement District, or BID. That push ended six months ago in the face of significant opposition.
But they remain focused on many of the objectives that the proposed BID would have overseen: marketing, events, support for small businesses, historical tours and what they are calling livability services — like an ongoing effort to increase use of Washington Square Park.
“The need is now,” said Galin Brooks, president and CEO for Rochester Downtown Development Corp. “We know that people want to see more from their downtown. ... It's a critical time to be doing the work. There are more and more people moving here every day.”
The development group helped spearhead the push for a BID, under which property owners within a defined district agree to fund added services for that area. The effort faced community resistance, with critics raising concern about accountability, transparency and fears that private interests would control public spaces.
Now many of those efforts are proceeding anyway, without the formal establishment of a BID. Brooks, though, cast this latest effort not as a redux or end-around of the BID process but rather as the latest iteration of the group she leads. Residents still are welcome to get involved, she said.
“We're working to expand capacity to be able to fulfill upon our mission,” she said, “the same mission that RDDC has had for close to 50 years, which is to drive economic vitality in downtown.”
The Partnership for Downtown Rochester, which involves elected and community leaders and was to serve as a precursor to the BID organization, will remain in something of an advisory role. Next week, Brooks will ask Monroe County’s Industrial Development Agency to repurpose $300,000 that was previously committed to an abandoned proposal for downtown ambassadors to instead support RDDC's expanded effort.
The ambassadors, or guides, were put forward as a demonstration of what a BID could do and as a way to provide a greater sense of public safety for residents, workers and visitors, despite the area having a low crime rate. The hired staffers would direct people to destinations and services and report problems to the proper authorities.
Critics feared they would be used to roust the homeless or others deemed undesirable from downtown.
Regardless, that proposal has been dropped. And Brooks said ultimately the public safety goal can be met by getting more feet on the street in other ways.
“Having people enjoying public spaces in downtown and having places to go to,” she said, “whether it's to enjoy a meal or buy some groceries or see a show or what have you ... having that sort of ecosystem that's thriving and bustling and vibrant can help to create an environment that feels safer, potentially is safer, and effects some change in that regard.”
If approved, the $300,000 would be added to contributions from unnamed downtown stakeholders, including RDDC members, and individuals. Brooks projects the total first-year budget would be $1.5 million.
Planning and fundraising continue, as Brooks said this is setting the stage for 2025, with more details to come. Expectations are that the county’s Industrial Development Agency will continue to support the effort on a year-to-year basis going forward.
“The health of our downtown directly impacts the neighborhood where we operate, and a revitalized downtown enhances the overall well-being of the city,” Seanelle Hawkins, president and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester said in a news release announcing the latest push. “It fosters economic growth by supporting small businesses, creating employment opportunities, and improving the quality of life for all who live, work, and engage with this community.”
