Gov. Kathy Hochul made a big pledge to Rochester and Monroe County when she released her executive budget proposal: the spending plan included $300 million for economic development in Rochester.
The governor called it the Rochester-Monroe Transformation Initiative, and it would earmark $75 million to develop High Falls State Park. But the remaining $225 million is up for grabs, with dozens of projects on the docket for potential funding.
While nothing is set in stone, and the funding still has not been finalized through the budget process, the projects most likely to receive funding are part of Rochester’s riverfront revitalization initiative, dubbed Roc the Riverway.
“Rochester is only one of a few cities that has a river, a lake, a waterfall and a canal all running through it that gives us the opportunity to capitalize on those assets, as well as the new High Falls State park that is there,” Mayor Malik Evans said during his testimony at a recent Assembly budget hearing.
Roc the Riverway launched in 2018 with a $50 million state investment, but many of those projects are incomplete and still require significant funding.
The process for selecting which projects received some of the $225 million will be led by Empire State Development and will use input both from city and county leaders, as well as the public.
Some of the projects that could be poised to receive that funding are:
Aqueduct Reimagined
The Broad Street aqueduct, now an abandoned subway tunnel that's become a haven for street art, has long been eyed for revitalization. The city first put forward a plan for its reuse in 2009, which laid dormant for nearly a decade until it became the centerpiece of the Roc the Riverway initiative.
Then, when spirits giant Constellation Brands moved its headquarters to the Aqueduct Building on Broad Street, the plan gained momentum. The city held a session to garner public feedback on five proposals for the renovation of the aqueduct.
A total of $9.5 million in state funding and $2 million in the city’s federal pandemic relief dollars were set aside for the project. With a price tag estimated to exceed $100 million, there's still a sizable funding gap.
Vinnie Esposito, senior vice president for regional economic development at Empire State Development, said the Constellation move represents Roc the Riverway's success as an economic driver, and opens an opportunity to do more.
“It's such a incredibly great example of what was successful with Roc the Riverway to make that property, the old Aqueduct Building, attractive to a Fortune 500 publicly-traded company to set its base in Rochester, is a huge win and a perfect example what we're trying to do, but we're also trying to make it more attractive for people that want to live downtown,” Esposito said.
Vacuum Oil
Where Flint Street dead-ends at the Genesee River in the city's southwest, there are roughly 20 acres of mostly barren waterfront real estate. It was part of the former Vacuum Oil refinery, and it was marked by an old industrial building that had been crumbling apart for at least two decades. After several legal proceedings around the property, that building was recently torn down.
The city owns most of the property, and Exxon Mobil owns the rest — including the parcel where the decrepit building stood. The land is contaminated and both owners are pursuing cleanup and redevelopment of the site, a key element of the city's Genesee River waterfront revitalization efforts.
“The Aqueduct Reimagined project and the redevelopment of the former Vacuum Oil site are both priority Roc the Riverway projects that the city has identified, and both could definitely be on the list of projects that get support through this money,” Esposito said.
A riverfront walkway
Heading north along the riverway trail beginning from the University of Rochester, one can walk along the edge of the Genesee on the Riverway all the way to Court Street.
Then, suddenly, the trail stops at Court Street sidewalk.
Making a fully connected riverwalk was a priority outlined in the Roc the Riverway plan. But the path lacks connectivity through the heart of downtown Rochester.
Esposito said that connecting Andrews to Main streets would fill a major gap. Connecting all riverfront developments is also a key vision of the initiative.
“It's the goal of the Genesee Riverway trail plan and the Roc the Riverway initiative to continue those kinds of segments further along the riverway,” Esposito said. “And so, this money will help with some more of those segments to get done. “
ESL Ballpark
Located just a couple of blocks west of the forthcoming High Falls State Park, the baseball stadium formerly known as Innovative Field is a bit antiquated.
The Red Wings home stadium is owned by Monroe County. Both Esposito and state Sen. Jeremy Cooney see it as a prime contender for an injection of state funds.
Cooney saw the possibilities as more than just improving the ballpark, but the entire community surrounding the state park.
“We are all excited about the proposed state park at High Falls, but we recognize there could be so much more,” Cooney said in a recent interview. “The sidewalks and neighborhoods immediately surrounding the state park could be used for housing. The funding could be used for improvements to our Red Wing stadium, especially improvements that the fans can experience. New businesses, new supports for our students at Monroe Community College.”
Discussions around the funding will continue in the coming months. The Legislature has an April 1 deadline to approve Hochul’s budget, which would finalize the dollars for Rochester.
