Monroe County Executive Adam Bello is asking lawmakers to approve spending upwards of $26 million to buy and renovate a vacant office building near Kodak Tower for government offices.
That includes $4 million for the former Carestream Building on Verona Street, and lease of adjacent parking lot. The dollar figure aligns with the building’s taxable assessed value but far exceeds the $1.1 million that Bathla 150 Holdings LLC paid for the property when it last sold in November 2024, records show.
The five- to nine-story, 402,000-square-foot building was built in 1982.
Monroe County is looking to reduce its dependence on leased office space — including for its human services, Public Defender’s Office and a handful of other operations.
Officials are not saying which departments might relocate if the project goes forward. A county spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions, including what the county currently spends to rent office space.
In 2018, the county spent $9 million to buy City Place at West Main and North Fitzhugh streets, opposite the County Office Building. The county had leased the building for years, paying $1.7 million on rent.
