The newest part of the Roc City Skatepark is slated to open in October, months ahead of the previously projected opening in spring 2027.
This newest phase of the skatepark is primarily located underneath the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Bridge and adds about 20,000 square feet of skateable space to the park. Local skaters, under the banner of Friends of the Roc City Skatepark, had rallied for about 13 years for a park in the city before the first phase of the park was completed in fall 2020.
The park now has nearly 50,000 square feet total of skateable space, making it the largest concrete skatepark in New York. High Bridge Skatepark in New York City was previously the largest at around 30,000 square feet.
“It's going to be the biggest skate park, cement skate park, outdoor park, however you want to put it, in New York state, for however long that lasts,” said Aaron Costa, owner of nearby Krudco skate shop, a fixture in the Rochester skateboarding community since it opened 1994. “That's what it's going to be. We have that to tout and toot our horn about as a city.”
The nearly $8 million project is part of the ROC the Riverway riverfront revitalization initiative, a state-supported plan which aims to expand infrastructure and amenities along the banks of the Genesee River.
Both phases of the skatepark were built by Seattle-based Grindline. Jeff Mroczek, senior landscape architect for the city, said the builders have moved quickly on getting the project done.
“They're really progressing well, and as you've seen, are really ahead of schedule,” Mroczek said. “We thought they'd be done spring of next year.”
The location of the Roc City Skatepark is unusual. The land is owned by the state Department of Transportation because it is under a state-owned bridge. But Mroczek said partnering with the DOT to develop the area offered two benefits: the bridge cover can give skaters a place to go rain or shine, and it makes use of land that would otherwise remain a rubble pit.
“Really, the site below the bridge wasn't ever going to be anything useful,” Mroczek said. “We have the trail under there, but really the rest of this property was just going to sit vacant. So, one, it activates more of the riverfront with the skate park and the crowds that it brings down there.”
The first phase of the skate park included more daunting obstacles: steep banks, high quarter pipes, and a nine-foot-deep bowl. The new phase will feature a street plaza design with rails, banks, mellow obstacles, pyramids, and the prolific integration of the Flower City Mark into the design. Mroczek said the addition will include pavement for things like DJ booths or judge tables.
For Costa, the skatepark offers an easy return on investment for the city, attracting people from around the region to come downtown.
“It's going to draw people from, gosh, easily over an hour away. Syracuse, Albany, down south, maybe even some Canadians will come over,” Costa said. “...It is a crown jewel of the Riverway project. It 100% is. I mean, what else? What else brings that many people together? What else brings that many people to the city?”
