The city of Rochester wants to borrow over $600,000 to begin renovations at Parcel 5.
The immediate plans for the site include updates to the electrical infrastructure, hydrants, a panel box for stage performances, security cameras, and Wi-Fi. The total expected cost of the first phase of the project is nearly $1 million, $625,000 of which would beraised through bonds and the remainder would come from the city's cash capital fund.
Rochester City Council will vote on the bill to authorize borrowing for the improvements later this month.
"Since Parcel 5 was converted into a temporary green space in 2021, it has become a downtown anchor and home to some of the city's largest festivals as well as smaller events, farmers markets, pop-up activities, and growing daily public use," the legislation reads.
Once the site of Midtown Plaza, Parcel 5 is an undeveloped piece of land that has been used as a public green space since the demolition of the downtown mall in 2010. The site was originally slated for development, but community advocates rallied for years to leave the site as is, offering a vision modeled after public spaces in other cities, like Boston Common.
In 2024, after years of calls from advocates, Mayor Malik Evans declared the site a permanent green space, effectively barring the site from future development. Former Mayor Lovely Warren, following years of failed efforts to develop the site, had named Parcel 5 a "temporary" green space in 2021.
Future amenities planned for Parcel 5 include a digital marquee, permanent event storage, and permanent fencing along East Main Street.
