It was once a Family Dollar. Now, this vacant lot on Rochester's west side will become a forest

The grassy plot at the northwestern corner of Dewey and Driving Park avenues has been a Family Dollar, houses, and even a corner of the former Driving Park racetrack.

Now, the roughly 1,700-square-foot lot is set to become a small but dense test forest. Next spring, city staffers and volunteers are expected to plant over 600 trees and shrubs comprising 36 native species.

"This will make it more of a community space, and hopefully we can start to take that whole block, that whole intersection there, and enliven it," said Bridget Monroe, a member of Rochester City Council who represents the Northwest District.

The project at 354 Driving Park Ave., located roughly where the Maplewood and Edgerton neighborhoods meet, was Monroe's idea. It'll be the city's first attempt at what is called a Miyawaki forest.

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These fast-growing forests, which have taken root across the country, use a planting method developed in the 1970s by Japanese ecologist and botanist Akira Miyawaki. It involves planting a diverse canopy of native trees and shrubs in native soil, but part of what distinguishes the method is how the plants are sown.

Density is a key aspect of the Miyawaki method. The trees and shrubs will be planted about a foot and a half apart on the Driving Park lot, according to Jessie Horning, senior landscape designer with the city's Department of Environmental Services. And the saplings will be planted in soil dug from Mt. Hope Cemetery and mixed with compost.

"Then they all compete for nutrients and sunlight, and so they grow really quickly," said Horning, who designed the project. "So the idea is that you get a mature canopy in maybe 20 or 30 years instead of 100 years."

So why this corner, and why a forest?

A few years ago, the intersection of Dewey and Driving Park was realigned and the Family Dollar there knocked down, leaving a vacant property that would be difficult to use for something like a business, Monroe said.

That immediate area is a neighborhood gateway, Monroe added. And there are already other community spaces nearby, such as the gardens and plaza across the road. It's also close to School No. 7 and the newly renovated Maplewood Library.

Forests, even small ones, help make areas cooler and the air around them cleaner, Monroe said. It'll eventually be a place where neighbors can pause and soak in some greenery, and where children will be able to see nature at work as the trees and shrubs grow.

And if the trial project works out, the city could plant Miyawaki forests in other areas. Monroe said they should have an idea of its success within five years, the time it takes for the vegetation to become established.

"It's going to improve the quality of the neighborhoods and the quality of people's lives," Monroe said.