Rochester City Council has passed a bill to direct $20 million in state money to the owner of the Terrence Building on Elmwood Avenue to demolish the decaying structure.
The owner, 293 A Alden Road LLC, plans to then build a mixed-use development on the 27.5-acre site surrounding the building, including over 500 units of affordable and market-rate housing, according to the legislation.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state funding for the building's demolition in June and the city of Rochester will be serving as a pass-through. The bill passed by City Council authorizes the city to receive the $20 million from Empire State Development, the economic development arm of state government, and appropriate it to the developer.
At the time of Hochul's announcement, Mayor Malik Evans said the funding was "going to be transformational for the southeast section of Rochester" and for housing in the city.
The 17-story Terrence Building is a former state psychiatric hospital that has stood vacant since it closed in 1995. The property has been the subject of several redevelopment proposals over the years, but the building has a lot of asbestos in it, making demolition costly — previous estimates were in the $15 million to $20 million range.
