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New tenant announced as part of redevelopment of former Xerox Tower building

Artist's rendering of EFPR lobby space
Buckingham Properties
Artist's rendering of EFPR lobby space

We’re learning more about the potential redevelopment plans for one of Rochester’s most iconic buildings, the Xerox Tower.

Xerox vacated the 31-story office tower in downtown Rochester last year, and moved employees to the Webster campus.

Buckingham Properties has listed the South Clinton Avenue building for sale, but in an announcement on Tuesday, the developer said that it has its first commercial tenant, EFPR Group LLP, an accounting and business services that is headquartered in Rochester.

EFPR will occupy nearly 30,000 square feet, which Buckingham says is all of the 14th and 15th floors.

The company says renovations are underway and EFPR is scheduled to move from its current Henrietta location in February.

EFPR has 100 employees in Rochester.  Buckingham officials say that after Xerox left the building last year, they began pursuing redevelopment concepts to continue an effort to revitalize downtown.

“The Tower is a challenging building, in that it was originally built for one tenant,” said Richard Finley, president and chief operating officer of Buckingham Properties. “Our team has been working diligently to examine all options, and we are beginning to move forward with a multi-tenant, mixed-use concept. EFPR’s move to the Tower is an exciting step in that direction. We are thrilled to work with companies like EFPR who share our passion and commitment to downtown.”

EFPR’s managing partner, Jim Marasco, said that,  “It’s been 30 years since we left downtown, and we are looking forward to the opportunities it will offer.”

In October, it was revealed that the former Xerox Tower building is being considered for a $32 million redevelopment project. A report from the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council recommended the project get $3 million in state funding.

While Finley says the building is still listed for sale, he says Buckingham has been getting a lot of interest from companies that want to lease space in the building, so redevelopment efforts will continue. He expects more details on those redevelopment plans to be released in the coming months.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.