Rochester moves forward with modular homes

By Evan Dawson,

Published October 3, 2025 at 2:34 PM EDT

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From left to right: Gino Fanelli, investigative reporter for WXXI News; Erik Frisch, deputy commissioner of the department of business and neighborhood development; Marc Cohen, vice president of government affairs for O'Donnell & Associates; Jeff Cook, managing general partner and CEO of Cook Properties; and Michael Patterson, Rochester City Councilmember join WXXI's Evan Dawson for a conversation on Rochester's plans for factory-built homes.

Mary Husson-Kallen / WXXI

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Rochester Mayor Malik Evans (left) and City Councilmember Michael Patterson stand at a vacant on Lewis Street, a site where the city is planning a modular home to be built.

Gino Fanelli

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

Calling it "just the beginning of the beginning," Rochester City Councilmember Michael Patterson said his district will benefit from the first major modular house development.

Modular houses, houses built offsite in a factory setting and transported to a lot, have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional “stick built” houses.

We'll discuss the cost, the potential price for the homes, and the scalability of this kind of development.

Our guests:

Gino Fanelli, investigative reporter for WXXI News
Marc Cohen, vice president of government affairs for O'Donnell & Associates
Jeffrey Cook, CEO of Cook Properties
Erik Frisch, deputy commissioner in the Department of Neighborhood & Business Development for the City of Rochester
Michael Patterson, NE district council member for the City of Rochester