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Connections
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Connections

Why Rochester City Council chose housing

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published April 24, 2026 at 4:48 PM EDT
Three people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left has dark hair and a dark goatee and is wearing a light green polo shirt; a man at center has short brown hair and a brown beard and is wearing a light blue button-down shirt; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a beige jacket, blue jeans and brown shoes.
Mary Hussong-Kallen
/
WXXI News
Miguel Meléndez Jr. and Mitch Gruber with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, April 24, 2026
WXXI News

Everyone agrees that the city of Rochester needs more housing. But an open parcel recently sparked debate in the community and on Rochester City Council.

Should it be housing? Open green space? Something else?

We've invited members of Council to discuss their votes on the project and their views on what the city needs.

In studio:

To read more about the city of Rochester's Zoning Alignment Project, please click here.

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams