Office Real Estate News Summary
1st Quarter 2008
Brighton – Nightingale Properties would like to build Linden Hills Office Park, at 430 Linden Ave. The total project would call for 20 acres of land and a 500 car parking garage. 6 acres of land would need to be rezoned as low density office district. (1/2) A preservation group will be petitioning for a moratorium on the proposed Linden Hills Office Park, claiming that the 6 story building is against regulation. The new proposal for Linden Hills Office Park includes a six story parking garage for 700 cars, a one-story 6,000 sq. ft. commercial building and an two-story, 54,000 sq. ft. office building. (2/7)
Pittsford – In 2006 the grain silo in Pittsford and 250 acres of farmland was purchased for $1 million by Al Longwell and Michael Newcomb. The silo is under construction to be converted into a modern 9 story office building. Upon completion the building will have a glass elevator, 1600 sq. ft. of office space, and an 1,100 sq. ft. office penthouse suite on the last floor. The outside structure of the building will remain the same. (1/17)
4th Quarter 2007
Penfield – An office building is being proposed to the Penfield Planning Board by Nightingale Industries to be constructed at 430 Linden Avenue. The proposal includes a two-story, 54,000 square-foot office building, along with a multi-story, 12,000 square-foot office building, and a one-story, 6,000 square-foot commercial building. Also in the plans is a bi-level parking garage, in addition to available parking on the other side of the Linden Avenue property. (9/10)
Rochester – Widewaters Group Inc. sold approximately two dozen office properties to Massachusetts-based HRPT Properties Trust last year. The deal included Woodcliff, a group of six buildings, for which HRPT paid $63.1 million. Last year, Woodcliff ranked as the area’s third-largest office park with 590,116 sq. ft of space. Widewaters’ remaining undeveloped property there has an assessed value of $450,600, and Widewaters has designed Woodcliff VII, a 120,000 sq. ft. building. (9/12)
3rd Quarter 2007
Security Mortgage Group – Gerard DiMarco of Security Mortgage Group has negotiated the sale of a 119,000 sq. ft. facility, for $18.1 million. The facility is currently occupied by BJ Wholesale. Security Mortgage closed over $200 million in financing over the past few years. (5/22)
Midtown - The Italian themed shopping center for Midtown plaza has been annulled. As a result, more than 130 design professionals will create plans for five area\s of the city, including the core area of Midtown. (6/21)
Paychex – Penfield-based Paychex reported an %11 increase in new income compared to a year ago. Total revenue increased by 13% from $430.6 million to 485.3 million for the quarter. Paychex reported record earning for 2007, citing a profit increase of 14% and topped $500 million for the first time. Revenue was up $1.9 billion. The annual profit of $531.6 million, amounted to $1.39 per share, up from $1.22 in 2006. Paychex anticipates a 20% - 23% increase in human resources services for 2008. Also in 2008, total revenue is projected to increase between 11% – 13%, with a profit gain of 14% – 16%. (6/28)
1st Quarter 2007
Henrietta – Rochester Home Builders Association Inc. begins construction on a 12,640 square foot office building project in March of 2006. The $1.19 million project includes four suites and conference area. Construction scheduled to be completed in January of 2007. (12/15)
4th Quarter 2006
Perinton – Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., the largest brokerage in the Rochester market, will be consolidating into a 45,000 square foot building at 1241 Pittsford-Victor Road. COMIDA has approved the $5.3 million construction project for exemptions on sales and mortgage taxes, and property tax abatements over 10 years. Merrill Lynch, employing over 117, is the third major employer within the last two years to vacate Chase Tower downtown. (9/22)
Pittsford – The Pittsford Flour Mill on Schoen Place is being renovated for lease to Biophan Technologies. Offices of the biotechnology firm will claim the majority of the building space, becoming the single largest office tenant in the village, as well as the only of its kind. (10/18) In relocating from the Lennox Tech Center in Henrietta to 15 Schoen place, Biophan Technologies is receiving 90,000 in tax incentives between the cost of the move and purchasing new equipment. The company, that currently employs 19, should be in its new home along the Erie Canal by the first month of 2007, and expects to create 6 new jobs over the next 5 years. (11/24)
Bushnell’s Basin – RYCO Management LLC purchased Basin Park, for an undisclosed amount, doubling its office real estate holdings in Bushnell’s Basin to 300,000 square feet. The company now has a total of 85 tenants among 3 properties, also including Powder Mill Office Park and Fishers Place. (10/20)
Victor – Construction has begun on RainBros Associates LLC’s new High Point Business Park, on Route 96. The centerpiece of the project will be the office space, with retail and residential components. (10/20)
3rd Quarter 2006
Egypt – The Planning Board is seeking a few more changes from developers of a new subdivision including homes and commercial/office space on 45 acres. They would like to see unique features that make the development pedestrian friendly. The development also needs the town to rezone the property from residential and commercial to a planned development district. (6/26)
Greece – The Town Planning Board approved 10,800 square feet of new medical offices on West Ridge Road. Developers, Fallone Enterprises, hope to begin construction this fall. (7/27)
Downtown – Buckingham Properties has invested $7 million over the past nine months to renovate the 100 year old Art-Craft Optical building at Plymouth Ave. and Allen Street. Now Buckingham Commons, the seven-story building consists of 3 ½ floors of office space and 36 lofts spread over 4 floors, with rents ranging from $750 to $1,300. (9/14)
2nd Quarter 2006
Penfield – Zoning issues are being addressed regarding a proposed development on Route 250 across from Target. The current zoning of the property is business-nonretail, while developers are proposing office buildings with some retail along the front. They are not seeking rezoning, however, they are asking the Town Board for approval to allow retail uses consistent with a limited-business zoning. Also included in discussion were landscaping buffers, drainage, and traffic concerns. The next step will be a meeting between developers, Town Board, and neighbors to discuss details. (3/16)
Perinton – Syracuse-based management company, Widewaters Group, has sold the Woodcliff Office Park to, HRPT, a Massachusetts real estate investment trust. Widewaters, in an unrelated deal, purchased the nearby Lodge at Woodcliff. Widewaters is moving away from office parks and toward hospitality, owning hotels in several core areas of the Northeast. The Lodge at Woodcliff had been owned since its origin, 19 years ago, by Peter and Jon Heinrich, who are near retirement. (3/17)
Genesee Hospital Site – Buckingham Properties, the potential buyer of the old Genesee Hospital campus is working on a plan to demolish the hospital building and replace it with a new development that could potentially include office, retail space and housing. The 16-acre site missed a sale deadline in 2003, partially due to the fact that separate Genesee creditors had claim to different pieces of the property. ViaHealth has since taken control of the entire property on Alexander St., and is looking forward to the financial benefit from the deal with Buckingham. The new development is expected to do considerably well, given the recent development momentum of the area. (3/30) Buckingham Properties and ViaHealth have announced a deal to turn the old hospital site on Alexander Street into a new mix of upscale residential, retail and office construction. President of the Rochester Downtown Development Corp. is enthusiastic that the project will boost the city’s downtown redevelopment efforts. Costs are estimated at $5 to $7 million for demolition and tens of millions for new construction. (3/31) Buckingham Properties is set to acquire 15 acres of property from GRHS Foundation, Inc. the real estate affiliate of ViaHealth. ViaHealth will retain a minimum of 100,000 square feet of space for currently operating medical and health services. Buckingham could take possession of the site by early July. (5/30)
Bushnell’s Basin – Construction of a new office building at the corner of Pittsford-Victor Road and Fisher’s Road has been approved by the Perinton Planning Board. Attorneys for Christa Development were able to convince the board to move ahead without results from soil testing, although written results will need to be submitted before construction begins. (4/13)
Buckingham Commons – Syracuse firm, Avalon Copy Centers of America Inc., has signed to open its first Rochester location in Buckingham Commons. The 78,000 square foot, mixed-use property overlooks Frontier Field, is pre-leasing 36 loft apartments, as well as offices. Also slated to move into the new Buckingham Commons are Kafl Insurance Resources Inc., and Buckingham Properties own headquarters. (4/14)
Frontier Building – REIT Newkirk Realty Trust Inc. from Boston purchased the Frontier building on South Clinton Ave. for $26.4 million. The 226,000 square-foot office building is currently leased to Frontier Corp. through 2014, and is also known as Three City Centre. This transaction was the largest in the downtown area since 1986. REIT Newkirk states that their investment interest lies in economically stable and prosperous locations. Last years trend in out-of state investment shows no signs of slowing down so far in 2006. (5/5)
Fairport – The village Public Works Department is constructing a new space on Railroad St. The facility will cost $3.2 million and replace the building on the edge of the Erie Canal. The new 22,000 square foot project should be completed next spring. (5/25)
Perinton – A Baird Road office park plan was rejected by the town Planning Board due to problems such as lack of elevations, detail, lighting, and parking spaces. No indication was given as to when a new plan might be submitted. (6/1)
1st Quarter 2006
Brighton - LeFrois Development has sold approximately 500,000 square feet of commercial real estate, including the Canal View Office Park, to a Massachusetts real estate investment firm for an undisclosed sum. Property included in the sale was the Bryant & Stratton buildings in Clay, New York and in Greece, the Cingular building at 3144 South Winton Road and 5 flex-buildings in Henrietta. The sale is noted as being the largest real estate sale in Rochester history, surpassing the $62.9 million sale last year of Christa Developments local holdings. (1/26)
Pittsford – The renovation of the old mill in Schoen Place that was given a halt work order in August received a green light after the Village Planning Board approved site plans. Several conditions were included in the approval, including a review by the Planning Board’s engineer and a $200,000 letter of credit from the developers. Two stop work orders were issued by the Village charging developers with deviating from its original plan. The 3-story building and silo will have 1 to 2 offices per floor. The mill is listed on the National Register of Historical Places which made the approval process more intensive. (12/28)
Pittsford – The Buffalo based Hunt Commercial Real Estate is moving from its Pittsford office to the newly renovated Water Street Commons, downtown Rochester. The new space will nearly double in size which currently employs 7 agents here and 33 in Buffalo. The Water Street Commons recently upgraded the property with new entryways, air conditioning and boilers and also enclosed the parking garage for better security. (1/13)
Rochester – One of the original tenants of Midtown Tower is moving out after 43 years. Centra Financial Group, Inc. moved to Midtown in 1962 and occupied the 12th floor offices. The decision to move was fueled by recent growth and having a more convenient location for clients. Centra employs 50 workers, all of which will all be relocated to the new office. Only 25,500 square feet of the 207,000 square feet available at Midtown Tower was filled before Centra’s announcement. (12/23)
Rochester – Vacancy of Class A office space in downtown Rochester fell by 3.35 percentage points to 13.3% in 2005. The Class A, high-end, high-rent office space tallies 23% of downtown offices. Vacancy is highest in the Main and Clinton area with 37.6%, the St. Paul Quarter has a 30.3% vacancy and the East End with 24.8% vacancy. Occupancy of Class B office space and non-traditional buildings was either stable or improving. (12/30)
Rochester – A local developer is renovating
the former Art Craft Optical building on Plymouth Avenue into Buckingham
Commons, offering office space and loft-style apartments. The extensive
renovations include a new lobby, 3 floors of office space with the
top floors being used for residential. A nearby parking lot was secured
for the building last spring after the City began eminent domain proceedings.
An insurance company has all ready signed up as a tenant for leasing
one of the floors. (1/20)
4th Quarter 2005
Brighton - The Council Rock Greens located at 2270-2300 East Avenue was sold recently for $1.575 million. The Greens consists of 3, 100 year-old mansions and two carriage houses which all have been converted into office space and apartments. The property is also the only suburban location of an underground parking garage in the region. (9/23)
Pittsford - The developers of the old mill located in Schoen Place have filed a Notice of Claim against the village of Pittsford seeking compensation for costs of construction delays and the loss of potential tenants. A stop work order was issued in August citing deviations from approved plans. The mill is being converted into office space and is about half-way through its renovations. (9/28)
Rochester - The NYC property owner of 2 downtown buildings bought a 3rd building at 168-170 N. Water Street for $500,000. Three-Class A office buildings are located on the site with 65,000 square feet and parking for 45 cars. Plans include adding loft-style apartments and renovated office space and are expected to be ready for occupancy in March 2006. (10/7)
3rd Quarter 2005
Henrietta - Staples office supplies will be adding 50 workers to its staff at its Henrietta call center. Currently, Staples employs 300 people at the call center, including drivers and sales people, and approximately 200 retail employees in the six stores located in the Rochester area. Based out of Framingham, Mass., Staples delivery business grew 17% in 2004 with $4.2 billion in sales. The retail division of Staples posted $14.4 billion in sales for 2004. (9/9)
Pittsford - Macerich Properties has set up offices in the Powder Mills Office Park after purchasing 13 of Wilmorite Properties malls and shopping centers. The new office hired 30 of Wilmorite's former employees and will oversee leasing and legal matters. The Santa Monica, California investment company, Macerich owns malls throughout Washington, California, Colorado, Texas and Arizona, as well as Connecticut and Virginia. (8/10)
Pittsford - A stop-work order has been issued to a building project on Schoen Place. The historic Pittsford Flour Mill building is being renovated into office space, along with a large silo on the property. The Village Board charged developers with deviating from the approved plans and with failing to save brick from the demolition of the warehouse. The original foundation was supposed to be preserved with its original fieldstone, but was covered with cement instead. The developer will now have to submit proposals explaining plans to remedy any problems to get the stop work order lifted. (8/25)
Rochester - Regional Distributors Inc. will be doubling the size of its offices after two recent acquisitions. The new facilities include 90,000 square feet of offices on Lexington Avenue and a new warehouse on Mt. Read Boulevard. This past year, the company acquired two janitorial supply companies and added 15 employees; and a new product line. Over the next 3 years, Regional plans on growing by 50% and adding 10 to 20 employees. (8/19)
Victor - High Point Business Park received Town Board approval for the rezoning of 106 acres on Route 96 to a planned development district. Originally proposed 4 years ago, the plan can now go forward for final site approval from the Planning Board. Residents and County officials had protested the development and its rezoning. The park will have premium office space, 72 townhomes, a Starbucks Coffee shop and an Olive Garden restaurant. (7/26)
2nd Quarter 2005
Farmington -Unisys Corp. announced plans to move its offices from Farmington to Henrietta later this year, when its lease expires. The 350 employees will be moved to the new facility. Unisys manages computing and network systems for large corporations and reported $5.8 billion in sales last year. (5/20)
Victor - A controversial office park proposed for Route 96 is a step closer to reality as the Planning Board recommended the Town Board approve its rezoning request. High Point Business Park is a 550,000 square foot development of office and retail space, including 80 townhouses. The rezoning of the 105 acre parcel from residential to planned development was essential for the project to proceed. If the Town Board approves the changes in zoning, the project will be back in the hands of the Planning Board. (4/13) The Ontario County Planning Board rejected Victor's Planning Board's recommendation to rezone the property proposed for High Point. The decision to rezone the land is now in the hands of the Town Board, which will vote on June 27th. (6/12)
1st Quarter 2005
Henrietta - Paychex has submitted plans to the Planning Board for a possible expansion of its John Street facility. The 2-story, 123,000 square foot office space would cost $15 million. The new building would connect to the existing Paychex building and have room for 1,000 more employees. (3/9)
Henrietta - Corporate office space will soon be available at the former Celltech's Jefferson Road business park. The state-of-the-art headquarters are unique as they offer corporate standards such as conference rooms, a training center and cafeteria. Celltech was bought by UCB Pharma last year and uses part of the Jefferson Road space for manufacturing and technical operations. (3/10)
Perinton - Christa Development Corp. has sold its office portfolio for $62.9 million. Eight out of the nine properties were bought by a Massachusetts company, HRPT Properties Trust. The sale included 483,711 square feet of property, including Corporate Crossing Office Campus in Perinton. (2/11)
Rochester - Two large tenants will be moving out of Chase Towers to new locations. Manning & Napier will move to Perinton after 15 years at Chase. The Manning office currently occupies 4 floors in the tower. The move to the new Woodcliff office will permit growth, give their employees clients easier access and free parking. Underberg & Kessler will be moving out of Chase Towers but remain downtown. Their new offices will be located at Bausch & Lomb Place. (12/31)
Rochester - The NCS Community Development Corp. will be buying the HSBC Bank building on Driving Park Avenue for their main headquarters. The NCS is a nonprofit organization that specializes in housing and home ownership. HSBC has closed the Driving Park branch in December and previously closed five offices in the Rochester area. HSBC is building a new branch on Dewey Avenue in Greece. (1/4)
Rochester - The Art Craft Optical Co., Inc. building at 85-89 Allen Street has been sold to a local developer for $400,000. Built in 1902, the building has housed numerous manufacturers. The 7-story building has been vacant since 2001. Plans for development may include office space on the lower floors with housing above. (1/7)
Rochester - A new tenant will moving into the Granite Building's eighth floor with plans to acquire more space as the company adds 100 to 120 workers this year. CGI Communications Inc. plans to hire every quarter this year to keep up with demand for their growing business. CGI provides municipalities with promotional materials across the country such as street banners and Web-based videos. The Granite Building is located at 130 East Main Street at the corner of St. Paul Street. The building's roof was recently replaced, along with upgrades to the electrical, fire and telecommunications systems. (2/25)
Victor - A Rochester developer has proposed a controversial office park along the Route 96 corridor. The Town Board held a workshop specifically to discuss this project that includes research, office and retail space and 79 townhomes. The 548,000 square-foot development would be situate on 105 acres which is currently zoned residential. Area residents have voiced their concern over traffic and over-development. The property would need to be rezoned to planned development in order to proceed. (2/14)
Victor - SPG Direct will be opening a subordinate company, Wave Technology, this spring in the Omnitech Office Park. SPG is a marketing consulting firm working with company sales and marketing. Wave Technology will offer software to companies designed to help market their own product. SPG moved from Henrietta to Victor in 2003 and has added 30 employees. Clients include Sony, Microsoft, Unisys and Corning. (1/4)
4th Quarter 2004
Greece - A portion of the Canal Ponds Business Park is up for sale. Approximately 100 acres of undeveloped property located with in the business park will be sold for $100,000 an acre. The land would be subdivided according the buyers requirements. Canal Ponds is one of the area's largest office park complexes with 625,000 square feet of office space. (9/24)
Henrietta - The future site of the engineering and research offices of Imagilent has cleared all DEC inspections and can be sold by the Town. The 15.7 acre parcel was a defunct sewer treatment facility with minor ground contaminants that was cleaned up by the Town. The sale to Imagilent may be finalized as soon as January, 2005. (12/15)
Henrietta - Verizon Wireless is planning to hire another 200 full time employees for its call center by the end of March. Verizon all ready employs 600 in one of its largest call centers. The company stated that brisk customer growth and a skilled local workforce as reasons for the expansion. In their most recent figures, Verizon added 1.5 million new customers nationwide. Verizon Wireless currently employs about 825 people in the Rochester area. (10/7)
Perinton - A Buffalo developer has begun construction of the $5.5 million Basin Meadows Professional Park. The park will have 55,000 square feet of professional and medical office space located at 145 Sully's Trail. The first of three buildings will be available for occupancy by December. Two buildings will be ready for lease by February. (11/5)
Rochester - The construction of an optics and biomedical building is expected to begin in January at the University of Rochester. The five-story, 101,000 square-foot complex will cost $30 million and include offices and laboratories, classrooms, an auditorium, conference rooms, a computer lab and atrium. Completion is targeted for June, 2006. (12/10)
Rochester - University of Rochester paid $4.45 million for the former Wyeth-Lederle site which was originally listed for $16 million. The U of R will invest $3 million in renovations. The building includes specialized labs and clean-rooms with additional office space. A cardiac research center will be established at the new facility. Wyeth expanded into the 84,000 square foot building in 1993 and closed its doors in July, 2003. (10/8)
3rd Quarter 2004
Pittsford - A project to renovate the old Pittsford Flour Mill into office space has been put before the Architectural and Preservation Review Board. The Mill is located in Schoen Place and has been vacant since the 1990's. The idea is to convert the concrete silos into eight stories of office space. Three older silos would be torn down as well as a warehouse and an addition to the original Mill. The proposal is under review by the Village Planning Board. (7/14)
Rochester - The University of Rochester is buying the former Wyeth Lederle laboratory in Henrietta to set up a center for the study of cardiovascular disease. Around 120 scientists from the UR will move to the Bailey Road facility and become one of the largest heart research centers in the United States. The U of R will receive around $15 million in funds this year for heart research and conduct more than 100 studies involving cardiovascular disease. (8/26)
Victor - The proposed High Point Office Park is getting resistance from the public concerned about traffic and environmental issues. Area neighbors are also concerned about having the town setting a precedent by allowing developers to rezone residential land into a planned development district. The developer has plans to make the congested Route 96 safer with an additional lane at High Street as soon as the project gets approval. Builders plan to mimic the nearby historic area using fieldstone fronts and slate for the roof. High Point Office Park is a 548,000 square foot development to be built behind Cobblestone Court on Route 96. (8/5)
2nd Quarter 2004
Perinton-- Constellation Brands will be moving to the Woodcliffe Office Park off Route 96 at the end of April. The 120,000 square foot building was originally built for Global Crossing before the company filed for bankruptcy. Constellation Brands will take 40,000 square feet of the building. Employees will benefit from added amenities such as a cafeteria and fitness center in the new building. (4/6)
Rochester-- The Mancuso Business Development Group of Batavia and Rochester's Cornerstone Group are the new owners of the building located at 250 Mill Street in the city of Rochester. The building will be transformed into The High Falls Business Center and will offer small office space and business support services for new and growing businesses. (4/27)
1st Quarter 2004
Rochester-- Plans to move Clear Channel out of Midtown Tower to property in Greece have been changed. The decision to stay in Midtown is seen by some as a stunning reversal. The media company had spent several months applying for tax breaks and planning approval for their move to a new building in Greece. The new agreement with Midtown Tower gives Clear Channel the option to expand from its 20,000 square foot space, among other things not disclosed. Clear Channel owns 1,200 radio stations across the country, including seven stations in Rochester. (01/15)
4th Quarter 2003
Greece-- Clear Channel Radio will be moving out of Midtown Plaza in Rochester to a new 30,000 square foot building in the Canal Ponds Business Park. A 160 foot radio tower and 3 satellite dishes will also be located in the park on Long Pond Road. Clear Channel will move all of its broadcasting and business operations to the new site and is expecting to add 40 new jobs. Tax incentives from the county, and a convenient location have helped make the business park successful. As for Midtown Plaza, the move out of Clear Channel will create another vacancy as it struggles to keep afloat.
Perinton-- A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. is expanding and will be moving this summer to a new building under construction at the intersection of Pittsford-Victor and Fishers Road. The Route 96 corridor has become a popular area with high visibility. Christa Development Corp. recently renovated a 54,000 square foot building next to the A.G. Edwards site to accommodate an expansion of Lenel Systems, International, a security firm. A.G. Edwards currently employs about 40 people locally and plans to add 10 more. The move comes at a time when the economy is showing signs of a turnaround and more clients are focusing on the stock market.
Rochester-- Efforts to revive Midtown Plaza have been frustrating for developer Lawrence Cohen, although he insists progress is being made. In a telephone interview, Cohen said it would take $30 to $40 million to bring the plaza into the 21st century. A recent study showed that while retail uses can succeed, capital improvements need to be implemented, improvements that have not been done since 1962. Cohen and his partners aren't ready to invest without some guarantee of return and current economic conditions are not favorable for growth. Office vacancy is 51 percent, up from 43 percent in 2002, and the Midtown Tower office building is more than 90 percent empty. Large tenant Clear Channel Radio recently made plans to move from the McCurdy building to a building in Greece. Yangtze Buffet and A Dollar moved in to Midtown this year and two other tenants may be added to the roster taking sizable retail space.
Rochester-- The Hiram Sibley Building located on East Avenue is being sold to a group of partners. The four story historical building has 37,000 square feet and is assessed for $1.1 million. Built in 1925 by a premier architectural firm in Boston, the Sibley building was intended to be the entrance of the upscale East Avenue neighborhood. Kitty-corner to the building is the former residential home of Hiram Sibley, and across the street is the Fitch building designed in similar appearance, although not as grand. Office space is located on the top three floors and two bars are next to each other on the street level.
3rd Quarter 2003
Rochester-- As part of a sale/leaseback transaction with the JobsPlus program and the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency, Gallina Development has negotiated a lease agreement for The Scotts Company to open an office in the Elmgrove Crossings Business Park. Scotts has leased 9,690 sq.ft. office/warehouse space for six years at 600 Mile Crossing Blvd. The space will be built out in accordance with Scotts national specifications to include 2,000 sq.ft. of office spacing, including multiple private offices, a bullpen office area, training and break rooms, restrooms and a shower area. The 9,690 sq.ft. is a portion of the 28,920 sq.ft. multi-tenant flex building. 600 Mile Crossing Blvd. Is the sixth multi-tenant flex building developed by Gallina Deveopment Corp. in the Elmgrove Crossings Business Park, totaling 156,000 sq.ft. of which 140,000 sq.ft. is currently leased. (8/26)
Rochester-- AAA of Western and Central New York is selling its building at 777 S. Clinton Avenue, but they are considering leasing back the portion they need, according to Gary Tschaepe, regional public affairs manager for AAA. With member walk-in offices in Greece and Penfield, the company will also be closing its Canandaigua office this month. (8/28)
2nd Quarter 2003
Gates-- An investment group, headed by Gary Cassara bought a 29,000 sq. ft. building housing several medical offices at the University of Rochester's Strong Health located at 1650 Elmwood Avenue in Brighton. The purchase price was $2.1 million according to Moore and Associates, Inc., representative of the seller, BNYFO Group Inc. (6/12)
Canandaigua-- Canandaigua Wine Co. has completed the $5.5 million expansion of its Canandaigua headquarters. The project included constructing a two-story, 42,000 sq. ft. building adjacent to the existing headquarters, renovation of existing offices and expansion of the parking lot. (5/19)
Pittsford-- Concentrix Corp, a marketing services company, will more than double its operation with 331 new jobs over the next three years and invest more than $6 million in its facility in Pittsford. The expansion was announced by the company and Gov. George Pataki, who praised Concentrix for deciding to invest in New York rather than move its operations to Ontario, Canada. Stephen Hodownes, the company's president and CEO said the decision was based largely on the state's ability to offer a $600,000 grant. The company will apply for the grant through the Empire State Development Corp, which will enable them to be much more cost competitive as they add jobs locally. Concentrix provides marketing services for corporations and businesses at its 150,000 sq. ft. facility and the expansion will include new computers, hardware and software. The company has already added about 50 jobs this year and will add another 75 by year's end with an average pay of $39,000, the company estimates. (5/8)
Rochester-- While many manufacturing companies have been shrinking and local employment is on the decline, Calvary Automation Systems - a designer and builder of robotic, assembly and test equipment for manufacturers - is bucking regional industry trends. In April, the $3 million corporation at 1560 Emerson Street made another expansion move, spending $3.5 million on a new office at 50 Becker Road in Henrietta that is more than double their current size. Calvary is in the process of buying patents for high-end engineering technology such as data tracking systems that should quadruple the 20-employee business. The company plans to use a little more than half of the new 75,000 sq. ft. building and hopes to move in within six months. (4/17)
Webster-- First Niagara Bank plans to open its fifth Monroe County branch later this year. The 2,500 sq. ft. branch at 1243 Bay Road will employ six employees. (5/23)
1st Quarter 2003
Gates-- Washington Mutual Bank has sold Crystal Commons Office Park in Gates to LAL Realty Inc. for $1.15 million. The 14,000 sq. ft. complex is about 70 percent leased according to Michael Fram, CB Richard Ellis broker who represents the bank. (1/24)
Greece-- Although a feasibility study has not yet been completed, Strong Health has tentative plans to build in Greece, possibly competing with Greece's Park Ridge Hospital. Strong envisions a two-story 100,000 sq. ft. facility for out-patient services. According to Teri D'Agostino, spokeswoman for Strong, about 35 percent of patients discharged from their Strong Memorial and Highland facilities were Greece residents, indicating a need for another facility in their area. A specific location and services offered have not been determined. (2/26)
Rochester-- Buckingham Properties has purchased the old IBM building at 150 State Street from Wilmorite Properties Inc. The building was constructed in the 1960s with more than 200 parking spaces and Buckingham will spend about $1.5 million renovating the four-story, 78,000 sq. ft. property to attract new tenants. Buckingham is considering adding two floors and linking the property to space on Front Street that is owned by RGS Energy Group. (2/11)
Rochester-- The Parazin Building in the High Falls district at 208 Mill Street is for sale. Owner Tom Dimino purchased the building in 1998 in which time, has remained vacant. Park Avenue Realtors has been retained to help sell the building or find tentants and broker-owner Joseph Cattalani said it would likely be best suited for office space, but they're open to a hotel, loft apartments or retail. (2/25)
Rochester-- Picture downtown and it conjures an image of the city's three tallest buildings -- 39-story Xerox Square, the 27-story Chase Tower and the 20-story One Bausch & Lomb Place. All three are in the midst of transformation. Xerox Square is undergoing a more than $50 million interior and exterior renovation project. Chase Tower will again be owned by a major bank and the Bausch & Lomb tower will be at its highest occupancy since opening in 1995 with new tenants moving in. The Xerox building will be seeing replacement of floors, addition of kitchenettes and refurbishing the outside cement of the buildings structure. J.P. Chase Morgan has exercised the option on a sale-leaseback of the Chase Tower and will resume ownership in 2011. Two and a half floors comprising of 25,000 - 30,000 sq. ft. are vacant. The B&L building, the youngest of the towers has seen its best year yet and is expecting its new tenant, West Group to move 250 of its 800 employees into 30,000 sq. ft. of the tower. (3/7)
Victor-- Rochester developer Rainaldi Brothers wants the town to rezone about 115 acres into a planned development district site for an 800,000 sq. ft. office complex, called High Point. The project is proposed for a plateau behind Cobblestone Court plaza on Route 96 and would comprise of an office complex,, retail businesses and possibly a hotel. Town officials will be studying the potential environmental impact of the proposed project and then will be forwarded to the Planning Board for their comments. Planning Board chairman Christie Hart said the project is in its beginning stages and has a long way to go. (1/21)
4th Quarter 2002
Brighton-- The town board is expected to receive and discuss the impact of a proposed 340,000 sq.ft. office complex on about 52 acres adjacent to Winton Road where developer Charles Mills from Crosskeys Corp. wants to build. Town Planner, Ramsey Boehmer said the Planning Board requested further information from Mills in a July meeting; the board was looking for existing features in relation to what's out there and how the proposed complex would work with the whole area, not just the building site. Currently, the land is zoned residential and would need to be rezoned for professional office space, Boehmer said, which will be taken into consideration upon review of the advisory report from the planning board. The plan submitted by Mills received criticism from residents who would like to see the land remain as open space. (9/25)
Penfield-- Fairport Savings Bank broke ground and construction has begun on the banks first branch office which will be located in the Wegmans Plaza on Route 250. The bank is constructing a 4,500 sq.ft. facility to provide service in Penfield and has been serving Fairport since 1888. (11/14)
Rochester-- Downtown's recognizable Times Square building, located at the corner of Broad Street and Exchange Boulevard was sold for $600,000 to attorney and real estate owner Richard A. Calabrese Sr. and his sons, Richard Jr. and Christopher from the Farash Corp. who bought the building in 1980 for $780,000. The Calabrese's plan to renovate the buildings lobby, power wash the exterior limestone, install new doors to the building and upgrade the heating and cooling system. Additionally, the family plans to illuminate the Wings of Progress that adorn the top of the building. There is no estimate yet as to the cost of the renovations. The building is currently 20% vacant and is in the Renaisance zone which could qualify for a tax break. With a little TLC, the new owners are optimistic it will draw people to the building. (11/1)
3rd Quarter 2002
Rochester-- According to the Rochester Downtown Development Corp.'s annual downtown market survey, vacancies in the downtown office competitive marketplace, excluding owner-occupied buildings, rose to 26 percent in May, up from 19.5 a year ago. This is the sharpest year-to-year increase since 1983 when the group began conducting the survey. Class A office space took the biggest hit, with vacancy rates doubling from 8.5 percent in 2001 to 17 percent, a loss of about 183,000 occupied sq.ft. in 2002. Scott Hill, a broker with The Cabot Group thinks many businesses are looking to Class B space because they're realizing they need practicality and functionality. (9/11)
Rochester-- Gates Business Park has been sold to Reinhart Enterprises, Inc. for total consideration of $6.075 million, according to representatives of CB Richard Ellis. The sale includes an eight building portfolio totaling 148,000 rentable sq.ft.. The park is located on Bermar Park in the southwest quadrant of the Rochester market and offers access to the I-490 expressway at Buffalo Road. (7/15)
2nd Quarter 2002
Albion-- Washington Mutual Inc. has begun its $14 million expansion at 231 East Avenue. The 135,000 sq.ft. office building; which was acquired in January 2001, is being upgraded to house an East Coast customer contact center. According to company officials, the expansion is expected to boost employment from 450 to approximately 900 within three years. In addition to the East Avenue site, Washington Mutual also leases another 65,000 sq.ft. building nearby. The company also signed an eight-year lease for 30,000 sq.ft. of space adjacent to its main building in the Albion Industrial Center. Washington Mutual received numerous incentives to aid with expansion costs. COIDA passed a measure worth $1 million in tax abatements extending over 10 years and a one-year measure worth nearly $1 million in sales-tax abatements. The Empire State Development Corp. has committed $350,000 toward the project. An application has been filed for $1.1 million in job-training assistance from the state Department of Labor. In addition, the village and town of Albion and county of Orleans collectively approved spending $400,000 for Washington Mutual to build a 150-car parking lot. Construction is slated to begin in May. (4/26)
Brighton-- Crosskeys Corp. submitted an informal presentation to the Town Board to construct approximately 340,000 sq.ft. of office space on about 50 acres of land near Westfall Road, between Winton Road and Route 590. The proposal includes the extension of Senator Keating Boulevard to accommodate construction of the buildings. In addition, the plans include giving the town an option to buy some land for recreational use near the site of the proposed offices, adjacent to the Gonsenhauser farm. The town plans to develop the Gonsenhauser site into a town park. Before the plan moves forward, the Town Board will have to consider rezoning the property from residential to low-density office use. The town's recently adopted comprehensive plan includes a plan for low-density offices in that area. (4/24)
Henrietta-- Travelers Property Casualty Corp. is closing its workers' compensation claim service center at 75 Town Centre Drive on August 31, 2002. The office's 57 workers will be laid off or transferred to other Travelers' locations. (5/24)
Perinton-- HSBC Bank USA is building a new branch at 12 Courtney Drive, near the intersection of routes 250 and 31. The new office, scheduled to open in late September, will be one of just five new branches nationwide that HSBC will build this year. (6/20)
Pittsford-- Coldwell Banker Prime Properties, Albany's largest residential real estate firm, has purchased the Rochester area's four Coldwell Banker agencies and merged them under one name. Coldwell Banker First American of Pittsford, Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate of Brighton, Coldwell Banker Royal Oak of Greece and Coldwell Banker Pultney Land Co. of Williamson, Wayne County, will become Coldwell Banker Prime Properties in Rochester. The move will create the area's fourth largest residential real estate brokerage, which will work out of a new office at 3750 Monroe Avenue. The four local agencies have about $135 million in sales volume and about 50 agents. (6/1)
Rochester-- Benderson Development Co. Inc. is nearing completion of its $6 million renovation project at HSBC tower. Benderson, who purchased the 20-story, 380,000 sq.ft. building in 1998, stated that current occupancy at the tower is 93%. Future renovation plans include rebuilding the area around the buildings entrance to make it more durable and parklike. (5/26)
Rochester-- HSBC Bank USA announced it will close its branch in the Sibley Building and transfer those customers to the branch in the bank's local headquarters building at 1 HSBC Plaza. (6/20)
1st Quarter 2002
Canandaigua-- Wegmans intends to retain ownership of an office building they purchased in June 2000 after Tops Markets said it wanted to build at the site. Two of the three suites in the office are currently leased. According to Ontario County records, the building was sold by owner James L. Griffith for $700,000. The building, located at 502 S. Main Street is assessed at $392,000. (3/3)
Henrietta-- The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency approved a $188,000 package of tax breaks and incentives for accounting firm Eldredge, Fox & Porretti. The firm plans to build an office at 180 Canal View Boulevard. The $3.5 million project will create 12 jobs over three years. The firm will relocate from its current space in Brighton's Corporate Woods office park. (2/20)
Penfield-- Linden Oaks Management Co. Inc. has broken ground on road and utility construction for the multimillion-dollar medical campus expansion planned at the Linden Oaks Office Park. Linden Oaks Medical Campus is a proposed four building site that will include approximately 200,000 square feet of space. It is located off Route 441 near Interstate 490. Linden Oaks currently has 18 buildings and 579,000 square feet of class A office space. The first building is expected to be completed by October and is 65% leased. The building will be located in both Brighton and Penfield. The 50,000 square foot facility is estimated to cost $3 million. The new road and infrastructure work for the site is estimated to cost $460,000. (1/18)
Perinton-- Global Crossing Ltd. announced it will not move from its offices downtown into a new building in the Woodcliff Office Park. Originally they planned to move more than 800 employees from 10 area locations into the new 120,000 square foot building. The telecommunications firm plans to file a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to reject the Woodcliff Office Park lease. The company announced plans to cut approximately 1,600 jobs and close more than 70 offices. Most staff reductions are expected to come from administration and sales with salary cuts among senior leadership and selected managers. (3/13)
Rochester-- The owners of Village Gate Square plan to convert empty retail space on the second floor into seven offices. The renovation is expected to cost approximately $500,000. The South Goodman Street property was previously renovated in 1984. (3/16)
Rochester-- Downtown Investors Group LLC purchased the building at 222 Andrews Street for $290,000 from CS Business Systems Inc. around the first of the year. The developers expect the cost of renovating the two-floor, 13,000 square foot space to reach $100,000. DocuLegal LLC, founded by two of the five partners from the Downtown Investors Group, leased the first floor of the Andrews St. property. Document Strategies Inc. has leased the second floor. (2/22) go to top
4th Quarter 2001
Perinton-- Global Crossing Ltd. will move from its offices downtown into a new building in the Woodcliff Office Park in January. More than 800 employees from 10 area locations will start moving into the new 120,000 square foot building. About 300 Global Crossing workers currently work downtown. The company is sharing significant space in Frontier Communications' South Clinton Avenue building. Citizens Communications Co. bought Frontier from Global Crossing this summer and is adding 450 workers here. Currently, Global Crossing employs approximately 1,000 people in the Rochester area. (11/28) The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency has approved a $680,000 incentive package for Global Crossings' consolidation of its area facilities into a single office. In return for the breaks, Global agreed to create 72 new jobs over the next three years. The Widewaters Group, based in Dewitt, Onondaga County, will develop the $8.5 million, 120,000 square foot building in Woodcliff Office Park. (12/19)
Perinton-- Buck & Pulleyn Inc. plans to relocate its headquarters from Irondequoit to the Basin Park office complex. Buck & Pulleyn will occupy approximately 18,000 square feet at Basin Park. The advertising agency should be in its new office by early January. (10/30)
Rochester-- The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency approved $108,000 in incentives for Asset Two's $1 million office-and-entertainment complex at 298 State Street. The project will affect 20 current employees and create 30 jobs. Asset Two LLC is seeking an upscale restaurant to complete their complex. The 22,500 square-foot building currently has 7,500 square feet of vacant space on the ground floor and another vacant 5,000 square feet of space on the upper floors. Possible tenants include the Center for Dispute Settlement Inc., which may expand into a 3,000 square-foot area of the building. (12/7) go to top
3rd Quarter 2001
Canandaigua-- Boyce Canandaigua will present plans to the Planning Commission for a new retail and office center at 800 S. Main Street next to the Canandaigua Inn on the Lake. Jeff Fargo, vice president of operations for the landholding company, stated the project includes 20,000 square feet of retail on the first floor with 30,000 square feet of second floor office space available. A $1.5 million carousel reminiscent of the defunct Roseland Amusement Park will also adorn the property. Fargo estimates the total construction cost will be $3 million. (7/6, 7/11)
Henrietta-- Van Zile Travel Service is starting a $2.3 million expansion project. Construction is expected to begin next month on the firm's new 21,000 square-foot facility on four acres at Winton Place. Russesll P. LeFrois Builders Inc. is slated to build it. The company plans to keep its main office on Monroe Avenue in Brighton as well as smaller offices in Greece, Fairport and Baltimore, Md. The company expects to grow from 74 full-time employees to 160 staffers over the next five years. (5/25)
Perinton-- Allstate Insurance Cos. claim office is expected to grow by nearly one-third when a $1 million, 8,780 square-foot addition is constructed at its offices at 167 Sully's Trail. Allstate's Syracuse claims center is being consolidated in Rochester and Buffalo. The expansion plan was approved for incentives from the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency. The estimated net value of the property, sales and mortgage tax incentives is roughly $90,000. The expansion is expects to add 25 jobs. (7/20)
Rochester-- Developer Laurence Glazer plans to buy and redevelop the derelict Michaels/Stern Building in a $6.5 million renovation project. Buckingham Properties is set to purchase the vacant seven-story building at 87 N. Clinton Avenue for $10,000. The city obtained the building in 1994 through property tax foreclosure. Buckingham is planning to begin renovation within the next few months on the first three or four floors, which will serve as the new home for The Catholic Family Center. The charitable organization's move, scheduled for December, will leave a 40,000 square-foot hole in the Sibley Tower. High-end apartments will occupy the top three floors. There is space for about 60, each more than 1,000 square feet. There will be a closed courtyard and reserved parking on an adjoining lot. Space on the ground floor is being reserved for a restaurant. The previous owner was a partnership that had tried unsuccessfully to develop it as a mixed-use complex with office, apartment and retail space in the late 1980s. (7/6, 7/7) The Rochester City Council approved the sale of the Michaels/Stern Building to developer Laurence Glazer. The first phase of the massive $6.5 million renovation project is expected to be completed within five months. (7/13)
Rochester-- Costanza Enterprises Inc. plans to launch a $4 million project to redevelop the East End's Temple Building, adding upscale apartments and retail space to the office building. The 14-story building at 14 Franklin Street sits across from Liberty Pole. The development is expected to include class A renovated office space, 30 to 40 apartments, 75 to 85 parking spaces, and 5,000 square-feet of retail space on the ground floor. Plans call for two or three floors of apartments containing eight to 10 apartments on each floor. The firm last week learned the project would receive a $75,000 "wired building" grant from the state economic development office. It was one of 15 grants issued statewide and the only one here. (7/6)
Rochester-- The city will close and abandon a one-block stretch of Stillson Street, between Achilles Street and North Chestnut Street, north of Main Street in the East End. The city will then sell its portion of the property to the owners of the Triangle Building. The move would provide the building with a 100-car parking lot. The abandoned area contains .175 acres and if the sale is approved, it will be sold to the building owners for $75,000. The city owns the parking lot on one side at 61 Chestnut St. Triangle Building Associates LLC owns the parking lot on the other side at 21 Stillson St. (7/13)
Rochester-- Officials last week said Unity Health System, which runs Park Ridge Hospital, is applying to the state Department of Health to operate the Genesee Ambulatory Care & Surgery Center Inc. Unity plans to run the outpatient facility to be established at Genesee Hospital. Genesee Ambulatory is a non-profit being set up to provide outpatient services at the closed Genesee Hospital. (9/20) go to top
2nd Quarter 2001
Gates-- Cornerstone Centre Office Park, located at 2300 Buffalo Road, has completed its tenth and final building. The new building's interior was recently built-out to meet the specifications of its new tenant, the New York State Finger Lakes DDSO. Finger Lakes DDSO joins Rochester Area Multiple Sclerosis, Chase Manhattan, Gates Chili Credit Union, the LOGS Group and Podiatry Associates, among others. (5/14)
Perinton-- Harris Beach LLC plans to move its headquarters from the Granite Building on East Main Street to the old Citicorp building in Perinton. Harris Beach purchased the 99 Garnsey Road property from Citicorp in May for $9.25 million and plans to spend $5 million to renovate 100,000 square feet of the building. The project will add 28 jobs. COMIDA approved $529,000 in tax breaks and other benefits. The agency says Harris Beach's move will yield $740,000 in tax and other revenue over the next 10 years. Citicorp, which sold the building in an effort to consolidate its operations, will continue to occupy about 60,000 square feet of the 160,000 square-foot building. Harris Beach will maintain two floors of offices in the Granite Building, which the firm co-owns with the law firm Lacy, Katzen, Ryen & Mittleman LLP since 1985. (4/18)
Perinton-- Victor-based Christa Construction is proposing to renovate and expand a former bank at 1212 Pittsford-Victor Road, near Corporate Crossings on Sully's Trail. Christa plans to renovate the entire former bank building, including the exterior, and add 18,000 square feet of office space. The completed building would have 56,000 square feet of corporate office space. (4/3)
Rochester-- Xerox Corp. has put the 34-year-old Xerox tower located on South Clinton Avenue on the market. The potential deal comes as Xerox is cutting costs, getting out of much of its rental space around Monroe County and moving staff into Xerox tower. The complex, which fills a city block, now holds offices for 1,200 workers, up from 1,000 last year. The potential sale of Xerox Square would strengthen the company's already positive cash flow. According to Robert Moore of the local real estate company, Moore & Associates, a potential sale price is difficult to estimate. Depending on the nature of the transaction, Xerox could get $100 million or more, depending on what they want to pay in rent. (5/30)
Rochester-- The ownership of Midtown Plaza will pass from developer Peter J. Arnold of California to New York City's Blackacre Bridge Capital. Blackacre, which loaned Arnold $18.5 million to buy the 1.2 million-square-foot property from the McCurdy family in November 1997 for $23.5 million, made a "credit" bid of $14,946,129. Blackacre made the only bid on the 39-year-old office and retail complex on main Street downtown. If Blackacre decides to sell Midtown, real estate experts have estimated a sale price of between $8 million and $10 million in its current state. (6/20)
Webster-- Paychex Inc. agreed to purchse PSC Inc.'s Webster headquarters May 3. The sale price on the 135,000 square-foot building was $5 million. The sale price was 46% less than PSC's asking price of $9.3 million. PSC decided to sell the building as part of a restructuring. Paychex plans to move a computer data center into the building. The company shelved plans to build an addition to its Penfield headquarters in favor of the PSC purchase. go to top
1st Quarter 2001
Penfield-- Paychex, which plans to break ground next month on a $43.7 million addition to its headquarters located at 911 Panorama Trail South, received a $1 million grant from the Empire State Development Corp. to support the expansion. The expansion will create 900 local jobs over the next five years. Planning and zoning officials are still reviewing the site plan that calls for a six-story, 300,000 square-foot building with an elevated walkway to link it to two existing buildings. The addition would bring Paychex headquarters to 440,000 square feet in size. Paychex employs 6,680 people, including 1,565 locally. About 600 employees who work in leased space will move to the headquarters when the addition is completed. (3/22)
Perinton-- Advertising agency Dixon Schwabl plans to build an 18,000 square-foot building on four acres, at a cost of $2.6 million. The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency board of directors approved a $289,000 package of tax breaks for the company. The company said it will create 34 jobs in three years in exchange for the break. (3/21)
Rochester-- The state Department of Health is moving into the historic Triangle Building, located at East Main Street and East Avenue by mid-April. The 10-year, DOH lease will fill the building to capacity. The building owners are pouring $1 million into renovating the top four floors, some 25,000 square feet of space, for the DOH. Triangle Building Associates LLC, a group of investors led by Flaum Management CEO David Flaum, own the Triangle Building. For the past 20 years the DOH has been located at 42 South Washington Street. (2/23)
Rochester-- Three Syracuse developers, 130 East Avenue LLC, have submitted a mixed-use proposal to the Cultural Center Commission to develop 130-160 East Avenue. The commission, which owns the 19,999 square-foot parcel, has approved the sale of the land. Plans call for 36 apartment units, street-level space for some five retailers and office space on the second and third floors. Construction of the proposed 91,000 square-foot facility could start as soon as September. The developers have secured approval for a loan from New York City-based Community Preservation Corp., a private mortgage lender specializing in financing low-to moderate-income housing. In addition, developers are seeking approval from the Monroe County Legislature and the Rochester City Council for a $1.5 million loan. The loan is based on city borrowing rates, which are generally lower than prime rates. (3/2,3/9)
Rochester-- The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency's board approved the transfer of a sale/leaseback agreement for the Powers Building from PB Associates LP to SB Ashley Associates. The move could be a prelude to a sale of the building. The 210,000 square-foot, nine-story building at Main and State streets was Rochester's tallest when completed in 1871. (3/21)
Rochester-- Hunt Real Estate Corp., Buffalo's second-largest real estate company, will buy Judy Columbus Inc., Rochester's sixth-largest firm, for an undisclosed sum. The deal creates a brokerage with more than 530 agents and $760 million in sales. The acquisition is the latest in a series. ReMax Realty of Pittsford acquired Lowenguth Realty in January, and ReMax First bought ReMax Portfolio in November. (3/21)
Victor-- Developers Fred and Richard Rainaldi are proposing a three-tiered office park, high-tech park and retail area on 125 acres. The proposal would require the rezoning of the parcel from residential to a planned development district, which would allow mixed use of commercial, service and office businesses. Sixty percent of the land, which is bordered by Route 96, High Street, Valentine Road and Monroe County to the north, will be left as open space. Access for High Point Business Park would be through the southern entrance of Cobblestone Court off Route 96 and Valentown Road. Plans for the development call for 1c acres devoted to retail space, including the 1830's cobblestone house, known as the Bonsteel House, facing Route 96 on the west side of the property. Including the house, this area will contain 25,000 square feet of retail space. To the east, plans call for (4) three-story office buildings containing a total of 400,000 square feet. To the northeast, plans call for an additional 350,000 square feet of high-tech and other office space. Those buildings would be either two or three stories and designed to fit tenants' needs. If the board grants a zoning change, the Planning Board must then approve the project before construction could begin. (1/14, 1/20) go to top
4th Quarter 2000
Greece-- The Planning Board approved site plans for a 8,952 square-foot building, to be known as Corner-Stone Dental. The office will be built at the intersection of Mt. Read Boulevard and Wildwood Drive next to CVS Pharmacy. A fence will enclose the property and shrubs and other landscaping will be added as a visual barrier. (9/28)
Penfield-- Paychex has submitted plans for expansion at 911 Panorama Trail South. The proposal calls for a six-story, 300,000 square-foot building. An elevated walkway would link it to two existing buildings. The addition would bring Paychex headquarters to 440,000 square feet in size. The expansion will create room for 1,250 new employees. Paychex employment has reached 6,500, including 1,500 people in Rochester. About 550 are now at the Penfield headquarters. The company hopes to start construction late this winter and move in by the end of 2002. (10/31)
Perinton-- The Town Board has postponed a decision of a rezoning request by developer Charles Mills of Mill Associates, Willow-Brook Office Park. The developer is requesting a 3.2 acre parcel of land, adjacent to Perinton Square on Moseley Road, be rezoned from residential to business for construction of a proposed 3,000 square foot bank and 16,000 square foot office building on the site. The decision to postpone followed a discussion with area residents who opposed the development. (11/2) go to top
3rd Quarter 2000
Penfield-- The Planning Board has approved developer, Linden Associates request to add 113 spaces to the parking lot at its empty, 54,000 square-foot building at430 Linden Avenue. The decision clears the way for Paychex Inc. to move offices into the Linden Avenue industrial park. Paychex needs approximately 35,000 square feet in the building to accommodate growth. The industrial park was formerly known as the Linden Tech Industrial Park. (6/11)
Perinton-- The Town Board approved a rezoning of property at the corner of Moseley and Pittsford-Victor roads from "Residential A" to "Restricted Business". Only administrative types of businesses would be allowed under the "Restricted Business" designation. The zoning change allows developers, Mark Costich of Costich Engineering and Kevin Gregg of Chrissantha Construction to seek site-plan approval to build two office buildings at the site, one 10,000 square feet in size and the other 8,000 square feet. The two-story office buildings would have a residential-looking exterior design and parking spaces for 69 cars. Dixon Schwabel Advertising, 1250 Pittsford-Victor Road, will lease the 10,000 square foot structure. Developers have yet to find a tenant for the 8,000 square foot structure. (8/24,8/31)
Perinton-- Harris, Beach & Wilcox LLP has signed a contract to buy the Citibank building at 99 Garnsey Road for $9.25 million. The 170-attorney firm plans to move its headquarters and most of its operations to the 160,000 square-foot building during the winter of 2001 after completing more than $1 million in renovations. Citibank will lease back about 65,000 square feet of the Perinton property. Harris, Beach will keep offices on one floor of the Granite Building, at 130 E. Main Street, and continue to co-own the 108,000 square foot downtown structure. (7/14)
Rochester-- Fastnet Corp. of Bethlehem, Pa., has signed a lease agreement for space in the McCurdy Office Building, one of five office buildings at Midtown Plaza. The Internet service provider will use the 2,600 square-foot space for a computer network connected to its Bethlehem offices. (6/24)
Rochester-- ViaHealth is considering giving up its Chestnut Street facility. When it moved in, ViaHealth signed a five-year lease on 14,500 square feet of the 18,500 square-foot building. The class A structure was rehabbed extensively to the health system's specifications. The building's owner has kept the remaining square footage vacant on the assumption that the health system would need it for expansion. Buckingham Properties LLC, the building's owner, said the health care organization has opportunities to exit its lease. Financial considerations were not the prime concern for ViaHealth with regard to giving up its downtown headquarters. CEO Thomas Litz sees a move out of the headquarters more as having symbolic and practical value for ViaHealth. (7/28)
Rochester-- Elliott Press, owner and developer of the Towers Airport Business Park located on Scottsville Road, across from the Greater Rochester International Airport is offering jewelry incentives for anyone who leases space. A new tenant or broker will be able to pick out jewelry valued from $500 to $15,000, depending on size and length of the lease. Deals involving brokers will fluctuate due to the 6% commission they charge. The Towers office park consists of two, four-floor buildings of 108,000 square feet. The first building was started in 1984 and the second in 1988. Rents range from $15 to $16.50 a square foot. The park is more than 95% occupied. However, two of the park's current tenants are moving out of the market creating an 18% vacancy, or roughly 20,000 square feet of available space. (9/8) go to top
2nd Quarter 2000
Brighton-- Lifespan, an elder-services agency, has applied to the town to move its current North Clinton headquarters and many of its services into the former Loehmann's location on South Clinton Avenue. The administrative offices and the majority of programs would move to the former women's clothing store. The agency's senior center, wellness center, and some of its programs will move to the former Sibley's building in downtown Rochester. About 60 employees will move into the Brighton location. (4/5)
Greece-- Two local businesses will fill a 60,000 square-foot vacancy in Canal Ponds Business Park. A local division of Applied Graphics Technologies and The Sutherland Group Ltd. will occupy the former Rochester Sports building at 155 Bellwood Drive. Sutherland, a professional services company based in Pittsford, has six offices, three of them in the Rochester area. Applied Graphics digital imaging systems division is expanding from a 16,000 square-foot space to a 34,500 square-foot area. The division opened in 1993 on Emerson Street in Rochester. The company will close that office when it moves this summer. The division, which started with 18 workers, now employs 116, with 70 at the Rochester office. (5/12)
Henrietta-- Frontier Communications plans to move approximately 400 employees from its office located at 180 S. Clinton Avenue to its new customer service center at 1225 Jefferson Road, in Henrietta. The move affects employees who currently work on the third floor of Frontier's downtown office. Frontier will lease about 48,000 square feet in the Lechmere space at the former Cohoes Commons for five years. Financial terms were not disclosed. (3/16) The county's Industrial Development Agency has given a tax break to Frontier Corporation. Frontier will be able to purchase construction materials and furniture free of any sales tax during its $5.2 million renovation project of the former Lechmere facility on Jefferson Road. Since Rochester developer David Flaum purchased the 272,500 square-foot plaza for nearly $6 million last fall, several new businesses have opened shop there. (3/29)
Penfield-- Paychex Inc. is moving forward on a plan to expand its headquarters and consolidate area operations there. The company submitted plans for a third building at 911 Panorama Trail South. The new five-story building would have ~ 200,000 square feet and cost ~ $26 million. About 500 employees are based at the corporation's 140,000 square-foot headquarters near the Penfield-Pittsford line. The new building would accommodate between 700 and 1,000 workers. Most would be moved from office space now leased throughout the Rochester area. Its existing headquarters is assessed at $12.6 million. ( 4/21)
Perinton-- CB Richard Ellis, leasing agent for Basin Investments, has leased a total of 40,000 square-feet of Business Class office space at Basin Park. Of this total, 28,000 square-feet of the space was leased by Canandaigua National Bank & Trust for a lease term of 10 years, with the remainder of the space being leased by Eastview Executive Suites and Teknics (6,000 square-feet each for five years). Basin Park, located at 1150-1160 Pittsford-Victor Road, is situated on 18.2 acres in Bushnell's Basin. (3/28,4/17)
Perinton-- Victor-based Christa Construction has submitted plans for two more buildings in the Corporate Crossings office park. The 20-acre office park already has two large office buildings and has approval for a third. Christa, which owns the park, is proposing a two-story, 35,000 square-foot building with a walk out basement and a 6,000-to-7,000 square foot office building. Corporate Crossings land has been zoned for office buildings for more than 20 years. The small residential-style building would be built on an acre of land that was rezoned in January. (5/3)
Rochester-- The United Way of Greater Rochester Inc. has signed a purchase agreement to buy the American Red Cross building at 75 College Ave. for $1.9 million. The purchase agreement calls for the United Way to pay $1.2 million at closing and the balance in equal payments at 6% interest over the next five years. The sale is slated for November 1st closing. United Way worked out a deal with their present landlord, the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce Inc., to let them out of their current lease. The 16-year lease, signed in 1987 will terminate on Jan. 31, 2001. (3/10) go to top
1st Quarter 2000
Bushnell's Basin-- Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. will lease approximately 25,000 square feet in Basin Park on Route 96 for a large financial support center. The bank will offer commercial, trust and investment services there and will use the space as a satellite for check processing and support services for all its recently opened branches. The support center is expected to be operational by May. (2/29)
Rochester-- The Chase Manhattan Bank is closing two of its area branches; the Four Corners branch at 1 Main Street and the Irondequoit Mall branch are slated to close May 18 and 19. Downtown clients will be transferred to Chase Tower at 1 Chase Square. The Irondequoit clients, mostly mall merchants, will shift to the branch at 1982 E. Ridge Road. The combined staff of 15 also will transfer to nearby locations. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Chase has grown by less than 1% over the last five years and its deposits slipped from $1.3 billion in 1998 to $1.2 billion last year. Chase ranks fifth locally, with 13% of local deposits as of June 30, 1999, behind Citibank (New York State), HSBC Bank USA, M&T Bank and Charter One Bank. (2/18)
Rochester-- Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. will continue its expansion by opening a downtown branch in 4,000 square feet of what formerly was the Columbia Banking building on East Main Street, across from First Federal Plaza. When the facility is opened, the bank, whose main office is at 72 S. Main Street in Canandaigua, will have 10 of its 18 sites in Monroe County. (2/29)
Rochester-- Harter Secrest & Emery is relocating its law offices from Midtown Tower to One Bausch & Lomb Place. The law firm will be exiting the four floors its 90 lawyers occupied, leaving yet another large vacancy in the Midtown complex that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last week. (1/28) go to top
4th Quarter 1999
Henrietta-- Gallina Development Corp. has purchased two adjoining properties on Goodway Drive. The total built-out developments will cost nearly $2 million. The Rochester developer plans to build an 18,000 square-foot, multi-tenant building including office and warehouse space on the larger parcel, totaling 2.3 acres. The firm projects development cost of $1,023,000. Rosemount Inc., a process control instrumentation sales operation, is expanding, and will take up one-third of that space. The remainder will be available for lease. The 1.7-acre parcel will house a 15,000 square-foot building with development costs estimated at approximately $900,000. This building is 100% leased. SEA Consultants LLC, an engineering firm, and the distribution arm of Gannett Rochester Newspapers, a division of Gannett Co. Inc, have signed as tenants. The projects are expected to be completed by April 1, 2000. (10/29)
Henrietta-- DialAmerica Marketing Inc., a New Jersey based telemarketing company, is opening a state-of-the-art call center, creating positions for 150 teleservice representatives (TSRs) and 25 supervisors and administrators within a year. The new 6,021 square-foot office, located at 1225 Jefferson Road, The Commons, represents DialAmerica's 65th facility. DialAmerica posted sales in excess of $200 million in fiscal year 1998. (11/10)
Perinton-- The Planning Board is reviewing a request from Bernard Taillie, a local resident, to rezoned an acre of land south of Corporate Crossing Office Park on Sully's Trail from residential to restricted business, which allows for office use. Christa Construction, who owns the 20-acre office park, wants to buy the land from Taillie to build a 10,000 square-foot building. Members of a neighborhood association expressed concern over the rezoning. (11/29)
Pittsford-- Messenger Post Newspapers has moved into its new Monroe County headquarters, at 1 Grove Street in the village. The new site, located in the historic Pickle Factory, replaces the Fishers and Pittsford offices. The move coincides with the opening of the firm's new 28,000 square-foot production facility at 73 Buffalo Street in Canandaigua. The changes were made to consolidate some operations of the newspaper group, created in 1996 when the Canandaigua Daily Messenger acquired the Wolfe Newspapers chain of Monroe County. (11/25)
Rochester-- Pioneer Development Co., a Syracuse-based developer, announced preliminary plans to build a four- to six-story office building on a parking it owns at Chestnut and Court streets. Pioneer also owns the two office buildings surrounding the parking lot - Three City Center, at 180 S. Clinton Ave., and One City Center, at 161 Chestnut Street. The Pioneer building would add to the 9.5 million square feet of downtown office space. Approximately 1.3 million square feet has been added during the past 10 years. (9/29)
Rochester-- Owner Ben Kendig is putting $2 million into the former Gorsine Building, a 45,000 square-foot space he has renamed the High Falls Building. His company, Kend Enterprises Inc., bought the building at 4 Commercial St. from the city for $1 in March 1998. FM Technologies/Pearce Basingr Group, a facilities management, design, and space planning firm, plans to occupy roughly one floor of the 1840s building. Kendig also owns the building on the opposite side of the Upper Falls - a 3,000 square-foot former power plant building. (10/1)
Rochester-- The Wolf Group will move its Rochester office from Midtown Plaza into 192 Mill St., as the principal tenant of the six-story building. Forty-four employees will move into the renovated building on Commercial Street in the High Falls district. Wolf will get naming rights to the 1880s building, located across from Jillian's and the High Falls garage. The company expects to move into the building in May and occupy 15,000 square feet of space on the top two floors. The Wolf Group is a marketing communications network with a total staff of nearly 500. (11/12)
Rochester-- Citigroup Inc. will move its downtown Citibank office from East Main Street, near Stone Street, to First Federal Plaza on East Main near State Street. The move was approved by state regulators. The branch will open in early December and include space for the bank's area commercial loan group. (9/24)
Victor-- An undisclosed buyer paid $1,495,000 for a 28,000 square-foot office/flex building located in the Canning Industrial Park at 7931 Rae Boulevard. The one-story, pre-engineered steel and masonry building was built in 1990 and is situated on a 3.9-acre site zoned for Light Industrial use. (12/99) go to top
3rd Quarter 1999
Penfield-- Paychex, Inc. is developing plans for a five-story, 200,000 square-foot building near its existing headquarters at 911 Panorama Trail South. The building would straddle the Penfield-Pittsford town line. The 200,000 square-foot building would represent the first phase of a revised expansion plan, previously submitted last September. (7/15)
Perinton-- PaeTec Communications Inc. plans to lease 50,000 square feet in the new 100,000 square-foot building planned by CrossKeys Corp., a property leasing and management company, in Willowbrook Office Park on Pittsford-Victor Road. Crosskeys will seek approval for the project from the town planning board in September. The new headquarters will add ~ 300 new jobs within a few years. PaeTec, a local telecommunications company founded last year by former ACC Corp. executives, currently occupies about 25,000 square feet in Fairport and employs approximately 150 people. (8/27)
Pittsford-- Flaum Management Co. Inc. and Christa Construction Inc., have terminated a contract to purchase the Citibank building on Garnsey Road. Flaum and Christa were not able to secure a commitment from a local employer to lease a major portion of its space. The three-story, 160,000 square-foot building, assessed at $11.5 million, has not been fully occupied since May 1998. (9/3)
Rochester-- Lewis Norry, president of Norry Management Corp., plans to spend $2 million to $4 million to renovate the former Canfield and Tack building. The 43,000 square foot, five-story building located at 192 Mill Street has been vacant since the printing company relocated in 1989. Norry declined to disclose the terms of the sale, which is expected to close the end of September. (9/11)
Rochester-- Platinum LLC purchased the former Rochester Hotel at 97 West Main Street and the Fenyvessy Building at 81-91 West Main Street. The developer formed Main and Plymouth LLC, a development group working hard to bring back downtown. M&P bought the 11-story, Fenyvessy Building for $695,000 from Rochester attorneys Edwin Foster and John Foster. Volunteers of America Inc. sold the former Rochester Hotel building for $10. The long-term goal for the company's latest acquisition - the 81-97 West Main Street property - is to build an office building or a parking garage on the 1.5 acres. (8/13)
Rochester-- Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP has given notice to plaza owner Midtown Rochester LLC, on the two-year section it occupies in the 1 million square-foot Midtown complex. The law firm has two leases, which, respectively, call for one years' and two years' notice of intent to vacate; each covers roughly half of the firm's four-floor suite. The firm has not yet identified new space, and it will need virtually all that time to engineer a move. In addition, the Wolf Group advertising agency has given notice that they will leave when its lease expires in March. The Wolf Group, which occupies nearly a full floor at Midtown, is planning to lease a slightly larger space in a nearby downtown building. (8/27)
Rochester-- Monroe County is seeking county lawmakers approval to borrow $2.2 million to purchase the city government Public Safety Building for a sheriff's department headquarters. If lawmakers approve the buying the building, the county would lease it back to the city for $1 until the spring of 2001, when the city's new Public Safety Building should be complete. This proposal is just one of many projects to be voted on as the county and the city remake the downtown Civic Center. The Civic Center changes include: The county's $15.6 million project to renovate the Hall of Justice, the county's main courthouse, the city's $18.8 million project to build a five-story Public Safety Building at the south end of the Civic Center Plaza, and the county's $49 million expansion of its jail on the west side of the plaza facing Plymouth Avenue. (9/14)
2nd Quarter 1999
Brighton-- The Town Board accepted developer, Bruce Gianniny offer of $200,578 by approving his plan to build a hotel and office complex near Linden Avenue and Route 441. Gianniny needed a part of the property rezoned from residential use to office park use. Plans call for an expansion of Linden Oaks Office Park by creating a six-story hotel, two office buildings, and a restaurant. The money has been put into a town fund for park development. Construction is expected to begin sometime next year. (4/30)
Perinton-- Christa Development Corporation has begun construction/preleasing on a 75,000 square-foot brick office building located in the Corporate Crossings Office Campus. The three-story class A office space, located off Sully's Trail is slated for occupancy in the Spring of 2000. (5/21)
Rochester-- Buckingham Properties LLC is planning to relocate its headquarters to 1 South Washington Street . In addition to leasing and managing the building, Buckingham has plans to renovate the largely vacant 55,000 square-foot structure. The Natapow Management Group, which owns First Federal Plaza, bought the Washington Street building last August for $1.5 million. (4/9)
Rochester-- Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. will move its main customer service office into the first floor of the 102-year-old Triangle Building at East Main Street and East Main. The utility will lease 7,500 square feet of space from Flaum Management and become the first new tenant in the vacant building. County records show the owner David Flaum paid $50,000 for the five-story building in December 1997. John Summers, the previous owner, paid $1.275 million for the property in 1987. (4/15)
Rochester-- Charter One Auto Finance Corp., which currently leases the third floor of the Sibley building has signed a lease on 30,000 square feet of new space. The new space brings Auto Finance Corp.'s total square footage in the building to 85,000. The company has taken an option on 10,000 additional square feet on the eight floor. The firm's expansion comes after Charter One pulled its downtown branch and two floors of offices out of neighboring Midtown Plaza in January over a lease dispute. (4/2)
Rochester-- The Rochester satellite office of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western New York has recently moved into Suite 150 of 1425 Mt. Read Blvd. Make-A-Wish is a non-profit organization that grants wished to local children between the ages of 2 and 18 years of age. (Spring 1999)
1st Quarter 1999
Brighton-- The Sear-Brown Group has designed and constructed new quarters for more than 70 of its 260 Rochester-area employees. The new 20,000 square-foot facility at 2250 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road houses the firm's corporate services staff and several technical groups. Together with an existing 40,000 square-foot facility at 85 Metro Park, the buildings form a complex connected via a common parking lot. Construction of the project was completed in eight months. (1/13)
Henrietta-- Calkins Corporate Office Park, located on Calkins Road across the street from the Golden Bear Golf Center, was awarded site plan approval for a proposed 152,000 square-foot office building located on Red Creek Drive. The area is zoned for industrial development. (1/20)
Rochester-- The Triangle Building, a 102 year-old architectural landmark, located on East Main Street is now vacant. The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, the buildings last tenant, has relocated to new offices at 277 N. Goodman Street. County records show the owner David Flaum paid $50,000 for the five-story building in December 1997. John Summers, the previous owner, paid $1.275 million for the property in 1987. Flaum, has been renovating the building and demolishing interior walls so that one tenant can occupy each floor. (1/14)
Rochester-- Cleveland-based Charter One Bank has moved its office and branch operations out of Midtown Plaza. Rochester Community Savings Bank, which Charter One acquired last year, had maintained its main office and branch in the plaza for nearly three decades. The bank decided to combine its Franklin Street and Midtown branches at 40 Franklin Street, about a block from Midtown. The 14 full-time Midtown branch workers will keep their jobs. The banks other downtown branch at the Times Square building at Broad St. and Exchange Blvd. will remain open. (1/12)
Rochester-- Attorney James Philippone of James V. Philippone P.C., bought the Central Trust building from a New Jersey investor for $1.1 million. The five-story structure is located at 44 Exchange Street on the corner of Broad Street. Philippone, who owns nearby buildings at 55 Troup Street and 37-41 East Main Street, hopes to attract the legal community as prospects for the largely vacant Exchange Street building. (2/12)
Rochester-- Reconstruction of the county's Hall of Justice is scheduled to begin the end of January. The goal of this state-mandated renovation project is to improve security and public access. The project will include relocating the main entrance, increasing the number of security screening stations and better defining circulation in the building. It will provide an additional 67,000 square feet of space for the courts and an additional 12,000 square feet of space for supporting court functions. (1/20)
4th Quarter 1998
Brighton-- Anthony J. Costello, chief executive officer of USAirports and the developer of several medical buildings in the Westfall Road area, has purchased the last acres of the old Gonsenhauser family farm on Westfall Road. Construction projects on the 122 acres of farmland will most likely include at least two new 100,000 sq. ft. office buildings, as well as single and multi-family homes. Costello, who declined to disclose the purchase price, has already developed ~ 200,000 sq. ft. of medical office space at Westfall and South Clinton Avenue on Senator Keating Boulevard. (10/17, 10/21)
Canandaigua-- Messenger-Wolfe Publications has received City Planning Board approval to expand and upgrade their facility. The construction will not require any variance approvals since the Buffalo Street property is currently zoned for commercial use. The plans call for a two-story, L-shaped expansion to wrap around the north and west sides of the building on Buffalo Street, adding 20,400 square feet to the existing 16,000. The move will involve relocating ~ 55 Monroe County production workers. No cost estimate was disclosed for the project. The existing building is assessed by the city at $680,000. (10/14)
Rochester-- Choice One Communications Inc. signed a 10-year lease for 30,000 sq. ft. of space in the Marine Midland building on Chestnut and Court Streets. Choice One, formed in June by former ACC Corp. executives, has been renting 9,000 sq.ft. of space temporarily in the Piano Works mall located in the town of East Rochester. Choice One recently secured $60 million in financing to double its working capital to $120 million. The full-service telecommunication provider employs approximately 50 people; with plans to hire 50 additional workers by the end of 1999. (10/29)
Rochester-- The Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley have moved into their new Metro S*T*A*R Center at 755 Culver Road. Along with their main office in Henrietta and another satellite in Batavia, Metro is here to provide support, training and resources to the 14,000 girls and 4,000 adults involved in Girl Scouting here in the Genesee Valley. The new location houses a library, a program room, staff offices, and a store. (Fall 1998)
3rd Quarter 1998
Canandaigua-- Messenger-Wolfe Publicatons submitted plans to the City Planning Commission for preliminary site approval to expand and upgrade their facility. Plans call for a two-story, L-shaped expansion to wrap around the north and west sides of the building on Buffalo Street, adding 20,400 square feet to the existing 16,000. Although company headquarters will be in Canandaigua, the weekly newspapers' satellite offices in Pittsford, Brockport, Greece, Irondequoit, and Webster will remain open. The move will involve relocating ~ 55 Monroe County production workers. No cost estimate was disclosed for the proposed project. The existing building is assessed by the city at $680,000. (9/17)
Irondequoit-- The Town Planning Board approved the move of the Rochester Business Institute from its current location on the corner of East Ridge Road and Brown Road to the empty Grossman's building off Portland Avenue. RBI plans to renovate the 29,300 square-foot building inside and out in anticipation of the more than 500 students who will be attending the institute. (8/11)
Irondequoit-- Eastman Kodak Co. has sold the Kings Park office complex in Irondequoit for $19.5 million. HRPT Properties Trust, a Boston-based real estate investment trust, bought the fully leased 309,000 square-foot facility at the end of June. Kings Park is HRPT's first Rochester property. Tenants at the complex located at 100 Kings Highway include Danka Office Imaging, Paychex Inc., ESL Federal Credit Union, GE Capital Assurance, and Sutherland Group Ltd. (7/18) (7/24)
Rochester-- The Salvation Army has purchased the former Monroe Savings Bank FSB headquarters building at the corner of East Main and Franklin Streets from M&T for $500,000. The Christian charitable organization will relocate its administrative offices from 70 Liberty Pole Way to the second floor and basement of the bank building. Approximately 9,000 square feet of ground floor office space will remain empty at the two-story, 18,000 square foot structure. (6/26)
Rochester-- Knowlton Associates LLC have closed on a $3.4 million deal to renovate a four-story vacant building at 69 Cascade Drive. The developers would retrofit the 96,600 square-foot Knowlton Building for computer-oriented businesses. Plans call for 10 loft/working spaces to be constructed on the fourth floor. As part of the project, the developers would also purchase a smaller vacant building at 35 Washington St. and demolish it for parking. The city would initially buy that 27,800 square-foot building for $325,000 and then resell it to the developers. The city would then provide a 22-year mortgage to the company at an interest rate of 4.8%. The new tenants would create at least 100 jobs. (7/9)
Rochester-- Rochester developer David Flaum, president of Flaum Management Co., has purchased the Harro East building, 400 Andrews Street for $1.2 million. The building features an athletic club, concert hall and office space. (7/11)
Rochester-- Buckingham Properties Inc. has sold the Cox Building to entrepreneur Taib Elketani, who also has purchased several retail and apartment properties on Monroe Avenue. The seven-story Class C building on St. Paul Street sold for a little more than $1 million. (9/18)
Rochester-- CBS Radio plans to move its radio stations - including 125 employees - from Winton Road in Brighton to the Marine Midland building by November. CBS, which owns WCMF-FM (96.5), WARM-FM (101.3), WPXY-FM (98) and WZNE-FM (94.1), will lease 22,000 square feet; two floors of the 19-story building. The company has signed a 10-year lease, but declined to say how much it will pay. (7/17)
Rochester-- The former Bausch & Lomb Inc. warehouse and manufacturing plant at St. Paul Boulevard and Bausch Street is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation by general contractor Midland Construction Corp. Tenants including the County Department of Social Services and the Department of Health will occupy the 200,000 square-foot building, owned by Rochester attorney Dante Gullace. (6/23)
Rochester-- The Natapow Management Group has leased 60,000 square feet at First Federal Plaza to two firms - Bergmann Associates Architects and Engineers P.C. and the Davie, Kaplan, Chapman & Braverman P.C. accounting firms. Bergmann Associates has signed a 15-year lease on 42,500 square feet of space on the second floor and 3,500 square feet on the third. The Natapow Group bought the 21-story, 245,000 square-foot tower in February from Marine Midland Bank. (8/28)
2nd Quarter 1998
Brighton-- Construction has begun on the 100,000 square-foot office building at Meridian Centre located on an 18 acre property on South Winton Road. The Natapow Management Group expects to finalize leases by July with ~ five tenants for 60% of the office space in the building. The building should be completed by November 1st. (6/19)
Chili-- Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is planning to expand its corporate offices on Market Street, adding 98,500 square feet to the existing building. Three hundred people will be moved from leased quarters into the new addition when it is completed. The target completion date is late summer or early fall of next year. (5/21)
Greece-- C.P. Partners has received approval to begin construction on a new 23,000 square-foot multi-tenant commercial office building in Canal Ponds Business Park. Canal Ponds is currently the site for organizations such as IBM, Johnson & Johnson and the Eastman Kodak Company. This new facility, the first multi-tenant office buildings in Canal Ponds, located on 2.5 landscaped acres, offers numerous amenities including ample parking, easy access to expressways and thruway and close proximity to the West side business district. (4/28-5/11)
Macedon-- Mobil Chemical Co.'s films division announced it will move its offices from Perinton to the Mobil-owned Macedon Technical Center facility when its lease for 65,000 sq.ft. of office space at Basin Park expires next year. Approximately 160 employees will move in phases to the Macedon facility by the end of August 1999. Mobil was offered $1 million worth of ecomonic incentives by state and local governments, including tax abatements and cut-rate electricity. Mobil will benefit from a $200,000 grant to install energy-efficient windows. Infrastructure improvements at the Macedon complex will begin immediately. (5/22,5/27)
1st Quarter 1998
Brighton-- Ziff-Davis Education Inc., formerly Logical Operations, will relocate a division which publishes "how-to" newsletters for software programs currently located in Louisville, Ky., to the Canal View Office Park . Ziff-Davis, a technology-oriented media company, employs 270 workers and provides computer training courses and materials at the center. The Cobb Group will relocate to a recently built 32,000 square-foot building adjacent to the center. (1/14)
Gates-- Via-Health, a subsidiary of Rochester General Hospital, has opened a new facility at Cornerstone Centre. Gates Center Medical Group, located at 2300 Buffalo Road, will occupy over 6,000 square feet in Building 900. Under construction is the last and final building at Cornerstone Centre, Building 1000 which consists of 10,200 sq.ft. and will complete the 87,000 sq.ft. Office Park. (1/27-2/16)
Henrietta-- The Town Board has granted a special permit to Calkins Corporation Park LLC, developer of Calkins Health Commons to build seven additional buildings at the Calkins Road complex. The permit specifies that the new buildings - each ~ 20,000 sq.ft. - be used only for office space. The buildings are to be constructed on a 33-acre lot adjacent to Calkins Health Commons. (12/27)
Perinton-- The Planning Board has approved preliminary site plans for the construction of Willow Brook 700, a three-story 47,000 square foot office building on Route 96. Developer, Charles Mills must submit plans for increased landscaping along Route 96, make a contribution to the town's sidewalk fund and conform to existing light pole styles before final site approval will be granted. A compromise has been reached on parking requirements, utilizing additional spaces at Willow Brook 200. (1/14)
Rochester-- A group of local investors, led by Flaum Management Co. Inc., has purchased the Triangle Building. The building at East Main Street and East Avenue is located at the southeast corner of the Liberty Pole plaza. The first floor of the 25,000 square foot Triangle Building has been vacant since the Marine Midland Bank branch closed in the early 1990s. Investors plan to lease the first floor and sign upper-floor occupants once substantial renovations to the structure are completed. (1/9)
Rochester-- Local real estate investors Stephen Natapow and Robert Gordon paid $6.1 million to acquire First Federal Plaza, a downtown landmark assessed at $15.6 million. The building is almost half-empty. Approximately 125,000 sq.ft. of Class A office space is vacant at the 21-story, 268,000 square-foot office building located at 38 East Main Street. According to Rochester Downtown Development Corp., Rochester's vacancy rate for Class A space was 14.46% last May. Of 2.5 million square feet of Class A space in 13 buildings, 357,000 square feet was vacant. (2/28)
Rochester-- Via-Health will move its 50 employees into 15,000 square feet of totally renovated space in downtown Rochester. The healthcare system, that includes four area hospitals, is consolidating its headquarters at Buckingham's Chestnut Grove property located at 75 Chestnut Street. The move is expected to be complete by June 1998. Two new spaces are being created each containing 1,700 square feet of office space. (12/97)
Rochester-- Rural Opportunies, a Rochester-based non-profit that runs affordable-housing programs for farmworkers, purchased the Hiram Sibley mansion for $875,000. The organization hopes to transfer its 50-employee headquarters staff to the building by the end of February. Hiram Sibley built the 17,000 square-foot villa, located on 2.3 acres at 400 East Avenue, in 1868. (2/6)
Victor-- The Town Planning Board granted approval for the old Rosa and Sullivan building, located at the corner of Route 96 and main Street in Fishers, to be used for offices. The building is 24,000 square feet and is assessed at $1.47 million. Kodak Polychrome, based in Fairfield County, Conn. plans to renovate the building and utilize ~ 75% of the space for phone surveys. It will lease out the rest. (2/18)
