3rd Quarter 2000
What's Next? Where Will Technology Lead Us?
by Alfred T. Rossi, SRA
I've spent over 20 years in the real estate industry, specializing in appraising residential properties for the past 17. A number of changes have taken place over those years in the way data is collected, and how appraisal reports are prepared and communicated to our clients.
My first appraisal reports were handwritten, completed on my client's own form, and included Polaroid photos. The value was given over the phone and the report was mailed to the client. Comparable sales were found by searching through hand filed cards, with handwritten corrections. Then came listing and comparable sales books, which did a better job of organizing data. About the same time our local MLS went to a computerized service. The terminal was this large thing that looked a little like a typewriter with a phone coupler at one side and a roll of thermal paper fastened on the back. Since then, our MLS system has gone through a number of changes, from access by modem to the Internet. Today, our company subscribes, not only to the MLS, but to several providers of sales data and property information that are either on CD, or are accessed via the Internet.
When I stopped selling real estate in 1983, and made a full time commitment to appraising, standardized, pre-printed forms were being fed into a typewriter by a typist who would transcribe the report from handwritten notes. Then came the computer (not IBM compatible), along with a program used to fill out the appraisal forms. Later we used continuous feed appraisal pre-printed appraisal forms that required the user to align an X in the upper corner before printing. This was changed forever with the introduction of the laser printer, which simultaneously printed the data and the appraisal form on a blank page. Instead of using the phone, appraisals were ordered, and parts were being transmitted back, by fax machine. Would the paperless appraisal be far behind?
Digital cameras and color printers were the next big advancements in the appraisal industry. The idea of not having to pay for film and processing was most likely what brought about the rush of digital cameras. At first, quality was poor and printing photos was slow. I'm not that sure about the savings; because, when they were first introduced it took so long to download the cameras. Faster and better computers and other gadgets have helped speed up the process. Our color network printer now spits out color photo pages in seconds when it used to take minutes, only a few years ago.
Along the way, we have adopted software programs to draw floor plans and accurately calculate square footage correctly, scanners or mapping programs (are there any really good ones out there?) to place maps into reports. Where does all this bring us?
Today we have a web site (BTRCL.com), e-mail, electronic signatures, the world (Internet) at our desk, and many more tools with which we can communicate. Within the past several months we have begun to communicate complete appraisal reports (exactly what you'd receive in the mail) delivered directly to our client's desktop, via e-mail. What the future holds, I can only imagine. However, I can promise you that our company will continue to be among the leaders in appraisal technology.
ECONOMIC & BUSINESS
Eastman Kodak Company-- Eastman Kodak Co. reported for the first half of 2000, sales were $6.844 billion, up 2% compared with $6.710 billion for the first half of 1999. Net earnings for the half-year were $795 million or $2.55 per share, up 21% on a per-share basis when compared with $682 million, or $2.11 per share in the first half of 1999. The company reported second quarter revenues of $3.749 billion, an increase of 4% from the $3.610 billion posted in the 1999 second quarter. Net earnings were a record $506 million, or $1.62 per share, up 7% on a per-share basis. Earnings from operations were $746 million, up 4%. (7/21)
Bausch & Lomb Inc.-- Bausch & Lomb Inc., which previously announced plans to eliminate 600 local jobs, plans to cut 100 more workers in Rochester. All the jobs to be cut are contact lens manufacturing positions at B&L's North Goodman Street plant. The reductions will be made this year. The company will offer voluntary severance packages. By year's end, employment at the optics center on North Goodman should be 425. The total Rochester work force will be approximately 1,700 at year's end, down from 3,100 in 1996. Vision care, the contact lens and solutions business, accounts for 58% of B&L revenue. Vision care revenue fell 2% in the second quarter. (8/8) Bausch & Lomb announced plans to cut about 450 non-manufacturing positions over the next several months. The cuts, mainly in North America, will help reduce costs by $20 million to $30 million annually but will mean a fourth-quarter charge of $30 to $35 million. The company reported third-quarter income from continuing operations of $37.8 million, or 70 cents a share, excluding certain charges, compared with $37.3 million, or 64 cents a share, a year earlier. Operating revenues fell to $440.9 million from $446.3 million. Bausch & Lomb plans to reinvest the savings generated by the restructuring actions to accelerate the longer-term growth of the company. (10/12)
Paychex Inc.-- Paychex Inc. announced record net income of $58.6 million or $.16 diluted earnings per share for the first quarter ended August 31, 2000, a 36% increase over net income of $43 million or $.12 diluted earnings per share, for the same period last year. Total payroll service revenues were $181.9 million, an increase of 21% over $150.9 million for the prior year period. (9/20)
Corning Inc.-- Corning Inc. plans to spend $80 million, creating 440 jobs with a new plant for its world-leading fiber-optic photonic technology division. The $80 million investment will go toward purchasing equipment and the ABB Instrumentation Inc. facility on John Street in University Industrial Park, Henrietta. The purchase includes 10 to 15 acres of periphery lands to the north of the vacant 240,000± square foot building. Empire State Development Corp. has granted $6 million in incentives to Corning to keep the plant in New York. The incentives include wage and sales tax credits, along with site-readiness and infrastructure improvements. In addition, Corning received a $500,000 low-interest loan from Monroe County, $2 million or more in tax abatements from the county and $150,000 in training grants from other economic development groups. Corning needs to have the plant operating by early 2001 to meet the demand for its fiber-optics equipment. (7/28,8/17,8/18)
Kodak Elmgrove Acquisition-- Rochester-based Eastman Kodak sold the former 500 acre Kodak Elmgrove campus on June 30 for $30 million to Continental Industrial Capital, a joint venture between two Los Angeles-based companies consisting of Cohen Asset Management and SB Management. The campus, renamed Rochester Technology Park, consists of 17 buildings totaling ~ 4 million square feet of office, R&D, biomedical, warehouse/distribution and manufacturing space. The new owners plan to expand the site by more than 30%, incorporating new retail construction, and spend some $30 million on renovations. They plan to divide the now-combined utilities, with separate metering for each tenant. The owners aim to complete the infrastructure upgrades within three years. Continental Industrial received no local or state incentives for the property but plan to work with those entities to put together attractive packages for tenants. The sale of the campus was part of Kodak's ongoing program of consolidating its Rochester area operations within Kodak Park. Kodak has committed to lease back approximately 2.9 million square feet of space at Rochester Technology Park on a short-term basis. Heidelberg Digital, which leased Building 11 from Kodak, purchased buildings 11 & 14 and roughly 100 acres of the site, from Continental Industrial for $9 million in July. The firm plans to spend ~ $60 million to build and renovate its headquarters within the next year to 18 months. Nationwide Precision Products Inc., a local tool and die company, will lease 100,000 square feet at the campus. The company plans to invest $10 million in equipment and hire more than 75 people in the immediate future. CB Richard Ellis, the world's leading real estate services company, arranged the transaction between Kodak and Continental Industrial and will remain the real estate broker for the Rochester Technology Park. (6/1, 8/4,10/12)
Office Park Acquisition-- Uniland Development Co. of Amherst, Erie County, purchased four office parks from Charles Mills of Brighton for approximately $49.3 million. According to deeds filed in the Monroe County's Clerk's Office, the purchases were: 1250 Pittsford-Victor Road for $10 million; Cross Keys Office Park and some vacant land on Route 31 near Turk Hill Road for $16.3 million; Perinton Hills Office Park, Route 31 and Moseley Road, for $8.2 million; WillowBrook Office Park and some vacant land at 1451 Pittsford-Victor Road for $20.2 million. The sale includes 28 buildings with 180 tenants, including Xerox Corp., Cisco Systems and Motorola. The properties, comprising about 800,000 square feet of Class A space, are 97% occupied. The office parks in total are assessed at about $4.1 million on Perinton Tax rolls. Mills will retain retail property adjacent to the Perinton Hills Office Park, and will assist Uniland in managing the office properties on a consulting basis. Uniland, founded in 1974, owns and manages some 5.5 million square feet of commercial space in Western New York. (6/30, 7/1)
Dolomite Group Acquisition-- The Dolomite Group, a local producer of stone, asphalt and concrete, has been sold to CRH Plc, an Irish building materials conglomerate. The deal was announced as part of a $172 million package of cash, assumed debt, and deferred payments for both Dolomite and an Ohio Paving company. The sale price for Dolomite was not disclosed. Oldcastle Materials Group, a CRH subsidiary will run the businesses. Oldcastle already owns Spancrete Northeast in Manchester, Ontario County, and Allied Building Products at 1160 Scottsville Road. Dolomite operates eight quarries, two sand, and gravel sites, 13-asphalt plants and six ready-mix concrete plants in the Rochester area. The management team, the staff of 650 employees and the company names will remain. (6/22)
Construction Costs-- Construction projects are taking longer to build and costing up to 10% more because of a surge in demand. The volume of commercial construction projects has more than doubled in the last six years. Volume for the top five builders has increased from $249 million in 1994 to ~ $570 million last year, an increase of 129%. Suppliers unable to keep up with material demands and the shortage of skilled laborers and managers were two of the reasons cited for the increases. Area builders anticipate the rise in commercial construction will extend through next year. (9/8)
OFFICE
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)
RETAIL
Bristol-- Kirkwood Enterprises has submitted to the Planning Board a proposal to build a Sunoco gas station and minimart at Route 64 and County Road 32. The 3,000 square-foot gas station would go up across the street from Clement's Country Store; the town's only grocery. Most residents oppose the project, citing traffic, lighting, environmental concerns and the site's close proximity to Levi Corser Memorial Park on Route 32. (8/8)
Canandaigua-- Tops Friendly Market, the Williamsville-based food chain, presented plans to the City Council's Ordinance Committee for a 57,000 square-foot store on 6.6 acres of land between the city's downtown and lakefront. The store would sit at Route 332 and Routes 5 and 20, near a Wegmans Food Markets store. The company is asking the city to rezone the land for commercial use; it is a mix of commercial and residential now. Several downtown properties, including Parrish Street Motors, Wells-Fargo Home Mortgage, Canandaigua Family Billiards, Prudential Realty, Pollimeni's Law Office, Kirby Cleaners and several homes in which eight families live, will be demolished to make way for the supermarket chain. The Waldorf Boat Company, a storage facility for Seager Marina, will be moved to another location. Tops expect to break ground in the spring of 2001. (8/25)
Canandaigua-- According to a deed processed at the Ontario County Clerk's office, James L. Griffith of 4918 Sunrise Circle has sold his property at 502 S. Main St. for $700,000 to Wegmans Food Markets. The property on the corner of Parrish and South Main is assessed at $392,000. Built in 1987, the 4,176 square foot structure, currently houses Dollinger Travel. A representative of Wegmans said the company bought the property for "investment purposes" and is planning on keeping it as an office building. Griffith's was one of several downtown properties that Tops wanted to buy and eventually demolish to make way for the new grocery store. (6/2)
Henrietta-- Bally's Health and Fitness has announced that it will open a branch in the Frontier Commons, 1225 Jefferson Road. The fitness club has leased 25,000 square feet from David Flaum Management. Bally's long-term lease makes the 272,000 square-foot plaza 95% occupied. The health club could be open in early 2001. (7/26,8/16)
Henrietta-- The Planning Board approval a proposal by Galyan's Trading Co., a rapidly growing sporting goods chain, for a two-story, 84,000 square-foot expansion project for Marketplace Mall. The store would be built onto what is now the mall's southern entrance, between The Bon Ton and Sears. Construction costs have not been released. Building permits must be approved before construction can begin. The store is scheduled to open in July 2001. A major feature of the store is a 43-foot-high simulated rock-climbing wall that rises from the ground floor to the top of the building. Shoppers can scale the wall and try out climbing gear. (6/27,8/9,8/16)
Henrietta-- Dynamic Doughnuts, based in North Carolina, is opening a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts franchise at 1150 Jefferson Road. Krispy Kremes is expected to open November 14th. The doughnut shop is moving to the prior Lone Star Steakhouse and Restaurant location. Krispy Kreme will build a 4,200 square-foot building at the site. The shop will need to hire about 100 people to produce the doughnuts. (8/8)
Henrietta-- The Restaurant Group LLC has applied for approval with the Planning Board to open a Perkins restaurant on Jefferson Road near Interstate 390. The group has finalized an exclusive franchise agreement with The Restaurant Co., Perkins' franchiser. The restaurant would be located in front of Bill Gray's at Frontier Commons. The restaurant is expected to employ about 70 full and part-time workers. It will be open 24 hours a day and could open by April 2001. (8/8, 8/16)
Penfield-- Robert Fallone Jr. has proposed building a strip mall called Baytowne Square on the northwest corner of Empire Boulevard and Bay Road. The building would be located at 1855 Empire Boulevard and would include a Pier I Imports store, a Starbucks Coffee shop, a Dunn Tire store, a Montana Mills Bread Co., a Sleep City USA, and a Frontier Communications service center. The Planning Board is checking with state and county governments to see if improvements are needed at the intersection. (6/25) On a vacant corner lot, formerly used by a car dealership, Robert Fallone Jr. plans to demolish three existing structures and construct a 43,400 square-foot commercial building. The five-acre site, located across from Baytowne Plaza, is zoned general business. The developer needs to apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance to install parking spaces in an area that requires a buffer. A 110-foot buffer is required on sites zoned general business, when they border property zoned residential. The neighboring property, owned by Monroe County, is zoned single-family residential. Fallone hopes to begin construction on the site in August. (7/6)
Pittsford-- Wendy's restaurant will submit preliminary plans to the Planning Board to construct a 4,143 square-foot restaurant with outdoor seating to 3180 Monroe Avenue. The brick restaurant would have 105 seats, with some outdoor seating and a drive-thru. No estimated opening date was released. (7/5)
Pittsford-- Construction has begun on Pittsford Square, a new 36,000 square-foot shopping area opposite Pittsford Plaza. Benderson Development, the owner & developer for the two story plaza said Pittsford Square should be open by the first part of October and will likely be used exclusively for retail. Zany Brainy, a children's learning center will occupy 10,000 square feet and will be the lead tenant. Pittsford Square will be Zany Brainy's first location in the Rochester area. The store recently acquired its leading competitor, Noodle Kidoodle, which has a store at EastView Mall in Victor. Benderson has secured three other tenants for the plaza: Chico's, an upscale women's casual store; Empire Vision, which is relocating from another plaza in the area; and a hair salon. All of those stores are expected to be open by Christmas 2000. (8/3,8/30)
Rochester-- Benderson Development has two more tenants for HSBC Plaza: Saperston & Day P.C. will move into the top floor of the 20-story tower and accounting firm Mengel Metzger Barr & Co. LLP will take over about 13,000 square feet on the building's 12th floor. Benderson has spent more than $4 million renovating the office tower, including a fix-up of the building's atrium. Saperson will be leaving its current offices in First Federal Plaza. Mengel will leave a building the firm owns at Main and Chestnut Streets. HSBC Plaza has four 17,000 square-foot floors that are still empty. (7/8)
Rochester-- The Dollar Tree is moving out of Midtown Plaza and into the South Wedge neighborhood. The chain will open a 6,780 square-foot store in the Wilson Farms Plaza at 923 S. Clinton Avenue, near South Goodman Street. The move means the redevelopment of Wilson Farms Plaza is complete. (8/9)
Spencerport-- The Doan Family of Dealerships has bought Durfee Chevrolet-Oldsmobile and renamed the West Ridge Road dealership Doan Chevrolet-Oldsmobile. The former Durfee dealership employs more than 85 people and is the seventh Doan dealership in this area. (8/4)
INDUSTRIAL
Gates-- Heidelber Digital LLC will receive the largest package of tax breaks ever offered by the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency. The incentives are to help Heidelberg build and $84.1 million, 760,000 square-foot, North American headquarters at Rochester Technology Park, formerly Eastman Kodak Co.'s Elmgrove complex. Under terms of the deal, Heidelberg will add 390 jobs to the 1,214 already there. The tax breaks include: a $2.81 million reprieve on the sales tax for construction and equipment costs, an $840,000 cut in mortgage taxes and a $3.22 million cut on its property taxes over 10 years. The Empire State Development Corp., New York's development office, has committed to giving Heidelberg $3 million in grants and Monroe County plans to contribute $500,000 for sewer upgrades. According to COMIDA, the community should see a $32.76 million economic benefit over 10 years. That includes $12.7 million in additional property taxes generated at the site. Heidelberg has said it expects to grow 270% in three years. (6/23,7/18,7/19)
Henrietta-- Liberty Precision Industries, maker of precision parts for the automotive industry, is moving to a new 100,000 square-foot plant on South Winton Road. The company is relocating from its current space on Buell Road in Gates to accommodate its rapid growth. The move to its new location more than doubles the company's space. Liberty, which currently employs about 100 people, expects to add between 10 and 20 employees because of the expansion. The company has been undergoing a consolidation of its four divisions. It has sold off one division, merged two others and expects to spin off a third by years end. (8/15)
Phelps-- Magnus Precision Manufacturing Inc., formerly known as Magnus Manufacturing Corporation, currently located at 9 East High Street in Shortsville, is moving to 1916 Route 96 in Phelps. The company and its 50 employees will move to a 55,000 square-foot facility on 9.5 acres of land. The company will receive exemptions from mortgage-recording taxes, exemptions from sales and use taxes, and abatement of real-property taxes for five years from Ontario County before being phased into fully taxed status by 20% increments over the subsequent five years. In addition, Magnus is negotiating with the county on possible low-interest financing from its revolving-loan fund. The company is planning to add 10 to 15 employees over the next three years. (8/24)
Pittsford-- The Monoco Oil property, located at 75 Monroe Avenue, is going on the auction block next week. Interest in the 7.5-acre parcel, assessed at $1.4 million and consisting of two lots, 1.5 acres in the village, and 6 acres in the town, is high, but the extent of environmental cleanup and its potential cost could complicate the sale. Monoco and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are still working on a remediation plan for an oil spill that fouled the Erie Canal in March 1999. If the property does not get auctioned off it will go back on the market. (6/7)
Rochester-- Genesee Brewing Co., the nation's fifth-largest beer producer, will be sold to a management team for $22 million. Parent company Genesee Corp. has also entered into an agreement to sell its food division to St. Louis-based Ralcorp Holdings Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Shareholders need to approve both transactions. The buyout would save 425 jobs, with no layoffs planned. The management team will invest $6.5 million, from government loans and grants, back into the business. Genesee Corp. lost $3.4 million, or $2.10 a share, in fiscal 2000. (8/31)
Rochester-- Advent Tool & Mold has completed its $1.4 million expansion at the Holleder Technology Park. With the 17,000± square-foot expansion, it occupies more than 53,000± square feet at the park, the former site of Holleder Stadium. The company plans to add about 60 jobs over the next three years, bringing its work force to more than 180 people. Advent makes molds and parts for automotive, business machine, computer, and medical markets. (7/26)
Rochester-- Boise Cascade Office Products Corp. moved into its new 70,000 square-foot building at 1999 Mt. Read Blvd. The building includes both showroom and warehouse space. Approximately 80 employees will work there. Boise Cascade, based in Illinois, sells office furniture and related products. In 1999, the company had $3.4 billion in sales. Flaum Management brokered the local deal. (8/1)
Seneca Falls-- Stardust Cruisers Inc. of Kentucky and Starlight Houseboats of Kansas are opening a houseboat manufacturing facility in Seneca Falls. The plant would employ 250 people within three years. The project would also create 54 jobs at marinas along the canal. The boat makers will operate their facility jointly. Empire State Development Corp. lured the companies here with a $1.6 million loan and a $185,000 grant. Nozzolio's office secured a $500,000 grant and the companies will also get tax and utility breaks for locating in an enterprise zone. The boat maker would build houseboats for retail sales and rental use. The companies will lease and rent boats at 10 sites along the canal. (9/12)
Victor-- Info Directions, which makes telecommunications billing and rating systems is the recipient of a $600,000 economic development loan. The money is part of $5.1 million in state funding handed out in 13 communities in the Finger Lakes region, including Livingston, Seneca, Ontario, and Wayne counties. The revolving loan program allows the state to grant money to the county, which in turn loans the money to companies like Info Directions. Once the loan is repaid to the county, it can then loan out the money to another business. The money will be loaned to Info Directions at an interest rate of 3% a year for five years. Info Directions, located on Phillips Road, will use the funds to develop its Oracle-based billing systems and to create 39 new jobs. The entire project includes equipment purchases, office expansion and marketing and engineering efforts. The total project cost is $3.5 million. (8/9)
Victor-- Developer, MCA Group of Rochester, plans to start construction later this month on the second of up to 12 proposed buildings at Omnitech Business Park. The town has given conceptual approval for 10 to 12 buildings. The first building, 43,000 square feet in size, is already filled. Developers are talking to prospective tenants for the new 30,000 square-foot building. The Ontario County Industrial Development Agency has "preauthorized tax incentives" for the MCA Group, which passes the savings on to tenants in the form of reduced rents. The cost of tax breaks for the second building project is approximately $237,000 over three years. The proposed breaks include not paying any school, county or town taxes for five years, then taxes are phased in to full payment over the next five years. Incentives also include a mortgage tax exemption and exemption from paying sales tax on construction materials and items to equip the building. (8/7)
RESIDENTIAL
Brighton-- NewMark Development, the developer of Mercy Park, a proposed senior-living project has submitted a draft environmental-impact statement to the town for review. NewMark's proposal calls for a 295-unit retirement community on Clover Street. The development would consist of 11 single-family homes, 39 town homes, 95 independent-living apartments, and a 150-bed enhanced-care facility. The project would be built in two phases, with everything but the enhanced-care facility built in phase I. The complex would be built on 32 acres currently owned by the Sisters of Mercy. NewMark is asking the town to rezone 18.5 acres of the property from residential to residential high density. The Sear-Brown Group, the developer's consultant, prepared the environmental impact statement. In the statement, Sear-Brown indicates that there will be no significant impact on traffic, utilities, or drainage. The entire project could be affected by a proposed one-year moratorium on development on selected parcels in the town. The town is in the middle of a comprehensive-plan update. If enacted, the moratorium would prevent the approval of site plans and building permits. Regardless of the outcome of the project, the Sisters of Mercy need to sell the land in order to keep viable the order, which includes the all-girls Our Lady of Mercy High School. (6/7)
Canandaigua-- California-based developer Cantwell-Anderson wants a 40-year lease to convert two empty buildings at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center into low-cost apartments. The developer would convert buildings 36 and 37 in the Fort Hill Avenue complex into as many as 223 apartments that would serve mostly veterans. The company is associated with USA Vets, a non-profit veteran support organization that has taken on similar projects out west. VA officials will submit a business plan for the housing operation to their headquarters in Washington, D.C. Approval is expected in October, and congressional notification of the approval could take place between October 2000 and March 2001. The final draft of the lease is public record, as the owner of the property is a federal agency. Cantwell-Anderson has hired Rochester-based Chait Studios as its architect. (8/11)
Greece-- Woodcreek Development Corp. has proposed an extension of its Forest Glen subdivision called Forest Glen North. The subdivision, which would be built north of Latta Road and northwest of Flynn Road and Whispering Pines Circle, would consist of 113 lots on about 69.4 acres. The average size lot in the project is about half an acre. (9/6)
Greece-- Horizon Homes, Inc. is seeking Planning Board approval for a housing development of 123 lots on 72.1 acres north of Latta Road and east of North Greece Road. It would be called Field Stone Estates. The proposed Field Stone Estates subdivision would be built southwest of the proposed Forest Glen North Estates subdivision. The average size lot in the project is about half an acre. (9/6)
Greece-- The Planning Board granted preliminary site plan approval to Housing Opportunities Inc. for a housing project that will put 40 low-income townhouses along the Erie Canal. The plans call for 10 four-unit, one and two-story buildings and a one-story community center on 6.2 acres east of Long Pond Road between the Greece-Gates town line and the Erie Canal. The homes are being targeted to families with annual income of around $20,000. Construction is expected to begin next spring. (9/6,9/7)
Greece-- Rural Opportunities Inc, a Rochester-based nonprofit organization, will build a $4.5 million senior housing complex at 1311 Long Pond Road. Ada-Ridge Court will include 49 one-and-two-bedroom units intended for lower and fixed income seniors. The state Division of Housing and Community Renewal recently pledged $1.5 million to complete the project. Other funding will come from the county and federal-aid programs. The town approved the project about three years ago, but a lack of funding stalled the project. Rents on the apartments at Ada-Ridge would range from $400 to approximately $600. Construction may begin as early as September. (7/6)
Macedon-- Home Properties of Rochester presented to the Planning Board a new proposal expanding the planned community of Gananda by 325 acres. The most recent plan includes 621 homes in the area between West Walworth and Hance roads, a 7,000 square-foot health center and physical therapy facility, and a bank on the corner of Gananda Parkway and Canandaigua Road. The developer will give the town $500 for every house built in the proposed area to purchase additional undeveloped land or buy land development rights. Home Properties needs the Town Board to rezone the 325 acres from its current residential/agricultural label to one of residential, commercial and light industrial. The Town Board referred the rezoning request to the Planning Board for review. (6/8)
OTHER
Irondequoit-- The Planning Board is considering preliminary and final site plan approval for an International House of Pancakes and Holiday Inn Express to be built in the Irondequoit Mall parking lot. The restaurant would be 4,000 square feet, seat 132 people and be situated off North Goodman Street. Next door, a three-story, 66-room Holiday Inn is being proposed. (7/26)
Manchester-- A proposed 3,000 square-foot medical center was unanimously denied a use variance that would have allowed it to be built in a residential area on the west side of Center Street, near the corner of Center and Main streets. Municipalities are divided into different zoning areas. A building to be constructed within one of those zones must fall into that specific zone's category. A building not permitted in a particular zone must apply for a variance. The Zoning Board of Appeals said that Frank Nicoletta did not meet factors necessary for a variance. (8/8)
Penfield-- The demolition of two dilapidated buildings at 1080 and 1086 Empire Blvd. marked the first step in the town's efforts to revitalize LaSalle's Landing development district, the area on the southern end of Irondequoit Bay. The town plans to develop the area into a passive park facility. The property, purchased by the town earlier this year for $200,000, is located on the north side of Empire Boulevard just before the bridge separating Penfield from Irondequoit. (7/27)
Penfield-- Construction is expected to begin this fall on a pair of Hilton hotels that will bring 240 rooms to Panorama Trail just north of Route 441. Nashville developer Gary Price intends to build a 158-room Hilton Garden Inn and an 82-room extended-stay Mainstay Suites on six acres on the northwest corner of the interchange. Price's plan for the five and six story buildings was approved more than a year-and-a-half ago. Lawsuits filed by E.J. Del Monte Corp. against the town's planning and zoning boards were unsuccessful. The owner of the Marriott Courtyard argued that the hotels would cause flooding on a 17-acre parcel of land that the company owns nearby. (8/28)
Pittsford-- Charter One Bank announced plans to consolidate its operations in Pittsford Plaza by building a full-size bank to replace the separate bank office and drive-up teller/ATM station it currently maintains there. Currently, the bank office is next to T.J. Maxx in the plaza, but the drive-up teller station is out in the parking lot. The approximately 5,000 square-foot bank would be located in the same area as the current drive-up teller/ATM. It would offer three lanes for drive-up banking, including two teller windows and an ATM. Charter One Bank also has an office at 14 S. Main Street in the village. (7/5)
Rochester-- The city's Zoning Board of Appeals approved Green Acres Community Center's request to move into a vacant box factory at 101 Berlin Street in the 14621 neighborhood. The food panty and clothes closet has been nomadic since a fire destroyed its Joseph Avenue location 18 months before. An engineering firm estimates it would cost more than $400,000 to renovate the Berlin Street building, but board members said they could do it for $150,000 with volunteers. Green Acres will begin raising money to buy the Berlin Street building from the Church of the Covenant. (7/20)
Sweden-- The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Ledgedale Airpark a $262,000 grant that will be used to purchase about 60 acres to the west of the airpark for a planned extension of the runway. The facility, which includes two aircraft hangars housing 10 planes each, a maintenance hangar and the office and flight service building, now covers about 150 acres. Ledgedale is eligible for federal Airport Improvement Program grants because, in 1989, it was designated as relief for the Greater Rochester International Airport. Ledgedale's funding is based on an application that includes a five-year capital development plan submitted to the federal government. (8/17)
GENERAL
Farmington-- Members of the Planning Board, Town Board and Zoning Board of Appeals have spelled out provisions that, if approved, will set a precedence for the town's continued commercial growth. A revised 16-to-18 page document will be sent to the Ontario County Planning Board for recommendations. Approximately 70% of the town's 36-square mile area is farmland. Rapid growth along the Route 332 corridor is causing friction as the town is developed. (7/25)
Greece-- Monroe County will purchase 88 acres adjacent to Canal Park for $600,000. The addition will extend the park's property line along the Erie Canal to Manitou Road. The park will grow to 665 acres from 577, and its canal frontage will more than double. Funding for the purchase will come from the county's capital-improvement fund. The sale is expected to close in August. The proposed acquisition is the county's largest park expansion in more than 30 years. (7/20,7/27)
Rochester-- Plans are underway for the redevelopment of Lower Falls Park. Maplewood Park development will extend to the south side of Driving Park Bridge and open up three new trails and overlooks. The site includes about 11 acres. There will be access to views of the Lower and Middle Falls where there is currently undeveloped land. This is also a historical area. The city received a New York State Multi-Modal Transportation grant worth $210,000. The project should be completed by fall. (7/20)
Webster-- Last year, the town saw 255 housing starts, more than any town in Monroe County. This year, the town issued 85 building permits for single-family homes through April 15, 2000. According to the Builders Association, it has averaged nearly 200 new homes per year since 1988. (6/11)
