3rd Quarter 2001
ECONOMIC & BUSINESS
Eastman Kodak Company-- Eastman Kodak Company reported third quarter revenues were $3,308 billion, down 8% from the previous year. Third quarter earnings per share of $0.33 were impacted by one-time items, totaling $84 million, or $19 per share, bringing operational earnings for the quarter to $.52 per share. Kodak has largely completed the restructuring program announced in the second quarter. Restructuring charges recorded in the third quarter include approximately $7 million for employee severance coverings approximately 300 worldwide positions, bringing total employment reductions from second and third quarter severance actions to 2,700. Kodak intends to implement a series of additional cost reduction actions beginning in the fourth quarter, 2001 to deal with the impact of prolonged economic weakness in the U.S. and abroad. It is anticipated that these actions will reduce employment by approximately 3,500 to 4,000 jobs worldwide. The anticipated fourth quarter severance charge is expected to total approximately $200 million. (10/23)
Bausch & Lomb Inc.-- Bausch & Lomb reported operational revenues for the third quarter, which ended September 29, 2001 were $433.6 million down 2% from $443.2 million reported in the third quarter of 2000. Reported net earnings were $23.3 million, or $.43 per share, for the quarter compared to $14.7 million, or $.27 per share, in the same period last year. For the first nine months of 2001, revenues were $1,259.9 million, down 4% from the $1,307.2 million reported for the same period in 2000. (10/18)
Home Properties of New York Inc.-- Home Properties has sold two apartment complexes in Irondequoit, Hill Court South on East Ridge Road and Ivy Ridge on Hudson Avenue to Kemp-Miller Properties of Pittsford for $9.2 million. The sale is the third for Home Properties in the last two months. This sale puts the company about halfway toward the lowest level of its goal to sell between $100 million and $200 million worth of "underperforming" properties it owns. (7/19)
Paychex Inc.-- Paychex Inc. announced record net income of $70.2 million, or $.19 diluted earnings per share, for the quarter ended August 31, 2001, a 20% increase over net income of $58.6 million, or $.16 diluted earnings per share for the same period last year. Total revenue services were $234.8 million, a 15% increase over $203.9 million for the first quarter last year. For the quarter ended August 31, 2001, service revenue increased 15% to $189.4 million from $164.5 million for the prior year first quarter. (9/15)
Overall Area Employment-- According to the Center for Governmental Research, the six-county Rochester area lost more than 2,500 jobs, or 0.5% of its employment between the second quarter of 2000 and June 30. Since the end of the first quarter, the region has lost jobs at an escalated annual rate of 2.7%. As of June 30, Rochester had 109,113 manufacturing jobs, down 4% from 113,716 a year ago. During the quarter, manufacturing jobs decline at an 8% annual rate, caused partly by the downsizing at Xerox Corp. Service jobs - traditionally lower paying than those in manufacturing - grew by approximately 2,500, or 1.4% for the year. In the communication sector, the Rochester area gained 894 jobs, a 4.7% increase. Area construction and mining jobs gained 2.5%, to 20,509 for the year. Finance, insurance and real estate employment slipped 1.6% to 21,088. Trade (retail and wholesale) was off 0.2% to 118,250. (8/2)
Area Unemployment-- The state Labor Department reported that 25,100 people in the metro area were out of work in July, resulting in an unemployment rate of 4.4%. That's up from 20,700 jobless and a 3.6% unemployment rate in July 2000. The total number of jobs in Rochester fell last month by approximately 4,700, or 0.8%. The state's jobless rate in July was 4.4%, identical to the rate in June & July of 2000. According to the state Labor Department, there were 7,250,200 full- and part-time private-sector jobs in New York in July, 68,200 higher than in July 2000. (8/7)
Area Home Sales-- According to the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, area home sales in June fell by 12% compared with a year ago. The dollar volume of sales dipped by 12.3%. The homes listed for sale rose 4.5% to 2,054 in June compared with June 2000. Closings dropped from 1,193 homes a year ago to 1,050 last month. Dollar volume dropped from $134 million to $117.6 million. Year-to-date sales are down 3.5% compared with a year ago. The number of listings for the first six months was down nearly 9%. (7/10) Sales of existing single-family houses for July 2001 were 1,252, a decrease of 6.2% compared with 1,335 in July 2000. Home sales did increase 19.2% from June. The median sale price of a house jumped to $105,000 in July, up more than 11% from June. For the year so far, home sales are down 3.8% and number of houses listed for sale is down 7.8% from 2000. (8/9)
Area New Vehicle Sales-- According to the Rochester Automobile Dealers Association, dealers sold 4,195 new vehicles vs. 4,519 for the same month a year ago. It was the second straight monthly high, but new vehicle sales for 2001 still trail last year's sales. (8/9)
OFFICE
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)
RETAIL
Brighton-- Patrick and John Cortese have agreed to buy two dealerships from the Rochester Ford Auto Collection. The purchase of the former Koerner Ford location at 2500 West Henrietta Road and the former Hastings Ford dealership at 71 Marsh Road in East Rochester should be completed by the end of next month. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Once the purchase is closed, the Corteses will operate six auto franchises in five locations. The two dealerships will be the second and third that the Rochester Ford Auto Collection has sold since it decided to disband the eight-store company-owned operation in June. (8/24)
Bristol-- The Planning Board has approved a proposal for a wine and spirits store, to be opened adjacent to Clement's County Store on Route 64. The Clements plan to turn the house at the corner of Route 64 and County Road 32 into a shop featuring local and state wines. The store is slated to open September 1st. (7/9)
Canandaigua-- Tops grocery chain have reached an agreement to buy land at the corner of Route 332 and North Street. Plans submitted to the town by Benderson Development Corp. include a 57,000 square-foot grocery store, a 4,738 square-foot restaurant, and a gas station on property owned by Anthony Pfeffer Sr. It is now the home of the Becker Motors automobile dealership. The purchase of land is contingent on the project being approved by town planners. Pfeffer Sr. owns two tracts of land at the proposed site. A 3.7 acre parcel at 2596 Route 332, on the west side of the state road and on the north side of North Street, is assessed at $249,900 - $1.24 million including buildings, according to Ontario County Real Property Tax Services. A second parcel, 2.3 acres of vacant land at 2590 Route 332, is assessed at $87,800. Plans call for one entrance to the grocery from Route 332 and a main entrance from North Street to a parking area between the grocery and the fuel station. (8/21)
Canandaigua-- LeBrun Toyota is moving from Geneva to the Route 332 corridor and plans to open its doors in October. The LeBrun property is located on 11.5 acres on the east side of Route 332 in the town of Canandaigua. The land is assessed at $262,500 according to town assessors. In addition to its entrance off of Route 332, the dealership will share an entrance from Aroline Road with the National Bank of Geneva next door. In addition, there is a gravel road from Fire Hall Road leading to the back of the building. The Geneva site will become a used-car business for Toyota and other imports. (8/17)
Canandaigua-- The former site of a Jubilee supermarket will be a Dollar General store by the end of September. Rivercrest Realty owns the building in the long-vacated West Avenue Plaza located between North Main and North Pearl streets. The store will be in the west side of the shopping center. According to the city accessor's office, the entire plaza is tentatively assessed at $1 million, though the owner has contested the city's recent revaluation. (7/18)
Egypt-- Local Developer, Lee Lejnieks is hoping to invest $1 million in the historic Ranney homestead at 7516 Pittsford-Victor Road. His company has proposed converting the house into a restaurant, turning a barn on the property into a coffee shop, and adding a new building to house an ice cream shop and antique store. David Ranney sold the home, built in 1815 and 2.3 acres of land to WL Enterprises in June. Lejnieks has requested the town to rezone the property from residential to limited commercial. The Town Board will hold off on a decision on the rezoning request until it receives Planning Board recommendations. (8/10, 8/21) The Town Board has approved the zoning request to rezone the property from residential to limited commercial. The developer now has one year to acquire a building permit for the project. The next step in the development will be to gain site-plan approval from the Planning Board. Lejnieks hopes to complete the development by May 2002. (9/6)
Farmington-- Low sales have caused the Denny's Inc. chain to close its restaurant at 1681 Rochester Road. All 43 employees who worked at the restaurant have been offered transfers to nearby Denny's in Victor, Canandaigua and at the Monroe Avenue and Penfield Road restaurants in Rochester. The Denny's restaurant opened in June 1988. It originally opened as a privately owned franchise of the chain. Denny's Inc. took over ownership in 1999. (7/19)
Geneseo-- Aldi Foods is opening a new store at 4566 Morganview Road. The discount food store chain has been expanding in upstate New York and has six stores in the Rochester area. The grand opening for the new store is slated for August 23rd. (8/16)
Henrietta-- Galyan's Trading Co., a 86,000 square-foot sporting goods store at the Marketplace Mall is scheduled to open the end of July. The two-story building, located at the mall's southern entrance, between The Bon Ton and Sears, features a 48-foot-high simulated rock-climbing wall. Shoppers can scale the wall and try out climbing gear. The store will employ 150 full-and part-time workers and add 50 during the holiday season. The new store is the second in New York state and the 29th nationally for the Plainfield, Ind. chain. (7/25)
Henrietta-- Bahama Breeze, a Caribbean-themed restaurant has opened at 620 Jefferson Road. The site formerly served as a parking lot for Rochester Gas and Electric Corp.'s nearby operations center. The building, fashioned after a sugar plantation, is accessorized with bamboo and mahogany furniture and sunny island life paintings. The casual dining chain offers dinner-only service. (6/26)
Penfield-- Montana Mills Bread Co. will open its second Rochester-area store of the week at 1855 Empire Blvd. The Brighton-based chain also opened a store in Canandaigua. Both of the new locations are adjacent to Java Joe's cafes. (8/10)
Pittsford-- Matt & Sandra Ensenat of Fairport have applied for a special permit to put a restaurant in half of the Witsie and Crump building at Pittsford village's Four Corners. The building has been divided into two spaces by its owner, Michael C. Newcomb. The village board reviews special permits for restaurants. The application wouldn't have to go to the planning and zoning board because no zoning variances are required and there is no major changes planned to the façade or the inside of the building. The Ensenat's want to open a deli where they would sell homemade submarine sandwiches, soups and salads, mostly for takeout. The deli would only have 16 seats, which requires six parking spaces. (8/22) The village board approved a special permit for the new deli on August 28th. Ensenat's Delicatessen will open in half of the Wilsie and Crump building at 1 N. Main Street by November. The deli will be open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sunday. (9/5)
Pittsford-- Thrillz Hair Salon in Irondequoit is becoming Thrillz Spa & Salon as it under goes a $500,000 expansion project and moves to 3254 Monroe Avenue, across from Pittsford Plaza. James Scibilia has hired 25 employees for the new venture to add to the existing staff of 10. (9/14)
Rochester-- Edwards Restaurant plans to relocate to the Jonathan Child residence at 37 S. Washington Street in downtown. The 1837 building was the home of Rochester's first mayor. It is located five blocks from Edwards' current location at 13 S. Fitzhugh St., Rochester's first high school. For the plan to move forward, the Washington Street site must obtain the proper permitting from the city. Plans call for the restaurant to move into a portion of the building by fall. Buckingham Properties LLC purchased the building a year ago for roughly $225,000 from Bergmann Associates Engineers Architects Surveyors P.C., which had used it for office space. The real estate development firm has spent some $50,000 on exterior painting, installing tile and landscaping. (7/27)
INDUSTRIAL
Gates-- Continental Industrial Capital LLC, the California company that bought the 4 million square-foot Elmgrove complex from Kodak last year, has reported that approximately 13% of the park is leased. Another 15% is expected to be leased by early 2002. The goal has been to have 50% of the 15-building site occupied within two and a half years, and 90% occupied within four and a half years. RTP is targeting companies that have multiple locations and that could benefit from decreasing expenses by consolidating. (8/10)
Greece-- Performance Technologies Inc. will break ground today on a new, expanded corporate headquarter in the Canal Ponds Park office complex. The facility will be a two-story, 55,000 square foot facility and is expected to be occupied next April. The Rochester based telecommunications company, which is currently based at 315 Science Parkway in Rochester, employs approximately 140 people and expects to grow to 250 employees. Building cost is estimated at about $5 million. The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency approved more than $500,000 in tax breaks. The company will receive relief from sales and mortgage taxes. The move will generate approximately $1.3 million into the local economy over the next 10 years. (8/14)
Manchester-- The Town Board voted to rezone 103.5 acres of land owned by Great Lakes Kraut Company and Curtice-Burns Food Inc. northeast of the village of Shortsville from agricultural to industrial. The largest two parcels, a total of about 75 acres, were rezoned to heavy industrial, and the smaller two parcels, about 48 acres, as light industrial. The town does not yet have prospective tenants for the new industrial park. (7/13)
Perinton-- PaeTec Communications Inc. officially opened its new $11.2 million corporate headquarters. The three story 100,000 square-foot brick building is located in the Willow Brook Office Park. PaeTec received $250,000 in state assistance for the project and pledged to create 220 jobs. Since its founding in May 1998, PaeTec has expanded to offer phone service in 26 markets across the country. It has hired more than 300 people in the Rochester area and more than 950 nationwide. (8/16)
Rochester-- Frontier Communications will add 450 jobs in the Rochester area. Approximately 200 will be new positions and 250 will be workers relocating from Plano, Texas, where Citizens Communications, Frontier's parent company is closing a plant. Citizens will spend $13.2 million upgrading facilities in the Rochester area. New York state is offering the company a $1 million grant to help in the move. Frontier is not sure where the additional jobs will be located. The company would like to put the employees at its office at 180 S. Clinton Avenue but wants to talk with city officials about parking concerns first. (7/27)
Rochester-- High Falls Brewing Co. LLC is pumping $11.5 million into capital improvements at its plant, including new bottling equipment. The move is expected to add some 65 jobs to the nation's fourth-largest brewer. The new bottling and packaging equipment is the largest capital improvement to the brewery in at least the last decade. The brewery plans to add 60 to 70 jobs over the next year to its staff of 485. The company this year already has invested close to $5 million into the facility since the $27.2 million brewery purchase last December from Genesee Corp. (9/28)
Victor-- MCA Group, a Rochester developer, will begin site preparation work for a 50,000 square-foot building at its Omnitech Business Park. The building will be located in front of the site along Phillips Road. The two existing buildings are 43,000 square feet and 30,000 square feet. MCA Group has concept approval from the Victor Planning Board for up to 600,000 square feet of buildings for offices and light industrial development. Up to 12 buildings could be built. The town is paying Villager Construction of Fairport approximately $600,000 to make Phillips Road improvements, including installing turning lanes into Omnitech Business Park from Phillips Road and onto Main Street, Fishers. (7/20)
RESIDENTIAL
Brockport-- Developer Donald Hibsch, is seeking Planning Board approval for Havenwood Meadows Subdivision proposed for a 22.8 acre site off East Avenue and extending to the Erie Canal. The 64-unit proposal is the first housing development request under the village's cluster zoning law adopted by the Village Board in January. The Planning Board has approved the concept plan for the project. The cluster zoning law allows smaller lot sizes for single-family homes, 6,000 square feet minimum compared with 10,000 square feet. Home prices would start at about $125,000. (9/20)
Chili-- Developer Bernard Iacovangelo, president of Forest Creek Equity Corp., submitted plans to the Planning Board for the Park Place subdivision, a 302-unit housing development to be built opposite Black Creek Park. House sizes and lot sizes will vary, but plans call for about 5% of the houses to sell for $109,900, about 75% for $130,000 to $150,000 and about 20% for $150,000 to $250,000. Iacovangelo expects to build and sell the houses within six years. He expects to begin construction sometime next year. Iacovangelo acquired the Union Street parcel last fall in anticipation of the placement of a 24-field, $4.5 million soccer complex on the site. Local opposition to the plan led to consideration of other sites. (8/16)
Farmington-- Florida West Land Corporation wants the Town Board to rezone approximately 35 acres of a 47-acre property from business use to multi-family use to build high-end rental housing. The development would back up to two existing subdivisions, Creek Pointe Estates and King's Village. It would be located on the west side of Route 332, south of the CVS Pharmacy on Route 96, and north of County Road 41. West Land's plans call for up to 25 buildings with eight units each - about 200 apartments. The units would be two-bedroom and targeted at empty-nesters, retired couples and young professional couples. Estimated beginning rents would range between $750 and $800. Half of the units would have attached garages. (8/29, 9/9)
Livonia-- JAM of Niagara Inc. of Lewiston, Niagara County, bought six acres through a court-ordered auction for $751,000. It originally bought the land from the estate of Joseph J. Vitale in 1999 for $678,000. The western New York development company plans to build townhouses on the coveted lakefront parcels. Called Lakeview at Sand Point, the development would include townhouses that would cost from $150,000 to $250,000. The project received approval from the Livonia Joint Planning Board last fall. (7/27)
Rochester-- Arnold Industries Inc. chief operating officer Robert Cheney closed on the Kirstein Building, a 56,000 square-foot former factory at Andrews Street and Bittner Street that has been vacant since 1995. He plans an ambitious $4 million to $5 million renovation to turn the structure into an upscale loft-apartment building with a sports bar in the basement. According to publicly filed records, Cheney acquired the Kirstein Building in May 2000 for $310,000 and on the same day signed a $400,000 mortgage on the building with Upstate Bank. Cheney recently presented his plans for the building to the Rochester Downtown Development Corp. and received positive reviews. (6/29)
Webster-- The Town Board has agreed to rezone 41 acres near the corner of Ridge and Five Mile Line roads to "high-intensity residential" removing a hurdle for a senior citizen complex proposed for the site. The Irondequoit-based St. Ann's Community has proposed building 176 apartments, 68 cottages, 100 assisted living units and 120 skilled nursing beds at the site. The project would be located just west of the Two M's Family Restaurant, 888 Ridge Road, and south of a Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse proposed for Five Mile Line Road. St. Ann's next step is to seek Planning Board approval. St. Ann's had originally proposed building near Baytowne Plaza but it could not come to terms with the owner of the land there. (7/23)
Webster-- An upscale housing complex, dubbed Coastal View, has been proposed for 4,058 feet of Lake Ontario shoreline east of Ninemile Point Road. The 114-acre site overlooks the lake from 30-foot bluffs. Developers hope to include 83 homes and 387 "patio homes." Starting at 2,200 square feet each, the homes would resemble townhouse units but be detached. Hegedorn Associates, an arm of the company that owns the Hegedorns grocery on Ridge Road, and its partner, Aristo Development Inc., hope to begin site work as soon as this winter. (7/25)
OTHER
Brighton-- MCC expects to start construction next spring on a $15.5 million complex of on-campus housing. The school and its non-profit MCC Association are hammering out details for constructing three, three-story buildings on six acres of the campus. MCC's planned housing, to be built on the north side of campus, would accommodate 400 students in a mix of four-bedroom and eight-bedroom apartments. The school anticipates breaking ground in March, with the housing open for students at the start of the fall 2003 session. The project would pay for itself with rent, costing taxpayers nothing. (8/10)
Gates-- COMIDA approved incentives for a $4.5 million outdoor soccer and lacrosse complex being developed by Elmgrove Ventures LLC. Andrew Gallina, principal in Elmgrove Ventures and president of Gallina Development Corp., plans to develop 41 acres at 838 Elmgrove Road. Gallina plans to build a 107,000 square-foot facility that will hold three large fields. He also plans to add two or three outdoor fields to several existing fields at the site to be known as the Elmgrove Family Sports Center. The project is expected to create 37 full-time jobs within three years of completion. The estimated net value of the property, sales and mortgage tax incentives is some $256,000. (7/20)
Greece-- Monroe County wants to build a 22-field soccer complex on county-owned land. The complex, expected to cost $3 million to $4 million, would be on 88 acres next to Greece Canal Park and would include two or three buildings and a championship field with bleachers for 2,500 people. The county-owned soccer complex could be completed in two years with the funds to build it coming from the interest the county is earning on the nearly $60 million dedicated for projects as part of its share of a national tobacco settlement. (6/22)
Henrietta-- Entertainment City is proposing a family entertainment center featuring electric go-karts, video batting cages, laser tag and a mix of interactive games for Hechinger Plaza. Hechinger Plaza, located at the corner of West Henrietta and Jefferson roads, has been empty since 1995. The company is proposing to use 100,000 to 150,000 square feet in the plaza. The town will waive all of the customary filing fees and charges for developers who propose to use vacant space. (7/14)
Henrietta-- Ross Catalano, who formerly operated Skate Town in Irondequoit, and partner James E. Drew have proposed a family roller skating and recreation center on Jefferson Road just east of Interstate 390. They will spend more than $1 million to convert the 105,000 square-foot former Caldor discount store. Plans include using 60,000 of the square footage for a skating center called FunQuest and the rest for a craft and antique co-op, which they also would manage. The town is expected to approve the plans on August 15. Catalano hopes to have the business up and running by Thanksgiving. (7/21)
Henrietta-- RIT is taking over the Marriott Thruway Hotel for student housing and for use in its hospitality and service management program. The 304-room hotel on West Henrietta Road is currently owned by E.J. DelMonte Corp., which owns and operates 18 hotels across the state. The company is giving away its largest hotel, with an assessed value of $29 million. With RIT also taking over the $15 million mortgage, the gift has a value of about $14 million. About 300 students - upperclassmen and graduate students - will move into the hotel next month. By the fall of 2002, almost all the hotel will be used for student housing. In addition, the university plans to move all its conferences and corporate training there. (8/9)
Romulus-- PEZ Lake Development LLC is investing more than $2 million into redeveloping a portion of the decommissioned Seneca Army Depot to attract more business and companies to the region. PEZ Lake plans call for 32 buildings with warehouse, distribution, light manufacturing and a small portion of office space. The entire development will include approximately 3 million square feet on 850 acres of the former U.S. Army base. In addition to the PEZ development, the 10,000-acre Army site also has attracted at least $188 million in other developments, including a troubled-youth facility and a maximum-security prison. Those developments have brought nearly 900 jobs to the complex. The site is located in Seneca County, some 45 miles southeast of Rochester, off Route 96. (8/3)
Rush-- The Town is planning a $2.6 million revitalization and building renovation project for the Town Hall, 5877 East Henrietta Road. Rush officials scheduled two community meetings on the subject. If approved, the effect on taxpayers would be less than $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. Plans include a community center with a multipurpose gymnasium, meeting and activity rooms and a community kitchen. Sport fields are proposed to surround the community center. Work is also planned to the Town Hall, court and library building as part of the project. (8/1)
GENERAL
Fairport-- The Fairport Village Partnership has awarded the Fairport Village Inn a $7,500 grant through its façade-improvement program. The program, which began this year, offers businesses or property owners in commercial or industrial-zoned areas a grant for part of the costs to improve facades. To date, eight grants have been awarded. The maximum grant amount is $7,500. A $40,000 Empire State Development Corp. grant and a $40,000 county Community Development Block Grant pay for the façade program. Money is limited and project approvals are competitive. (7/26)
Greece-- Genesee Group Inc. purchased Ben Mer Manufacturing Inc. from co-founder and president Steven Benedict and plans to keep most of the company's 80 to 100 workers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Genesee Group began negotiations for the purchase after Ben Mer filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing $10 million to $50 million in assets and debt between $10 million and $50 million. Ben Mer has approximately 100 customers worldwide, including Xerox Corp. (9/6)
Henrietta-- Businesses looking to build will have to explain to the town why they cannot use existing commercial or industrial buildings. The Town Board passed a resolution intended to force incoming businesses to examine the possibility of using vacant property before deciding to erect new buildings. Under the resolution, the town will waive all filing fees for applicants who want to move into a vacant space bigger than 3,000 square feet. All applications for the construction of new buildings more than 3,000 square feet must include a written report detailing the efforts of the applicant in considering suitable vacant space. The policy will expire July 1, 2002. (7/25)
Penfield-- Penfield and Perinton are sharing a $50,000 state Recreation Trail grant which will connect and improve Irondequoit Creek trail between Linear Park in Penfield and Spring Lake Park in Perinton. The towns filled a joint grant application. (8/30)
Pittsford-- Rick Leasure Realtors Inc., one of Rochester's largest residential real estate firms, is merging with the Erie County-based Stovroff Realty/RealtyUSA. The Pittsford-based firm, with 45 agents and employees, will be known as RealtyUSA Rick Leasure Division. It becomes part of Stovroff Realty/RealtyUSA, the largest independent real estate company in New York. (9/20)
Rochester-- Most of the reconstruction work is now complete on the Ford Street Bridge, an $11million project started in May 2001 to widen and fortify the bridge, which carries Ford Street across the river to Wilson Boulevard near Mt. Hope Avenue. The federal government paid $8.8 million for the Ford Street Bridge reconstruction, with $1.65 million coming from the state and $555,000 from Rochester. (9/28)
Webster-- A proposal before the Town Board seeks to conserve green space by increasing minimum lot and home sizes. In the proposal, new homes would need to have at least 1,200 square feet of floor space, a 20% increase over the existing requirement. More importantly, minimum lot sizes would also increase from 18,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet. The proposal has generated some concern among builders and those who promote affordable housing. (7/31)
