1st Quarter 2007
ECONOMIC & BUSINESS
Xerox – Xerox is trying to purchase Advectis Inc., a privately held electronic filing company, for $32 million in cash (9/13). The CEO of Xerox is expecting profits to grow, and will begin paying their dividend again for the first time in about six years (11/20). Xerox has signed a $70 million contract with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for office equipment and support services. The medical center covers 19 hospitals and employs about 45,000 people (11/22).
Housing - Sales of existing homes increased 7% in
August, and the median selling price rose 4% over the same period
in the previous year (9/18). New-home sales plunged in August, hitting
a seven year low. The median new-home sale price fell by 7.5 percent
to $225,700 (9/28). The housing slump deepens in the U.S., with sales
of existing homes down in 46 states in the July-September quarter.
The median sale price for Rochester in October was $114,500, down
from 116,000 in October 2006. Rochester-area sales volume so far is
essentially flat, with 10,763 closings through October, compared with
10,813 for the same period the previous year (11/22).
Jobs – Private sector positions are at the highest level for August in six years. For the month, there were 437,700 people with non-government jobs in the five-county metropolitan statistical area, up 1,400 from a year earlier, and the most since 2001. Total employment was up as well, and the unemployment rate was flat at 4.2%. (9/21) Employers in the region continue to add jobs, creating an eight month stretch of gains. This is the longest string of employment gains since 2005. The nine-county region had 515,700 non-farm jobs last month, up 1,000 from a year earlier. About 85% of those were private sector jobs, with the other 15% being government positions. The unemployment rate in the region was 4.2% in September, up slightly from 4.1% a year earlier. (10/16) The rise in jobs has come to an end in October, with Rochester experiencing a net loss of about 600 jobs. (11/11)
Delphi - Kodak has plans to sell 330 acres of its 390-acre Kodak Park South to Acquest Development LLC of Amherst. Included in this are Building 605, a climate controlled warehouse over 2.1 million square feet in size, and Building 502, a 200,000-square-foot receiving warehouse. (9/27) Delphi Corp. can pay its employees up to a total $37.6 million in bonuses. (9/28)
Corning – Corning Inc. said that it will move its laboratory glassware business from its Big Flats plant to Monterrey, Mexico. About 50 of the 70 union employees working at the Big Flats location will be affected. (9/27)
Pentagon grants – If President Bush approves, millions of dollars could be given to local companies for research projects. Among other businesses in the Rochester region, Delphi Corp. would receive $2.75 million for research into the range of uses for fuel cells. Rochester Institute of Technology would receive $2 million for research into possible Pentagon technology upgrades. Integrated Nano-Technologies in Henrietta would receive $2.4 million for the development of hand-held units that detect biological-warfare chemicals. Impact Technologies in Rochester would receive $4 million to develop more sophisticated monitoring systems in unmanned air or land vehicles. (11/11)
Energy East – Investors in Energy East Corp. have overwhelmingly approved the sale of the corporation to Iberdrola, a Spanish utility company, for $4.5 billion. The deal still needs to be approved by federal and state regulators. Energy East stockholders would receive $28.50 per share from Iberdrola. Energy East’s stock closed Nov. 20 at $27.51, up 6 cents for the day. (11/21)
UR – The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration has renewed its commitment to fund the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics for another five years. (11/21)
University of Rochester – A $2 million gift
from John H. Bruning will fund the creation of three labs that will
make up the University of Rochester Robert E. Hopkins Center for Optical
Design. The center is slated to be ready in the spring of 2008.(11/22)
The University of Rochester’s Center for Electronic Imaging
Systems, a state and industry-funded organization, had a $120 million
economic impact on New York’s last fiscal year. This makes five
straight years of increased economic impact for the center, which
had $114 million in impact last year, and $92 million the year before.
In the past five fiscal years, the center has had a total economic
impact of $426 million. (11/23)
OFFICE
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)
RETAIL
Wal-Mart - The potential Ridge Road Wal-Mart needs a variance from the zoning Board for lot coverage. Wal-Mart plans to cover 21.43%, which is over the maximum 15% permitted by the town. (9/6) The Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals approved Wal-Mart’s application to build a 146,000 square-foot super-store in Northgate Plaza. (9/10) The Wal-Mart Supercenter that is going to be built at the Victor Crossing near the Thruway on Route 96 will only be 100,000 square feet, which is about half the size of a normal Supercenter. Representatives for Wal-Mart are stating that it will carry the same items, but fewer in quantity of each. Construction crews have already started site work on the 96-acre property. The Supercenter is scheduled to open spring of 2009. (11/20)
Walgreen’s – DiPacific’s Restaurant on the corner of Routes 96 and 332 is being pursued by Walgreens, in order to demolish it to make way for their store. Walgreens’ designs will be presented to the planning board on Oct. 17. No other arrangements are in place until an agreement can be reached by Walgreens and the owner of the restaurant. If the Walgreens is approved, it will be the third drugstore in Farmington. (9/12)
Rite-Aid - The Greece Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday cleared the way for a new Rite-Aid pharmacy on West Ridge Road. The board approved the request made by 1093 Group LLC to allow the store to have 61 parking spaces instead of the required 67. They also have a special use permit to extend business zoning to the entirety of the parcels at 2946 and 2960 West Ridge Road (9/20). The town is likely to approve a 13,440 square-foot Rite-Aid at 2960 West Ridge Road, and is looking at adding a Walgreens and two cell towers. One of the cell towers would be 150 feet tall on the south side of Post Avenue. It would be about 125 feet from the rear property line of some of the homes on Jonquil lane. The other tower would be 105 feet tall, located near the Church of Christ and Latta Road (9/27). The Greece Planning Board has given permission for a Rite-Aid to be built at 2960 W. Ridge Road. The building will be 13,440 square feet, and will replace Garibaldi’s restaurant and a two-story office complex (10/11).
Wegmans – The Wegmans in Canandaigua will supply the store this summer with fresh, organically cultivated produce that is grown only 10 miles away on the Wegmans Organic Research Farm. The farm sits on nearly 50 acres owned by the family along West Lake Road. It is in its first year of production. (9/4) The 98,210 sq. ft. Wegmans on Holt Road in Webster has plans to expand by 45,420 square feet. The addition would include 28,605 square feet of new space and 16,890 square feet of existing space, which Wegmans owns and currently leases to retail tenants. Wegmans also wants to redevelop its former Chase-Pitkin building in the same plaza. (9/20)
PriceRite– A New Jersey-based grocery store, PriceRite, will move into the Rochester lot vacated by Wegmans on Dewey Avenue and Driving Park Avenue. PriceRite will complete $3 million in renovations before opening. (9/6)
Krispy Kreme – The Krispy Kreme Doughnut store at 1150 Jefferson Road is now closed. Krispy Kreme also closed a store in Greece in June 2005. Shares of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts fell Sept. 13 to a 52 week low of $3.01, and are down 72 percent. (9/14)
Woodcliff – final approval is being sought for an outdoor project at the Woodcliff Hotel & Spa off of Woodcliff Drive. The proposed project includes enlarging the pool patio and deck and adding a pond and a gazebo. The hotel is owned by the Widewaters Group, based in Syracuse. Walgreens and Tim Hortons are also seeking final approval for their signs, and the High Acres Landfill & Recycling Center is requesting permission to enhance their berm (10/10).
Tops – The 71-store chain Tops Friendly Markets has been sold to Morgan Stanley Private Equity for $310 million. The sale is not likely to cause any major changes (10/12).
Midtown Plaza – PAETEC, a telecom firm, has plans to build their headquarters in the area occupied by Midtown Plaza. PAETEC has about 600 workers in a Route 96 office park, and has been growing by about 100 people per year. Arunas Chesonis, the founder and CEO of PAETEC, hopes to have the new building up and occupied in as little as four years. Many will be sad to see Midtown go but are happy to see life and opportunities coming back to downtown Rochester (10/17). PEATEC will replace Midtown Plaza with a 500,000 square-foot tower rising anywhere from 12 to 35 stories high and housing 1,000 to 1,200 employees. PAETEC has grown from $100,000 to more than $1 billion in revenues over the last decade and employs 2,350 people, including over 600 in the Rochester area (10/17). Gov. Eliot Spitzer has announced that the state will spend $50 million to tear down the six-building complex that makes up Midtown Plaza. The money will also go towards cleaning up the 10-acre site. Midtown could be divided into as many as six development sites, and at least one would go to PAETEC (10/19). The Midtown project is having more problems than earlier anticipated, such as the attempted preservation of the parking garage below it, and whether it will be possible to demolish the buildings without damaging the garage. The city is also questioning where it will get the money to purchase the remainder of the property that PAETEC does not use (11/11).
Barilla – Barilla Group of Italy is opening a 300,000 square-foot facility in Avon. The $96 million plant is Barilla’s second in the United States. When fully operational, the pasta plant will employ 121 area residents. Combining employees from Barilla and Jacobson Warehouse Co., who serves as Barilla’s distributor and has invested $8.5 million in the construction of the factory. (10/19)
Constellation – Perinton-based Constellation Brands Inc. has purchased five California wineries that produce higher priced premium wines. Constellation has annual sales of about $5.2 billion, and will borrow $885 million to buy the U.S. wine business of Fortune Brands Inc. of Deerfield, Ill. The deal includes such brands as Clos du Bois, Wild Horse, and Geyser Peak. (11/13) Constellation Brands Inc. moved to the Woodcliff Office Park in Perinton three years ago, and it has already outgrown the space. The winemaker is planning to move its headquarters to the High Point Office Park, which is being developed off of Route 96. The building will be 120,000 square feet, and it will be the first of three office spaces built for the complex (11/28).
Target – The Chili Planning Board voiced its concerns that a preliminary traffic study pertaining to a proposed 133,055 sq. ft. Target store may be incomplete. Other factors still need to be considered. (11/14)
Eastview Mall – The managing company for Eastview Mall has given the green light for a freestanding L.L. Bean to be built on the site of the Jo-Mor theater that was once standing near Macy’s. Wilmorite has plans to break ground in January and open the store late in 2008 (11/14).
Stein Mart – Stein Mart’s grand opening in Pittsford Plaza was delayed by a day and a half by a fire marshal’s inspection. The company operates more than 270 stores including three New York locations in Glendale, Queens, and Williamsville. (11/17)
Crème de la Crème – Dessert maker Crème de la Crème has returned to the city of Rochester after moving to Fairport over a decade ago. The new site in the city is more than double the size of the Fairport location. They have opened their manufacturing location in the former post office building at 250 Cumberland St. near the inner loop. (11/28)
Staples – A Staples is moving into a 20,000 square-foot store in Penfield’s Panorama Plaza, taking the place of Fashion Bug, which will reopen in March. (11/29)
McDonald’s – Upper Falls Plaza is being
sold by the city for $3.2 million. McDonalds will pay $100,000 to
take ownership of its restaurant site, and developer Larry Glazer
would buy the rest. Money from the sale would be invested in other
economic development efforts. (11/30)
INDUSTRIAL
Brighton – The owners of Adrian Jules Ltd. will open a retail store in Brighton next week, which will be the company’s first location other than its manufacturing site in Irondequoit. The new location is at 2930 Monroe Ave., and is larger than the facility at 1392 East Ridge Road. The store will open October 4th or 5th. (9/26)
Shelby – Within a few days, the first batch of ethanol produced in the Northeast will be shipped from its factory in Orleans County. The Western New York Energy LLC ethanol plant means jobs for 50 people, a new market for corn growers, and a potential for Rochester area consumers to have access to an alternative to gasoline. (11/30)
Greece – Democrat Senator Charles Schumer is protesting the sale of Rochester Gas and Electric’s parent company to a Spain-based company called Iberdrola. Iberdrola has made a $4.5 million bid for the company, and Schumer is concerned about the fact that they haven’t made a comment about redeveloping Russell station as a natural gas-fueled plant. Russell Station is currently among the dirtiest power plants in the state, and it released more that 90 pounds of mercury into the air last year. The plant is also highly inefficient, operating at about 55% capacity, and with 68% of that energy going back into the atmosphere as pollution. (9/25)
RESIDENTIAL
Brighton – Plans are in place to construct a residential community of more than 300 living units on 63 acres south of Route 590. It would be built next to the Erie Canal, with an access road off of South Clinton Avenue, and several apartment buildings would be a short walk from the canal. (9/19)
Irondequoit – The Lighthouse Pointe project may not get off the ground due to a lack of funding to clean up the contaminated area, and the developers are currently suing the state for funding. RSM’s plans to build 48 condominiums in the area may be unsuccessful due to the neighbor’s complaints that the condos would ruin their view of the lake, further more the Planning Board is having trouble envisioning the condominiums fitting on only 6 acres of land. (9/10)
Rochester - Local churches from Rush, Henrietta, Chili and Spencerport are looking to raise money to build a Habitat for Humanity home in Rochester. They will need to raise $65,000. (10/17)
Brighton – A proposal is being considered for a new housing project just beyond interstates 390 and 590, on an open field off of South Clinton Avenue. The neighborhood would have 336 housing units on 63 acres. The plan would leave 40 percent of the site as green space. Current plans include building heights 75 ft. above grade, Brighton only allows 40 feet. The project is causing conflict for local environmentalists who are unhappy with the decision to build a housing complex in that area. (10/29)
Henrietta – A housing project for RIT students, a $72 million Park Point project, is scheduled to be complete by August. It will feature an array of apartments and a retail development. (11/13)
Victor – Beachland Consulting LLC wants to renovate an 1800’s cobblestone schoolhouse and build two structures of 7,000 and 5,400 square feet on a triangle-shaped two acres at the corner of High Street, High Street Extension, and Route 96. The property would have to be rezoned by the Town Board from residential to planned development district. With a 3-2 vote, the town decided that the application was complete, starting a formal review process. (11/14)
Victor – The Town Board has voted to accept an environmental report as complete for the Bluestone Creek proposal. Bluestone Creek calls for a tract of patio homes and apartments on 75 acres between Old Dutch and Wangum roads. The Town Board will have to approve a zoning change from industrial to residential. (11/14)
Victor – The DiMarco Group will propose, Fishers Ridge, the 750,000 sq. ft. development for a nearly 100-acre lot on Route 96. Plans will include a mix of homes, stores, restaurants and a hotel. (11/14)
Rochester – Approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is expected sometime in the next few weeks for the redevelopment plan of Rochester’s River Park Commons. Conifer Realty LLC wants to tear down the four low-rise buildings at the complex, which now includes 402 units of affordable housing, and rebuild with 100 residences. Eighty of the residences would be market-rate residences and twenty of them would be subsidized housing. (11/23)
Perinton – Longwell Builders LLC is waiting
for the last board approval before breaking ground this spring on
Stonebrook, a 45-acre, mixed-use development. Stonebrook will be constructed
on Loud and Thayer roads. Plans include 52 townhomes, 32 patio homes,
four single-family homes and a commercial building with space for
up to seven retail and service tenants. The units will list between
$250,000 and $290,000. (11/23)
OTHER
Hopewell – Finger Lakes Community College is celebrating the opening of the first on campus dorms. The construction of the building took 11 months, the cost of construction was $18 million. The dorms feature 354 bedrooms. (9/10)
Honeoye Falls – A new site in Honeoye Falls is being offered as “shovel-ready”, or pre-permitted and ready for construction. Village Square, a 92-acre parcel on West Main Street, could save companies years in the planning and approval process, and hopes to draw new business to the region (10/18).
Palmyra – Thirty-nine homes in Palmyra will likely receive grinders that will help them link to a new sewer being installed. The total cost for the project is expected to be around $550,000. The town was given a federal grant of $221,800 for the project, and the town plans to take out a 38-year loan at 4.5% to pay for the rest of it. All residents in the district, whether they hook up to the sewer or not, will be required to pay about $460 annually to help pay off the loan. Residents who hook up to the sewer could face a $300 charge for the sewer use, as well as a $50 capital fund-fund contribution to replace the grinder pumps. They would also have to pay between $1,000 and $2,000 for the incorporation of the grinder pump into their plumbing, as well as an additional $500 to $1,000 for pumping out and abandoning their existing septic tank (9/10)
Rochester – The Eastman School of Music has announced the construction of a new wing on East Main Street and Swan Street. The addition will feature a 200-seat recital hall, a large rehearsal space, a recording studio, and faculty studios. It will be built on top of a current parking lot. In March, the Eastman School announced plans to renovate the Eastman Theater by reducing the number of seats from 3,094 to 2,250 and install box seats on the side walls to improve acoustics and increase lobby space. The estimated cost for the project is $35 million, and will be funded by a $13 million grant from the government, a $5 million grant from New York State, in addition to the $8 million already committed. (9/11)
Greece – The Greece Board of Education is requesting another project for voter approval on Dec. 13. The project includes $17.8 million worth of health and safety repairs, and $3.6 million for funding software and hardware upgrades. It will cost $24.1 million dollars, which will be funded by $4.2 million by the state EXCEL Aid, and $17.2 million in state building aid. There will be no cost to the taxpayers. (9/13)
Brighton –Southside Medical Supply at 1815 Clinton Ave. South in Brighton has been purchased. It will open in the week of Sept 17, featuring a supply storeroom expansion of 2,000 square feet, more fitting rooms for privacy and consultations, and a computer system upgrade. (9/13)
Rochester – CB Richard Ellis is marketing the Vertis Inc. distribution facility on the northeast corner of University Avenue and Culver Road. The property is priced for $2.95 million. (9/14)
Rochester – The Clarion Riverside Hotel is getting $4.7 million in renovations and upgrades. Two floors will be turned into executive suites, the second-floor meeting rooms and bathrooms will be renovated, and the lobby will be redone with a boutique motif. Work is scheduled to begin Oct. 22, and will be completed in February. The hotel reported a 4% growth in sales and a 7% growth in capacity in 2006 compared to 2005. (9/21)
Rush – Rush Creek Development wants to build a blend of single-family homes, town homes, apartments and a small amount of commercial space along 130 acres of property on the Howlett farm property. The property is north of West Rush Road and south of Honeoye Creek. It is split in half by the Lehigh Valley Trail. The project would include 150 single-family homes and 40 town houses south of the trail. 160 townhouses would be added to the north of the trail with the possibility of adding apartments. The single-family houses would average between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet on a small lot size, and would cost less than $200,000. (9/26)
Farmington – A polluted 12-acre site previously owned by Griffin Technology has been purchased by S&W Development of North America, LLC. The land is northwest of where routes 96 and 332 meet. S&W plans to complete cleaning up the contamination and develop the property. (9/27)
East Rochester – Once repairs on a bridge that carries trains over South Lincoln Road are complete, the town will be fully recovered from damage caused by January’s CSX train derailment. CSX has paid East Rochester $67,666.40 for labor and materials b\needed to fix its damaged streets and sidewalks. Most of the repairs have been done by village employees. CSX has settles all claims for private property damage. (9/28)
Albany – The Education Department and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority crafted new guidelines for energy-efficient construction of schools. Between the 2001-02 and 2005-06 school years, schools on average have decreased their energy consumption by 13%. (9/28)
Baltimore, greater Washington – Buffalo-based M&T Bank is expanding and acquiring 13 branches of First Horizon National Corp. in Baltimore and Greater Washington. They will acquire about $201 million in deposits and $226 million in loans. (9/30)
East Rochester – The East Rochester Central School district will move forward with a proposed $7.15 million project for district-wide improvements. The district will receive $5.35 million in state building aid, $376,870 in EXCEL Aid, and $1.4 million in capital reserves saved over the past 10 years. The proposal includes $2.4 million for interior renovations, $1.6 million for exterior renovations, and $1.4 million for health and safety items. If approved, the project will not cause an increase in taxes, and will begin in May, to be completed in August in time for the 2008 school year. (10/10)
Monroe County tax breaks– The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency has granted tax incentives to nine local economic development projects at its monthly meeting for October. Among the projects are, Nazareth College and its expansion of the residence halls. The college would like a tax-exempt bond on its $10.5 million project. Hahn Automotive warehouse was granted a $75,000 sales tax exemption for expanding its Rochester operations, adding 15 employees and buying $1 million in computer equipment. Apollo Development was given $85,000 in mortgage and partial tax abatements for the construction of a 13,000 square-foot sports medicine complex in Penfield. The project will cost $1.7 million. 250 South will receive $69,000 in sales and mortgage tax abatements for building the first residential housing unit in downtown’s Washington Heights area. $2 million will be allocated towards renovations. Finally, Morgan Spencerport LLC will receive tax abatements for a $20 million to $22 million project to develop a 10-acre shopping center in Spencerport at 28 Slayton Avenue. (10/17)
Greece, Henrietta – Five Star Bank, based in Warsaw, Wyoming County, plans to open branches in Greece and Henrietta. One would be in the Wegmans Plaza at 2033 West Ridge Road in Greece, and the other would be in the proposed Wegmans plaza at 745 Calkins Road in Henrietta. Each branch would cost $1.3 million to build, and would be 5,500 square feet each. Five Star Bank has $1.9 million in assets, 50 offices and 70 ATMs in 14 counties. (10/17)
Irondequoit – The town is planning to move the Cobblestone Blacksmith Shop from East Ridge Road to the Town Hall campus by next June. Built in 1830, it is Irondequoit’s oldest building. Ray Lo Re of Irondequoit purchased the property in August, and has donated the building to the town because he wants to build a Salvatore’s Pizza shop on the land. (10/25)
Clifton Springs – The former Teft Avenue School, which has been for sale for two years, may be purchased at $100,000 from Faith Community Church. The original asking price was $399,000. The 78,702 square-foot building is on six acres at 21 Teft Avenue. It was closed in 2004 when the new campus on Rte. 488 opened. (10/26)
Canandaigua – The City Council has set up a list of projects that it considers worth spending money on over the next ten years, anticipating $40 million that will be needed for projects through 2017. Street reconstruction will cost more than $18 million alone. (11/12)
Brighton – The Congregation Beth Sholom is considering either moving out of their current 40,000 square-foot location, or renovating it. Right now, the estimated project cost for either moving or updating is hovering between $3.5 million and $6 million. (11/14).
Henrietta – Canandaigua National bank and Trust Co. will operate out of a temporary location at1635 East Henrietta Rd., near the Jefferson Road intersection. Their new location will be at 1225 Commons Way, just off East Henrietta Road, and will be 2,200 square feet. (11/14)
Chili – The University of Rochester Medical Center will pay almost $500,000 for road improvements on Scottsville Road and pay the town $33,000 per year for a temporary lease permit for a Chili parking lot. This incentive package allows Chili to recoup lost revenues with the parking lot being taken off the tax roll. (11/15)
Webster – A new vote is sought out in the case of a $14.9 million community center in Webster. Proponents for a new community center in Webster blame the narrow loss on three things: the number of vacationing supporters during the vote in August, the lack of absentee ballots, and the fact that not enough people went to the polls because they thought that it would pass so easily. A petition of 1,323 signatures was presented to the board in an effort to get a re-vote. (11/16)
Greece – A new 11-bed hospice in Greece will offer care in a hotel-like setting for people who are nearing the end of their life. The Elizabeth G. and Jennifer J. Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center in Greece is a $3.4 million building at 2652 Ridgeway Avenue, just south of Unity Hospital. It offers eight beds for acute, inpatient care, and three beds for the people who no longer need acute-level care but still need a nurse at hand around the clock. (11/20)
Monroe County tax breaks – The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency has granted tax incentives to nine local economic development projects at its monthly meeting for November. Some of the projects receiving the incentives are, Rochester Presbyterian’s four proposed adult care complexes in Chili, each 10,215 square feet and able to accommodate 12 people, Midtown Athletic Club will get a partial tax exemption on a $6.6 million expansion. They plan to create 25 jobs over the next three years, Calkins Corporate Park LLC plans to add a 16,000 square-foot building to their office park to accommodate Sorenson Communications Inc., a Salt Lake City company that provides services for the deaf and hard of hearing. The $2 million project, which would get partial tax exemption, will create 100 jobs. Lastly, the Gallina Development Corp. plans to build a 20,500 square-foot distribution center. The $1.1 million project will receive partial tax exemption. It would create two jobs and retain twenty others. (11/21)
Canandaigua – A wide-scale, up-scale proposal for the north shore of Canandaigua Lake would include lakefront retail outlets, hundreds of townhouses, and a heavy commitment from the city. The Lakeshore Drive location would have 14 interlocking townhouse buildings totaling 150 units, 17 individual liner townhomes, six three-story apartment buildings totaling 30 units, two three-story mixed-use buildings with 100 apartments over retail space, three four-story mixed-use buildings with 77 apartments over retail space, 67,000 square feet of retail space, and 854 parking spaces. On Routes 5 and 20, there would be 100,000 square feet of existing retail space, 21,000 square feet of new retail space, and 534 parking spaces. The whole project will cost $140 million. (11/21)
Canandaigua – Developers revealed a formal proposal for a $140 million upscale development along the north shore of Canandaigua Lake. It is expected to be filed with the Canandaigua city Council early in 2008. The development would be 30 acres from Booth Street to Muar Street between Routes 5 and 20 and Lakeshore Drive. The first phase of construction would include about 25 buildings near Lakeshore Drive, including 374 residential units, apartments, and townhouses, and 67,000 square feet of retail space that will be slated for smaller, independent businesses and restaurants. The second phase would entail a makeover of Parkway Plaza, which is owned by Crossed. About 21,000 square feet of retail space would be added to the existing 100,000 square feet. (11/22)
Canandaigua – The Villas at Canandaigua has received Town Board approval and rezoning for their 49-acre parcel south of Routes 5 and 20 and west of Middle Cheshire Road in late October. The developer, however, would be required to extend the sewer line along the west side of Middle Cheshire Road to the Crosswinds Wesleyan Church, installation of a water main the same size as those that run along Middle Cheshire Road and Parish Street Extension to prevent a reduction of water pressure in the neighborhood, construction of a hiking and biking trail from the site along the sewer construction line down to County Road 16, turning lanes on both the north and south sides of the intersection of middle Cheshire Road and Routes 5 and 20 and West Street, a cash payment of $75,000 to the town for use in developing a park, and a cash payment of $125,000 to the town to make improvements to Outhouse Park, currently being developed along Outhouse Road. (11/28)
Rochester – Jines Restaurant on Park Avenue is planning to expand, and a new pub and eatery is moving in across the street. Due to the already congested parking issue, the city is requesting both places to put up signs encouraging customers to park in a nearby parking lot down the street. (11/28)
Greece – Voters will decide Dec. 13 whether to let the district spend $21.4 million on capital improvements. The EXCEL project would make repairs to aging equipment like boilers, antiquated technology, and bring the buildings up to code. The district’s selling point on the project is that it will be at no cost to the taxpayers. (11/29)
Williamson – An 80-foot tall wind turbine is being erected on the campus of Wayne Technical and Career Center. The turbine will power some of the school’s facilities, but like the solar panels that were installed a year ago, it will be used primarily for teaching purposes. (11/29)
Greece - Unity Hospital has announced a $144 million
expansion that would add a fourth floor to the orthopedic unit at
the facility, adding 85 beds. A 40-bed transitional care center would
be added as well. Since October, Unity has reported daily occupancy
rates of 103 percent, despite opening up more beds and decreasing
the length of patient stays. Currently, Unity has 256 beds. (11/29)
GENERAL
Rochester – The city has committed $550,000 toward constructing the Frederick Douglass Resource Center, adding to $750,000 from the state. (9/26)
Gorham – The Town Board has changed the rules
for building along the Canandaigua Lake shore to reduce red tape for
residents and reduce runoff into the lake. With the new rules in place,
anyone who wants to tear down a seasonal cottage and replace it with
a year-round home or another seasonal cottage can do so without variances,
but only if the building doesn’t cover any more land than the
original and isn’t any taller than the original structure. The
roof is not allowed to be higher than the width of the lot, either.
Smaller homes will keep the land open to absorb more runoff, reducing
the amount that goes into the lake. Property owners would get credit
for using such methods as having a quarter inch between the boards
on a deck, and using paving stone or bricks instead of concrete. The
credit would be that the space taken up by the listed methods would
count as 30% less on the total lot coverage. (11/19)
