City Newspaper Archives - 11/2007

DOWNTOWN: We need to save Midtown

Published on Nov 13, 2007
I'm totally against razing Midtown. It's the only remaining shopping venue in Downtown Rochester. There are clothing and jewelry stores, plus the food court. And what about people who use Rite Aid pharmacy for their prescriptions and who have a post office box there (like me)?

Why not use the Sibley building? There's plenty of empty space there. Why make the merchants in Midtown move and make patrons go elsewhere? Small businesses were already razed to make way for the Bausch & Lomb building. Now there's no shopping in that section. And now some rich company and the governor and mayor want to demolish the last remaining main shopping and gathering place downtown? How will that "revitalize" downtown?

Midtown is a nice place to sit and wait and have something to eat or drink while waiting between buses, waiting for friends to gather, shop at the specialty stores like Hallmark, Radio Shack, Antiques & Collectibles (which buys and sells quality used books at reasonable prices!) and others.

I say: Save Midtown. Keep Paetec out!

ROBERT RALPH REED, ROCHESTER