City Newspaper Archives - 2/2008
DEVELOPMENT: Re-evaluating Ren Square
Published by Jeremy Moule on Feb 12, 2008
It's been about two years since the last major, public development regarding Renaissance Square. Suddenly, however, there's a flurry of activity around the project.
In the past week, there have been two public meetings of the Main and Clinton Local Development Corp. board, whose members include County Executive Maggie Brooks and Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy. Among the revelations:
- Officials said they did not expect to decide whether the project will move forward until preliminary design work and a federal environmental review are completed. They expected that to happen by April 2009.
- Duffy requested quarterly itemized financial reports, to see where money is being spent. He was backed by Brooks and MCC President Tom Flynn, who also sits on the LDC board.
- Officials agreed to try to reach a consensus on a project that includes a bus station, an MCC campus, and some type of performing arts center - there is no agreement on the number of theaters.
- If the city decides to keep the Mortimer Street garage, which is located on the Ren Square site, the project will be designed around it.
- Officials still don't know who will operate the performing arts center and common areas.
- County officials confirmed that all contracts for the project expired at the end of August. Some were renewed during a Tuesday meeting, at a cost of $1.9 million.
- The contract with architect Moshe Safdie's firm was not renewed.
- Project officials will try to get the $11.7 million in federal transportation funding, which expires in September, extended, said the project's newly-appointed spokesman, Mike Power.
Article Photos
County Executive Maggie Brooks: postponing the 'Renaissance' until 2009. Photo by Joe Bell.
