Carla Palumbo. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
RGRTA is apparently hitting all its marks on its way to getting final sign-off from the city for a Mortimer Street transit center.
City Council has approved a partial abandonment of Mortimer so RGRTA could build a bus station. But the approval hinged on several conditions, most having to do with public outreach. Others were resolutions of outstanding parking and security issues.
The conditions have to be met before the city engineer signs off on the project - the last step as far as the city's involvement is concerned.
RGRTA and a City Hall task force are setting up public design workshops on the center.
"This is not ‘Should we move it?'" says City Council member Carla Palumbo, who heads up the task force. "This is, ‘It's here. How do we want it to look?'"
Architects, an RGRTA spokesperson says, are starting from scratch on the design.
The first workshop is 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, at the Hyatt downtown. No signup is necessary, and no designs will be presented. Attendees will cycle through four workstations staffed by city and RGRTA officials, who will record people's ideas for the center's design.
Those ideas will be posted on RGRTA website, www.rgrta.com. The October workshop, a date has not yet been set, will include designs created based on input from the September event, an RGRTA official says.
Security has perhaps been the biggest unresolved issue with the bus station. City Council created a security task force to oversee that element of the project.
RGRTA will pay for a private security force inside the center, says George Markert, executive deputy chief for the Rochester Police Department. The RPD will have a presence, he says, but not 24 hours - probably at peak times.
There will also be cameras inside the building.
It appears parking may still be an issue. Palumbo says RGRTA and the city are working on it, but the RGRTA spokesperson says parking is resolved. RGRTA and a developer have been in conflict over a parking lot. The developer wants the lot for his tenants.
Comments for "First design workshop for bus station is tonight " (7)
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Harry Davis said on Sep. 07, 2010 at 11:40am
Did anybody watch the program last night on PBS, "Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City" thearchimediaworkshop.org/burnhamfilm/clips.html which also featured Rochester architect Howard Decker who writes the blog "A Town Square"?
http://heckeranddecker.wordpress.com/
In this program, it was reveled that even Rochester had a master "plan" in the early 1900's to have large green spaces and sensible transportation alternatives. The theme of this show was we need to PLAN for our city's future. Today, we have the Palumbo/Duffy Mortimer bus barn.
The Mortimer bus barn only appeases the politically connected and narrow financial interests of a few.
Nobody who cares about downtown should participate in this charade. It only encourages them.
We should talk about the misuse of the process and turn it into a public effort, a press conference rather than allowing Carla Palumbo to hoodwink the public once again!
"Security - how much, what kind, and who pays - has perhaps been the biggest unresolved issue with the bus station. City Council created a security task force to oversee that element of the project."
Excuse me! Security is not the biggest unresolved issue! The development of downtown into a LIVABLE downtown is the biggest unresolved problem! One which Duffy, Palumbo and the RGRTA have absolutely no concept of. How will this bus barn interact with inter-modal connectivity at the Amtrak? Answer. It won't.
If you care about this issue, do not participate in this charade. Protest it!
74 people now belong to this group:"Stop Mortimer Street Bus Barn/Create Amtrak Inter-Modal"
http://bit.ly/bgUGuy
Maybe you want to join!
Will Condo said on Sep. 09, 2010 at 10:29am
Why would anyone waste their time attending this meeting ? We have alreday been sternly told by Councilwoman Palumbo what cannot be considered. This is a total charade passing for citizen involvement. Why give any credibility to this ill-considered bus barn on Mortimer Street when the overwhelming public opinion has been ignored ?
Richard Rosen said on Sep. 12, 2010 at 9:25am
The RGRTA still has to submit a revised Environmental Analysis that will hold up to scrutiny if challenged in court. I urge those who wish to register their disapproval to come Wednesday night and do so! I believe that a bus transfer facility should be located below ground, as originally proposed and approved by City Council in 2003, so that planned development of new mixed use housing can continue at grade. Alternatively, there are other sites downtown that were not examined, and which will not interfere with neighborhood development. It is important to have a strong showing of support so that legal challenges to this railroaded misguided proposal can stop it dead in its tracks.
Harry Davis said on Sep. 13, 2010 at 9:57am
We have formed a group of Rochester citizens who want to stop the City of Rochester & the RGRTA from building the Mortimer Street bus barn at 80 St. Paul St. Rochester, NY and instead incorporate the RGRTA bus transit facility with the already budgeted renovated existing Amtrak Station.
"Stop Mortimer Street Bus Barn/Create Amtrak Inter-Modal"
http://bit.ly/bgUGuy
It only makes sense to combine all forms of public transportation in the same location, creating a centralized inter-modal transit hub with high speed rail at the Amtrak Station only two blocks away in downtown Rochester.
We base our recommendation and also thank for their expertise the following transit and developer professionals:
John Robert Smith, CEO, Reconnecting America
http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/
John Robert Smith on transit-oriented development (TOD) in Rochester
http://www.harrydavis2010.com/node/281
MARK IV Enterprises are the owners of the Warner Building, the recently remodeled residential building at 80 St. Paul St. Rochester, NY which is located on one side of the proposed Mortimer Street bus barn site. This same developer is also moving forward with the construction of new town home projects to be built on property the RGRTA and the city intends to take for the Mortimer bus barn. The developer will probably be forced to file a law suit to stop the his townhouse properties to be taken by an act of eminent domain.
Elected officials have for years promised the citizens of Rochester the beginnings of a renewed downtown; when they are fortunate enough to attract the interest of extremely respected developers such as MARK IV Enterprises, the developer is rewarded by the attempt to grab their land and locate, in this instance a bus barn, along with all its fumes and other negative environmental impacts directly next to or on one of the first high end housing developments built or proposed for our blighted downtown.
Please join our organization. There are many reasons to organize now. We must make sure the city council knows the majority of city residents oppose creating a separate bus hub transit site, especially when it would require that additional great housing not be built downtown.
Assuming the city council schedules a special election for mayor in 2011, this transit oriented organization could be very influential in determining who our new mayor will be; A mayor who agrees with the problems of the Mortimer bus barn and sees the advantages of a combined transit mall, located at the soon to be refurbished Amtrak Station site. If we organize now, when we have a new mayor for Rochester, then we will be in a better position to really create new Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Rochester.
If the Mortimer bus barn is built, several years hence, when we seek full federal funding for actual construction of our much-needed TRUE intermodal facility, the feds are likely to say, "But we already gave you $50 million for a bus barn where it should not have gone, away from the intermodal site, and you dare to ask for money now for an incomplete station? Sorry. We only have so many limited dollars. We are now in the business of funding construction of TRUE intermodal stations only."
Harry Davis said on Sep. 14, 2010 at 2:13pm
Press conference Wednesday, Sept 15, 5:15PM in front of the Hyatt-Regency Hotel on Main Street to inform about the RGRTA's Mortimer bus barn.
Harry Davis said on Sep. 15, 2010 at 9:54am
For your information, according to the RGRTA web site, 8 of the 13 RGRTA Commissioners' terms have expired. Some as long ago as 2006.
I wonder if the RGRTA's by laws and the NYS law establishing authorities says anything about the continuation of Commissioners' appointments if the NYS Senate fails to approve such appointments. I assume the Senate has to approve the Governor's appointments.
Interesting, if the Commissioners voted for the bus terminal and their term expired then is such a vote valid no less legal?
Maybe we should sue?
Should the NYS Attorney General become involved? The current Attorney General does not need support to win his candadicy for Governor but those running for Attorney General might need the backing of the electorate in Monroe County. I suspect both economically middle class (the majority of voters) and economically working class residents of Monroe County are against this terminal. In particular, property owners are against the terminal. They see it as another increase in their tax bill (even though we know the terminal's funding comes primarily from Federal & State funds and will not affect their county or city taxes.)
Harry Davis
Adam said on Sep. 20, 2011 at 2:35pm
I know these posts are now over a year old - But I'd love an update on what ever happened here. I drove downtown the other day at 3pm and saw the massive line of busesses lining our deserted Main Street - such a sad sight. I agree with the need for BIGGER planning and the idea of joining all the transportation DOES make intuitive sense. But I'd also like to see action... Anyone have any updates?
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