Village Gate is growing 

Three new buildings are coming to Village Gate on North Goodman Street in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts. The buildings will house retail and office space, says Gary Stern, owner of Stern Properties, which owns Village Gate.

"We're working on the design now," he says.

The buildings will be located behind Village Gate, Stern says, and construction will begin this summer.

Stern has also bought more than three acres of land from CSX to add parking at Village Gate. Even without the new buildings, he says, Village Gate is pressed for parking space.

"We're fully rented," he says.

Stern says that he expects Village Gate to gain about 300 spots.

Village Gate is an old printing company that has been converted into space for offices, artists, and restaurants — and it is definitely a center of gravity in NOTA.

Stern owns about 10 properties in the neighborhood. Although Village Gate is generally considered to be the building at 274 North Goodman, it also includes a handful of other properties on North Goodman as well as 176 Anderson Avenue.

Village Gate has been undergoing an evolution in recent years — whether that's a good thing depends on your point of view. Critics say that the loss of eclectic tenants such as The Bop Shop and Comics Etc. is proof that Village Gate is deliberately ditching the funky vibe for which it has been known.

But others say that Stern is just taking advantage of a renewed interest in city living by signing tenants, including many eateries, with widespread appeal.

Stern also owned the Carnegie building on North Goodman, which was demolished after a recent fire. Stern says that he still plans to put apartments and maybe offices on the site.