City finalizes new street grid at former Midtown site
Posted at: 03/07/2013 6:17 PM
By: Ray Levato | WHEC.com
|
|
|
 |
Print Story |
Rochester City Hall held a meeting to finalize plans for the new street grid that will be created at the site of the former Midtown Plaza site.
The Midtown site has been pretty much empty since the plaza was torn down two years ago. The city says this year's construction schedule is aggressive to get the project revved up.
Windstream is planning a grand opening for its new building by July 1. Before then, contractors will begin to carve new streets out of the 8 acre site.
Mayor Tom Richards, City of Rochester, said, “I think one of the things that's been difficult for people to do is visualize the new Midtown because it's been torn up for quite a long time. And now what you will see is what it will be like. You'll see streets. You'll see sidewalks. You’ll see the public space that's going in there.”
City engineer Jim McIntosh says work on the underground truck tunnel linking Chase Tower and the convention center is done. Soon work will begin to bring the 50-year-old underground parking garage up to date.
Jim McIntosh, City Engineer, said, “The garage work is starting next week. And we have until July 1 to get the first floor of the garage ready to go so the people coming to Windstream are going to have a place to park. By the end of this month, we'll award the contract for the streets up above. And there's a clause that they get access to Windstream on what was old Cortland Street in front of their building which will be facing what will be the plaza there.”
Work will begin in the spring or summer on the Midtown Tower for lower level retail and housing on the upper floors. Rochester City Hall says there's developer interest in parcel number two, south of the Windstream building and adjacent to the tower. And this fall, the city will award contracts for creating an open green space and plaza in the center of the Midtown site, with work to start next year.
Richards said, “And I think that will help people visualize the new downtown.”
Have a story you want our news team to investigate? Call us at 585-232-1010, click here to send us an e-mail or leave us a Facebook post or tweet.