Marvin Maye, the Rochester developer who has been trying for months to get permission to demolish a church at 660-668 West Main Street, received the go-ahead today from city’s Zoning Board.
Maye, who owns the property, has faced strong resistance to demolishing the church, which is on the city’s list of historic places. Opponents have included some residents in the nearby Susan B. Anthony neighborhood, as well as the Landmark Society. The church was once the home of the German Liederkranz Club, and is one of the few surviving buildings associated with the city’s German-American community.
But Maye has argued that restoring the building is prohibitively expensive, and that he has not been able to find tenants.
The approval to demolish the building is contingent on Maye’s documenting that he has financing and that the church will be replaced by a grocery store.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2014.
Price Chopper.
Give us another Price Chopper!
A Family Video Store would be fine too.
( And people wonder why people from NYC vacation in Vermont rather than in upper state New York which has become for them, a hell hole. )
Timely article: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/08/14/local-churches-receive-funds-repair-preserve-buildings/14053575/
No respect for history or heritage!
Let’s look at this rationally shall we? On the one hand it would be great if this historic building could be preserved. So where is the investment from the city? From the historical community? Marvin Maye has been trying to get this process moving for two years. There has been opportunities for preservationists to step in and invest in this building. There has been public hearings, appeals processes and the best that has been done is to say “It’s a historic building, don’t tear it down.” I definitely support preservation and maintaining historic character. It is truly a shame. But in two years, who has stepped in to preserve this building? Who has put up the $300,000, $400,000 necessary to restore the building to its historic character? No one.
Now on the other hand the West Main Street corridor is a food desert. There are liquor stores, gas stations and convenience marts, but no full grocery stores. For the people who live in the neighborhood, they need a grocery store. It is now a practical matter that must be considered. People can’t get fresh fruit and vegetables in a sterile museum.
Most of the people in the Landmark Society don’t live in the neighborhood. They don’t even live in the city. It is a typical situation of the white power elite in the suburbs coming into the city to tell the poor minorities how they must live b/c the white power suburban elite knows better. Hogwash.
There are good reasons on both sides. Both sides are correct and both sides are wrong. Marvin Maye owns the site and he has been more than fair. It’s his property. His property, his problem, his business. If he wants to put in a store so the neighborhood has a grocery store and that there is a chance for economic prosperity, imposing discipline, dignity, law, order, propriety, a sense of morality and decency and proper work ethic, that is his choice. Good luck to him.
Now the matter is closed. If you need help with it, go see a competent psychiatrist. The matter is closed.