Residents can learn next week about Rochester Management’s latest proposal for its Norris Drive property, which is surrounded by Cobbs Hill Park. The plan will be discussed at a public meeting at New Life Presbyterian Church, 243 Rosedale Street, at 7 p.m. Monday, April 3.
The company wants to demolish the six, one-story brick buildings, which contain 60 units of affordable housing for seniors. The revised plan calls for five new apartment buildings with 98 units: three that are two-story and two that are three-story, with a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and townhouse-style units.
The current complex contains studios and one-bedroom units.
The new plan comes almost a year after Rochester Management first proposed changes to the site. Mayor Lovely Warren stepped in following growing protests against the project, and asked Rochester Management to submit new plans.
Since then, some residents and community members have met with Rochester Management and city officials about the proposal, says Andrew Seager, president of the Friends of Washington Grove. The company has submitted a more thorough proposal, he says. The original plan showed just two four-story buildings, leaving future development unclear. And critics said the buildings weren’t compatible with the park.
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2017.
Really? Multi-storied buildings in historic Cobbs Hill Park? Fix what is there and let the seniors stay!