An alternative plan for the property, proposed by the George Eastman House, calls for keeping and renovating the Monroe Voiture building and creating gardens, a sculpture area, and parking lot. Credit: PROVIDED PHOTO

Morgan Management’s plan for 933 University Avenue includes
a 102 apartment building (three and four stories tall), underground and surface
parking, and a new building for Monroe Voiture.

An alternative plan for the property, proposed by the George
Eastman House, calls for keeping and renovating the Monroe Voiture building and
creating gardens, a sculpture area, and parking lot.

The George Eastman House, which is fighting a Morgan Management
development plan for 933 University Avenue, adjacent to the museum campus, has released
an alternative proposal for the property.

An alternative plan for the property, proposed by the George Eastman House, calls for keeping and renovating the Monroe Voiture building and creating gardens, a sculpture area, and parking lot. Credit: PROVIDED PHOTO
Morgan Management’s plan for 933 University Avenue includes a 102 apartment building (three and four stories tall), underground and surface parking, and a new building for Monroe Voiture. Credit: PROVIDED PHOTO

Morgan
wants to build a 102-unit apartment building on property now owned by the
Monroe Voiture veterans group. Morgan would construct a new building for the
veterans, maintaining it and leasing it to them rent-free. That plan will be
considered by the Rochester Preservation Board on May 8.

Eastman
House director Bruce Barnes says the Morgan development plan is too large, is
inappropriate for the East Avenue Preservation District, and would have a
negative impact on the Eastman House campus. The Eastman House wants to
preserve the existing Monroe Voiture building, renovating it and leasing it
rent-free to the veterans. GEH would create a garden, sculpture area, and new
Eastman House parking lot and driveway on the remainder of the property.

Eastman
House officials initially said they might need the property for additional museum
space. But Barnes says the museum now wants the property kept relatively
undeveloped. New museum facilities would be built elsewhere in Rochester when
needed.

This article appears in Apr 24-30, 2013.

Mary Anna Towler is a transplant from the Southern Appalachians and is editor, co-publisher, and co-founder of City. She is happy to have converted a shy but opinionated childhood into an adult job. She...

6 replies on “GEH has plan for University Ave.”

  1. So a parking lot is more appropriate for the East Ave Preservation District? The Morgan design acutally appears to have more trees and green stuff, they didn’t even have to throw in a vegetable garden.

  2. Wait — somebody’s willing to put their own money at risk to bring more than a hundred new households to the inner city, and the bureaucrats are giving them a hard time? Excuse me, but that’s insane.

  3. I dont see how a parking lot with a garden next to it is a better alternative to Morgans plan. Morgan would bring additional tax revenue, density, and people to a neighborhood where new housing is in demand. Not to mention a dense development will encourage walking over driving in an already walkable area. Nearby Businesses would no doubt prefer Morgans plan also. In my opinion more parking and green space owned by Eastman is not what is needed for this site.

  4. Love this area – used to live close by – but 102 units is awfully large. A somewhat scaled back version might just be the ticket. Then it would be a terrific addition to a really nice area.

    @j.a.m., this is hardly the “inner city.” Drive by it sometime. It looks a lot like the safe confines of your suburban apartment.

  5. @Troll: Funny, but the city has posted a sign at East and Culver reading, “Welcome to Center City”. I’ll stick with the official demarcation, thank you.

    FYI, I do drive by the site daily (several times). I’ll grant you it is downright bucolic compared with my block.

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