Final Inner Loop designs revealed

The City of
Rochester unveiled final designs today for the Inner Loop East project. The
city is filling in a mile stretch of the loop, which will create six acres of
land for development.

The Inner
Loop was built in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s to help motorists get around
downtown. But in the subsequent years, as the city’s population drastically
declined, the loop has come to be viewed as a “moat” that divides neighborhoods and
separates downtown from the rest of the city.

The city
will fill in the southeast portion of the loop from Monroe Avenue to Charlotte
Street. The design includes a cycle track from the Howell-Monroe-Chestnut
intersection to University Avenue. The track covers about three-quarters of a
mile.

City
officials presented two examples of the kind of development that could take
place on the new land, using demographics, market trends, and other analysis.
In the first scenario, 427,913 square feet would be carved up into 303
residential units, 54,000 square feet of retail, and 72,000 square feet of office
space.

In the
second scenario, 795,062 square feet would be turned into 625 residential
units, 89,000 square feet of retail, and 85,000 square feet of office space.

The
difference between the two scenarios is the density of the developments.

The project
should go out to bid this summer, with construction starting in October.
Construction, according to the city, will take place in three phases from 2014
to 2017.

The city received
a $17.8 million federal grant for the $27 million project. The city’s portion
is $6 million.

This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2014.