Too
young to remember anything about the old downtown, most of Rochester’s
20-somethings grew up listening to their parents whimper about Sibley’s and
Midtown Plaza. Now they’re more than ready to see Rochester resemble some of
the country’s other wireless, espresso-sipping urban centers.
Rochester’s
young professionals — that cherished demographic local economists, business
people, and developers fret will leave the area for better opportunities —
are driving their own push to stop 20-something brain drain. And they’re hoping
their push will gain a little momentum with Center City Task Force: LIVE, a
Tuesday Q&A session with the latest set of public servants playing a role
in downtown’s fate.
The
task force, made up of City Council members Bill Pritchard, Adam McFadden, and
Wade Norwood, will field questions from an audience whose median age is likely
to be under 30. Since forming in December 2004, the task force has promised to
use its clout on council to make changes downtown in a short amount of time.
“A
lot of young people live and work downtown, and this is an opportunity for them
to meet with the task force and get answers on projects like Renaissance Square
and High Falls,” says Kelly Saucke. Saucke is the chairperson of the ROC City
Coalition, which is organizing the session.
“We’re
out there, and we want to know what their plans are for improving downtown
parking; especially for the East End on Friday and Saturday nights,” she says.
“What kind of retail are they thinking about for downtown? And the Inner Loop,
what’s happening there?”
Downtown’s
core infrastructure is so obsolescent that the public doesn’t need to be sold
on revitalization. The problem has been achieving consensus. What is the best
way to coax retail back to downtown? What mix of housing will lure urban
pioneers? Would the Inner Loop serve the public better if it were filled in?
Mayor
Bill Johnson’s effort to lure market-rate housing to downtown has impressed
Saucke. But most of it is out of reach for many people who are just starting
their careers. “There needs to be more in the midrange,” she says.
Concerns
over crime and panhandling, warranted or not, continue to dog downtown,
especially bustling sections like the East End. For Jennafer Maneta, president
of the East End Merchant Association, it’s all about perception.
“The
Alexander Street Merchant Association has invested in its own security. They’re
out there every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 in the
morning,” says Maneta, who lives downtown and owns the new ROC City Hots on
East near Alexander. “We’re hopeful that the Task Force can help us get a more
positive image outside of the immediate area. I’ve always felt very safe down
here.”
ROC City
insists LIVE is not a disguised stumping opportunity for politicians
like Norwood, who just recently received the local Democratic Party’s
nomination for mayor. But a voter-registration booth will be on site, and
Norwood’s getting a chance to address an audience of young potential voters who
see their futures tied to downtown’s progress.
“We’re
non-political because we don’t want to discourage members from joining based on
their party, Democrat or Republican,” Saucke says. The ROC City Coalition,
www.roccity.org, is an umbrella organization for more than a dozen
young-professional groups.
Center
City Task Force Chair Bill Pritchard is impressed by ROC City’s strong interest
in downtown development. But he’s going to push for specifics from the group.
“It’s not enough to say ‘we need retail downtown,'” he says.
A
bumper crop of young people is eager to get involved, and Pritchard sees this
event as an opportunity. “It takes more than new ideas and passion to get
anything done in city and county government,” he says. “You need experience,
and we need to begin a more aggressive development program for the next
generation.”
Center City
Task Force: Live will be held on Tuesday, May 31, at SoHo East (formerly
Tonic), 336 East Avenue, at 5:30 p.m.
This article appears in May 25-31, 2005.
