Melissa James-Geska was at Rochester Regional Health’s St. Mary’s campus, where she was born, as she presented updates on the Bull’s Head Revitalization Project.
Bull’s Head, one of the oldest neighborhoods in southwest Rochester, where West Main, Genesee, Brown streets and Chili and West avenues converge, is new life.
“I don’t know if any of you are DJs for Ice Cream. Well, it was my father. If you’re a small, overbearing three-year-old sitting at the counter promoting candy, that was me,” James-Geska said at the public appointment. assembly on Monday’s task.
“He had a lot of credibility on the street promoting candy to children in the community. If you weren’t good to me, you wouldn’t get Now and Later and you wouldn’t even think about Lemon Heads,” he continued. to have a chance for the community that I and all of us here have such fond memories of. “
In fact, James-Geska, president of construction contractor U. S. A member of the business and neighborhood development of the city of Rochester, he still lives with his circle of relatives in the 19th district.
The existing revitalization task of Bull’s Head represents decades of work for Miller, who remembers starting revitalization efforts as early as 1995 under what was originally called Bull’s Head Community Development Corp. He says the efforts have been successful, presenting Brooks Landing as a done deal.
“At this end of the street, we were going to finish. On this end of the street, not so much,” Miller said.
“Twenty years from now, I need a young user who has grown up in this community and gone through the level of Harvard, Yale or Morehouse to get all the accolades,” said Majors, who is also a Harvard alumnus. Someone in the audience says, “He’s an awesome kid,” and the user next to him says, “Sure. “This kid grew up in Bull’s Head. All of those kids are doing great.
The Bull’s Head revitalization effort began in earnest 3 years ago when Dawson Co. , an Atlanta-based real estate company, was announced as the new developer. Since then, a team called DevelopROC has been formed that combines construction wisdom, finance, and development.
James-Geska jokingly calls them the “Justice League” because of their collective experience in the field.
The team includes Dawson, USC, Oughtness Group, investment firm Shift Capital, workforce progression experts Renaissance Groups, architects Torti Gallas Partners, and real estate firm Brinshore Development. Together, those organizations have worked across the country on similar projects in Atlanta, Philadelphia. , Cincinnati, Omaha and Rochester.
The current proposal represents years of work, incorporating community feedback in prior listening sessions. Its wide scope includes a large amount of mixed-income housing, community and business workforce partnerships, and walkability for its streets.
Revitalization plans date back to 1969 for the Bull’s Head domain, but were continually thwarted by cuts in federal investment and false starts. The community has faced decades of disinvestment, resulting in a poverty rate in the domain twice that of Monroe County. The median household income source is also part of the county’s.
Like the surrounding area, Bull’s Head has seen a decline in its overall population, but it has stabilized in recent years.
The area has had a Black majority of at least 70 percent since 2010. However, Hispanic and Latino residents over the last decade have been the fastest-growing segment, increasing from 9 percent to 14 percent of the population.
There were slightly more than 1,800 housing units as of 2022, census estimates show. The revitalization project proposal would bring 780 to 800 additional units, primarily located in large, dense housing complexes on the north side of West Main Street.
Some sets across the street from the St. Louis campus. Mary’s are also included in the plan and could serve as housing for traveling nurses at Rochester’s regional health site.
Daniel Pemberton, chief executive of Dawson Co. , says the figure was selected because the company has noted in previous projects that a scale of this length is necessary for a lasting replacement in a region. The plan also commits to ensuring that at least 20 units consistent with 100% of all sets built are affordable to people within 60% of the region’s median income.
DevelopROC says it is partnering with a number of community organizations, including through employment opportunities. For example, at 160 Clifton St., the plan proposes an adapted building project to include an office for construction company Livingston Associates, which is recruiting for construction in the Bull’s Head area.
“Too often, these projects aren’t holistic in their approach. So, this brings all these components together in one place and is doing it in a place where people who are looking for work actually live,” said Tony Ditucci, president of Livingston Associates. “We can not only create economic opportunity, but we’re able to bring those people to the opportunities that are being built in their neighborhood in time for them to actually be a part of the project.”
James-Geska says USC will also move its headquarters from Brighton to the Bull’s Head area.
In all, the proposal currently accounts for 34,000 square feet each of street-level retail and office space. DevelopROC is also working to identify a grocer and an agricultural production environment for the area.
In addition, the walkways and streets plan envisages creating more sustainable pedestrian traffic.
In total, the allocation represents about $350 million in investment, James-Geska said. While the proposal is still in draft, the framing timeline will begin this spring with the framing of an ESL branch in the former Bull’s Head plaza.
“ESL is a component of this proposed development. As those of you who have lived in this community for a long time will remember, we had five banks,” Miller said. “Now we don’t have any. “
Other projects will continue between this spring and the end of 2028, according to the existing proposal. DevelopROC will unveil the full plan to the public on Feb. 27 at the Salvation Army at 100 West Ave. , before presenting it to the City Council for final approval. approval.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon and a specialist journalist. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy, adding the use of their genuine full name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].
Excellent,so glad to see the community getting a second chance
Come on, this domain wants to be claimed. I used to whitewash every corner for the former mayor, the lovely Warren, please bring our neighbor back.