Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren is asking City Council to apply for $4.7 million from New York state, as part of a proposal to develop Parcel 5 into a year-round festival site.
Details still need to be fleshed out, but City Council President Loretta Scott says the city can only apply for this particular pool of state funding once a year, so officials are asking that the application be made now.
It would be part of a potential $18.8 million project that could possibly include things like a visitor center, an overhead canopy and green space.
Scott says that she has been a reluctant convert to the concept, because originally, there was discussion of just using the large parcel on Main Street as a park.
“I’d not been a supporter of using Parcel 5 as a park, I thought that was not the highest and best use, but there’s quite a bit of interest, there’s a significant possibility for this to be a great option,” Scott said.
But Scott said she now feels this can be an exciting concept.
“It’s flexible, because you’re not building a stadium, so to speak. But there are entities around it that can be used for dining and entertainment and display and general relaxation, it’s more dynamic than simply a park,” Scott explained.
However Scott said that finding the necessary funding will have to happen before the plans can be developed in detail.
Copyright 2019 WXXI News
