ROCHESTER — City officials are seeking input from residents until the end of the year on a master plan update for downtown.
While the final presentation for the "Center City Master Plan" was slated for Dec. 11, Jason Harenza, a senior planner with the city of Rochester, said that the city is looking for as much feedback as possible.
The draft proposal is an update from the master plan adopted 10 years ago, Harenza said during a Nov. 13 presentation at the Northeast Neighborhood Service Center. He said that the proposal seeks to streamline the document to its "essence" and include as many images, maps and pictures as possible. The goal is to submit a final proposal to the City Council in the spring, he added.
"We want to do this right, not do it fast," Harenza said of the process.
That process began with outreach meetings and an online survey earlier this year that drew 3,000 responses, Harenza explained. The main message the planning department heard was a need for more activities downtown, he said. That includes bringing in more retail stores and restaurants, most notably a grocery store, Harenza said. Boosting safety, increasing parking options, and improving parks and trails also were identified during the initial outreach phase, he said.
For more information about the proposal, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/centercity/ or send an e-mail to centercity@cityofrochester.gov.
