Craft new plan for downtown

Craft new plan for downtown
Joni Monroe and Roger Brown • Guest essayists • August 15, 2009

from D&C
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090815/OPINION02/908150310...

In her Speaking Out piece on Aug. 2 ("Looking ahead for downtown"), Heidi Zimmer-Meyer painted a relatively encouraging picture of the state of downtown Rochester, despite the RenSquare situation.

Certainly there is cause for optimism when discussing the revitalization of Center City, yet a major ingredient missing for its future growth as a vibrant, sustainable urban core is a vision plan to help coordinate and guide development.

A vision plan embodies a community's aspirations for its physical and economic growth and expresses agreed upon strategies for current and future development. It illustrates how the built environment and public realm can be designed to effectively connect pedestrian elements, further develop civic and green spaces, illuminate the potential of natural resources (The Genesee River), and value the sensitive treatment of public buildings. If coordinated properly, with citizen participation and support, promoted, kept visible and accessible, a vision plan for our downtown would serve as a synergetic, motivating force, borne of civic pride.

Cities around the country are currently producing and using plans informed by their communities following the design recommendations and implementation timelines they have set forth. One needs only to Google "downtown vision plan" or "downtown master plan" to see how common a practice this is.

In 2004, a Center City Master Plan was adopted by City Council; however, it has never been given the chance to be effective. Despite the fact that some in City Hall do refer to it periodically, it is not very evident and can't be found on the city Web site.

In 2007, the Rochester Regional Community Design Center facilitated a Downtown Design Charrette involving 135 local design professionals and 400 citizens with the goal that the resulting physical Vision Plan might inspire our municipal leaders to resurrect and update the Center City Plan.

If we are to be a successful city of the future, vibrant, thriving, sustainable and attractive, a magnet for the region, we will need to have vision.

We need to move forward thoughtfully, deliberately and responsively in counteracting the negative impacts of wasteful consumption of energy and the development of our built environment and look for leadership.

Monroe is executive director of the Rochester Regional Community Design Center and Brown is the center's president.

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HunteSThompson wrote:

Harry Davis letter to Mayor Duffy to fix ren square aftermath
http://harry2009.com/node/212

Harry Davis interview on RochesterSubway.com

I need your help to hold our own telephone town hall meeting on this subject. We have the tools to do this. I want to bring Evan Lowenstein , Roger Brown , Joni Monroe , and Bill Reed together on the telephone for two hours. We put out robo calls to all Dems in Rochester & we get 50 people or so to join in. By taking part in this type of exercise (known as a design charrette) with our own very qualified local experts such as Lowenstein & others we can create an approach that “engages the community in a process of rediscovery of the attributes that have formed the City…
http://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2009/08/harry_davis_for_rochester_...

8/15/2009 11:22:56 PM Harry Davis letter to Mayor Duffy to fix ren square aftermathhttp://harry2009.com/node/212Harry Davis interview on RochesterSubway.comI need your help to hold our own telephone town hall meeting on this subject. We have the tools to do this. I want to bring Evan Lowenstein , Roger Brown , Joni Monroe , and Bill Reed together on the telephone for two hours. We put out robo calls to all Dems in Rochester & we get 50 people or so to join in. By taking part in this type of exercise (known as a design charrette) with our own very qualified local experts such as Lowenstein & others we can create an approach that “engages the community in a process of rediscovery of the attributes that have formed the City…

http://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/

HunteSThompson
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happyvoter35 wrote:

It is true that Roger Brown and Joni Monroe have brought excellent speakers in to Rochester but it is also true that they were bought off regarding Ren Square. Initially they, as well as other designers, engineers and CITIZENS spoke out about terrible design flaws, traffic nightmares and no real reason to justify the building of a central station. They abandoned support for the Sibley Station, the 7-10 mil project and kept quiet in hopes of getting a piece of the pie.

The 2007 Charrette was a CHARADE! The public was religated to speak with interns on the main floor of Midtown, who would write down comments and have no opportunity to speak with designers or ask questions. The public was locked out of the real Charrette on the second floor, with all the interesting presentations and question and answers. Only those developers and planners who stood to make a buck were included. Not all ideas are feasible but stop treating the public like idiots!
8/15/2009 9:09:17 AM It is true that Roger Brown and Joni Monroe have brought excellent speakers in to Rochester but it is also true that they were bought off regarding Ren Square. Initially they, as well as other designers, engineers and CITIZENS spoke out about terrible design flaws, traffic nightmares and no real reason to justify the building of a central station. They abandoned support for the Sibley Station, the 7-10 mil project and kept quiet in hopes of getting a piece of the pie.The 2007 Charrette was a CHARADE! The public was religated to speak with interns on the main floor of Midtown, who would write down comments and have no opportunity to speak with designers or ask questions. The public was locked out of the real Charrette on the second floor, with all the interesting presentations and question and answers. Only those developers and planners who stood to make a buck were included. Not all ideas are feasible but stop treating the public like idiots! happyvoter35
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DougMIdkiff wrote:

Glad to see Roger and Joni on your editorial pages. They represent a real resource for Mayor Duffy and I hope he uses them.. For years, they have been bringing to Rochester planners and representatives of other cities who have succeded to share their visions with Rochester. I hope Duffy will pull out the Center City Master Plan and those 2007 Downtown Design charettes and use them, always keeping in mind that this is the public's business. Involve the city residents and open up all of the meetings. It is time to take bold steps, beginning with an intermodal station at the present Amtrak site.
8/15/2009 8:33:35 AM Glad to see Roger and Joni on your editorial pages. They represent a real resource for Mayor Duffy and I hope he uses them.. For years, they have been bringing to Rochester planners and representatives of other cities who have succeded to share their visions with Rochester. I hope Duffy will pull out the Center City Master Plan and those 2007 Downtown Design charettes and use them, always keeping in mind that this is the public's business. Involve the city residents and open up all of the meetings. It is time to take bold steps, beginning with an intermodal station at the present Amtrak site. DougMIdkiff
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Annoid wrote:

How about this for a "vision plan" ?

Lower the state and area tax rates so that businesses & people can afford to come to NY.

At the same time, increase police activity to chase the hooligans out of downtown so that people are not afraid to come downtown.

Lastly, stop trying to use the private automobile owner as a cash cow. Your competition (the suburbs) provides relatively safe & free parking. If you do not do the same, that private automobile owner is far more likely to take his business to the suburbs.

Maybe even move the public transit hub away from the midtown area you're trying to revitalize & cater to the car owner, who is more likely to be able to afford to purchase things from the businesses you want downtown.

If the downtown environment is changed so that it is actually friendly to business & consumers rather that overtly hostile, perhaps private enterprise will step in & build something, rather than trying to fleece the already overburdened taxpayers for it.
8/15/2009 8:31:01 AM How about this for a "vision plan" ?Lower the state and area tax rates so that businesses & people can afford to come to NY.At the same time, increase police activity to chase the hooligans out of downtown so that people are not afraid to come downtown. Lastly, stop trying to use the private automobile owner as a cash cow. Your competition (the suburbs) provides relatively safe & free parking. If you do not do the same, that private automobile owner is far more likely to take his business to the suburbs. Maybe even move the public transit hub away from the midtown area you're trying to revitalize & cater to the car owner, who is more likely to be able to afford to purchase things from the businesses you want downtown.If the downtown environment is changed so that it is actually friendly to business & consumers rather that overtly hostile, perhaps private enterprise will step in & build something, rather than trying to fleece the already overburdened taxpayers for it. Annoid
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Galts_Gulch wrote:

Howz about putting up more signs for folks, including street signs at intersections?

One could read this article and wonder if it was written in 1965, 1975, 1985, 1995, or even 2005, since this matter is a broken record.