Development on the rise along the Genesee River

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On a recent Saturday morning, 27-year-old Nate Skinner, his wife and two friends drove across the Ford Street Bridge to munch on empanadas and turnovers at Rich Port Pastries and Breads, one of several new businesses at Corn Hill Landing.
Skinner, a project controller for Harris Interactive Inc. and a South Wedge resident, says that development at Corn Hill Landing, and along South Avenue in the Wedge, as it is often called, is “very cool.”
“I think this is great,” says the Philadelphia native and 2002 Roberts Wesleyan College graduate, who had attended the grand opening of Threads, a new clothing store on South Avenue, the night before.
“The fact that people live (at Corn Hill Landing) coupled with businesses gives the area a feeling of hustle-bustle,” Skinner says. “It was a no-brainer that someone developed this complex on the water-and it works.”
It does work, agrees Paul Foti, vice president of Mark IV Construction Co. Inc., which built Corn Hill Landing, a complex of 127 residential rental units and nine retail/service outlets. The commercial spots include a wine store, three restaurants, an ice cream parlor, dry cleaner and a fitness gym, among others.
“Business has already exceeded our expectations, and we think that the (commercial) tenant mix works well for folks in outlying areas to visit as a destination place, as well as for our own residents and neighbors in the Corn Hill neighborhood,” Foti says. “And once the weather warms up, this place will be hopping.”
He says one of the restaurants, Virtu, already has its entire 100-seat patio reserved for July 4, enabling those customers to have a front-seat view of downtown’s planned fireworks display.
Positive developments are happening on both sides of the Genesee River, says Daniel Buyer, executive director of the South Wedge Planning Committee Inc., a non-profit commercial development corporation.
“South Wedge has come a long way and is a viable place to live and work,” says Buyer, noting that the current commercial vacancy rate is at 6 percent, compared with 27 percent in 1999.
“Through the efforts of many individuals and organizations, including merchants, neighborhood associations and government officials, we’ve created a positive image of the neighborhood, and the neighborhood has risen to that perception,” Buyer adds.
Although Corn Hill Landing is technically located outside of the South Wedge, commercial traffic spills over into each geographic pocket, creating synergy, Buyer observes. And more activity is on the horizon.
For starters, assuming approvals come through, River Park Commons-located on Mt. Hope Avenue along the Genesee River-will eventually sport a new look, according to Allen Handelman, project director for Conifer Realty LLC, owner of the property since 2004.
Currently the subsidized housing facility consists of a 13-story tower with 202 units, as well as a four-story town house complex consisting of 200 units. Plans have been submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regional office in Buffalo to renovate and preserve the tower as affordable housing and relocate current town house residents. Then, plans call to level that facility and replace it with a framed structure consisting of 80 market rate rental units and 20 affordable-housing units.
“Unfortunately, River Park Commons has been functionally obsolete since it was built in 1975, and it segregated the adjacent neighborhood from the river and essentially formed a concrete wall barrier to the river,” Handelman says.
Conifer hopes to receive all approvals soon, with a goal to commence rehabilitation of the tower by the end of the year and construction of the new facility sometime in 2008.
“We’re excited about this project and look forward to seeing it come to fruition,” Handelman says. “Commercial development in the South Wedge has been generally positive, in large part due to the residents in the community and the South Wedge Planning Committee’s volunteers and staff.
“Now, South Wedge is a more attractive neighborhood in which to live, pass through and shop.”
Real estate developer Howard Konar agrees. Konar Properties presently owns the Abeles Building on the corner of South Avenue and Gregory Street. It also has purchased land adjacent to the Abeles
Building and, pending approvals from the city, Konar, president of Konar Properties, says he plans to construct a four-story building consisting of 8,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor and 24 rental living units on the next three floors.
Konar did not deliberately set out to develop property in the South Wedge. Instead, he was approached by the SWPC. The group was appreciative of the town houses Konar Properties built at Elmwood Manor Apartments and Townhouses.
Over lunch at the Beale Street Cafe, Buyer and others convinced Konar to take a closer look at the South Wedge and consider rehabilitating existing properties and developing new ones in the neighborhood.
It was an easy sell, Konar says.
“The South Wedge is one of the brightest spots in this entire city,” he says. “It’s a terrific area because it is a walking neighborhood.
“I expect that our new rental facility
will attract a lot of tenants who are affil-
iated with the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital and Highland Hospital. We’re excited to be here.”
As are Abeles Building tenants Nancy
Sawyer-Molina and Barbara Harris Smith.
Sawyer-Molina runs Coffee Connection, a coffee house that also serves as a non-profit training center for women who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence and substance abuse.
“We’re an eclectic bunch and very bonded as a neighborhood,” says Sawyer-Molina, a South Wedge resident and former real estate broker. “This neighborhood is filled with folks who are socially conscious and community-oriented.”
Smith agrees. The retired director of international student affairs at UR now co-owns the South Wedge Green Grocer and Garden Center with her former student, Nannett Haynes-Cepero. The business, which sells natural and organic foods ranging from Bob’s Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal to Hallelujah Royal Heritage Teas, opened last October.
“We’re young and we’re growing,” says Smith, as she tallies up customer Colleen Sutorius’ purchases of fresh cilantro and fajitas seasoning packets. “We’re not a Wegmans, and we’re not trying to be a Wegmans.
“We’re the green grocer and we are striving to educate our customers about nutrition and healthy eating. Helping to run this store is like a mission for me.”
Across the river, Wayne Roberts feels the same way about the new business at Corn Hill Landing that he shares with wife, Beverly. In 2001, when the area was just a slab of concrete, the couple-he, a retired environmental engineer, and she, a retired registered nurse-signed a 20-year lease on a 1,350-square-foot storefront called Corn Hill Fine Wine & Spirits.
“We took a leap of faith as the first business to sign on as a tenant, but we couldn’t be happier,” Wayne Roberts says. “The neighbors have embraced us and we’ve developed a lot of friendships with Corn Hill Landing residents as well as folks who live in the Corn Hill neighborhood across Exchange Boulevard.”
Customers also include folks associated with entertainment acts at the nearby Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Roberts have catered to Russian ice skaters and even sold three bottles of scotch to B.B. King’s manager.
“We’ve been open for 47 weeks and business is steadily climbing,” Roberts says. “We’re really happy that we’re here.”
Debbie Waltzer is a Rochester-area freelance writer.

3/30/2007 (C) Rochester Business Journal