Out of the loop: Redeveloping Rochester’s Inner Loop North takes a different approach

The transformation of the Inner Loop East — from underutilized, below-grade expressway to a hub of residential and commercial development — has been hailed by urban planners as a national blueprint for neighborhood reconnection.

The city of Rochester removed a decaying highway that was built more than a half-century earlier and had been designed to meet the needs of a growing metropolitan area.

In place of eroding bridges and perpetual potholes came more than $400 million of private investment, creating a variety of housing and commercial space, with the vibrant Neighborhood of Play at the center of it all.

But while eliminating the Inner Loop East paved the way for the rebirth of part of Rochester’s desolation boulevard, there have been critics of the finished product.

“The community has said we replaced a moat with a wall,” said Anne DaSilva Tella, the city’s director of development. “They didn’t like the four-story buildings with multi-family residences.”

Thus, city planners intend to use the lessons learned across town as they move forward with the removal of a mile and a half of what is known as the Inner Loop North.

The vision calls for smaller lot sizes and smaller buildings that are a better fit with the neighborhood, DaSilva Tella said.

Whereas filling in the Inner Loop East and the corresponding ancillary streetscape cost around $23 million, the Inner Loop North is at least a $225 million endeavor. The federal government and New York State each have promised $100 million in grants.

The costs are exponentially higher because the stretch of roadway is longer, parts of the highway are below grade and other portions are above grade, and there are 10 bridges, including one spanning the Genesee River.

“Rochester’s Inner Loop was not constructed with our communities or their families in mind,” Assemblymember Demond Meeks said in a news release earlier this month. “It has cut straight through our downtown neighborhoods and denied residents access to jobs, development and meaningful investment for decades.”

Once the expressway is removed, the city will design a street grid that is walkable and bikeable, providing a reconnection to neighborhoods such as Marketview Heights, Lewis Street, Grove Place and HINGE.

And while removing the Inner Loop North will reunite city blocks and help heal the scars of the economic inequality it created, it’s also important to preserve elements in existing neighborhoods such as Grove Place, DaSilva Tella said.

“We must be intentional about reunifying these communities, acknowledging the errors of the past, and showing continued support to the underserved residents throughout the city of Rochester,” Meeks said.

The development plan also includes eight acres of green space, which will be accomplished through new initiatives and the expansion of existing parks, such as Anderson Park along University Avenue at North Union Street.

In the midst of it all will be 14 acres available for new development, said David Riley, principal transportation specialist for the city.

Within the project are eight proposed zoning districts. They include downtown mixed use, flexible mixed use, neighborhood mixed use, high-density residential, medium-density residential, industrial, village center and open space.

What the city doesn’t want is a mirror image of what replaced the Inner Loop East.

“We’re trying to envision what the land could look like, what types of development will suit each segment along the corridor,” DaSilva Tella said. “But it’s also important to avoid displacement of existing businesses and residents.”

The area that is considered the east subdistrict of the plan would include six mostly smaller development parcels.

The majority of space for redevelopment would be in the central subdistrict, with nine parcels of varying sizes. DaSilva Tella said planners envision taller buildings and more mixed-used properties with the possibility of some light industrial.

The west sub district, from the river to Interstate 490, would likely have just two smaller parcels.

Creating the new street grid is not as simple as drawing some lines, laying concrete and hooking up traffic lights. The transportation team wants to create a safe environment that meets demands.

“We don’t want to cause congestion, nor do we want to encourage people to drive faster,” Riley said.

They’re also relying on the expertise of Stantec, a project consultant. The local Stantec team is looking at how to retrofit the existing street grid but can draw on the firm’s global network to solve problems and provide suggestions.

“They have an international presence,” Riley said, “and they’re pulling in people from different offices; ‘How have you dealt with this in different cities?’”

City planners are also relying on lessons learned on the east side as they move forward.

“This project,” Mayor Malik Evans said, “will be instrumental in reconnecting our city, healing the damage of the past and creating bold opportunities for our future.”

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