Sign In
Upcoming Event
Free Newsletter
Developer shifts from hotel to apartments for Henrietta project
A conceptual plan for an apartment proposal for Fair Avenue in Henrietta. (Rendering from documents submitted to the town of Henrietta)
A conceptual plan for an apartment proposal for Fair Avenue in Henrietta. (Rendering from documents submitted to the town of Henrietta)
Developer shifts from hotel to apartments for Henrietta project
Listen to this articleA Rochester developer intends to build a four-story apartment building on a site previously approved for a hotel.
The Henrietta Planning Board on Tuesday is scheduled to consider final site plan approval for a 87-unit apartment building at 105 Fair Avenue, adjacent to the town’s public library.
Michael Spoleta, through 2695 Commercial LLC, twice received approval from the town for a hotel on the property, but has now shifted gears, in part because of public sentiment.
The first project — proposed as a 127-room dual brand hotel under the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts flag — was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The planning board again granted permission for a four-story, 84-room hotel in 2023, but that project also fell through.
That prompted Henrietta Supervisor Stephen Schultz to ask the developer to consider a residential development, based on public feedback.
While community members did not voice opposition to a hotel during a public hearing, Schultz said residents did so after approval were given.
“So when that hotel deal fell through, we reached out to Michael Spoleta and said, ‘Residents would prefer this be apartments instead of a hotel,’ ” Schultz told the Town Board back in March.
Spoleta is well acquainted with the property. 2695 Commercial built luxury apartments, Fairview at Town Center Apartment Homes, behind the library and donated the land where the library was built.
The new apartment development will occupy 5.61 acres and feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with rents anticipated to range from $1,500 to $2,500, Spoleta told the board in March.
Plans are for the building to be Deaf friendly.
While town code limits the height of structures to 30 feet, the hotel proposal was approved for 60 feet. Spoleta was hoping to keep the same specs for the apartment building, but town officials have set the maximum height at 52 feet.
Board members asked the developer if it was possible to reduce the height by building out horizontally, but Spoleta said “as you go vertical, it gets cheaper to build.”
Future plans also include a 7,500-square-foot commercial structure next door, most likely to be occupied by a restaurant.
[email protected]/(585) 653-4020
e
