architecture, urban design, planning
This Redevelopment Plan was designed to be a catalyst for the regeneration of downtown Rochester. The plan was premised on the demolition of the existing Midtown Mall to yield an 8.5 acre parcel for new commercial office, retail, residential and hotel uses. The plan is configured around an open space system that links several adjacent districts in the city center.
Because the site is located at the epicenter of downtown Rochester, there is a unique opportunity to reconnect the multiple districts in the downtown that were previously separated by the Midtown Mall. Due to the increased density of the proposed development, the project will trigger a rethinking of downtown parking strategies, public transportation, high-density residential development, and the future of the network of pedestrian bridges and tunnels that currently lead to the Midtown site.
The master plan examined the architectural massing, reuse of the existing below-grade parking and service facilities, alternate land uses and block and parcel configurations, the possible retention of historical elements of the existing mall, and pedestrian movement in and throughout the study area.
Location: Rochester, New York
Client: City of Rochester
Services:
Mixed use development master plan
Disposition plan for publicly owned property.
Review and modivifation to existing city zoning code.
Adaptive reuse of existing structures and an underground parking structure.
Review of the historical significance of the Midtown Mall originally designed by Victor Gruen.
