Erie Harbor design upsets some in the South Wedge
Article from the democrate and chronicle Sept. 8 2010
JIM STINSON • STAFF WRITER D&C • SEPTEMBER 8, 2010
"One of Rochester's most significant residential developments is drawing criticism before construction, partially for its color scheme and modern design that have upset some South Wedge residents.
Erie Harbor is a 131-unit development planned for a site along the Genesee River, just south of downtown, where River Park Commons once stood.
River Park Commons, a public housing monolith, was long a sore spot in the South Wedge. Constructed in the early 1970s, it was razed last year while the new owner, Conifer Realty LLC, worked on renovating the adjacent public-housing tower, now named the Hamilton.
Grumbling began about that time, when Conifer added blue tones to the 202-unit Hamilton. Residents later got the plans for the $27 million Erie Harbor, and that's when the criticism escalated. E-mail chains formed as South Wedge residents forwarded and then re-forwarded complaints and comments to Conifer and city officials.
Carlene Woodward, a Benton Street resident, doesn't hesitate when asked about the design. "The windows look like gunnery emplacements," she said. "If you took the windows out, you'd have the perfect prison."
Cheryl Stevens, a 30-year resident of Averill Avenue and a member of the South Wedge Planning Committee, called the scheme a "Jetsons" design and said Conifer's modernistic plans are the wrong fit for the Rochester neighborhood.
"I have no problem with modern," said Stevens, who said she was speaking for herself. "It can be modern, but it should be in keeping with the neighborhood. This is just an awful design ... It's just very bland. It's cold. It's not inviting."
At the heart of the criticisms is a fear the South Wedge neighborhood will be stuck with an eyesore along prime riverfront property. For years, the drab River Park Commons stood there, blocking views of the river from Mt. Hope Avenue.
Conifer bought the property in 2004 and, using tax credits, fixed up the Hamilton, which still serves lower-income residents. The Erie Harbor phase would add 131 rental units, with 20 percent of the apartments to be marketed as affordable housing
and 80 percent for whatever the market would bear.
Allen Handelman, Conifer's project director, acknowledged the controversy over the design. But he defended the project and said the total site plan, which allows for multiple points of public access to the river, isn't being fully visualized by critics. Plus, he said, Rochester people have a cautious view.
"Rochester has tended to be a conservative community," said Handelman.
The company hired Benton Partners of Norristown, Pa., to design Erie Harbor's townhouses as well as a five-story building that would house 67 units, and its clubhouse. Handelman said the modern design has worked in bigger cities such as Boston and Baltimore. Stevens retorted that Rochester, and the South Wedge, aren't like those cities.
Robert Boyd, executive director of the South Wedge Planning Committee, said he generally favors the plans. He said the design allows for a vista, or passage, that would allow views of the river from the three streets - Hickory, Averill and Hamilton - that intersect with Mt. Hope Avenue.
Public access to the river was a major concern of the committee, and Boyd said Conifer rose to the challenge. Boyd said the project will also spur economic development along Mt. Hope.
Bret Garwood, city director of business and housing development, said the only remaining hurdle for Erie Harbor is administrative approval of the site plan, which would come later this month after a public discussion tonight.
Conifer said that construction could begin later this year and be completed by late 2011."
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