Housing proposals — including several on the east side of downtown — dominate the initial applications seeking funding from a $225 million state development fund.
The state has received at least nine applications so far for its Rochester-Monroe Transformation Initiative. Officials plan to announce the first awards before the end of the year.
Proposals include some new concepts, not previously made public, including:
- Conversion of the former RG&E headquarters on East Avenue into 87 workforce and market-rate apartments.
- Adding seven floors of apartments to One East Avenue at the corner of East Main Street.
- Building a total of 11 small but tall three- and four-story townhouse apartments over individual garages on vacant lots near The Strong National Museum of Play and, separately, School Without Walls.
- Redevelopment of the southeast corner of University Avenue and North Union Street, tearing down a former restaurant there and building a three-story, mixed-use building with 26 apartments on the upper floors.
“Housing is a critical infrastructure for a growing economy,” Mayor Malik Evans wrote in a letter of support seeking funding to renovate the former RG&E building at 89 East Ave. “Across our region, employers consistently identify the shortage of quality housing as one of the most significant barriers to attracting and retaining talent.”…