City urges input on what residents want new downtown to look like

ROCHESTER - The City of Rochester is seeking public input for the Downtown Master Plan.

Earlier this year, the City of Rochester Planning and Development Department began the process to amend and update the existing Downtown Chapter of the Master Plan in partnership with consulting firm Resilience Planning and Design. The plan will take into consideration future goals for green infrastructure, transportation, economic development, historic preservation, the arts and more.

Residents are encouraged to visit the Downtown Master Plan web page on the City's website, where they can use an interactive mapping tool to provide comments and fill out a survey sharing their thoughts for improving the downtown area.

"This is a great opportunity for residents to share their vision for our city's downtown," Rochester City Manager Blaine Cox said. "We want to hear what residents like about downtown, what they would like to improve, and what goals we should prioritize. There are so many possibilities, and we're excited to hear from residents as to what they would like to see."

The Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee members will also collect resident input at upcoming events including Rochester United Neighborhoods, Porchfest, Foley Run, Spaulding High School football games, weekly senior events, farmers markets and more. Focus group meetings for residents, business owners, institutes of the arts, nonprofits and developers will also be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the City Hall Annex, and more information will be announced about the meetings as it becomes available.

City officials will continue gathering public input through the month of October, after which the City will begin drafting the new Downtown Chapter of the Master Plan. The final Downtown Chapter of the Master Plan is expected to be completed by January.