City of Rochester
News Release
(Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that the excavation portion of the Port of Rochester Marina Project is complete and crews will soon allow the basin to fill with water. 
“What we are creating is much more than a marina basin,” Mayor Warren said. “We are building a Port of Opportunity that will establish Rochester as a major waterfront destination on Lake Ontario. At long last, we are going to leverage this amazing location -- where the Genesee River meets Lake Ontario -- to further our goals of creating more jobs and safer more vibrant neighborhoods where we can provide all of our children with a quality education.”
Mayor Warren was joined by David Young, president of the Rochester Building and Construction Trades Council, at the marina Tuesday afternoon to announce progress on the project and highlight its benefits to the local economy.
“The Port of Rochester Marina Project is the kind of investment that is moving Rochester forward by creating jobs for the workers of today and transforming the economy to create jobs for the workers of tomorrow,” said President Young. “I want to thank Mayor Warren and the City of Rochester for their commitment to this project and keeping job creation at the forefront.”
The Port of Rochester marina on River Street is a catalyst for development that will create 2,500 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs.
The marina is estimated to provide significant stimulus to the Rochester economy. The transient boater slips will pave the way for more than $3.25 million in direct and indirect economic activity each year and spur real estate developments that will generate up to $1.6 million in additional property taxes. In addition to the new deep-draft marina basin, the project includes the relocation and extension of River Street, improvements to the public boat launch and a new public promenade now being constructed around the marina basin.
In the coming months, the marina dock system will be installed in the basin and renovations of a portion of the former ferry terminal building will create a new marina boater services facility. Plans to build a marina at the Port of Rochester date back to 1965, when they were part of the Genesee River Plan under the administration of Mayor Frank T. Lamb.
The marina construction project is being be conducted under a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with local trade unions, which is helping to control costs and increase the representation of women, minority and city-resident workers on the construction site. The agreement includes workforce goals of 20 percent minority and 6.9 percent women participation and creates opportunities to realize cost efficiencies.
The new marina basin will accommodate 85 boater slips. The marina’s entrance to the river is being constructed just north of the City’s public boat launch. The public promenade and park area will connect the Genesee Riverway Trail to the Charlotte Pier.
The Marina project is currently estimated to cost $22 million. Funding sources include proceeds from the sale of the Hemlock and Canadice Lakes watershed to the State, Federal and state grants and the City’s Capital Improvement Program.
The New York State Departments of State and Transportation, the Environmental Facilities Corporation, and the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation in association with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service together are providing over $5.93 million in grant funding for the project.
The Port of Rochester Marina is scheduled to be open in the spring and the City is now accepting reservations from prospective tenants for the 2016 boating season. To reserve a slip, call (585) 428-7432.
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News Media: For more information, please contact Deputy Communications Director Donald Starver at 428-7135.