City of Rochester
News Release
Development Site to Remain Available for Sale
(Thursday, April 15, 2021) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren today announced that Midtown Development Parcel 5 will be converted into a transitional/temporary, community entertainment space called “Meet me @ the 5” as the City continues to seek a developer who can fully optimize the site’s potential to create jobs and stimulate Downtown activity.
“The Meet me @ the 5 entertainment space will help us enhance the energy and vibrancy of Downtown while we search for a buyer who shares our vision to build an economic engine that serves the entire city and advances the goals of our Equity and Recovery Agenda,” said Mayor Warren. “We remain committed to finding the highest and best use for this land, but we have to account for the uncertainty of the pandemic. This conversion gives us the time to search for a developer who can help us create more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities.”
City crews started this week converting Parcel 5 from a shovel-ready development site into a transitional/temporary entertainment space featuring wide lawns, a walking path and room for pop-up retail. The project is scheduled for completion by May 9.
The Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center will administer reservations and offer support with logistics to facilitate scheduled uses, such as parties, fitness classes, auto shows or outdoor concerts. All events will be held in accordance with the current New York State pandemic guidelines for outdoor gatherings. The space will be promoted as “Meet me @ the 5,” which alludes to the site’s project title and Mayor Warren’s objective to extend Downtown activity beyond 5 p.m., or “alive after five.”
The Midtown Development Project demolished the former Midtown Plaza and created seven development parcels on approximately 9 acres. Parcel 5 is the only site that has not yet been developed. Located on a prominent spot on Main Street, the 1-acre parcel has the potential to become one of the city’s most valuable properties with activities that could attract tens of thousands of visitors each year.
###
News Media: For more information, contact Communications Director Justin Roj at Justin.Roj@cityofrochester.gov.