West Main Street Multimodal Transportation and Placemaking Study
This Project was completed in December 2021. The final report can be downloaded here. Other project documents can be found below
About the Project
As the western gateway to Center City and serving both local and regional transportation functions, West Main Street is poised to claim a central role in the economic and cultural life of the surrounding neighborhoods. Through the West Main Street Multimodal Transportation and Placemaking Study, the Genesee Transportation Council and the City of Rochester seek to create an actionable vision for West Main Street that reflects a revived multimodal, economic, and cultural corridor. This Vision will be created by and for the community surrounding this key City corridor. This project kicked off in December 2020 and is due to be completed by December 2021. Please check this website frequently for updates and opportunities to provide input and be involved in the planning process.
The City recently completed a Comprehensive Plan, Rochester 2034, that guides development over the next 15 years. Building on the work that went into that plan, the City has launched this project, specific to West Main Street between Chili Avenue and I-490. This project will seek answers from the public on questions like:
- What should West Main Street look like?
- How should transportation be organized on West Main Street?
- What kinds of public art should be displayed, and where?
- What kinds of economic development programs will spur activity that will help grow wealth from within the community?
- How should the final project vision be implemented?
With the conclusion of this project in December 2021, the City has a roadmap for making investments and changes to the street design, policies, and programs based on the community visioning process.
Getting Involved
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Community involvement in this project was essential to its success. There was a wide range of opportunities to share ideas for this project, including surveys and pop-up events (See below). The full Public Engagement Plan is available to download here. If you have any questions on this plan, you can reach out to the project manager, Darin Ramsay, by email or phone at: 585-428-6695.
Pop Up Events
Pop Up events were held along W Main Street during the course of the project.
| Location | Date | Time | ||
| Pop Up #1 | MOCHA Center, 470 W Main Street | Thursday, Feb 25 | 4 pm to 6 pm | |
| Pop Up #2 | MOCHA Center, 470 W Main Street | Friday, March 5 | 9 am to 11 am | |
| Pop Up #3 | Carriage Factory Apartments, 33 Litchfield St | Tuesday, March 23 | 1 pm to 3 pm | |
| Pop Up #4 | MOCHA Center, 470 W Main Street | Thursday, March 25 | 4 pm to 6 pm | |
| Pop Up #5 | MOCHA Center, 470 W Main Street | Thursday, April 8 | 4 pm to 6 pm | |
| Pop Up #6 | Zoom online meeting | Tuesday, July 6 | 6 pm to 7:30 pm | |
| Pop Up #7 | 845 W Main St - Bulls Head Parking Lot | Friday, July 9 | 11 am to 1 pm | |
| Pop Up #8 | 210-266 Troup St - Troup St Park |
| 1 pm to 3 pm | |
| Pop Up #9 | 845 W Main St - Bulls Head Parking Lot | Thursday, July 15 | 5 pm to 7 pm |
Steering Committee
A Project Steering Committee, made up of area business owners, residents, and other representatives met monthly to help guide the Project and ensure that local voices steered the outcomes.
Steering Committee Meeting #1
The first steering committee meeting was held on November 20, 2020. This meeting was for Steering Committee members to introduce themselves, suggest further people to reach out to for inclusion on the steering committee, provide an overview of the project, and look for feedback on how to ensure engagement activities provide the maximum amount of opportunity for residents to provide input.
You can download the meeting agenda and presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #2
The second steering committee meeting was held on December 16, 2020. This meeting saw the inclusion of a few new members on the Steering Committee. Project goals were discussed with an eye to refining them before they are brought out to the public.
You can download the meeting agenda and presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #3
The third steering committee meeting was held on January 22, 2021. This meeting discussed the initial survey results and the projects next steps. The consultants will be preparing an existing conditions report in the next few months as well as refining project goals.
You can download the meeting presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #4
The fourth steering committee meeting was held on February 19, 2021. This meeting discussed the 1st survey results, went over the 2nd survey questions, looked at initial corridor data (car ownership, crashes, commute mode), discussed moving forward with Revitalizing Rochester Funding, and finally, overviewed the draft outline for the Existing and Planned Conditions report.
You can also download the meeting presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #5
Steering Committee Meeting #6
The sixth steering committee meeting was held on May 7, 2021. This meeting discussed the draft Existing Conditions Report and initial concepts that could be pursued for the redesign of the corridor. They included an automobility focus, transit focus, pedestrian/parking focus, and bicycle focus. During the meeting, the committee broke into three groups to discuss the various concepts. Those concepts and the comments from each group can be found in this document. These concepts were presented for discussion purposes only. They only represent how the street space could be potentially allocated to the various modes. They are not proposals at this stage in the project.
You can download the meeting presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #7
The seventh steering committee meeting was held June 4, 2021. This meeting discussed the placemaking framework and reviewed the upcoming public meeting plan. Public meetings will be held in July and the Steering Committee was asked to weigh in on locations to hold them and people to get in touch with.
You can download the meeting presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #8
The eighth steering committee meeting was held on July 23, 2021. This meeting discussed the results of the outreach conducted in July and worked with the committee on how the consulting team should move forward on the final report.
You can download the meeting presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #9
The ninth steering committee meeting was held on September 10, 2021. This meeting went over the detailed proposal for W Main Street. Two proposals were presented: the long term vision and the shorter term implementation plan. These plans can be seen here. You can download the meeting presentation.
Steering Committee Meeting #10
The tenth steering committee meeting was held on November 2, 2021. This meeting presented the final draft proposal for W Main Street. The final draft report is forthcoming and will be posted here for review shortly.
You can also download the meeting presentation.
West Main Street History
Read a short history of public transportation on W Main St by Jim Dierks from the New York Museum of Transportation.
Project Documents
Public Engagement Plan - November 2020
Existing Conditions Report - June 2021 (full sized 40 mb file)
Existing Conditions Report - June 2021 (compressed 10 mb file)
Final Report - December 2021
Final Report Appendices - December 2021
Final Report Executive Summary - December 2021
Project Consultants
This project is being led by Toole Design, with support from Highland Planning and Grayscale Collaborative. More information on these firms can be found on their websites linked below.
Toole Design is a planning, engineering, and landscape architecture firm that specializes in multimodal transportation. With 17 offices around North America, Toole Design’s mission is to create livable places where walking, bicycling, and taking transit are safe and enjoyable for everyone, and where all streets and walkways are “places” unto themselves. Toole Design’s staff are passionate about designing places to be safe, beautiful, context sensitive, functional, and enduring. Their work includes everything from hardscapes and landscape designs to public plazas, streetscapes, facades, waterfronts, and parks. Toole Design is a Woman Owned Business Enterprise.
Highland Planning is a community development firm specializing in public outreach, market analysis, and research management. Located in Rochester, NY, they focus on helping municipalities and state agencies uncover issues and opportunities through public involvement on a wide range of project types. They’re areas of expertise include developing public engagement strategies, hosting and facilitating in-person and virtual public meetings, leading focus groups, managing surveys, and conducting a wide range of innovative pop-up outreach events. Highland Planning is a Women Owned Business Enterprise and a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.
Grayscale Collaborative is a design firm that works at the intersection of race, class, and the production of urban space. They work with clients and communities to take on complex urban challenges, reconcile competing interests, forge new and ongoing relationships, and work collaboratively towards better designed and more inclusive built environments. Grayscale Collaborative is a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise in the state of Massachusetts.