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Joseph Avenue ArtWalk Master Plan

Project Description

This project will create a plan to redesign the Joseph Avenue corridor between Clifford Avenue and Norton Street. Building on current and proposed arts initiatives along the avenue, the plan will combine placemaking techniques and transportation enhancements to improve safety, increase multimodal options, upgrade connectivity, and further establish the corridor as a center of arts activity.  

Community and arts advocates have made significant efforts in recent years to establish Joseph Avenue as an arts corridor. The transportation system and public realm on Joseph Avenue, however, were not designed to support these efforts. Longer-term planning and potential transportation improvements will help to build on the community’s recent successes and expand the impact of its work. 

Joseph Avenue ArtWalk - Freddy Sam
This mural, created by the artist Freddy Sam as part of the WALL\THERAPY program, is at the corner of Joseph Avenue and Clifford Avenue. 

Public Input

A hybrid public meeting was held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Branch Library, 851 Joseph Ave., and via Zoom to provide a presentation on the final plan. 

A public meeting was held in person on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, to provide a brief presentation on the project's progress and share draft recommendations for improvements to Joseph Avenue. A virtual meeting was held via Zoom on Thursday, February 6, 2025. 

A public open house was held Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.  A virtual version of the public open house was held via Zoom on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. 

Project Limits

Joseph Avenue ArtWalk project limits

Project Schedule *

  • Project Initiation: July 2024
  • Public Engagement: October 2024 to March 2025
  • Master Plan Completion: April 2025

* Schedule is tentative and subject to change. 

Project Advisory Committee

A Project Advisory Committee (PAC) including stakeholders from the Joseph Avenue neighborhood, the arts community, transportation advocates and government agencies will provide input throughout the project. PAC meeting materials can be found below.

Project Team

The project is funded through the Genesee Transportation Council's Unified Planning Work Program. The team includes: 

  • Genesee Transportation Council
  • City of Rochester (Department of Environmental Services, Office of City Planning, Neighborhood Service Center)
  • Consultant Team
    • Colliers Engineering & Design
    • Sue Steele Landscape Architecture
  • Project Advisory Committee
    • Monroe County Planning and Department of Transportation
    • The Avenue BlackBox Theatre
    • Joseph Avenue Arts & Culture Alliance
    • Flower City Noire Collective
    • Additional artist representatives
    • Joseph Avenue Business Alliance
    • Lincoln Branch Library
    • Regional Transit Service
    • Reconnect Rochester
    • Neighborhood residents and stakeholders
Photo of a mural at the Lincoln Library.
A mural of the late Edgar Santa Cruz on the Lincoln Branch Library on Joseph Avenue. The work by artist Chloe Smith was created through the My Rochester mural project funded by the City's Percent for the Arts program.