Latest news with #RochesterCityCouncil
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Early voter turnout released for primary election
Just over 4,100 voters turned out to the polls during the nine-day early voting period before Tuesday's primary election. That's down 20% from 2021 ― the last time there was a serious contest for Rochester mayor and several at-large seats on City Council up for grabs. The primary for both positions effectively decides the race as the city tilts heavily Democratic. The early voting period ended June 22 with 4,122 ballots cast, according to the Monroe County Board of Elections. In 2021, 5,142 voters turned out for early voting. Polls are open for regular voting from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24. You can find your polling place at Rochester City Mayor (Democratic): Incumbent Malik Evans, Mary Lupien, Shashi Sinha 2025 primary: Who is running in the Rochester mayoral race? Here's what to know Rochester City Council (Democratic, choose 5): Luis Aponte, Kelly Cheatle, Niner Davis, Clifford Florence Jr., Mitch Gruber, Lashunda Leslie-Smith, Ann Lewis, Stanley Martin, Josie McClary, Miguel Melendez Jr., Miquel Powell, Victor Sanchez, Chiara "Kee Kee" Smith, Tonya Noel Stevens, Kevin Stewart 2025 primary: Who is running in the Rochester City Council primary? Here's what they value. Rochester Board of Education (Democratic, choose 3): Heather Feinman, Vince Felder, Kareem McCullough, Camille Simmons 2025 primary: Rochester school board primary: Meet the 4 candidates running for 3 seats 3rd District County Legislature (Republican): Scott Hand, Jack Merritt Brighton Town Council (Democratic - choose two): Christine Corrado, Clara Sanguinetti, Robin Wilt Wheatland Town Council (Republican - choose two): Steven Call, Timothy Davis, Joseph Snyder The unofficial results will be available after 9 p.m. on June 24 at and — Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Twitter @kaylacanne and @bykaylacanne on Instagram. Get in touch at kcanne@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Primary election in Rochester, Monroe County: Early voter turnout 2025
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about the 2025 primary election in Monroe County
The 2025 primary election is approaching and one of the most significant races on the ballot to keep an eye on is the Rochester mayoral race. Candidates are running at a time when they are met with concerns over issues such as the cost of housing, crime and transparency. Incumbent Malik Evans faces a challenge from Rochester City Council member Mary Lupien and IT executive Shashi Sinha. Here's what you need to know for the primary elections. Only registered party members are allowed to vote in each party's primary elections. Here are the qualifications to vote in New York: You must be a U.S. citizen; Be 18 or older; Not be in prison for a felony conviction; Not claim the right to vote elsewhere; And not found to be incompetent by a court. You can look up where you are registered to vote, and which polling place you can attend, at Early voting for the primary election will start on June 14 through June 22. The Monroe County primary election for 2025 will be held on June 24. Polling hours during the early voting period may vary — look up your local polling site for more information. Polls are open for regular voting from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot for the June primary is June 14. To apply for an absentee ballot go to The unofficial results will be available after 9 p.m. on June 24 at and 3rd District County Legislature (Republican): Scott Hand vs. Jack Merritt Rochester City Mayor (Democratic): Incumbent Malik Evans, Mary Lupien, Shashi Sinha Rochester Board of Education (Democratic): Kareem McCullough, Vince Felder, Camille Simmons, Heather Feinman (choose three) The full list can be found on the Monroe County Board of Elections website. — Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County. Get in touch at kweaver@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Monroe County primary election 2025: Candidates, where to vote
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed senior housing project eyes annexation into Rochester
Jun. 11—ROCHESTER — A 300-home neighborhood for active adults is being planned alongside an anticipated request to expand Rochester's southwest boundary. "It's meant for folks who are just about to retire or are retired and want an active lifestyle," Dean Lotter told potential neighbors during a required neighborhood meeting Tuesday. The director of land planning and entitlement for Pulte Group's Minnesota division said creation of the proposed housing development for people 55 and older will require adding the site southwest of the intersection of Country Club Road Southwest and 45th Avenue to the city. If approved, the Atlanta, Georgia-based developer plans to bring its Del Webb-style neighborhood to Rochester, making it the third in the state. Other locations are in Chaska and Corcoran. "It's a resort-style living that's highly amenyitized," he said of the neighborhood dubbed Del Webb at Country Club, which is expected to feature single-family, for-sale homes. Offering a variety of styles and sizes, from 1,300- to 1,500-square-foot homes designed for single residents to larger luxury 54-foot-wide homes with three-car garages for people not yet ready to fully retire, Lotter said the exact design of each house will be determined by the buyer. He said standards are in place to avoid repetition within the neighborhood, but the goal is to let owners pick their individual lot and home style within the Del Webb catalog. To enhance the resort-style appearance, he said plans call for a main access point from 45th Avenue Southeast, south of Country Club Road and about a third of the way to the development's southern boundary at Eighth Street Southwest. "When you enter a Del Webb neighborhood, it's sort of a special kind of experience," he said of the planned 45th Avenue connection. "There's usually a main boulevard, and it's heavily flowered and landscaped. There's usually a beautiful entrance monument that greets you and there are no homes that actually access with driveways off of that main drive." With side streets being accessed from a community center at the end of the main drive, Lotter said a secondary access to the neighborhood is eventually planned on Eighth Street, to ensure two routes in and out of the area. A traffic study is expected to be part of a required environmental review for the project. Addressing neighbors' concerns about the proximity to existing homes in Rochester Township, Lotter said the site is being designed with berms and landscaping in an effort to set it apart from the surrounding area. "We try to create a certain sense of privacy," he said. "Typically a buyer for these neighborhoods wants to feel safe, and they want a little bit of a closed-in neighborhood." With development plans emerging, the process will require Rochester City Council approval to annex the land that sits largely in Rochester Township, with a portion in Cascade Township. Lotter said the request will only involve land the company plans to develop. In addition to the annexation request, the developer has 30 days following Tuesday's meeting to submit a development plan. The plan will face staff review, but the annexation request will require public hearings ahead of a council decision. Meanwhile, Lotter said the environmental review has started but is expected to take six months, which will involve state and local reviews, as well as opportunities for public input. The proposed development follows a failed 2023 request to change land designation for 50 acres at the site allow the Nigon Family Farm Trust to develop the area outside city limits. The Rochester City Council's refusal of the change played a role in discussions leading to changes in oversight for development outside city limits, but the new proposal changes direction with the for the site, since it involves an annexation request. Lotter said annexation is needed to tie into the city's sewer system, which would be accessed through a connection at 45th Avenue Southwest. With development on both sides of Cascade Creek, Lotter said the development plan leaves room for a planned Minnesota Department of Natural Resources project that is expected to modify the waterway to reduce flooding potential. In addition to leaving space for the state project, he said the development plan will also include details to ensure stormwater runoff is controlled, which he said should improve conditions for neighbors. "Right now, that whole site is unmanaged and unchecked," he said. With Pulte Group initiating efforts to obtain approvals for the development, the company hopes to start site development in the spring of 2026, with the potential to have the first homes available for sale at the start of 2027. They could be occupied by April of that year. Lotter said construction would likely continue into the summer of 2030. "It takes years for the whole thing to build out," he said.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Traveling downtown might never be the same after Mayo Clinic expansion
May 31—ROCHESTER — Driving in downtown Rochester recently can feel a little like going through a corn maze, as the area is dotted with temporary lane and street closures. While some lanes will reopen in the future, it's unlikely that traffic through parts of downtown will ever fully return to what some consider to be normal. "Travel patterns downtown will change drastically," Rochester Traffic Engineer Sam Budzyna said. The changes are the result of a pair of major projects in the city — Mayo Clinic's $5 billion expansion and the city's bus-rapid transit system. And it means some roads, like Third and Fourth avenues southwest, will look different permanently. Last year, the Rochester City Council approved the future closure of the one-way roads between West Center Street and Second Street Southwest to make way for Mayo Clinic's "Bold. Forward. Unbound. In Rochester." project. Mayo Clinic recently submitted an application to consolidate several lots stretching west of the Mayo and Gonda buildings. Mayo Clinic was required to conduct a traffic study and now must work with city staff to outline a plan for anticipated impacts for a 20-year period, Deputy Public Works Director and City Engineer Dillon Dombrovski said. Third and Fourth avenues won't be officially vacated until city-approved plans to address traffic changes are in place. So, where will that traffic go once those roads are closed? It's still a work in progress, but Sixth and Broadway avenues are expected to see major impacts. "Looking at mitigation, we look at the impacts to intersections and different corridors," Dombrovski said. "In this study, it's obviously identified that those trips are going to have to shift elsewhere, and Sixth Avenue (Southwest) is one of the corridors that's identified that see an increase in traffic." He said other north-south traffic could move to Broadway. Increased use of First Avenue will be discouraged, since its design targets pedestrian and bike use. Budzyna said the impacts aren't expected to shift all current Third and Fourth avenue traffic to other north-south corridors, since early study indicates much of the past use focused on the clinic campus as a destination. "A lot of that traffic does go straight to what's currently the west Gonda to drop off, so there's not a whole lot of through traffic with people just cutting through downtown all the way from north to south," he said. While the combined one-way avenues have two lanes in each direction, he said current studies show Sixth Avenue will be able to accommodate the added traffic without widening the roadway, though some improvements are expected. Mayo Clinic must fund the evaluation of potential changes for Sixth Avenue intersections at West Center Street, Second Street Northwest and Civic Center Drive for the city to decide if adjustments are needed, Dombrovski said. "The studies indicate we're going to need to do something differently," he said, adding that Mayo Clinic is expected to bear most of the cost related to making changes under a pending development agreement. City costs could come with improvements outside those required by the Mayo Clinic project. In a statement from Mayo Clinic, communications manager Kristy Jacobson wrote that expansion plans are being "thoughtfully integrated into the broader Rochester downtown area, contributing to a vibrant community where community members, staff, patients and visitors feel welcome. "Once Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester is complete, arrival and departure — serving vehicles, shuttles, valet and pedestrians — will welcome patients and visitors to Mayo Clinic with designs that help reduce vehicle congestion and pave the way for a pedestrian-centric campus that seamlessly connects public and private spaces." Budzyna said early plans show three drop-off points for the new complex: * A southern loop around Calvary Episcopal Church , 111 Third Ave. SW., which sits between the existing Third and Fourth avenues; * A similar northern loop with vehicles driving in on Fourth Avenue and out of Third Avenue; * And a planned "North Arrival Center" near the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 11 Fourth Ave. SW. Combined with the addition of the city's Link Bus Rapid Transit system along Second Street south of the new Mayo Clinic Buildings, Budzyna predicts changes in driving habits will come with the expansion and new parking amenities outside the downtown core. "The travel patterns are just going to change so much, opening up capacity for more patients and visitors rather than employees that just need to store their cars all day long," he said, adding that changes are expected to provide more options for accessing downtown. One impact remaining to be addressed revolves around the elimination of a bike corridor that the city established five years ago. "There's not going to be a bikeway on Third and Fourth (avenues) anymore like there is today, so we have a condition that requires Mayo to be responsible for re-establishing that bike network," Dombrovski said. Mayo Clinic is expected to establish an indoor pedestrian passage through its new building at Fourth Avenue, but Dombrovski said that won't serve the needs of bicyclists, who use the two one-way avenues to cross between downtown bike routes on West Center Street and Fourth Street Southwest. The city engineer said a mobility consultant is expected to be hired to engage bike users and determine the best north-south route through the downtown core, which would tie back to existing facilities on each side of the new construction. Since closing the streets will rely on approved plans to address all traffic impacts, Rochester Planning Supervisor Ed Caples said final filing of the street status is delayed until agreements are reached. "They have to work through it before they can record it," he said. Additionally, he said, the subdivision being reviewed will require the street vacations to be filed before building permits can be issued. Dombrovski said required reviews and planning for future traffic will take time, which is typical with large projects that impact public streets. "That's not any different than any other development project," he said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Rochester should relax its rules on parking minimums
May 24—Joni Mitchell sang that they "paved paradise and put up a parking lot." A little more of paradise will be spared from the steamroller, if the Rochester City Council greenlights a proposal to reduce minimum parking capacity requirements for new apartment buildings in the city. Reporter Randy Petersen described the situation in his in-depth report in last weekend's edition. He found that, in this case at least, developers, new urbanists, and, well, paradise-lovers have a common goal: not to build excess parking just for the sake of meeting some arbitrary standard. The old standard, prior to 2022 when the city implemented its Universal Development Code, called for a minimum of one parking spot per studio or one-bedroom apartment, 1.5 spaces per two-bedroom apartment, two spaces per three-bedroom apartment, and three spaces per four-bedroom apartment. But what if an apartment's developer doesn't expect that many of its tenants will have cars? Just consider the cost of car ownership. A pretty basic ride, a 2025 Toyota Corolla, costs about $24,000. With dealer financing, the monthly payment on a five-year loan comes to $564. Add to that the cost of insurance, registration and gas (to say nothing of the hidden cost of depreciation) — and further, add to that the cost to rent a parking space — and the price of convenient, individual transportation easily tops $1,000 per month. That's money that can be put to a lot of rideshares. So, it's easy to see how Nathan Hoover, one resident whom Randy interviewed, says he gets along fine without a car, even when life calls for a trip to the grocery store or a Target run. And Nathan is not alone. Rochester is becoming a bigger city, with all the attendant concerns about congestion. Other, larger cities have already come to grips with the fact that their regulations were impeding smarter development, and Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth already have done away with parking minimums, as Rochester soon might. Even a small city like Northfield has taken the step. You might ask: If there are no parking minimums, what's to stop unscrupulous developers from building apartment structures without any parking? Will my neighborhood's streets be clogged with parked cars from a nearby high-rise? The answer lies in the relationship between developers and the lenders who finance their projects. A lender won't extend credit to a project that, due to a lack of amenities, shapes up to be a failure. And the truth is, that even though many people might find it reasonable to live without owning a car, still more — the majority of people — still do. They will expect the convenience of available parking. That's a strong safeguard against dereliction. We favor the goal of having the city move to eliminate parking requirements, if not immediately, at least gradually. And that's not all. We also find merit in the city's efforts to extend the availability and reach of public transportation, and to improve the ever-growing network of public facilities including bike lanes and pedestrian routes, because as more people choose to forego car ownership, those services and facilities will be in greater demand. Does all of this mean that Rochester is setting itself up to become the paradise that Joni sang of? We wouldn't go that far, but it's hard to argue that it isn't a step in the right direction.
