On January 22, 2024, Rochester’s City Council approved the designation of the Downtown Commercial Historic District due to the importance of this original central business districts' value in contributing to the development, heritage, and cultural significance of Rochester.

Since then, the City of Rochester and Destination Medical Center initiated a planning process to create a Vision Plan for the Historic District with a specific focus on the public realm. This new project aims to envision a future for the outdoor public spaces in the district and is a key step to improve the public realm. It will provide a roadmap for creating cohesive, inclusive, and well-designed spaces that reflect the community needs and aspirations for the Historic District.

This website is fully dedicated to community outreach, communications, and updates about this project.

PROJECT NEWS:

Breaking update! The Case for Action is now available under the "Project Documents" section on the right column of the webpage. The Case for Action report outlines the historical context of the district and analyzes the existing conditions of the district today through the lens of experiencing the public realm. This report provides a base-line understanding of the district's significance both historically and in modern context. Paired with results and input from the stakeholder and community engagement process, the Vision Plan for the public realm in the district will be based in realistic, community-based desires.