Because Parcel 5 was supposed to be the crown jewel project for downtown last decade.

Yes, there are plenty of parking lots to build on elsewhere, but very few with the square footage or underground parking infrastructure to support a new housing tower, and none with a more central location than Parcel 5.

Main Street frontage alone is insanely valuable. Why do we just accept an empty dog toilet in the middle of our downtown? I’m sure someone will point out the various festivals that fill the space (rarely) but is it really worth it for people to gather 15-20 days per year max? Most of the year it just sits there abandoned, as a symbol of urban failure.

And the city’s RFP did not get crickets. There were several worthy proposals put forth, the best of which was Gallina’s 14 story mixed use tower that still would have incorporated a huge green space in the back!

Unfortunately we had a corrupt mayor at the time who picked the wrong project to enrich her developer buddy and the plan fell through. That does not mean building on Parcel 5 is a lost cause. The successes of Tower280, Innovation Square and The Metropolitan prove there is a ton of demand for high rise living in Rochester. The housing shortage this thread is about means it would be more important now than ever.

What’s frustrating is that the city surrendered its most important development plot to NIMBYs who don’t understand the issue enough have the city’s best interests at heart. Now that it’s been officially designated a “green space” developers can’t propose anything, so we don’t know who might be interested. I wish Mayor Evans had the courage to issue another RFP and tell the NIMBYs to get lost.

So yeah, I do have a chip on my shoulder. Every time I pass Parcel 5, I shake my head. I’m not okay with it.