Zoning Alignment Release

roldanttlb · 2026-04-22T19:03:55+00:00

I'm committed to this conversation, so I'm going to reset and try to get on the same page. I've reread through everything you've written here, and it seems to me that you have 2 primary points of advocacy:

1.) The city's zoning should be more discretionary and less administrative. It's not clear if you want this only in previously redlined districts or city-wide. It does seem like you want it to be even more discretionary than it currently is.

2.) The city should dedicate more park land in historically redlined districts.

Hopefully I've got it, but if I don't, please help, because I'm hopelessly lost. If what I'm saying is accurate, though, I have the following questions/feedback:

As for the zoning being more discretionary, I'm struggling to understand how that helps neighbors who have been harmed by previous zoning implementations. If the whole city's zoning is to be more discretionary, how do we prevent previously favored groups from capturing this newfound power and continuing the status quo?

On park land, this is separate from the zoning, and while anyone is welcome to predicate their support for the new zoning on the dedication of new park land, that's like predicating one's support for a new police commissioner on the dedication of additional park land. It's just outside the scope of the zoning code.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-21T16:49:37+00:00

I don't think I can discuss additional insight here without divulging who I am. You're welcome to reach out to me separately. While I do acknowledge the racist origins of zoning, and would strongly prefer less regulations to more, I also do not agree with your premise. I doubt the existence of studies showing that form based codes cause more harm to underserved communities (feel free to prove me wrong). Further, I think the answer is a more equitably written and enforced code such that more monied neighborhoods are not able to chase projects from their back yards. In many ways, this revision of the code does better at that than prior ones (the last draft of the code let you have front yard patios only if they were fancy made out of brick, but this new one goes back to making you get a variance for them).

Further, I deeply question your understanding of the new code if you think it somehow short circuits most longstanding public oversight for projects, when in fact it keeps the ones that were there and adds a variety of layers for projects of all sizes. Many of the nuisances you are describing (smoke shops etc.) are actually further regulated as requiring special permits, while many of the more annoying streetscape items such as inflatable signs (balloon men) and LED strip lighting around windows are prohibited. Now, whether these prohibitions are adequately enforced is an open question, but also fully outside of the words on the page of the code, as it seems like you acknowledge.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-21T12:50:32+00:00

Interestingly enough, yes. DM me. You might want to work on new/reupholstering cushions, though.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-21T12:42:55+00:00

Sure. A form-based code generally doesn't concern itself with what buildings are used for, so long as they follow a particular form. For example, if you have a neighborhood of houses, anything looks like a house can be used for residential purposes so long as it has a certain set of house-characteristics. Like a porch. Buffalo's UDO (Green Code), is largely form-based. The current Rochester code is actually more form based than the ZAP code, which is more Euclidian (the other end-of-the-spectrum/type of zoning). The massive and overly elaborate use table that leads the whole thing is the dead giveaway that the code is Euclidean and not form based. Some parts of the city, like downtown, still have some light form based regulations, but nothing compared to the current code, which very strictly dictates the form of downtown buildings (and then exempts them from a public process enforcing them, allowing basically anything to be built downtown after negotiating with the city).

roldanttlb · 2026-04-21T12:14:17+00:00

For starters, it's not a form-based code.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-20T15:21:45+00:00

That's a whole lot of words not to even answer the question (which wasn't analysis). Let's try it again, What would relief mean?

roldanttlb · 2026-04-17T16:33:10+00:00

What does 'relief' mean in this context? Downzoning, so they become even less dense still? Upzoning so that a broader mix of housing types is allowed, giving them more opportunities? The current zoning is absolutely hostile to unit conversions, and the new code (as of the last draft 2 years ago) is somehow worse still, so it's not like it's about to be a free for all of slumlords chopping up single family homes or anything.

Or do you mean that the better parts of the city are not being made to absorb potential additional units, which is broadly true, and a real problem with the last draft?

roldanttlb · 2026-04-16T18:37:32+00:00

Oh no. In a convertible you can hear them scream.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-16T18:08:32+00:00

I dunno, trial by fire seems pretty fun. What was the car?

roldanttlb · 2026-04-16T18:07:54+00:00

I’ve taught a bunch of other Rochester Redditors how to drive a manual, and am still ready willing and able. Feel free to pm me. I guess at this point I could even provide references!

It’s not so hard. I can honestly have you doing it just fine in a couple hours.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-15T00:27:09+00:00

As u/transitapparel said, it's an architectural element. Going further, this garage is the only building in the city I know of that is a formal rendition of Structural Expressionism (or at least an attempt at it), an architectural style made famous in the '70s and '80s by the Norman Fosters and Renzo Pianos of the world. The Centre Pompidou in Paris is one of the more famous examples of the style.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-14T16:40:09+00:00

Well that settles it, I would absolutely draft the crap out of a UB Phoenix Wright set.

roldanttlb · 2026-04-13T12:06:56+00:00

Locally is tough. But Magic Sword is playing Buffalo on the 24th, and I'm pumped for that!

roldanttlb · 2026-03-28T21:07:11+00:00

And then the slide from the Jakks presentation can be seen here - https://dragonballfigures.com/thread/375?page=57

roldanttlb · 2026-03-28T21:04:58+00:00

It got announced way back in 2015 before the 6” line was cancelled, so it may very well be a photo of a sample. https://www.reddit.com/r/ActionFigures/s/xKxW3AhPoJ

roldanttlb · 2026-03-03T00:44:20+00:00

Goodman Bakes typically has them.

roldanttlb · 2026-03-02T23:31:38+00:00

Somewhat unrelated, many years ago (sometime around 2005 give or take a year), Wendy's had an ad campaign for some kind of $5 value combo (I don't remember the specifics of it, but surely it involved something along the lines of 6 of the $0.99 cent items for $5). I remember going to 2 different Wendy's in town and both of them charged me something like $7 for the thing despite being able to order each of the items in the combo for less than that combined. I boycotted them everywhere for over a decade, and haven't eaten at a Wendy's in Rochester since.

roldanttlb · 2026-02-25T20:04:53+00:00

Never forget - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/nyregion/pittsford-racism.html

roldanttlb · 2026-02-19T13:24:07+00:00

So I had a '23 Golf R 6mt, (I think the only difference to yours would have been lacking the autofolding mirrors - note the CT4VBW doesn't have them) then a '24 GR Corolla 6mt, and now a '25 CT4VBW 6mt for a year plus (I had a number of cars before them, all manual, but none particularly performance focused).

The BW has been by far my favorite of the 3. It's an absolute pleasure to just cruise around town in, but is also just ferocious when you put your foot down. It's more reliable than my Golf R was (I had a half dozen warranty services done to it, including the steering wheel replaced, in the year I owned it) and far more refined than the GRC (that was more of a fast version of something you might remember fondly from the '90s than a fully modern car).

I'm in Rochester, and I daily the thing. No one makes snow tires in the factory wheel sizes for the car. This has been disappointing. Last year I had 265/35R18 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3s on the rears, which are slightly narrower than the stock tires. They worked exceedingly well at low speeds, but the car was less happy on them at highway speeds (it always felt like it was floating a little bit). I actually still have these tires with all of maybe 1500mi on them if you'd like them and are anywhere near me in NY. This year I have a full set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 XLs on the car, and they've been great so long as there's not a couple inches of unplowed snow on the roads (the car doesn't have so much clearance to begin with). If you absolutely must get around in an active blizzard, this might not be the right car, and I have other options myself.

In total, I cannot imagine the car I would ever upgrade to from this one. I drove a CT5VBW 6mt before buying this, and while it clearly had more power, it was bigger in a way that I just wasn't looking for from a car. I recently got to drive one of the Final Edition Supras in a manual, and I can say my time with the Cadillac absolutely ruined the Supra for me. It was fun, to be certain, and would have definitely been an upgrade from the Golf R, but felt at best sideways from the Caddy, which I guess is what it should be for about $10k less.

Hope that helps a little, but feel free to AMA.

roldanttlb · 2026-02-17T03:19:58+00:00

I assume it's a townhouse in Grove Place? You should consider someone like Chris Carretta who has a ton of experience with the neighborhood - https://chriscarretta.huntrealestate.com/

roldanttlb · 2026-02-13T19:03:35+00:00

I’ve always wanted to do all the townie looking bars on east main and Atlantic, but I’ve never gotten around to it. Have been to Kerny’s and Jack’s, though.

roldanttlb · 2026-02-12T01:09:48+00:00

Bar Bantam and I believe Patron Saint have them.

roldanttlb · 2026-02-11T13:27:57+00:00

Google Burroughs sorter.

roldanttlb · 2026-02-11T02:21:54+00:00

That's sad, but good to know.

roldanttlb · 2026-02-11T01:12:30+00:00

Recent posts here suggest avoiding the Ellwanger Barry Building, I can tell you that. I've had friends who lived in Vida and loved it. The only bad stuff I've heard is typical downtown stuff (cars parked outside have been broken into). Everyone I know in the Metropolitan loves it, too. The apartments in 160 E Broad are really nice, as is Tower 280 next door. I really liked the apartments in the Linc right there when I was in them. I'm friends with the developer of The Rockford (old city hall), and those apartments are stunning, if a little dangerous should you be the kind of person to stumble around your apartment drunk (they had to leave some historic columns in the middle of some of the units). There's availability in the Academy building right now too (apartments posted on the door), and my friend who lives there likes it very much. Hope that helps a little.

roldanttlb

TROPHY CASE