With increased activity in downtown, we have an increased responsibility to be good stewards of our downtown environment. The epicenter of pedestrian activity along 1st Avenue SW and Historic 3rd Street SW has led to increased foot traffic and nuisance complaints involving the 300 block alley between Broadway and 1st Ave. After prompting a dialogue among neighbors, a property owner approached the Rochester Downtown Alliance about ways to improve the public space that exists in the alley. Topics discussed included landscape, lighting, murals, decorations, cleanliness, refuse handling, etc.
300 Block between Broadway and 1st Avenue SW
The Rochester Downtown Alliance teamed up with designRochester to facilitate a design charette focusing on creating a safer, cleaner, more pedestrian-friendly place in the alley of the 300 block between Broadway and 1st Avenue SW. Many property owners have already discussed improvements and what they could do to help. But this was a forum for structured collaboration in the hopes of establishing a shared vision among property owners, adjacent business, residents, City of Rochester, and the Rochester Downtown Alliance. Once a vision is crafted, an implementation plan can be instituted in an holistic manner furthering downtown as "The Place to Be."
The entire alley vision report can be downloaded HERE off the Rochester Downtown Alliance's website. Contact Jon Eckhoff, Executive Director, for more information.