With workers removing the glass facade behind, ceremonial golden shovels marking the start of a major housing redevelopment scooped dirt outside the former CGI Communications building on East Main Street.
The seven-story building will be turned into 129 mixed-income apartments, with a modern exterior designed to call back to the Gateway Building’s original character. Much of the original architectural elements were removed when the glass curtain wall was installed.
The $72.3 million project will build housing affordable to those earning up to 80% of the area median income, with studios, one-bedroom units and two-bedroom units. It will receive state and city funds, including $850,000 through the city’s HOME program and $2 million from Empire State Development’s Restore New York program.
“Unlike a lot of the other projects that you see happening around downtown, this one does not qualify for historic tax credits,” said Erik Frisch, commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Rochester. “But to the developer’s credit, they’re doing everything they can to restore that historic character and make the building a part of this historic district along Main Street.”
The building at 150 E. Main St. was outdated office space and difficult to lease, Frisch said. The mixed-use model of ground floor commercial with upstairs apartments has been a successful reuse of similar spaces he said. It’s tough to fill office space that doesn’t meet the needs of today’s commercial users, the commissioner said.
The city wants to have residential units downtown and throughout the city, Frisch said. The same stretch of East Main Street has seen the Harper’s Corner apartments and plans for the redevelopment of the former Riverside Hotel.
The Gateway project is slated for completion in 2027. The developer is SAA/EVI and architect is SWBR with Christa Construction as the general contractor.
While the project is not receiving any state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, the adjacent one-story building, formerly a McDonald’s and most recently Metro Market, will be torn down to create Main Street Commons, an outdoor public space. The demolition is expected this year, with construction running through 2028.
Steve Howe reports on suburban growth, development and environment for the Democrat and Chronicle. An RIT graduate, he has covered myriad topics over the years, including public safety, local government, national politics and economic development in New York and Utah.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester breaks ground on Gateway Building housing project
Reporting by Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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