Monroe Avenue Improvements

Published: 8/25/2004

One of the biggest transformations that has taken place during my tenure as Supervisor has been that of the Monroe Avenue commercial area. In 1994, Pittsford Plaza was half empty. There was a mix of retail and distribution warehouses. We were not quite sure what was going to happen in the long-term.

Since then we have seen a conversion or upgrade of almost every property along this corridor. Today, Monroe Avenue is one of the top retail markets in this region. The corridor provides a nice mix of national and local stores that results in a variety of stores available to meet shoppers' needs.

The Spring House Commons is a project that is under way and slated to open in the next couple of months. The buildings that have been added will have first floor retail and second floor offices. In a recent meeting with owners of this property, they pledged their commitment to finding a new operator to reopen the Spring House Restaurant. There are some minor changes they need to accomplish to make this structure more appealing to restaurateurs. We have offered our support and indicated we will work with them to obtain their goal.

The Spring House Commons project is very deceiving from the road. It does not appear that there is enough parking to support the buildings, however the project has been designed to de-emphasize parking. As a result, much of the parking is located behind the buildings at the rear of the parcel. Architecture and landscaping will have a stronger impact in this project than asphalt and parking.
Another major project along Monroe Avenue is the upgrade of Pittsford Plaza. This plaza was built in the 1960's and last upgraded in the 1980's. Over the last decade, the Plaza has seen a rebirth and is now able to attract a wide selection of new stores when vacancies occur.

The improvements include an upgrade to the entire facade of the building. The new design is intended to accomplish a "lifestyle theme" which attempts to achieve more interest through the architecture, through expanded sidewalk areas, through the addition of seating areas and includes even more plantings.

One area that will be quite different when it is completed is the area between Bruegger's Bagel Bakery and KB Toy Works. The corner areas that are currently paved will be converted into more of a "people space." This will soften the harshness of this area as well provide plantings and seating areas that will result in a friendlier space.

Wilmorite Inc., the owners of Pittsford Plaza have worked very closely with the Town and our boards in making these changes. There was a healthy discussion over the architectural changes proposed that resulted in a number of revisions to the designs based on the input from our boards. There was also a lot of discussion over the colors that were chosen. Samples of the paint were applied to a test area, reviewed by members of our boards and again modified based on input from board members.

There is no doubt that the Plaza has a new and different look. Quite a bit of time was spent discussing color and I will tell you that there was not total agreement even within our boards. That is always the problem when discussing a subjective, personal preference such as color. There were some who felt the current colors were the best. In the end, the owners of the building made a strong case for a paint and sign package that they felt were in their best interest.

There are some people who have suggested that there is an inconsistency with the issue we had with McDonald's a few years back. However, the issue with McDonalds was not the color, it was the way they went about it. There was no dialogue, no request for input. Instead the painting was done over a holiday weekend when they knew that the Town offices were closed. In fact, that very week I had talked to the owner several times about some other issues and it was never disclosed that they were about to paint their building.

All discussions about architecture and color can be very difficult because we all have our likes and dislikes. We also recognize that people own these buildings and have the right to make reasonable improvements to their property. We have always been willing to have a dialogue with property owners and provide suggestions and input on changes that might be in the community's interest.

In the long run we are pleased with the level of improvements we are seeing on Monroe Avenue and thank all the property and business owners for their commitment to our community. A lot of convenient services are available to us along Monroe Avenue and we are thankful for this.

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