CANANDAIGUA — City officials and consultants are working to put together public and private projects to include in an application for a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant.
Facing a deadline of Oct. 18, city officials and consultants from MRB Group have considered public input from surveys, online comments, and a meeting to come up with nine private projects to consider for the final application.
“The goals are to enhance downtown as a safe and inviting area for community activity and create an inviting pedestrian environment along South Main Street that links downtown to the lakefront,” said Tracy Verrier, MRB Group consultant to the project.
The overall goals are to find projects that allow adaptive reuse of underutilized properties or buildings, better connectivity between downtown and the lakefront, and improved safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The private projects identified thus far:
• Developing six apartments at 88-92 S. Main St., a building owned by Robin Alger. The six upper-story apartments each would be around 4,600 square feet in size. The total cost is estimated at $864,501; the DRI request is for $648,675, with the rest coming from other sources.
It is said this project will restore, renovate and reactivate an historic property on the South Main Street corridor. The six apartments would be targeted for middle-income households, bringing new spending power, increasing economic activity for downtown businesses, enhance demand for new businesses, and reinvigorate the downtown area.
The ground floor houses Wildflowers and North Star Cafe.
• Rehabilitating 100 S. Main St., a building owned by Keith Rockcastle. An existing business, Rockcastle Florist, would be rehabilitated, with the upper two floors converted into three apartments.
The estimated cost is $966,772; the DRI request is for $725,078, with other sources providing the difference.
• Renovating 120 S. Main St., a building owned by JPA Management NY LLC. Built in 1870, the three-story building now houses The Unique Toy Shop on the ground floor and nine apartments on the second and third floors. The proposed project would renovate the apartments to attract new downtown residents, and improve the facade to create a welcoming and aesthetically pleasing exterior.
The estimated cost is $383,028. The DRI funding request is for $287,271.
• Creating a Lincoln on Main Music Venue at 245 S. Main St., the former Villager Restaurant. It is owned by Lincoln Hill Farms, which intends to renovate the partially vacant and underutilized building to include a 400-person capacity live music venue, including a full bar and related amenities. The owners say the project will create a year-round regional destination that attracts locals and visitors downtown to spend an evening or overnight.
The cost is estimated at $2 million. The DRI request is for $1.5 million.
• Expanding Peacemaker Brewing Co. at 39 Coach St. The owner said an expansion is needed to accommodate the demand for indoor space during the winter. The project would add overhead garage-type doors that can be opened during the spring, summer and fall to give the sense of an attractive, open-air environment for dining and entertainment.
The cost is estimated at $165,000. The DRI request is for $123,750.
• Renovating the Ontario County Chamber of Commerce building at 113 S. Main St., a single-story building half of which is leased to the Canandaigua Business Improvement District. The United Way also rents space in the building.
The project would create spaces that will build a stronger community connection, with additional Main Street-facing retail spaces to support local businesses, an updated Visitors Center, and the addition or public restrooms that are ADA compliant.
The cost is estimated at $450,000. The DRI request is for $300,000.
• Renovating historic property at 143 S. Main St., which is owned by 143 Canandaigua LLC. The 11,391-square-foot building has two retail spaces, one of which is vacant. The project will improve the appearance, resiliency and functionality of a mixed-use building to provide ground-floor retail and upper-story apartments.
The estimated cost is $218,049. The DRI request is for $163,536.
• Renovating the former Bemis Block building at 74 S. Main St., which is owned by 60 Genecco & Sons Inc. The three-story, 20,305-square foot building was constructed in 1853. It has retail on the first floor; the upper stories are vacant. The project would renovate all three floors, bringing the upper stories to code and creating 12 affordable rental units on the second and third floors.
The estimated cost is $3.8 million, with a DRI request of $1.3 million.
• Creation of a Small Project Grant Fund to support additional, smaller projects after the primary awards are made. Typical uses for this grant money would be for small-business development, facade improvement, interior and exterior renovations, and sustainability improvements.
This fund would contain $800,000, with $600,000 from the DRI grant and $200,000 from other sources.
The current total of the private projects is $9.6 million, with $5.6 million of that coming from DRI funds.
Public projects remain in the discussion stage.
