The Rochester Preservation Board will meet tonight to discuss the potential impacts of the apartment complex planned for 933 University Ave. These conversations, based in large part on public input, will result in a position paper for the City Planners. This is all at the advisory stage.
Nonetheless, it is important that those who see this project as having a negative impact AND those who see this project having a positive impact attend and listen.
Sound legal opposition to development proposals are tricky. In cases of “neighborhood impact” those authorized with approving projects must weigh the rights of the property owners against the concerns of neighbors. The owners have a distinct advantage — they OWN the property. The others merely have an opinion about how the owner should use that property. That is an important distinction. But there is an added layer of responsibility and oversight when you own a property that is within an historic area.
The City recognizes the importance of community — of community prosperity and unity. The City does give significant weight to the opinions of neighbors who provide well thought-out, researched and rational feedback and concerns. And if any of you have ever been to a public hearing, you also know that there are a lot of people who simply come to those meetings to rant, are not willing to compromise and do not provide constructive criticism.
Neighbors are most successful when they band together to address concerns within the context of the neighborhood itself — including its existing character, current evolution, the reasons residents choose to live in the neighborhood and how the proposal will change these characteristics in a unalterable way.
Here is one of the complexities of this process: negative comments made in public hearings are used by the developer to modify her/his plan (And the developer at 933 University did just that after initial meetings with concerned citizens and neighbors, including the George Eastman House.) At the next meeting, a neighborhood may find that each individual objection has been “mitigated.” If a developer mitigates most of the individual complaints (noise, parking, lights, etc.) then it will appear to those making the approval decision that all the key issues have been resolved. Their obligation to the neighbors has been satisfied. But the central, essential issue has not actually been addressed: the permanent, unalterable change to the character of the neighborhood.
And this is where the role of the Preservation Board is so important. It should work with the City, developers and neighbors to assure that new development maintain that character of the neighborhood.
Will the development at 933 University negatively impact the character of the neighborhood? This must be weighed against neighbors and others who simply fear any change (and change is not necessarily bad). Thus the dance between progress and preservation continues.
Neighbors (whether they are for or against the proposal in its current form) who attend the Rochester Preservation Board meeting tonight will hopefully be part of a constructive discussion about the overall impact and long term change the project would have on the neighborhood and the legitimizing of other, similar developments. From this discussion, the neighbors will have a pretty good idea about the position statement the board will write. If the Preservation Board has misses the mark, then the neighbors must organize for the next level of public input with the City Planners.
Preservation Board Meeting Tonight:
City Hall, City Council Chambers, Room 302A
6PM
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