Rochester
Rochester is a center for innovation and entrepreneurship with a rich history of invention and modernization.
INVESTMENTS
Investing $80M in Rochester
Reflects project status as of December 2024. Project status will be updated on a bi-annual basis.
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Falls St. Remediation
Anchor Investment
This project will remediate two contaminated parcels at 52 and 96 Falls Street, which are critical to the development and ultimate success of the planned New York State Park at High Falls.
Investment: $4 Million Construction Status: Pre-Development
Aqueduct Park
Anchor Investment
The redevelopment of Aqueduct Park and the surrounding streetscape offers a unique opportunity to create a public space with programming for downtown residents and employees of Constellation Brands and is integral to the Roc the Riverway Promenade creating a more vibrant and accessible riverfront.
Investment: $2 Million Construction Status: Design
151 Mt. Hope Riverfront
Anchor Investment
This project helps fully remediate a key riverfront site in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood for a combination of public access and shovel-ready redevelopment.
Investment: $2 Million Construction Status: Pre-Development
NextCorps
Corridor Investments
NextCorps’ startup incubator in the Sibley Building in downtown Rochester is the largest incubator in the region, supporting high-growth, tech-oriented entrepreneurs. RRP funds will expand their space for additional companies and partners; increase programming, services, and build capacity to support the demand from local startup companies; and fill the demand for skilled software developers through The Embark No-Code Bootcamp and Startup Accelerator Program
Investment: $2.075 Million Construction Status: Under Construction
Young Adult Manufacturing Training Employment Program, Inc. (YAMTEP)
Workforce Investments
YAMTEP is an anti-poverty, workforce development and employment initiative leveraging manufacturing industry partnerships to provide training with a goal of matching trainees with employers, filling gaps, providing jobs and career pathways.
Investment: $830,000
Harper's Corner
Corridor Investments
Sponsored by Home Leasing LLC, this project will reimagine and revitalize the vital corner of East Main St. and North Clinton Ave.—transforming four historic commercial buildings into a mixed-use community with ground-floor commercial space and three floors of residential space above.
Investment: $1 Million
The Greenwood Project
Corridor Investments
Connected Communities will redevelop five properties in the Beechwood and EMMA neighborhoods into “hub” sites that collectively offer a network of youth and older adult services, workforce and economic development classes, health and wellness services, co-working space for neighborhood nonprofits, and business support assistance.
Investment: $750,000 Construction Status: Under Construction
West Main St. Commercial Corridor Program
Corridor Investments
The program develops West Main Street district marketing and governance plans and design guidelines and invests in commercial and mixed-use properties in the West Main corridor from the Inner Loop to Chili Avenue.
Investment: $10 Million
ReMain Revitalization Fund
Corridor Investments
This program offers flexible gap financing to property owners and developers seeking to make major investments in mixed-use redevelopment projects along West Main St. (State St. to Bull’s Head) and East Main St. (State St. to N. Clinton Avenue).
Investment: $2 Million
Main Street Activation Program
Corridor Investments
The City of Rochester and the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC) will subsidize rents and/or buildout costs for new, startup, and/or pop-up retailers, maker spaces, and food/drink establishments on East and West Main St.
Investment: $325,000
School-to-Work Navigator (3 locations)
Workforce Investments
RochesterWorks will create a program in City of Rochester high schools to build career readiness skills, provide career exploration, and help students and families navigate the many career pathways resources available in the community.
Investment: $620,000
Training Rochester Adults in Construction Skills (TRACS)
Workforce Investments
Established in partnership with Rochester Careers in Construction Inc. and North American Building Trades Union (NABTU), TRACS is a pre-apprenticeship program designed to provide interested individuals the basis for a union construction career.
Investment: $750,000
INDICATORS
Monitoring contextual neighborhood indicators to inform and enhance RRP strategies.
These neighborhood indicators provide important context on long-term trends impacting communities near the RRP investment corridors. Understanding these trends can inform investment strategies, but indicators are influenced by external factors and cannot be attributed to any single strategy. Corridor neighborhoods used to measure indicators are defined as all census tracts within a half-mile of the investment corridors.
Workforce
Some indicators for Rochester point to a possible resurgence in the underserved Corridor area, with an increasing number of new businesses and a strengthening workforce. The indicators show an increase in the percentage of higher-paying jobs held by residents, rising median incomes, increased labor force participation, and improved economic security. These indicators position Rochester well for additional growth and impact.
Access to Higher-Paying Jobs
Rochester has nearly 82,200 well-paying jobs offering annual salaries that exceed $40,000. Nearly half of these higher- paying positions (35,760 or 44% of the total), are concentrated in Corridor Neighborhoods. Since 2015, the number of good-paying jobs in Corridor neighborhoods grew by 9%.
Yet residents in Corridor Neighborhoods fill just 5% of higher-paying jobs, a figure that increased by less than 1 percentage point over six years from 2015 to 2021.
Economic Security
Access to higher-paying jobs is a catalyst for economic mobility, enabling home ownership, the purchase of a vehicle for commuting to work and small business development. The majority of residents in Corridor Neighborhoods struggle with economic security, living on an income that is under 200% of the federal poverty level.
The median income for households in Corridor Neighborhoods is $39,240, or about 60% of the regional median. Although median incomes in Corridor Neighborhoods increased a notable 53% between 2016 and 2022, limited educational attainment and other challenges keep too many adults in lower-paying jobs.
Educational Attainment
Postsecondary training and education are often critical pathways into higher-paying careers. In Corridor Neighborhoods, 57% of adults have any training beyond high school, lagging behind the regional average of 67%. While there were improvements since 2016, educational attainment declined slightly in Corridor Neighborhoods between 2021 and 2022.
Labor Force Participation
As additional residents are trained, labor force participation rates should continue to increase. Between 2016 and 2022, the percentage of residents in Corridor Neighborhoods who were working or seeking a job increased. While the labor force participation rate in Corridor Neighborhoods is comparable to the city as a whole, it lags behind the region. The disparity is more pronounced for people of color, emphasizing the ongoing importance of workforce development strategies.
Placemaking
While some indicators for Rochester point to a possible resurgence in the underserved Corridor area, Rochester Corridor Neighborhoods face challenges that could hinder growth if not addressed. These include a declining population and population diversity. This has likely contributed to rising vacancy rates. Strategies focused on revitalizing neighborhoods and attracting and retaining diverse talent will help address challenges and support sustained economic growth.
Population Growth
While the region, state and nation experienced small but notable population growth over the past six years, population growth in Rochester was stagnant and it was declining in Corridor Neighborhoods, including a recent 1% drop between 2021 and 2022.
While the City of Rochester and Corridor Neighborhoods saw a 5% increase in the population of young adults over the past 6 years, the one-year trend shows a concerning 2% decline. Similarly, while the number of individuals of color grew by double digits across WNY over the past six years, this demographic declined 5% in Corridor Neighborhoods.
Corridor Neighborhoods have not attracted and retained foreign-born residents to the extent this is happening across the region, state, and nation. Strategies that foster a welcoming community for the region’s increasingly diverse population could help boost population and additional economic growth in Rochester.
Business Growth
Corridor Neighborhoods in Rochester are well poised for this future business growth, with employment increasing 5.6% between 2018 and 2024, and reaching a total of 74,615 jobs in 2024.
Vacancies
High vacancy rates persist. One out of five commercial locations and one out of 10 residential units are vacant in Corridor Neighborhoods. This underscores the ongoing need for placemaking strategies, including renovations, reuse, and infill development, all of which will help to attract new businesses and residents, create jobs, enhance property values, and improve the livability of the community.
Small Business
Corridor Neighborhoods in Rochester show signs of resurgence, with rising new business numbers and a stronger workforce. While long-term trends are varied, the most recent one-year indicators for small businesses are largely positive.
Small Business Growth
Rochester has a robust economy for business, with nearly 8,100 establishments that provide employment to more than 182,000 individuals. Small businesses are the backbone of Rochester’s economy. They comprise about 70% of all businesses citywide and in Corridor Neighborhoods. Yet despite their significance to Rochester’s economy, small businesses faced challenges over the past year, especially businesses in Corridor Neighborhoods.
More than 1,900 businesses in Corridor Neighborhoods are microbusinesses with fewer than five employees. The number of these microbusinesses declined 8.5% between 2018 and 2024. Many of these businesses were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as they struggled to withstand shutdowns, social distancing guidelines and economic hardship.
Despite the challenges faced by small businesses over recent years, a surge in new businesses activity is beginning to revitalize Corridor Neighborhoods. Specifically, the number of new businesses increased a notable 121% over the past six years (2018-2024) and 11% over the past year alone. These 135 new businesses in Corridor Neighborhoods created more than 770 new jobs for residents.
Sole Proprietorship
Nearly 400 businesses in Corridor Neighborhoods are sole proprietors. These businesses experienced a 8.6% decline from 2018 to 2024. While recent one-year trends show a more positive outlook, with a modest growth rate that exceeds that for all businesses in Corridor Neighborhoods, the lingering effect of the pandemic and other factors creates a pressing need for strategies to support small businesses.
Entrepreneurs
Rochester’s strong history of innovation and its currently high rate of entrepreneurship are key strengths that can be leveraged by RRP strategies to expand the pipeline of new businesses and foster their growth. With nine entrepreneurs per 10,000 people, the rate of entrepreneurship in Rochester is almost four times the regional average of 2.3 per 10,000.
The city has a strong network of organizations dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship, including three colleges, and a number of business support organizations which are working to coordinate and strengthen services for new and small businesses.
