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CENTER CITY'S HOUSING IS POPULAR
Democrat & Chronicle
February
5, 2011
Post-industrial cities nationwide have embraced the idea to rebuild
their images and economies from the inside out, with a focus on downtown
development. In Rochester, a number of existing and developing housing
units are intended to draw young professionals to the center city, in
the hopes that putting the cart before the horse will jumpstart the
relocation and investment of businesses. "Young professionals will play
not a very important role but an absolutely essential role in the
revitalization of downtown," said Bret Garwood, acting commissioner of
the city's Department of Neighborhood and Business Development.
A
housing market study conducted by the city several years ago showed that
people in their 20s and 30s, usually without needs won't be created.
But not everyone is on board with that belief. "A downtown area should
be a mix of restaurants, retail, businesses and some housing, not mainly
housing," said Anthony Anderson, 26. "I think that's the wrong
philosophy, and it should be the other way around." Anderson, an
executive recruiter for A.J. Berman and Associates, said he doesn't know
too many young professionals who want to live downtown. "Our downtown
doesn't have the influence of other major cities. It's still for the
most part pretty bleak," said Anderson, who lives in the 19th Ward.
"Most of the young professionals I know, they're in South Wedge, they're
in Corn Hill, they're in places where things are going on and there's a
warmth to these areas." An interactive real estate map on the city's
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