Bus Station. Big Mistake

With an historic vote looming in the Rochester City council set for Tuesday, July 14, 2009, I thought I would write the almost identical Letter to the Editor that I wrote to City Newspaper in March 2005:
Bus Station. Big Mistake

With an historic vote looming in the Rochester City council set for Tuesday, July 14, 2009, I thought I would write the almost identical Letter to the Editor that I wrote to City Newspaper in March 2005:
Bus Station. Big Mistake

“In the 1950’s, ripping up the historic Corn Hill neighborhood to make way for the 490 expressway and Inner Loop, was considered a boon because it allegedly opened up the city to faster-flowing traffic. For those of you too young to remember, Corn Hill today represents a tiny slice of what once was. Corn Hill's magnificent architecture once stretched all the way to Main Street. Where our police, jail & courts now sit, The Public Safety Building, an old, established neighborhood had thrived for decades. The original campus of Rochester Instiute of Technology (RIT) originally sat in the old buildings of Corn Hill. This 1960's phenomenon was called "Urban Renewal". Consider what has happened since. Calls are being heard today for ripping out most of the Inner Loop.

“The current push to open up the city with a bus garage is part of the same counter-productive thinking for two reasons:

“One: The garage is proposed for the wrong place and has the wrong design. A single, intermodal facility should be located near the New York Central terminal (Amtrak) north of downtown. By intermodal, I mean that the entire bus system should be revamped. The hub & spoke system currently used must catch up with the 21st Century. There must be six or seven satellite stations around the entire bus system service area. Downtown Rochester must not be the focus of the system.

“Two: Its proposed configuration as an underground facility generates significant health and traffic questions. Having a bus turning the Main Street corner at Clinton Avenue every 20 seconds does not make for pedestrian hospitality. Not only that, but at tremendous costs the facility will quickly become a homeless shelter that will need constant police attention- which, by the way, will not be provided by the Rochester Police department but by rent-a-cops such as we have seen in Midtown Plaza.

“The inclusion of the proposed bus garage as part of Renaissance Square, as Mark Hare (once) observed in the Democrat and Chronicle “opens the lids on several pots of state and federal money.”

“Yes it does. But in running for City Council, I choose to listen to the advice of ….Rep. Louise Slaughter and look back into history before compounding the city’s already-acute downtown problems with this mis-located and ill considered project. While the concept of Renaissance Square has some merits, it should be open to full citizen participation. Criticisms of the bus garage must be addressed.

Just because there are “several pots of state and federal money” available does not make this bus garage the right decision. We took that road in the 1960’s and we know where it got us."

Prescient? Déjà vu all over again?

In 2005, I ran for city council on the Red, White & Blue Party line with Chris Maj for Mayor, Chris Edes & Max Kessler for city council. Some voters in Rochester voted for me in 2005, a vote against ren square.

On July 14, we do not know how city council will vote. Will they vote to take by eminent domain the real estate owned by Mr. Neil Bauman, causing the real estate investment owned by Mr. Anthony Dimarzo, The Warner Building, to be filled with bus fumes? Our campaign supports another way.

Please see this link http://harry2009.com/node/102 “For Rochester, regarding plans for Renaissance Square.”

On Tuesday, July 14, call this number to speak to City Council: 585-428-7421 Call before 6 PM. City Council meeting begins at 7PM. Bring signs that say “NO REN SQUARE” or “Harry Davis for City Council.”

I support high speed rail & development at the Amtrak station.

High speed rail is the biggest economic development for upstate New York in 150 years, since the Erie Canal.

Harry Davis
Harry Davis for Rochester City Council
www.Harry2009.com
585-301-3896