Rochester Development News 4 [Archive]

ROCguy

April 14th, 2006, 04:53 PM

AHEM. I seem to recall a certain someone talking about real estate in the Rochester area a while ago as horrible and on the way down. I think they were wrong:

Local house sales soar in March

David Tyler
Staff writer

(April 14, 2006) — After showing signs of slowing in the first two months of the year, a torrid March has put Rochester-area house sales back ahead of 2005's record pace.

Real estate agents closed on sales of 947 existing single-family houses in March, a 12 percent increase over the same month a year ago, and 43 percent better than February. Perhaps as important, the number of houses listed for sale continues to grow. There were 2,213 homes on the market in March, a 22 percent increase over March 2005, according to the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc.

Bob Miglioratti, chairman of the association, said the continued strength in real estate while other economic indicators struggle is "an anomaly that I haven't seen before."

"I don't have a good reason for it," he said. "I'm happy for it, but it's beyond our expectations."

Miglioratti said the mild winter may have sent buyers out house hunting earlier than usual. Concerns about whether interest rates might rise may have also pushed potential buyers to make a decision now, he said.

Jeff Scofield, a real estate agent with RealtyUSA's Rick Leasure Division in Pittsford, said he expects continued strong sales.

"I think honestly you'd have to get to 8 percent or 9 percent before buyers start to cool off a little bit," he said.

The association tracks sales in an 11-county area.

Through the end of February, closings were actually running just slightly behind the pace from a year ago. Now, they are 3 percent ahead of 2005's pace.

Activity was particularly strong in Monroe County and the city of Rochester, as well as Genesee and Livingston counties.

Prices are also rising. The median price of a house in the region was $104,000 in March, up 3 percent from the same month a year ago.

blangjr21

April 17th, 2006, 06:46 AM

This doesn't really have any news link or anything, but coming back from our family easter celebration in Corning there was signifigant development on 390 between the Lehigh Station Road exit and the Calkins Road overpass, looked like a few truck depot/wharehouse's and some kind of office or very large wharehouse, was interesting to see the three buildings all going up at the same time.

BuffCity

April 17th, 2006, 09:01 AM

I think there is already a big office structure there, not sure who.

ROCguy

April 17th, 2006, 05:03 PM

This sounds pretty cool, I would love to take one of these tours. Why have I never heard about this before?

Cruises on river, canal take new direction this year

Corn Hill Navigation plans historical series, music and more

Vanessa Ebbeling
Staff writer

(April 17, 2006) — It's time to try out your sea legs and take a fresh look at Rochester — from the water.

Corn Hill Navigation's boats will fire up their engines May 1, kicking off the 2006 cruise season. This year's schedule features wine-tasting cruises, live music and a new historical series.

"We're very excited about it," said Victoria Schmitt, a Corn Hill Navigation representative.

"We got a tremendous amount of feedback last summer, and countless passengers told us they are now looking at the community with new eyes, because when you see it from the water, you get a whole new view."

Daily lunch cruises start May 1 on two boats, the Mary Jemison, departing from Corn Hill Landing, and the Sam Patch, departing from Schoen Place in Pittsford. Dinner cruises will be added in June. Both will run through October.

The historical series, "History Afloat: Experiencing Our Historic Waterways," begins in mid-May and will run for five weeks on both boats. The series will feature presentations by local historians, politicians and businesspeople.

Topics range from Victorian sports and recreation along the Genesee in the mid-19th century to the revival of Pittsford's waterfront in the mid-1990s.

Aboard the Mary Jemison, a riverboat and former Atlantic City tour boat acquired by Corn Hill Navigation last year, boaters will cruise along the Genesee while learning about the river's role in Rochester's history and future.

"For us, to teach about the river is to literally teach about the founding of the city and why there is a city called Rochester," said Ann Salter, executive director of the Rochester Historical Society, who partnered with Corn Hill Navigation to put the series together.

The Sam Patch will cruise the Erie Canal while its passengers listen to presenters — including Pittsford Mayor Robert Corby — discuss the canal's development and the growth of the surrounding towns.

The narrow, low packet boat is a replica of the type of vessel used on the canal before it was widened, Schmitt said.

"It replicates what it was like to travel on the canal in the 1800s, aside from the fact that you're not pulled by mules or donkeys," Schmitt said.

Both boats travel about 7 mph, giving presenters time to point out attractions and passengers time to soak up the scenery.

"Your classroom is the water," Salter said.

blangjr21

April 17th, 2006, 05:23 PM

Been there, done that, was a pretty good time too....but watch out for the low bridges!

ROCguy

April 17th, 2006, 05:28 PM

So where all does it take you? What landmarks do you see?

blangjr21

April 17th, 2006, 07:00 PM

Well the one that I went on started in Fairport went through Pittsford and Scheon Place then hit the Genesee and turned around to go back to Fairport. We went through a lock or two if I remember correctly. It was a good time on the water though, not too many landmarks on the trip per say.

Haven't ever taken a river cruise but I hear they area good time as well.

RochesterAddict

April 17th, 2006, 08:54 PM

Been on hiatus for a while.

Blang what you saw was the new Patrick Pontiac/Jeep/GMC dealership they are building there. John Holtz owns the Patrick land and is kicking him out, Holtz wants to build a new facility for one of his car dealerships on the former Patrick dealership land. Holtz is going to be getting a new MINI franchise and will expand the Land Rover franchise and he needs a place to put the new showrooms. Dorschel will also be re-shaping West Henrietta Rd and will mix up all of his dealerships, he bought the old Cortese dealerships near the Dorschel mega-site, kicked out Cortese and will retro-fit those old dealerships. I spoke to a salesperson at those stores and no one knows which car franchises will move where and when?

I will post some links I have accumulated over the past month at a later time, there was a Roc Devlpmnt 3? Missed it, so some of my stuff may be duplicative, I cant find Roc 3? Sorry.

RochesterAddict

April 17th, 2006, 08:58 PM

Sorry,

Blang u may have also seen this:

http://www.eriestationvillage.com/default.asp

nearby, Erie Station Village, its an apartment lifestyle community.

The apartments are beautiful, but the outsides are lame. Since it was built on old farm land the builder used a farm motif, the apartments are all built in buildings that look like huge farm houses, barns and row houses. They tried to stay true to the heritage of the former land. Too bad, I would have lived there if I didnt have to live in a giant barn. I can only imagine what my friends from Manhattan would say as they drove up to my apartment in a barn. What the f%#$?

ROCguy

April 17th, 2006, 09:20 PM

blangjr21

April 17th, 2006, 09:30 PM

Wow, that is a hell of a lot of development for the area car dealerships that I had previously not heard about, very encouraging in a way that the dealerships are enlarging, buying others and seemingly doing well. It is encouraging to see the growth in some of the area suburbs like Henrietta, Chili, Greece, and Webster.

As far as Erie Station when they originally built it I really liked the concept, took a tour of it and was not impressed with the high cost of living that far away from everything else, but I guess they are doing pretty well. Either way you won't find me living there in the near future.

blangjr21

April 17th, 2006, 10:11 PM

Area Home Sales Up for 2006
by Dan Smith
Published Apr 14, 2006

Year-to-date home sales in the Rochester region are up over last year at this time.

The Greater Rochester Association of Realtors reported a 3.1 percent increase in home sales over 2005.

The average sale price of existing single family homes also climbed 1.6 percent to $127,000.

The number of houses sold in the city of Rochester jumped nearly 22 percent compared to last year.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those are some unbelievable numbers for the city of Rochester....WOW!

ROCguy

April 18th, 2006, 03:14 AM

I know right!?!?! I think it is that the bulk of metro Rochester's population has been in the suburbs for so long, that the city seems almost "exotic". I'd imagine the overwhelming majority of single-family homes being purchased in the city are in the trendy and "un-blighted" Neighborhoods of the SE quadrant, the Park Avenue and East Avenue areas. A lot of empty nesters from the suburbs buy the nice old houses in city as an investment or for their love of the arcitecture or history. I know that my aunt and uncle just sold their house in Gates because my cousin is graduating in a couple months, and are looking to possibly buy a house in the Barrington Street area (although they will most likely end up in one of the P-towns).

blangjr21

April 18th, 2006, 07:15 AM

Penfield is the best of the P-towns (of course i'm partial, but thats besides the point)

BuffCity

April 18th, 2006, 08:37 AM

so who is gonna be the designated Rochester photographer?

the city needs to show itself.

PLEASE somebody

veryprotourism

April 18th, 2006, 05:48 PM

Penfield is the best of the P-towns (of course i'm partial, but thats besides the point)

umm, all the "p-towns" should be blown to bits in my opinion.

i'll take irondeqouit, or inner portions of gates or greece over those giant golf course communities any day.

the east side of rochester, 'cept maybe the village of fairpot and bushnells basin is exactly what rochester should be striving NOT to be.

blangjr21

April 18th, 2006, 07:10 PM

Hey I have no problem with East Rochester at all, it's a funny little village that can be really beautiful at times, and in certain places. As far as Bushnells Basin there really is no "village" its just one road (31) that runs next to the canal.

As a not of hillarity there are only 4 18 hold golf courses and 1 9 hole course in penfield!!!!

I would much rather live in the city's southeast area at this point in my life, but within the next year or so that may happen so...yea!

ROCguy

April 18th, 2006, 10:00 PM

Penfield is the best of the P-towns (of course i'm partial, but thats besides the point)

I'll argue that... Pittsford. Pittsford is looked at by most in Rochester as the snobby rich town that could emulate the entire area's "smugtown" reputation by itself. But it really is a beautiful town and even more beautiful village. The dock/promenade/whatever you would call it on the Erie Canal an awsome little mini downtown with mid 19th century buildings housing nice little shops and restaraunts.

ROCguy

April 18th, 2006, 10:23 PM

umm, all the "p-towns" should be blown to bits in my opinion.

i'll take irondeqouit, or inner portions of gates or greece over those giant golf course communities any day.

the east side of rochester, 'cept maybe the village of fairpot and bushnells basin is exactly what rochester should be striving NOT to be.

whoa... I'll argue that too. I am a devout Greek (the town ofcourse), and my whole family was from the west side.... They now all live on the East Side with the exception of my Grandparents who still live in Greece and my Uncle who lives in Spencerport. My aunt and uncle just sold their house in Gates and are, as I said, moving to either the P-towns or maybe the Park Avenue area of the city (which is still technically east side). As hard as it is for me to say... in general, wich the exception of Irondequiot and Greece respectively, the East side trumps the west side. Even in the city, it goes somewhat quadrantely... the best area is by far the Southeast quadrant... which is WAY nicer than the Southwest quadrant; but then, to a somewhat lesser degree, the Northwest Quadrant is better than the Northeast quadrant. Irondequiot is an west side suburb that just happens to be on the east side. Gates is white-trashy. Greece and the adjacent city neighborhood of Maplewood are the only areas west of the Genesee river that I would really want to live... and corn hill too. Not to mention that Greece taxes are through the roof, even on WNY standards, compaired to the much more affordable areas like Webster

blangjr21

April 18th, 2006, 11:38 PM

I would tend to shy away from terms like Gates is "white-trashy" because I think that they are far from that. Gates has many "blue-collar" kodak type employees, and is much smaller than most Monroe County suburbs in terms of area, but their income levels run about the same as Chili. If I called Gates anything I would call it "blue-collar"

My mom had a saying when I was a kid, and it stands even now "once you've lived on the east side, you'll never want to live on the west side" I tend to agree with that statement

ROCguy

April 18th, 2006, 11:48 PM

I would call Greece blue collar with tremendous respect; But Gates is white-trashy. It has way more occupied distressed properties than any other suburb, it has more ugly overgown yards.

blangjr21

April 18th, 2006, 11:57 PM

For someone who does not live here, I would be very carefull with what you say. Just a suggestion you may want to be careful with your terms young one.

blangjr21

April 19th, 2006, 01:32 AM

First business tenant opens in former Artcraft factory

David Tyler
Staff writer

(April 18, 2006) — The first tenant in Buckingham Commons opened its doors for business Monday, marking a milestone in the former downtown factory's conversion to a mix of office space and loft apartments.

Avalon Copy Centers of America, a Syracuse-based company that provides printing and copying services to businesses, has moved into 4,600 square feet at the former home of Artcraft Optical on Allen Street near the Inner Loop and Frontier Field.

Chief Executive Officer Jon Denney said Avalon currently employs five people and could add 10 more before the end of the year.

Denney said he was impressed by the quality and location of the space in the building.

"Geographically, it's perfect," he said. "Every one of our orders includes free pickup and delivery, so proximity to downtown and the highways is key."

Avalon also has an operation in Utica.

"They're a new business coming in from outside Rochester, and obviously that expansion is good," said Buckingham principal Larry Glazer of Avalon.

Artcraft Optical moved from the seven-story building in late 2000. Artcraft owner Tom Eagle had considered turning the property into lofts but eventually sold to Rochester developer Buckingham Properties.

Buckingham is converting the building's first two floors into office space and the top five into 36 loft apartments. The project is expected to cost about $4.8 million.

Financial terms of the five-year deal were not disclosed, but Buckingham Properties has been asking $14 per square foot for leases, according to a listing for the building on Loopnet.com.

Glazer said renovations are on schedule and renting of the residential units could begin by June or July. Another business tenant, KAFL Insurance, expects to move in by June, he said.

A rooftop deck that looks down into Frontier Field is also planned.

Buckingham Properties has signed an agreement to buy a large portion of the former Genesee Hospital. It owns more than 6.5 million square feet of real estate from Syracuse to Le Roy, Genesee County.

Buckingham's downtown holdings include the 150 State St. headquarters of the Rochester Business Alliance, the Michaels Stern lofts on North Clinton Avenue and Water Street Commons lofts on North Water Street.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hate the color of this building, frankley I liked it the way it was before the renovation, but all in the name of progress I guess! Either way it's an exciting development that finally happened.

It will be very interesting to see what they do with the former hospital building of the Genesee campus.

Also they just opened up the new $5 million dollar parking garage at RGH and it is very user friendly, with smart parking and it is very well lit. An impressive parking facility. Next up at RGH is the Emergency Room renovation, to be completed in late 2007 I believe.

veryprotourism

April 19th, 2006, 02:56 AM

My mom had a saying when I was a kid, and it stands even now "once you've lived on the east side, you'll never want to live on the west side" I tend to agree with that statement

in 1997, when i first lived in rochester, i lived in penfield, near 441 and baird.

im not really fond of it. sorry.
except for the villages(fairport,ER,etc.) the landing road(indian landing?) area of penfield, and lots of brighton, there are very few intact, old suburban neighborhoods in rochesters eastern suburbs. i prefer inner portions of greece and gates to the eastern suburbs, i prefer seabreeze and summerville to the eastern suburbs.
yeah, the eastern suburbs have better schools. i dont have kids so it wouldnt really matter. dont really want kids. much of their infrastructure is newer. so what i ride the bus and half the eastern suburbs have no sidewalks, what do i care?
i will agree that the west side of the city itself is a dump(well most of it). still the worst areas of the city by far are in the northeast quadrant.

and ROCGUY,
gates is trashy? why because people in gates mow their own lawns and don't own mercedes?(unless of course their super mafioso)

blangjr21

April 19th, 2006, 03:31 AM

The lack of sidewalks is laughable, I live near 441-baird as well in the penfield gardens area. I enjoy it, but then again I guess I fall into that suburban dweller lifestyle who longs for a city life.

I also agree that the Notheast portion of the city is undesireable for me. As far as the suburbs go I could live in any of them that touch the city, but when we get to Scottsville, or Ontario, or Hilton thats way WAY to far for me.

ROCguy

April 19th, 2006, 05:17 AM

in 1997, when i first lived in rochester, i lived in penfield, near 441 and baird.

im not really fond of it. sorry.
except for the villages(fairport,ER,etc.) the landing road(indian landing?) area of penfield, and lots of brighton, there are very few intact, old suburban neighborhoods in rochesters eastern suburbs. i prefer inner portions of greece and gates to the eastern suburbs, i prefer seabreeze and summerville to the eastern suburbs.
yeah, the eastern suburbs have better schools. i dont have kids so it wouldnt really matter. dont really want kids. much of their infrastructure is newer. so what i ride the bus and half the eastern suburbs have no sidewalks, what do i care?
i will agree that the west side of the city itself is a dump(well most of it). still the worst areas of the city by far are in the northeast quadrant.

and ROCGUY,
gates is trashy? why because people in gates mow their own lawns and don't own mercedes?(unless of course their super mafioso)

No, that's just it. They DON'T mow their lawns. Gates just looks overly gritty and uncared for for a suburb. It's not it's bluecollardness because I love blue collar neighborhoods and like I said, like the blue collar areas of Greece. But seriously, have you ever driven through Gates a lot, really seen much of it? It doesn't have the nice new developments like the eastern suburbs (with the exception ofcourse of Brighton and Irondequoit); it doesn't have the lakeshore like Greece or Hilton, and it doesn't have any nice old pre-civil war homesteads like the far west towns (Ogden/Parma/Sweden). Not to mention the airport is RIGHT there as is the railroad. I guess white-trashy might have been a little too offensive; but I'm just stating my observation.

veryprotourism

April 19th, 2006, 03:13 PM

when was the last time you were in rochester ass-clown?

i work in gates. i am there every day. all i see are old italian families, old greek families, old irish families, etc. some of the apartment complexes in gates are pretty trashy, i'll give you that. the brooks ave. wegmans is pretty filthy too.

as far as most of gates goes, if houses over fifty years old translate to trashy, if neighborhoods with sidewalks are trashy, if enough trees to actually provide shade is trashy, if corner diners and delis and neighborhood bars and pizzerias that aren't sharing a plaza with the home depot are trashy, then park my fucking trailer in white trash gates.

blangjr21

April 19th, 2006, 05:24 PM

I warned ya, but you don't listen

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 06:45 PM

Auto sales continue sluggish pace

By VELVET SPICER
Rochester Business Journal
April 18, 2006
Last year local car dealers sold the fewest new and used vehicles in more than a decade, and if first-quarter numbers are any indication, this year may not be any better.

Some 12,300 new and used vehicles were sold here in the first quarter, the Rochester Automobile Dealers’ Association Inc. reported, down more than 11 percent from 13,848 in the same period last year.
Area dealers sold 3,290 new cars in March, compared with 4,163 in March 2005. Some 1,844 used vehicles were sold here last month, up from 1,430 in February, but down from 2,000 a year ago.

(c) 2006 Rochester Business Journal. Obtain permission to
reprint this article.

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 06:47 PM

Sales-tax rise proposed to fix deficit

By TOM ADAMS
Rochester Business Journal

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks on Thursday asked the county Legislature to approve a .75-cent sales-tax increase, raising the total sales tax charged in the county to 8.75 percent, or 8 3/4 cents per dollar.
Revenue from the increase would go toward reducing a projected budget deficit for 2007 and 2008 of $102 million.
The property tax rate under Brooks’ plan to balance the budget would remain at $9.10 per $1,000.
“After two budgets, that’s where it remains today and I refuse to raise it any higher,” she said in a statement. “I will continue to protect property taxpayers throughout our community.”
Brooks also proposed incorporating New York’s Medicaid Sales Tax Intercept program, which allows the state to take Monroe County’s mandated Medicaid expenses from the county’s share of sales tax before distributing the remainder to the county.
If the county Legislature votes to increase the sales tax, the state Legislature and the governor would have to sign off on the home-rule request before it is implemented, Brooks said.

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 06:51 PM

Number of Homes for Sale up Sharply, Selling Prices Down Sharply

March home sales in the Rochester region jumped suddenly: by 11.7 percent to 947 from 848 a year ago, the information subsidiary of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc. reported today.
“We’re stunned; we’re at a loss for words,” said Robert Miglioratti, chairman of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, when asked about the rise.
March sales were up close to 43 percent compared with February. The dollar volume of sales in March was $114 million, up 35.4 percent from $84.2 million in February.
[B]The number of homes listed for sale jumped 22.2 percent to 6,007[/B

The median sale price of $100,000 was down nearly 5 percent from $105,000 in February and down 2 percent from $102,000 a year ago.

DallasTexan

April 19th, 2006, 07:34 PM

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 07:39 PM

Don't worry - he's from Raliegh.... ewwww :D
Plus, he's like 12 years old or something. His parents need to monitor his computer usage.

sargeantcm

April 19th, 2006, 08:00 PM

I'd like to see statistical links between both Sluggish Car Sales/Poor People and Fast Home Sales/Population Loss. God forbid someone hang onto a house or car for more than a year. I don't own a house, but I intend on keeping my car until I drive it into the ground.

While it doesn't explain the car one, home sales always pick up in March; it's nicer outside and people are more willing to go house hunting, etc. As for the cars, like I said, who knows. Maybe it's the crap they keep pumping out and people are starting to get sick of it. I don't know.

But mere speculation in your title, just because you say so, doesn't provide that link.

blangjr21

April 19th, 2006, 08:03 PM

I know that I like to buy a home and car every three months or so....sure is one of those great economic indicators....or not. Not everyone buys new cars that often, nor should they, especially with the shit we have to fork out for gas prices!

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 08:12 PM

You are right of course, only the federal government and people in other cities gauge the economic health of communities by using real data such as housing and auto sales stats.

Here in Rochester we prefer to use economic indicators that are much more reliable such as feel good prose by local politicians, and newspaper writers quoting locals that are basing their observations on their 'feelings'! We know we are prosperous - just look at all the restaurant listings posted to this blog. And don't forget the occasional old building turned into a 2 unit apartment house.

We know we are doing terrific this year compared to last because it has been posted to this blog. So it must be so! We will not let the real facts and economic data change our opinions. That would ne negative. Quick here is something not flattering to our City - send an e-mail to JMANN and have the person banned. My sensitive little soul cannot tolerate a view about Rochester that is different than my imaginary one.

The housing and auto stats are meaningless, the census data is just an estimate, the lack of help wanted adds is because all of the jobs are advertised through word of mouth, the labor force is shrinking because everyone is so wealthy here in our utopia that they no longer need to work.

Yes you are so right, why couldn't I just see the reality and not let facts get in the way.

ROCguy

April 19th, 2006, 10:11 PM

Plus, he's like 12 years old or something. His parents need to monitor his computer usage.

First of all, I'm 17, and you know this because you've made reference to it before. Second of all. go back to the beginning of this thread it was created with the intent to get rid of you and you have been warned not to be a whiney little brat and that you have to post possitive things or CONSTRUCTIVE criticism (that is, not bashing, but offering sound helpfull advice) or you will be banned. And thirdly, your home sales report is bogus. The homesales throughout the area have skyrocketed this year to new records, as has the average home price. You either have to change your ways susie, or leave. And to all who care, for what it's worth, I take back what I said about Gates. It sounded pretty snobby now that I read it and that is what I have always feered becoming.

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 10:27 PM

. And thirdly, your home sales report is bogus. The homesales throughout the area have skyrocketed this year to new records, as has the average home price.

www.rbj.net

Home LISTINGS way up so far in 2006 Sales prices down in 2006. These are the facts.

ROCguy

April 19th, 2006, 10:44 PM

www.rbj.net

Home LISTINGS way up so far in 2006 Sales prices down in 2006. These are the facts.

Yeah, there is no real estate story in that link at all. But there was one in the D&C the other day that stated that facts. The median home price is UP from March of last year by 3% to $104,000... and the average home price is UP 1.6% to $127,000. Yeah, the number of listings are up.... but so is the number of closings, there are more houses SELLING too. No matter how hard you try susie, you can't spin this one negative. Sorry. And again, you can't keep doing this. You have been warned by the mods and they even shut down the damn Roc development news 3 thread because of you.

Susie

April 19th, 2006, 10:55 PM

I forgot the little man needs to be spoon fed as he has not yet mastered the art of searching a web site.

By MARY STONE
Rochester Business Journal
April 13, 2006
March home sales in the Rochester region jumped suddenly: by 11.7 percent to 947 from 848 a year ago, the information subsidiary of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc. reported today.
“We’re stunned; we’re at a loss for words,” said Robert Miglioratti, chairman of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, when asked about the rise.
March sales were up close to 43 percent compared with February. The dollar volume of sales in March was $114 million, up 35.4 percent from $84.2 million in February.
“We have a confluence of factors at work here,” Miglioratti said, theorizing that interested buyers in the latter half of last year may have been disappointed with the inventory available then, deciding to wait until the spring to shop again. The number of homes listed for sale jumped 22.2 percent to 6,007, which Miglioratti suggests gives prospective buyers what they want: a larger market from which to choose. The median sale price of $100,000 was down nearly 5 percent from $105,000 in February and down 2 percent from $102,000 a year ago.
“We did have a little tick down in median price,” Miglioratti acknowledged, but said this early in the year the median price is not the strong indicator it will be later in the year.
Closings in Monroe County in March rose 5.7 percent to 1,572, up from 1,487 a year ago. Closings fell in Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming counties but rose in Ontario, Livingston and Genesee counties.

GRAR represents more than 3,000 real estate professionals.
(c) 2006 Rochester Business Journal. Obtain permission to reprint this article.

sargeantcm

April 19th, 2006, 10:57 PM

You are right of course, only the federal government and people in other cities gauge the economic health of communities by using real data such as housing and auto sales stats.
It may be true that those do indicate a decline, but there's not deep enough evidence there to prove it. Sure, home sales skyrocket. Does that article mention WHO is buying the houses? A correlation between sales and listings? I'm sure housing sales are still booming in Las Vegas too. Are they declining? I think not. So housing values drop, a couple of percent. Doesn't look good, but consider that the housing market is cooling off nationally. Again, maybe it does mean people moving out. But by itself, what you posted, is not enough evidence to come to any conclusion, positive or negative. Indeterminate.

The car thing is really ambiguous. Where do they say it's tied to personal income. Did local incomes crash? (If so, where's your source.) Did the cost of living rise dramatically? (If so, source...and .75% sales tax (maybe $37.5/yr on $5,000 taxable expenses) is not the cause, not the whole cause anyways.)

I'll say numbers and statistics are depicting negative trends when there is the evidence and correlation between them to back it up (and vice versa). All I'm saying is post the whole story if you're going to come to conclusions, else it's just deconstructive criticism (or unfounded optimism).

Susie

April 20th, 2006, 12:01 AM

It may be true that those do indicate a decline, but there's not deep enough evidence there to prove it.
The whole story that backs it ALL up is that Rochester is the only one of 376 metros in the entire country that has not had even one month of year over year same month job growth since 911. Not even for one month. We are the only one in the whole darn country. We are talking 4 1/2 years here people. That is not just a trend that is reality. The State says our labor force is shrinking, the Feds say our population is declining and becoming relatively poorer. Get your head out of the sand and just look around. Look at all the 20 somethings that have fled the region and are fleeing after every graduation. Look at any local High School or College yearbook from 5 years ago and see how many of the graduates are still here. According to M&T Bank in todays paper the Rochester area has lost 9% of it's 20-30 year olds in the last 10 years while nationally the number is up by over 4%.

Rochester is the Appalachia of the new millenium.

blangjr21

April 20th, 2006, 12:37 AM

The Greater Rochester International Airport (GRIA) offers a variety of opportunities for local businesses and corporations to advertise their products in our terminal. GRIA is a great place to purchase advertising space. Advertising is highly visible throughout our terminal and is available on both sides of security. Advertising is visible to 2.5 million passengers that travel through GRIA each year and also to the hundreds of thousands of meeters and greeters that fill our airport annually. Most recently for 2005, GRIA's air passenger traffic hit a five-year high.

Gas Prices Continue to Rise
Last Update: 4/14/2006 11:00:05 AM

United Press International

With American motorists heading into the holiday weekend, gasoline prices continued to go up Friday.

The Washington area reports regular unleaded selling for $2.87 a gallon on the average, a 21 percent increase since March 1, according to the AAA.

The Energy Department predicts prices will rise 10 to 15 cents a gallon over the next few weeks before leveling off in May, the Washington Post says.

Major cities across the country show a fairly tight range of unleaded prices. Atlanta reported an average Friday of $2.683, Chicago $2.814, Dallas $2.924, Indianapolis $2.858, New York $2.902 and Los Angeles $2.931. Hilo, Hawaii posted $3.11 for a gallon of unleaded.

Tensions in oil-producing Iran and Nigeria were credited with the jump in crude oil prices and the steady rise in gas prices this spring.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OMFG !!!!!!11111 WTF !!!111!11 THAT MEANS EVERYONE IS LEAVING AT RECORD RATES, THEY ARE HIKING GAS PRICES, NOT BECAUSE OF AN INCREASING OIL SHORTAGE BUT BECAUSE EVERYONE IS BUYING INTO SUSIES BANTER!!!! LEAVE NOW QUIKCLY EVERYONE TO YOUR NEAREST EXIT!!!!!111111

blangjr21

April 20th, 2006, 12:38 AM

"You can prove anything with statistics" (James "the ragin cajun" Carville)

sargeantcm

April 20th, 2006, 01:53 AM

The whole story that backs it ALL up is that Rochester is the only one of 376 metros in the entire country that has not had even one month of year over year same month job growth since 911. Not even for one month. We are the only one in the whole darn country. We are talking 4 1/2 years here people. That is not just a trend that is reality. The State says our labor force is shrinking, the Feds say our population is declining and becoming relatively poorer. Get your head out of the sand and just look around. Look at all the 20 somethings that have fled the region and are fleeing after every graduation. Look at any local High School or College yearbook from 5 years ago and see how many of the graduates are still here. According to M&T Bank in todays paper the Rochester area has lost 9% of it's 20-30 year olds in the last 10 years while nationally the number is up by over 4%.

Rochester is the Appalachia of the new millenium.
I'm not arguing that the things that you are saying are not true. What I am saying is that those articles, in-and-of themselves do not have any indications to tie them into the "big picture"; especially when they're not necessarily posted within that context.

Besides the fact that nobody knows what the "big picture" is anyways, I don't care who or where you are.

***

As for gas prices, I get 5% (about 15 cents/gallon) back on my credit card, and I drive like an old granny, which has netted me about a 15-20% increase in fuel mileage (I'm a numbers geek, I keep track of that stuff). In other words, my typical 9 gallon/week top-off costing $26.10 ($2.899/gal) actually costs me $24.80, and if I still drove lead-footed, it would have cost me about $29.75.

jmancuso

April 20th, 2006, 01:58 AM

guys, sounds like some of you need to re-read the very first post in this thread.

the city needs to show itself.

PLEASE somebody

:yes:

blangjr21

April 20th, 2006, 02:00 AM

I hope ya'll can read my sarcasm....was laying it on pretty thick

ROCguy

April 20th, 2006, 05:19 AM

ROCguy

April 20th, 2006, 05:21 AM

guys, sounds like some of you need to re-read the very first post in this thread.

:yes:

jman, It's is NOBODY else on this thread except for Susie causing all of the problems. Please do the rest of us on here that are actually sane a favor and ban her. She completely ignored your warning and that should be her third strike. She epitomizes a thread troll and it is getting REALLY old.

DallasTexan

April 20th, 2006, 08:08 AM

ROCguy, could we some trendy pictures of Raleigh?

BuffCity

April 20th, 2006, 08:14 AM

the most angry city on the threads...Rochester NY.

jmancuso

April 20th, 2006, 09:04 AM

this thread will get locked (and there won't be new thread either) if we can't back to ROC development topics.

BuffCity

April 20th, 2006, 09:31 AM

we know there are online outlets of news and info...numerous ones

The D&C, Rochester business journal, several other websites and blogs can get info to share here.

I hate for there to be a case of this thread chasing off new "possible" members because they are not impressed with what already exists...face it we need members to make the site and our own knowledge grow.

I'll try to add stuff as I can. come on everyone

SUSIE...either contribute helpfully (atleast sometimes) or face what will be, we want this thread to live on. :)

Susie

April 20th, 2006, 03:24 PM

wada_guy

April 20th, 2006, 03:46 PM

There is a very good technique that the Amish have developed to deal with those who do not want to play by the rules. It's called shunning. I would suggest that you NOT respond AT ALL, i.e. totally ignore, those who consistently have nothing positive to say. Eventually, when they see that no one wants to plays with them, they find another sand box.

blangjr21

April 20th, 2006, 05:04 PM

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

BROOKS REPORTS JOBS NUMBERS FOR
FIRST QUARTER 2006

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks today reported the first quarter numbers from the Monroe County Economic Development Division.

In the first three months of 2006, County-sponsored programs approved incentives for 25 local economic development projects. These projects will create 381 new jobs (within five years of project completion), retain 1,180 jobs, and invest $60,049,000 in Monroe County.

“Collaboration among the County, City, and State, and private sector partners like GRE, RBA and others continues to result in positive news for our local economy,” said Brooks. “These latest numbers from the Monroe County Economic Development Division indicate even more momentum when it comes to business growth and job creation in our community.”

“In addition, the recent announcements that Delphi and Gleason Works will retain jobs and investment in Monroe County is yet another example of how our economic development partnerships are having an impact,” Brooks added.

Brooks noted that the numbers from the Delphi and Gleason Works projects will be reflected in upcoming quarterly results, once the incentives for both projects are formally approved.

County-sponsored economic development programs include the GreatRate and GreatRebate programs, the Monroe County Revolving Loan Fund, SBA 504 loan program, and incentives offered through the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just to re-iterate these are the numbers without the 75 jobs created by the upcoming Gleason Works expansion (don't really think its necessary to claim we "retained" Delphi, because we did nothing to help that, they decided it on their own), it also doesn't include the 150 jobs at the new Barilla plant in Avon, Livingston county.

Encouraging news for the first quarter I would say, but as they all say there are four quarters in a year! We'll see what the 2nd quarter brings.

blangjr21

April 20th, 2006, 05:06 PM

After reading some more information on the Monroe County website it also does not include the numbers from the Nu-Kote expansion project which is 150 more jobs. So if math serves me correct (and it may not b/c I hate mathematics) that would be 756 new jobs in the Greater Rochester MSA that we know of.

donbuy

April 20th, 2006, 07:59 PM

The following data was derived from the NY State DOL data released today – April 20,2006

Buffalo March 2006 compared to March 2006. Total non-farm jobs up 3,100 or 0.6%. Private sector jobs up 2,400 or 0.5%. Manufacturing sector down 2,900 or 3.5%, non manufacturing sector up 6,000 jobs or 1.3%. Total jobs in the two county area totaled 542,300 in March 2006.

Rochester March 2006 compared to March 2006. Total non-farm jobs down 8,100 or 1.6%. Private sector jobs down 7,600 or 1.8%. Manufacturing sector down 5,400 or 5.8%, non manufacturing sector down 2,700 jobs or 0.6%. Total jobs in the five county area totaled 501,400 in March 2006.

Thus, for those of you keeping track - Rochester remains the only City in the US to not report a month over same month prior year job gain since 911

Jerome

April 20th, 2006, 09:31 PM

Syracuse looks like it is on fire. Interestingly Rochester is the only area of the State to show a decline. What's up with that guys? From what I see posted above it is both manufacturing and service sectors that are losing jobs. Did someone big fold in the service area?

Albany-Schenectady-Troy: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 2,700, or 0.6 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 3,600, or 1.1 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in March 2006, compared with 4.3 in February and 4.2 in March 2005.

Binghamton: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 400, or 0.4 percent, and the number of private sector jobs increased by 400, or 0.5 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.4 in February and 5.4 in March 2005.

Buffalo-Niagara Falls: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 3,100, or 0.6 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 2,400, or 0.5 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.9 in February and 5.6 in March 2005.

Elmira: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 200, or 0.5 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 100, or 0.3 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.7 in February and 6.1 in March 2005.

Glens Falls: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 600, or 1.2 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 600, or 1.5 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.7 in February and 5.2 in March 2005.

Ithaca: Since March 2005, the number of jobs increased by 100, or 0.2 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 100, or 0.2 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in March 2006, compared with 3.2 in February and 3.2 in March 2005.

Kingston: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 800, or 1.3 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 700, or 1.5 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in March 2006, compared with 4.6 in February and 4.4 in March 2005.

Nassau-Suffolk: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 8,600, or 0.7 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 8,200, or 0.8 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in March 2006, compared with 4.3 in February and 4.2 in March 2005.

New York City (five boroughs): Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 58,200, or 1.6 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 56,700, or 1.9 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.6 in February and 5.6 in March 2005.

Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown: Since March 2005, the number of jobs increased by 3,700, or 1.5 percent, and the number of private sector jobs increased by 2,900, or 1.5 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in March 2006, compared with 4.4 in February and 4.3 in March 2005.

Putnam-Rockland-Westchester: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 7,200, or 1.3 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 7,200, or 1.6 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in March 2006, compared with 4.2 in February and 4.2 in March 2005.

Rochester: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has decreased by 8,100, or 1.6 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has decreased by 7,600, or 1.8 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.1 in February and 5.0 in March 2005.

Syracuse: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 5,100, or 1.6 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has increased by 4,400, or 1.7 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.3 in February and 5.3 in March 2005.

Utica-Rome: Since March 2005, the number of jobs has increased by 400, or 0.3 percent, and the number of private sector jobs increased by 200, or 0.2 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in March 2006, compared with 5.5 in February and 5.5 in March 2005.

Note: The unemployment rate for New York and every other state is based on statistical regression models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

ROCguy

April 20th, 2006, 10:02 PM

ROCguy, could we some trendy pictures of Raleigh?

lol... If there were anything trendy to take pictures of. :jk:

ROCguy

April 20th, 2006, 10:17 PM

The best anecdote to what you perceive as my negative posts would be to post real positive private job creating projects. Where are they? They do not exist. If they did our labor force would not be shrinking, our young would not be moving, our housing values would not be declining and our population would not be going down. It is one thing to think Rochester is a great city but it is quite another to PRETEND that it is doing great, or even as well as the national averages when we clearly are not. A problem denied is a problem unsolved.

You have GOT to be kidding me. For the 72180748107580217580175610710672180671806742310672310867823076423108 time lady; Nobody says the area is doing great. NOBODY! You are so thickheaded it's unbelievable. All we have been doing is posting articles and talking about them. Some of them talk of job creation or company expansion or relocation in Rochester..... and we say that is good. Because it is. We talk about the local real estate; which by the way you still have yet to provide ANY link showing your numbers. Because everyone else's who have say the same thing. Average home price UP, median home price UP, number of sales UP, dollar volume UP. Nobody has yet to ever say that Rochester is booming or anything even remotely like that. But you have yet to say ONE posstive thing, mention one possitive thing, or give any kind of reference to one thing possitive. You don't see the homesales news as possitive, and you don't see any company at all here creating jobs posstive. You can say it's realism all you want, but it is downright pessimism. Technically Donboy is guilty of the same thing and I'm still not completely convinced you aren't the same person (go back and you will only see has has posted negative things as well, just not to the degree susie has). You came on SSC with the sole intent of bashing me and Rochester and that is all you have done thus far. YOUR FIRST POST EVER, was to insult me. That' is really pathetic. You clearly want this thread to be closed and we aren't going to let you get that satisfaction. Susie, consider yourself shunned.

donbuy

April 20th, 2006, 11:44 PM

donbuy

April 21st, 2006, 12:01 AM

Did someone big fold in the service area?
.

From looking at the State's data it appears that the decline is broad and covers most but not all sectors. When manufacturing takes a large hit like in Rochester there will be a significant ripple effect that will hit the service industries. Until the manufacturing slide is halted I would not expect much of a turnaround in the service sector. The manufacturing sector packs a much larger wallop per job than does non-manufacturing so when those jobs go they tend to take others with them.

ROCguy

April 21st, 2006, 12:45 AM

How do you expect to be taken seriously when you constantly rant and rave like an immature teenager. I post the information that comes across my desk that I think people in your area will find useful. I do the same for the Buffalo and Pittsburgh threads. It is striking to me how only the Rochester thread goes ballistic over the information. The other cities seem to take the economic ups and downs more in stride. You on the other hand accuse anyone that you disagree with as being the same person.

I don't rant about your numbers; and I don't try to argue agains them. But you have always seemed a little cold towards Rochester and have I don't know, alway seemed like you were sort of trying to "rub it in". Posting stats from the NYSDL I don't have a problem with at all. But that's all you do. Just doesn't seem very productive. It doesn't seem like you really are here to talk about Rochester at all, just through stats up and call it a day. Susie's ranting and raving about how absolutely everything in Rochester sucks and is going to hell and a hand basketl; turning posstivie news into negative news and just being overall bitter is what gets to me. If you were able to go back to the other Rochester threads (which you aren't because susie hijacked them and they got deleted). You'd see that it has gotten to everyone else as well and others have justifiably lashed out her.

You have a very conspiracy driven paranoid mind the likes of which have not been seen since the Nixon administration. You should really get a grip on yourself. Your city is what it is and nothing anyone on this board posts will change it, neither for better, nor for worse

LOL. Exactly what are you trying to say? Because if you were using that as an analogy, there WERE tremendous conspriacies within the Nixon administraion. And you should really get a grip on yourself, because you are exactly right. Rochester is what it is and nothing more or less. And it's a lot more than just employment numbers. Cuts both ways doesn't it? :)

RochesterAddict

April 21st, 2006, 01:52 AM

I think that many of you need to leave the computer, get outside and (for those of you here) enjoy the beautiful upstate ny weather today and try a new restaurant..DUO..it is awesome.

http://www.duokitchen.net/front%20(3).jpg

http://www.duokitchen.net

Cameron Boyd is the awesome chef of this new restaurant and the already popular Table 7 and the Mundo Grill.

anyways....

http://rochesterbusinessjournal.com/fullarticle.cfm?sdid=60037

Here is your answer Mancuso...Buffalo and Syracuse had no jobs before, they had no where to go but up. Rochester is losing larger amounts than them because we actually had manufacturing jobs to lose. Plus if you look at the breakdown for unemployment, the largest unemployment is in the small hick counties that surround us. Places like where Susie lives, (Hamlin/Hilton, I know in Monroe county, but WAY out) basically places that dont matter, why would you live out there?) where you have to drive a half hour for the grocery store and everyone around you has cars on bricks in their yard. Id be miserable if I lived there too. We continue to have our manufacturing population move south where their IQ is more similar to those whom already live there and they can stick tab A into slot B.

Jobless rates for area counties are:
• Monroe County—4.6 percent, down from 4.7 percent in February and a year ago;
• Genesee County—down to 5.7 percent in March from 6.4 percent in February, but unchanged from March 2005;
• Livingston County—5.8 percent last month, down from 6.1 percent in February, but up from 5.4 percent a year ago;
• Ontario County—down to 5.5 percent in March from 5.7 percent in February, but increased from 5 percent a year ago;
• Orleans County—down to 6.8 percent last month from 7.1 percent the previous month, but increased from 6.6 percent in March 2005; and
• Wayne County—down to 5.7 percent in March from 6 percent in February, but unchanged from a year ago.

Plus didnt someone say that Genesee county is part of the Buffalo MSA now?
Anyways this is boring.....snore.

I cant remember who wrote stuff..I just remember some stuff I read.

For the photographer guy.....I wish i took pictures, I would have some nice ones for you, but I dont.

For the person who doesnt like the P towns, that may be your opinion, but if Pittsford, Brighton, Penfield, and Perinton and all of their upscale goods and services didnt exist I wouldnt live in Rochester. Ask any realtor and most people that move to Rochester from out of town WANT to live in those towns.
Let's just agree "To each his own" and leave it at that.

Onto sad news:

One of the founders of Wegmans, Robert Wegman died today:
http://rochesterbusinessjournal.com/fullarticle.cfm?sdid=60040

Hopefully Colleen Wegman can run a great company because coke head Danny Wegman would probably sell it or run it into the ground.

If people didnt see the great article recently in USAtoday on Wegmans here u go:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2006-04-16-destination-supermarkets_x.htm

And some exciting news the zoo expansion is opening up:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060419/NEWS01/604200336
http://www.senecazoo.org/press_detail.php?recNo=124
http://www.landmarksociety.org/photos/578.jpg
The zoo is expanding slowly with this the first part of the expansion.
http://rocwiki.org/Seneca_Park_Zoo

ROCguy

April 21st, 2006, 02:18 AM

Where is that Duo restaraunt? And just some $.02 advice, don't bash any Rochester area towns. I called Gates white trashy and got hammered for it (although I deserved it because I was being a snob lol)

jmancuso

April 21st, 2006, 02:34 AM

ROCguy: what are you doing in north carolina? oh wait...half of upstate new york is down there now. :banana:

north carolina = south new york :crazy:

ROCguy

April 21st, 2006, 02:49 AM

actually i'm hard pressed to find a lot of people from Upstate NY here. There are a lot form Long Island and places like Ohio and Michigan, But not a lot of WNY. There is a pizza/wings place here called Buffalo brothers, but that's about it. I have heard Charlotte refered to as South Buffalo before, but I'm not really familiar with that area. But seriously Jman, can you ban you know who so this drama stops and this thread can be sane again? Or at least send her a personal warning? Pretty please?

blangjr21

April 21st, 2006, 02:51 AM

As a Wegmans employee it saddens me to see someone as great as Robert Wegman pass away, he will certainly be missed. As an employee I can't really comment on the current CEO but let me hint that I look forward to Colleen and Nicole becoming more involved!

I've never been to Duo, but have been to Mundo...excellent food!

As far as job numbers go, we can beat that dead horse all you want. Since March 2005? Does it matter anymore, how much of that data is relevant anymore. Um, none! So lets move on, the community is improving, and expanding jobs as of late, hope on board, or get off, theres no room for those who are in the middle.

(Also in Charlotte, they call it "South Buffalo" because of all the Buffalonians living there currently)

ROCguy

April 21st, 2006, 02:56 AM

^^ Yeah, I wasn't going to mention it in risk of Donboy laying into me and calling me naive and saying that it's seasonal, but since the begining of 2006, Rochester employment has been going up. Here's the data from NYS: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/apps.asp?reg=<=stRreg>&app=emp

jmancuso

April 21st, 2006, 03:17 AM

@ RochesterAddict...

i don't remember mentioning that. lol. perhaps it was on the old thread.

blangjr21

April 21st, 2006, 03:28 AM

ROCguy

April 21st, 2006, 03:33 AM

Yup, exactly.

veryprotourism

April 21st, 2006, 04:52 AM

hey blang, addict. umm since you guys clearly like to eat, and eat well i think, how about hitting up some places for some grub and some not so angry discussion?

downtown would be nice so i don't have to ride the mobil-jail to pittsford(although alot of the better food here is out there), but whatever, i can work it out.

blangjr21

April 21st, 2006, 04:57 AM

Would love to, went to Matthews grill last week and that was good eats, but I'll try something new, hell why not a ballgame? I love frontier field, especially now that there is no soccer ruining that field.

donbuy

April 21st, 2006, 03:42 PM

If ya'll would take a look at the site RocGuy linked too and plug in Rochester NY MSA you will see that between February 2006 and March 2006 the labor force increased from 500,500 to 501,400 that would be 900 new employees working in a month, I'm liking those numbers. Also it has some very detailed statistics on there in which they highlight all areas of the economy and which are rising and falling. Interesting to note that private sector jobs increased by 1,500 in this timeframe while public sector (government jobs) decreased by 600. Hooray for smaller government!!!
What any economist will tell you is that you must compare the same month this year to last year to get a true picture of the economy to compare March to February is as silly as comparing January to December. If you did that you would see that Rochester lost thousands of jobs in that month. But that would be meaningless since the losses are seasonal as December has a lot of Christmas help that disappears in January. If you knew anything about trending employment growth you would know that only month over prior year month really matters. Drill down further in the DOL website and you will see that the State tracks the data by month for each community for the last several years. You will see that employment is always highest in December and in late spring as is the labor market. You will also see employment take large drops in January and July (because of schools being out of session)

donbuy

April 21st, 2006, 03:53 PM

If ya'll would take a look at the site RocGuy linked too and plug in Rochester NY MSA you will see that between February 2006 and March 2006 the labor force increased from 500,500 to 501,400 that would be 900 new employees working in a month, I'm liking those numbers.

If you are liking those numbers you are very easily satisfied. Had you scanned down the page and compared to prior year Feb to March job gains you would have seen that this years gain of a measly 900 jobs is below the 6 year average of 2,067 feb to March increase. It is the lowest for the 6 years I checked and is in fact less than 1/3 of the 3,000 jobs gained from Feb to March 2000.

Just by way of comparison the same Feb to March Gain for Buffalo this year was 3,300.

You can say that this data is irrrelevant but I know for a fact that it was used in the decision making process by the Cheesecake Factory restaurants when they decided to open new locations in Buffalo and Albany but not in Rochester. They were considering Rochester as well, but put it off precisely because of the economic data that we provided to them.

RochesterAddict

April 21st, 2006, 05:45 PM

http://www.rochester-citynews.com/binary/652b07e1/Loft-from-street.jpg

PLAY SPACE
From City Newspaper
How much would you give for a small, windowless room with tilted walls? A lot, maybe --- if you play the saxophone, electric guitar, or drums. These rooms are totally soundproof, and the walls, while confusing to the inebriated, minimize reverberations.

Welcome to Halo Lofts at 60 Grove Street in downtown Rochester. Built in 1831, the structure most recently housed EmmanuelBaptistChurch; now it's being converted into 11 three-bedroom loft apartments, each with its own practice room. The lofts are geared to Eastman School of Music students, says Shane Bartholf, the 23-year-old owner of development firm Empire Living LLC. The Eastman dorm is nearby, but about 100 undergraduate students and more than 400 grad students don't live in it.

The lofts come equipped with washers, dryers, free wireless, walk-in closets, and 6-foot-high outlets and cable jacks, so students can easily mount flat-screen television sets.

Because Halo is located in a preservation district, Bartholf and project architect Mauro Cringoli of Chaintreuil Jensen Stark Architects had to maintain its 19th-century exterior. Among the challenges: maximizing natural light in the interior, since new windows couldn't be added to the front of the building.

The Grove Street façade's most prominent feature is a gigantic round window looking out toward Main Street and the Eastman Theatre and School. Don't expect to snag the room with a view, though. Bartholf was so taken by the big circle that he kept that space for himself. "Any project I do, I make sure I could live in it," he says. This time he meant it literally.

Rent for each unit will be $1,495, excluding utilities. Leases for all of the apartments have already been signed, Bartholf says.

This fall, Bartholf hopes to open a coffee shop on the building's ground floor, where Eastman students and faculty can perform. And he wants to build a four-story, 18-studio apartment building next door. He's discussing that project with city officials, he says, and would like to break ground on the project this fall.

Here is an article about the first tenant in the new Artcraft building/Buckingham Commons, it is good for downtown Rochester and this small Syracuse company:

http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060418/BUSINESS/604180323/1001

Here are two good stories about the shrinking Rochester and Northeast population:

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=FDD113A7-72A1-4183-909D-417D40B4D1C0

http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060421/BUSINESS/604210392/1001

Hey Protourism...In Roc Devlpmnt News 1 or 2, I did a retrospect of all new restaurants opened in 2004-2005-2006, a certain queen of negatism made fun of me, and I spent a LONG time looking all that up. Im sorry im not going to do it again. Maybe one of our moderators can retrieve the info and repost it? If you want me to I can give you a long, long, long list of some restaurants Ive tried lately. Easiest things to remember, if you want good Italian, go to where the Italians live, Gates, East Rochester or Charlotte. If you want to pay higher prices and enjoy fine dining got to Brighton, Pittsford, or East Ave. Some of my favorites of all kinds of price ranges (check the phone book or google these) Cibon, Papa Joes, Max at Eastman Place, Max Chophouse, Brio, Bistro 135, Alexandria, The Olive Tree, Mamasans, Dogtown Hots, Oasis, it can go on forever...also I dont believe in chains...I keep my money here in Rochester and enjoy higher quality food and more flavor locally.

sargeantcm

April 21st, 2006, 06:32 PM

Maybe one of our moderators can retrieve the info and repost it?
I'm not a moderator, but I can solve your problem.

NASF Archive (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=493)

Near the bottom of the North American Skyscrapers Forum... The "Florida of SSC" - where old threads go to die.

ROCguy

April 21st, 2006, 10:10 PM

You can say that this data is irrrelevant but I know for a fact that it was used in the decision making process by the Cheesecake Factory restaurants when they decided to open new locations in Buffalo and Albany but not in Rochester. They were considering Rochester as well, but put it off precisely because of the economic data that we provided to them.

Gee thanks a lot. You turn your nose up to Rochester for not gaining jobs and then essentially tell a company not to open a location here. You always say that Rochester is what it is and you simply report it (again, Rochester is more than just employment figures so if you have nothing else to say about it there is no need to post in this thread) and yet you offer no advice, no nothing, as to what can be done? Even the NYSDL does that;

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/index.asp?reg=fin

Focus on the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes Economy Looks to the Future

by William Ramage, Labor Market Analyst, Finger Lakes
Excerpted from the September 2005 issue of Employment in New York State newsletter

?New technologies will drive future economic and employment opportunities in the Finger Lakes region. Supporting this future growth will be the region?s strong technology base and our well-educated, highly-trained workforce.?Peter Pecor, Regional Administrator

A mid-year review of the economic conditions in the Finger Lakes region, which consists of the Rochester metropolitan area and Genesee, Seneca, Wyoming, and Yates counties, shows the area benefiting from the resurgence in the national economy. The region?s unemployment rate in July 2005 was 4.9 percent, its lowest July level since 2001. Over-the-year employment gains in the region were greatest in the leisure and hospitality sector (+3,000).

While a few firms, some of them significant, have announced plans to shrink their labor force, almost five times as many firms plan to expand employment, according to two surveys. The surveys ? one by M&T Bank and the other by the National Association of Purchasing Management (Rochester chapter) ? both indicate that companies in the region are planning on adding workers over the last half of 2005.

Inside Monroe County, Paychex Inc. is undergoing a large expansion, with 480 new jobs expected to be created in human resources and information technology. Outside of Monroe County, major expansions include the opening of a racino and the reopening of the racetrack at Batavia Downs (Genesee County), which will add more than 400 jobs. Pioneer Credit Recovery is expanding into Batavia, adding 130 jobs over the last half of 2005. Four companies are locating to the former Foster Wheeler plant in Dansville (Livingston County), which is being renovated. They are expected to create 300 jobs over the next three years.

Even the hard-hit manufacturing sector expects several major expansions. ITT Space Industries, which purchased Eastman Kodak?s high-altitude photography operation, moved its headquarters to Rochester. The company is also hiring 200 permanent workers and 400 temporary contract workers. CooperVision Inc. is consolidating distribution and manufacturing facilities in Monroe County, and plans to add 325 workers. Bausch & Lomb is expected to create 200 well-paying positions at its research labs and Xerox plans to add 40 jobs at a new toner plant. Increased defense spending resulted in the hiring of 150 new workers at Harris RF, which makes military radios. Ultralife Batteries Inc. also garnered several substantial defense contracts. The sizable tool and die industry is actively seeking workers, specifically computer numerical control (CNC) machine operators.

Local economic developers have identified three industries as holding great potential for the future, including: 1) alternative fuels and fuel cell technology, in which both General Motors and Delphi Corp. have funded major local research facilities; 2) optics and photonics, where Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, Rochester Institute of Technology, Corning Corp. and the Infotonics Technology Center are all major players; and, 3) biotechnology, the University of Rochester is the local leader and supports a substantial number of emerging firms in the field.

Despite the abundance of good news, a few firms are downsizing or closing. One of the region?s largest firms, Eastman Kodak, recently announced a global reduction of 10,000 jobs, of which 7,000 will be in manufacturing operations. Rochester is home to Kodak?s largest manufacturing site. Auto parts maker Valeo Electrical Systems is closing, eliminating over 500 well-paying production positions. In the financial sector, JP Morgan will eliminate 300 jobs by the end of the year.

The negative ?ripple? employment effects associated with manufacturing?s long-term decline is making dents in the service-providing sector. Vendors in wholesale and retail trade have seen orders dry up as major manufacturers downsized. Commercial real estate has been battered with lower rents and relatively few new construction projects. Office space in Rochester was one-quarter vacant at the end of 2004.

On the bright side, companies state that their primary reasons for expanding in or relocating to the Finger Lakes region include its available well-trained, professional workforce and its available office space and facilities. Economic developers have been priming the pump in Monroe County, where funds were allocated in the first half of 2005 to 82 projects expected to create 2,840 jobs and retain 7,370 others.

The Finger Lakes economy is becoming much more diverse than in the past. This trend is expected to continue as a healthy mix of small manufacturers and service industries replaces the large manufacturers that previously drove the region?s economy. Most importantly, new and emerging industries are availing themselves of the many advantages and opportunities in the Finger Lakes region.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there is one more thing I just HAVE to know. Seeng as you have made a point every time you post on this thread of mentioning that there hasn't been one month of year over year job growth in Rochester, even when almost every month in from 2004 to 2005 said otherise. You claimed if I recall, that there was a new "protocal" in 2005. I'm dying to know, how exactly is there a "protocal" on counting numbers that would affect them so? Here are the numbers from 2004-2005:

2005 504.0 507.3 509.5 515.2 519.4 519.3 508.9 508.3 511.8 515.9 516.0 512.6 512.4

2004 499.6 502.4 504.8 507.7 516.2 517.2 508.9 507.9 513.0 520.5 520.3 520.2 511.6

What protocal, what difference in counting, would cause these numbers to be so far off that Rochester lost jobs and employment in those months as opposed to gaining them like those numbers suggest?

blangjr21

April 21st, 2006, 11:24 PM

How about this weather eh? WOW is all I can say, just got done playing 18, and I'm heading out to frontier tonight to watch a good ol' american ballgame! Wish it was like this every day!

I'll be snapping some pictures next week and posting them online here (my camera is in Myrtle Beach b/c my brother is on vacation for spring break) so when he returns, I'll get some great photos, and post them on here for all to enjoy!

Get out and enjoy the weather ya'll!

RochesterAddict

April 21st, 2006, 11:48 PM

Who cares about the Cheescake Factory, the food is awful, except the desserts and we dont need another chain, in the next 6 months Bonefish Grill, Carrabas, another damn Applebees, another Red Robin, Smokey Bones BBQ, another IHOP and Daves Famous BBQ all will open or already have. We have enough chains.

This is real news from the RBJ:
Amica eyes Rochester for its upstate HQ
Rochester is poised to become the Upstate New York headquarters for Amica Mutual Insurance Co., with plans to increase its employment here by as much as 22 percent by the end of 2007.

And I dont know if others posted these:

Nukote is bringing jobs:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/BUSINESS/604130349/1001

Gleason is expanding:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060407/NEWS01/60407002

4% NYS tax has been dropped on all clothes under $110:
http://wroctv.com/news/story.asp?id=22343&r=l

Paetec funding has not been denied and will happen from the state:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/NEWS01/604020322/-1/ARCHIVE1
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/NEWS01/603310403

More art and culture infused into our city:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060403/NEWS01/604030328
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060406/NEWS01/604060360

Did anyone report that the Rochester Razorsharks basketball team won the ABA championship?

Renaissance square $ is coming, now they just have to figure out what kind of theatres are needed before final approval:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/NEWS01/603300362

Some Chicago food critic loved our Zweigles:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060404/LIVING/604040308

I have more sizeable development that Ill post soon.

http://rochesterrazorsharks.com/

donbuy

April 22nd, 2006, 02:20 AM

Gee thanks a lot. You turn your nose up to Rochester for not gaining jobs and then essentially tell a company not to open a location here.

I don't usually post comments on the kids ramblings but I just wanted to say that in no way did I or my office tell the Cheesecake Factory not to build in Rochester... the economic data did.

ROCguy

April 22nd, 2006, 04:04 AM

Yeah, thanks for avoiding the rest of the question. Not that I expected you to have a valid answer because it's total BS. Changes in "protocal" wouldn't overcount jobs by several THOUSANDS. You have a total bias against Rochester, deny it all you want, but you've made it pretty clear. Just keep making reference to my age, it makes you look very superior and mature.

DallasTexan

April 22nd, 2006, 04:12 AM

People from Western New York are very defensive and paranoid. Hrmm.

ROCguy

April 22nd, 2006, 04:15 AM

Oh yeah, and holy crap.... look at this!

South Avenue garage ramp collapses

Greg Livadas and Bennett J. Loudon
Staff writers

(April 21, 2006) — A section of the fourth level of the spiral ramp of the South Avenue Parking Garage at the corner of Broad Street collapsed onto the third floor and down to the first floor about 5 p.m. today.

Officials believe that no one was hurt in the collapse. The City of Rochester is urging people to stay away from the scene and stay off the sidewalks adjacent to the ramp.

It happened during rush hour and traffic was tied up at Broad Street and South Avenue as emergency vehicles responded to the scene.

Customers were not being allowed to get their cars.

The ramp garage, owned by the city and operated by Riverside Parking, has been undergoing a $5 million renovation. It has nine levels.

South Avenue was closed at Main Street, and Broad Street was closed at Exchange Boulevard.

Stone Street was open.

Chunks of concrete were seen on the sidewalk at South and Broad.

There were no cars on the loop that collapsed, and no one was hurt on the ground.

“I heard it, it sounded like an earthquake; everything was shaky,” said Beth Kassu, a parking attendant in her booth near the Stone Street side.

Susan Havens, 49, of Rochester, was walking across the street from the garage on South Avenue on her way to a bus on Main Street when she heard part of the garage collapse.

“It wasn’t real loud,” Havens said. “I heard it. I looked up. I go ‘Oh my God.’ It reminded me of like an earthquake.”

Havens is a patient advocate for Rochester Psychiatric Center.

The garage has been undergoing reconstruction for six months, but construction on the helix-shaped ramp had not yet begun, said Joseph Floreano, executive director of the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

The ramp has been re-enforced with supportive beams, Floreano said.

Floreano said a convention center worker, aware of the collapse, yelled to drivers.

"If no one was on that helix (ramp) when it collapsed, that's a miracle because it's a major exit time," said Floreano, who had driven down the ramp only about a half hour earlier.

The South Avenue garage opened in November 1974. The nine-story structure cost $11.4 million to build and contained 1,800 parking spaces. It's an L-shaped building, with another entrance on Stone Street. The weekly parking rate was $7 when it first opened.

People with vehicles in the garage will not be allowed to enter the garage, and instead should go to the new wing of the Public Library on the southeast corner of Broad Street and South Avenue where Rochester Police officers will take information about the vehicle and try to locate it, city officials said.

Parking will be available at the Court Street garage.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/nixter369/13garagecollapse.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/nixter369/12garagecollapse.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/nixter369/11garagecollapse.jpg

jmancuso

April 22nd, 2006, 04:31 AM

People from Western New York are very defensive and paranoid. Hrmm.

well...you did move to a developing country after all. :crazy:

DallasTexan

April 22nd, 2006, 04:33 AM

Now, now... don't be insulting fine nations such as Burkina Faso and Somalia...

sargeantcm

April 22nd, 2006, 05:09 AM

Holy carp, that's not something you see every day! Wonder how that happened...

I parked in the Court St garage when I was last in Rochester. Glad I never parked in that one lol.

If only it were possible for surface lots to collapse.....hmmm we can dream. Sinkhole's about the only thing I can think of, but you can't plan those. Unless you're in central Amherst I suppose... Or Florida...

ROCguy

April 22nd, 2006, 05:14 AM

lol. If surface lots collapsed downtown Rochester would all be 80% under the ground. Seriously though, the need to get rid of all those parking spaces, make them underground, and actually build BUILDINGS downtown. Also, the inner loop needs to go. It strangles downtown with strict borders and was probably Rochester's biggest infrastructural mistake

sargeantcm

April 22nd, 2006, 05:30 AM

I don't know that I'd blame Rochester for the Inner Loop, I don't know if I'd blame any city for a downtown highway. They're pretty much all the state DOTs' "faults".

Rochester's may resemble a noose from a map, but it strangles no more than any other city in this country, for all intensive purposes.

blangjr21

April 22nd, 2006, 05:34 PM

Interesting to note Sarge that they were currently in the process of rehabing the parking garage, and I'm thinking we'll find out pretty quick that that was the reason for the collapse. Either way it's the only downtown garage with the spiral exit ramp, all of the others follow that strange exit the way you came in way. I usually park at the court street garage for k-hawks and amerks games, but will park at state street for conventions and such. I actually enjoyed usuing the spiral because of the view on the way down, oh well we'll see what happens to it.

As a side note, on the news networks at the 11pm newscast instead of having a city engineer, fire chief whatever talk about what may or may not have happened in the collapse, Bob Duffy was going through the steps they are going to take and what not, he really is the face of the city right now.

ROCguy

April 22nd, 2006, 06:42 PM

Whoa, ok, this was the picture from http://picturerochester.com/ today, it's supposed to be a picture of some guy fishing at Charlotte.... but tell me it doesn't look like this guy is standing on the water.... Jesus Walks.... in Rochester? lol

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/nixter369/jesuswalks.jpg

RochesterAddict

April 22nd, 2006, 10:00 PM

I dont know if anyone said anything about this, but Saddle Ridge opened:
http://whec.com/gfx/240/8123.jpg
http://whec.com/index.asp?template=item&story_id=18364
http://cmsimg.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A2&Date=20060405&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=604050345&Ref=AR&MaxW=275&MaxH=225&Q=96
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/BUSINESS/604050345
Even though this is a chain of bars from Ohio, it isnt totally cheesy. I recommend trying it. The only part that oozed velveeta was the Palm Bar, the other 4 concepts are fresh and were an ok time.

Here is the new Railroad Station:
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=E2B6E27E-3D93-4605-B417-D54293194B0C
Watch the video and get a glimpse into the project.

http://rnews.com/images_story/genhospital.jpg
Some of the best news is what will happen with the former Genesee Hospital:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/NEWS01/603300365
http://rochesterbusinessjournal.com/fullarticle.cfm?sdid=59709
http://rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=36348&rnews_story_type=18

Carlson Commons is beginning phase 2:
http://wroctv.com/news/story.asp?id=22362&r=l

I think someone may have posted this story already...but whatever...
Home sales take a leap in March
Rochester Business Journal

March home sales in the Rochester region jumped suddenly: by 11.7 percent to 947 from 848 a year ago, the information subsidiary of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc. reported today.
“We’re stunned; we’re at a loss for words,” said Robert Miglioratti, chairman of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, when asked about the rise.
March sales were up close to 43 percent compared with February. The dollar volume of sales in March was $114 million, up 35.4 percent from $84.2 million in February.
“We have a confluence of factors at work here,” Miglioratti said, theorizing that interested buyers in the latter half of last year may have been disappointed with the inventory available then, deciding to wait until the spring to shop again.
The number of homes listed for sale jumped 22.2 percent to 6,007, which Miglioratti suggests gives prospective buyers what they want: a larger market from which to choose.
The median sale price of $100,000 was down nearly 5 percent from $105,000 in February and down 2 percent from $102,000 a year ago.
“We did have a little tick down in median price,” Miglioratti acknowledged, but said this early in the year the median price is not the strong indicator it will be later in the year.
Closings in Monroe County in March rose 5.7 percent to 1,572, up from 1,487 a year ago. Closings fell in Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming counties but rose in Ontario, Livingston and Genesee counties.

RochesterAddict

April 22nd, 2006, 10:13 PM

Sorry forgot...
http://wroctv.com/news/story.asp?id=22493&r=l
Greater Rochester Visitors Association says more people are visiting Rochester
(WROC-TV)

More people are coming to visit Rochester. Wednesday, the Greater Rochester Visitors Association gave its annual report to the community.

Future bookings are the highest since before 9/11. Last year, visitors spent 26 million dollars in our area and that's just from sales tax revenue.

And this year, there's the Jazz Fest, The Music Fest, the Empire State Games and more all on the horizon.

"2006 is just chock a block with new and exciting things. We're really pumped about the expansion at Strong and RMSC for the family market. Then we have great events," says Ed Hall of the Greater Rochester Visitors Association.

To check out all the events planned for the Rochester area, click on the link below.

Related Link:
http://www.visitrochester.com

I think the city wide clean up is one of the best ideas to come out of city hall in a while...I love when people take pride in where they live.
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060414/NEWS01/604140368

The second best idea to come out of city hall, another kind of clean up:
http://wroctv.com/news/story.asp?id=22361&r=l

Here is a nice Rnews story about Downtown Rebirth:

Downtown Turning A Corner?
R News

Downtown development. It's a hot topic these days with so many future projects on the way in Rochester.

It's what people came to talk about at the Memorial Art Gallery Thursday night in its “Visions for Downtown Rochester” event.

From new places to live like Sagamore on East and Corn Hill Landing, to new places to play like Renaissance Square and Pae-Tec Park, many in our region are excited about Rochester's future.

But is this the rebirth of Rochester or should residents be cautiously optimistic?

“I think the tide in a lot of ways has begun to turn,” said Heidi Zimmer-Meyer of Rochester Downtown Development Corp. “It's still in the context of a region that still needs to grow. … If we don't grow the regional economy then this is going to hit a brick wall at some point. On the other hand attracting new researchers to the medical center for example is made easier when you bring them in from other towns if you have a strong and vibrant center city."

Zimmer-Meyer says the big ticket projects draw attention and then little pockets of development go up around them.

She says those have to thrive together in order for the city to continue on its renaissance.

Rochester Downtown Development Corp.

Oh BTW...Sarge thanks for the help with the old thread.

RocGuy...in defense of DonBuy sound advice/thoughts were offered in Dvlpmnt News 2 on how to improve issues, I must agree lately though that all I have seen is negative news from the posts. But Donbuy doesnt live here either to see the progress and changes I see. Donduy did go to school in Buffalo at one point though, which would explain liking Buffalo to some extent.

Going back to Cheesecake factory, they would choose Buf and Alb over us because we are usually an unknown city with no visuals of the city from the thruway. We also do not have Canadians feeding our retail scene (Buf) or NYC summer home owners and schmoozing politicians feeding the scene (Alb). Those two cities definitely have natural advantages over Roc. But, we were the first place to have a PF Changs in upstate New York though(Albany is getting one) and the GM states that the Eastview location is still one of the highest grossing in the chain. For a chain restaurant, PF Changs isnt all that bad.

ROCguy

April 22nd, 2006, 11:08 PM

RocGuy...in defense of DonBuy sound advice/thoughts were offered in Dvlpmnt News 2 on how to improve issues, I must agree lately though that all I have seen is negative news from the posts. But Donbuy doesnt live here either to see the progress and changes I see. Donduy did go to school in Buffalo at one point though, which would explain liking Buffalo to some extent.

I have no problem at all with Donboy liking Buffalo, I like it a lot myself. It's the clear bias that makes some of the stuff he says seem fishy. The not one month of year over year job growth thing is just false, he keeps parading it around, but it is false. All I'm going to do is quote myself.

And there is one more thing I just HAVE to know. Seeng as you have made a point every time you post on this thread of mentioning that there hasn't been one month of year over year job growth in Rochester, even when almost every month in from 2004 to 2005 said otherise. You claimed if I recall, you said that there was a new "protocal" in 2005. I'm dying to know, how exactly is there a "protocal" on counting numbers that would affect them so? Here are the numbers from 2004-2005:

2005 504.0 507.3 509.5 515.2 519.4 519.3 508.9 508.3 511.8 515.9 516.0 512.6 512.4

2004 499.6 502.4 504.8 507.7 516.2 517.2 508.9 507.9 513.0 520.5 520.3 520.2 511.6

What protocal, what difference in counting, would cause these numbers to be so far off that Rochester lost jobs and employment in those months as opposed to gaining them like those numbers suggest?

he totally avoided that part of my post when he responded and said;

I don't usually post comments on the kids ramblings but I just wanted to say that in no way did I or my office tell the Cheesecake Factory not to build in Rochester... the economic data did.

You see what I'm saying?

Susie

April 24th, 2006, 12:30 AM

You see what I'm saying?

I for one certainly see what you are saying. You are saying that our local employment is rising. Todays newspaper says otherwise. Why do you lie? Please feel free to post the rest of the article but nothing else in the article can overcome the facts highlighted below. We are losing jobs and people at an ever increasing rate. Unless people become attuned to that fact, and bring pressure upon thepolitician to change the economic environment of the State this region will continue it's rapid descent.

The local picture

It looks as though the sluggish Rochester job market continues to be a hurdle. This isn't surprising, since the Rochester economy has struggled more than other areas statewide and nationally, local experts said. Since 2000, the area has lost more than 11,000 jobs, according to state Department of Labor data.

"But there are more kids who want to stay in Rochester than there are opportunities for them," he said.

Burton Nadler, director of UR's College Career Center, agreed. "It's never been a factor that graduates don't want to stay here," Nadler said. "The factor? Jobs don't exist here."

Coppola, for example, owns a home in the city and wants to stay here. But it's likely he'll have to relocate.

"Unfortunately, the job market for mechanical engineering in Rochester seems pretty slow," said Coppola, who is originally from Connecticut. He started at RIT full time in 1997, but a year later he switched to part time so he could work a full-time job.

Many local manufacturers have struggled, resulting in a swell of experienced engineers who are unemployed. Coppola has noticed that graduates such as himself are competing against these workers for entry-level jobs.

"The competition for those jobs is pretty tough," he said.

BuffCity

April 24th, 2006, 02:06 AM

donbuy only seems to post consistent and accurate data...from what I have seen thus far.

the Roc is in a rut, but it'll be okay :)

ROCguy

April 24th, 2006, 02:50 AM

I for one certainly see what you are saying. You are saying that our local employment is rising. Todays newspaper says otherwise. Why do you lie? Please feel free to post the rest of the article but nothing else in the article can overcome the facts highlighted below. We are losing jobs and people at an ever increasing rate. Unless people become attuned to that fact, and bring pressure upon thepolitician to change the economic environment of the State this region will continue it's rapid descent.

The local picture

It looks as though the sluggish Rochester job market continues to be a hurdle. This isn't surprising, since the Rochester economy has struggled more than other areas statewide and nationally, local experts said. Since 2000, the area has lost more than 11,000 jobs, according to state Department of Labor data.

"But there are more kids who want to stay in Rochester than there are opportunities for them," he said.

Burton Nadler, director of UR's College Career Center, agreed. "It's never been a factor that graduates don't want to stay here," Nadler said. "The factor? Jobs don't exist here."

Coppola, for example, owns a home in the city and wants to stay here. But it's likely he'll have to relocate.

"Unfortunately, the job market for mechanical engineering in Rochester seems pretty slow," said Coppola, who is originally from Connecticut. He started at RIT full time in 1997, but a year later he switched to part time so he could work a full-time job.

Many local manufacturers have struggled, resulting in a swell of experienced engineers who are unemployed. Coppola has noticed that graduates such as himself are competing against these workers for entry-level jobs.

"The competition for those jobs is pretty tough," he said.

No I am not saying that at all. I'm saying that from 2004 to most of 2005, it was. Making that dreary stat that Rochester hasn't had one month of year over year employment gains false, because it has. From every month until September of 2005, there were gains from the same month in 2004. I know it doesn't mean squat now, but it still means that that statement is incorrect and he and you should both stop throwing it around. I don't know why you say that nobody says anything or realizes that Rochester needs some serious help economicaly, because there isn't a day that the D&C doesn't speak of ways to help the problem, and address the stats. People know, people care, and people are trying to fix it. It is going to take time. Rochester is simply going through what all of the cities around it went through in the preceeding few decades. It didn't lose as many of it's manufacturing jobs from the 70's to the 90's when places like Pittsburgh and Buffalo were losing them in the tens of thousands every year. Now, while the area IS in the process of diversifying it's economy and attracting OTHER types of companies, it's losing much of it's manufacturing sector. Right now, the losses in manufacturing outwiegh and even take away from gains in other fields, but eventually as what is happening in Buffalo (they too are still losing manufacturing jobs) now, the gains in other fields will likely be able to outpace the losses in manufacturing. Rochester is going through more of a transition now than a complete and total decline. That sounds pretty naive I know, but it's not total BS.

RochesterAddict

April 24th, 2006, 05:50 PM

http://my-expressions.com/up_media/4051/pblog/5159/1145849447.jpg

The Oxford Mall between Park Ave and Monroe Ave. Rochester, NY
www.picturerochester.com

blangjr21

April 24th, 2006, 06:49 PM

Some very great, and very expensive living in the Oxford Mall, a great street, lines with beautiful cherry blossoms indeed.

ROCguy

April 24th, 2006, 10:08 PM

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH.. My aunt and uncle might move there, or Barrington, a street just a couple over. I love that aree... it's undoubtedly the best residential area in all of greater rochester.

ROCguy

April 25th, 2006, 02:58 AM

This sound like a nice idea. My grandmother is a 2 time Rochester area cancer survivor.

County seeks ideas for Cancer Survivors Park

James Goodman
Staff writer

(April 24, 2006) — Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is seeking proposals for the design of a Cancer Survivors Park that is planned in Highland Park, at the southwest corner of Highland Avenue and South Goodman Street.

The two-acre area will include a sculpture — to depict hope and strength — along with plaques that provide inspiration and suggestions for fighting cancer.

The park is made possible by a $1 million grant from the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation Inc., which has helped establish 21 similar parks around the nation.

"The new park will not be a memorial. It will be a celebration of the life and strength of individuals and their families who are fighting cancer," said County Executive Maggie Brooks at a news conference this afternoon.

June 12 is the cut-off date for taking proposals.

Brooks has established a Cancer Survivors Park Committee, which includes public officials and community representatives, to help with the project. The committee will select three finalists for the design. Their names will be submitted to the Bloch Foundation for a final selection.

Construction of the project should begin in the summer of 2007, with the park slated to be open that fall, said Michael Garland, deputy director of the county's Department of Environmental Services

veryprotourism

April 25th, 2006, 06:04 AM

you know just a few years ago it wasn't so expensive to live in the oxford st. area.

a friend of mine used to rent a good sized one bedroom over there for 575 or something like that.
im sure the property values are amongst the city's highest but i'd bet you can still rent over there and get a decent bang for your buck.

its not the 450 a month a used to pay for a big one bedroom with a balcony in gates, but compared to the 500 a month i payed for a 300 sq ft box in portland(and it was income restricted) i don't think it can be that bad.

RochesterAddict

April 25th, 2006, 09:02 PM

The Halo Lofts—Heavenly For Musicians
http://cctvimedia.clearchannel.com/wokr/0424halolofts_lg.jpg
13 WHAM News

Chalonda Roberts (Rochester, NY) -- An old church in downtown Rochester is being transformed into loft apartments for students at the Eastman School of Music.

What once was Emmanuel Baptist Church will soon be the new “Halo Lofts.” There will be 12 two-story apartments. Each three-bedroom loft will be equipped with upscale amenities.

Developer Shane Bartholf said, "We definitely had them [music students] in mind. We started with ... 'OK what do they need, what do they want' ...and build that."

The lofts are equipped with free wireless hook ups as well as six-foot high outlets and cable to mount flat screen TVs.

Bartholf showed us one feature he’s very proud of, “a sound-proof practice room where it's double-studded double-insulated and has tilted walls which cuts down on reverberations."

There is a sound-proof practice room in each apartment. That's what attracted George Clements.

Clements said, "As a percussionist, I do most of my practicing at school but I'm excited because I'll be able to bring a couple of things over here and practice all hours of the night."

The Halo is located in the in the Preservation District just one block from the Eastman dormitory.

One of the biggest challenges for the architects was maintaining historic character. They were able to keep the facade, which has very few windows. That presented another challenge: lighting.

They added 20 new windows were added to create more natural light in the apartments. The lofts rented quickly because of the location and the amenities.

The Halo will be ready in August. The 23-year-old developer also wants to build a four-story building with studio apartments on the empty lot next door.

He's scheduled to break ground on that project in the fall.

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=A6F8D1C5-8AAB-4EE0-A68A-E344A3BC4A58

Click on the link and watch the video to see how beautiful they are making the apartments!

North_Coast

April 25th, 2006, 09:48 PM

Technology developed at the Kodak Research Laboratories (Rochester) is in virtually every digital camera produced in the world. Like most US manufacturers, Kodak manufactures its consumer electronics overseas, but R&D and design are a collaboration between Rochester and Chinon (Tokyo).

The real money in this business is in the "convenience" factor. Most customers are not computer experts. They want the process of digital imaging to be as convenience as that of film. I think Kodak is on the right track.

An aside regarding Kodak - the new Olympus E-Volt 500 Digital SLR uses a large format "full-frame" CCD image sensor manufactured in Rochester.

www.kodak.com/go/ccd

Most of the competition (Canon, Nikon) use "CMOS" image sensors - which have a lot of signal noise at the image sensor. No other image sensor in the world can match the performance of the sensor in the EVolt 500. The Canon and Nikon CMOS cameras need to mask the CMOS sensor noise in their post-processing. This is not neccessary in the Olympus E500.

I bought an Olympus E500 - and the image quality is tremendous. http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1192

-------------------------------------------------------------------

KODAK TO UNVEIL NEW TECHNOLOGY

Company promises to 'radically enhance' digital photos

Ben Rand
Staff writer

(April 25, 2006) — Five years after establishing simplicity as the key benchmark in digital photography, Eastman Kodak Co. today is unveiling what it sees as the next frontier in consumer picture-taking.

Rochester's No. 2 employer is giving business and trade reporters and analysts a glimpse at new technologies designed to "radically enhance" the use of images in everyday life.

"We're unveiling the next innovations in consumer digital photography that will allow people to take, share and archive pictures in ways they never thought possible," said Pierre Schaeffer, chief marketing officer of Kodak's consumer digital photography group.

Soon to emerge from the company's research labs, Kodak said, are software applications that will recognize and remember faces in hopes of making it easier for consumers to find pictures of friends and family. The company is also working on software that will automatically place images into specific computer folders based on their content, as well as a photo-blogging prototype to make it simpler for groups to share images with each other.

Kodak is introducing the pending innovations this morning at a meeting in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The event is being held in part to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Kodak EasyShare system, which pioneered the concept of one-button simplicity in digital photography and was largely conceived in Rochester.

To go with the concepts, Kodak is also introducing two new products. The company's new EasyShare V610 is the second to contain two lenses and two image sensors, one for regular zoom, the other for wide-angle picture-taking.

The V610 contains Bluetooth wireless technology, meaning that users will be able to transmit pictures from the camera to other Bluetooth devices up to 30 feet away. The V610 will be available in May.

The second new product is the next generation of the EasyShare-One, which was the first to allow users to e-mail images directly from the camera using Wi-Fi technology.

In the new version, the wireless card becomes optional, but the camera continues to offer room to store 1,500 pictures and view them on a 3-inch LCD screen. The new version's suggested price is now $299; the original had a suggested price of $599. The latest version will be available this summer.

Kodak's glimpse at technologies still under development dovetails with the company's belief that digital photography is now moving into the next phase of development. Earlier this year, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perez raised the notion that the digital camera as constituted today was a "dinosaur" — essentially an electronic copy of a film-based system.

The industry, Perez said, needs to focus on making it easier for consumers now to share, store, retrieve and print pictures.

The furthest of the new advances may be the photo-blogging application, known as Konga and shown to analysts at the Photo Marketing Association International show in February.

The application produces a "conga" line of images that can be programmed to "stroll" across your screen.

Users will be able to click on an image, add notations, upload new ones and more.

BRAND@DemocratandChronicle.com

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060425/BUSINESS/604250326

ROCguy

April 25th, 2006, 09:59 PM

^^ lol. I was just about to post that story. This sounds like an awsome idea kodak has, but they freaking need to actually get a PATENT for this, so that they can keep it. For freaks sake, they keep screwing themsleves over by inventing stuff, and then letting other people profit off of it while they sink. (Guess who actually INVENTED digital, photography? It sure as hell wasn't Sony or Cannon!)

Susie

April 25th, 2006, 10:31 PM

blangjr21

April 25th, 2006, 10:45 PM

Fed study cites slower income growth here

David Tyler
Staff writer

(April 25, 2006) — The amount of money in local paychecks has grown, but not as quickly as it has in the rest of the nation, according to new federal statistics.

Personal income in the five-county Rochester metropolitan area grew 4.8 percent from 2003 to 2004, the latest years for which figures were available, according to a Bureau of Economic Analysis report. On a per capita basis, personal income grew from $30,814 in 2003 to $32,303 in 2004. That ranked the Rochester region 97th out of 360 metro areas.

The nationwide average was 6 percent, the bureau reported.

The Stamford-Bridgeport-Norwalk metro area in Connecticut topped the list with a per capita income of $62,979. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission region in Texas ranked last, with per capita income of $15,460.

Personal income in Buffalo also grew 4.8 percent. Per capita income there was $31,006 in 2004, the bureau said.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's the whole article, for those of you who no longer believe what this con artist posts, it's official

RochesterAddict

April 25th, 2006, 11:13 PM

That is so funny, I was going to post that article too, but I KNEW that the thing would beat me to it. HAHAHAHAHA. It just shows that it doesnt take a lot of money to live in Rochester and anyone making a six figure income of $100,000 or more can live like a king. Whats great about living in a small city with a low cost of living is that if a good or service isnt available here, I can always afford to fly to NYC or Chicago or LA for the day to pick it up. HAHAHAHAHA....well I got a good laugh today.

blangjr21

April 25th, 2006, 11:38 PM

62,000 in Stamford still won't allow you to really "live" with the prices of houses and such. That would be like 22,000 here. Just goes to show you how misleading statistics are, and how rediculous it is to live your life around the release of them

ROCguy

April 25th, 2006, 11:47 PM

sargeantcm

April 26th, 2006, 12:37 AM

2003 - 2004?!?! Wasn't that like....2006, 2005, 2004.... Two and a half years ago?!?!

Where's the line about tax growth?

TampaMike

April 26th, 2006, 05:08 AM

Sorry, to barge in on everyone, but does anyone know any developements in Newark, or is it still it's boring self???

ROCguy

April 26th, 2006, 05:38 AM

Newark is being pretty built up. It's becoming more a part of Rochester's sprawlzone than the sleepy little canal town it was as little as 10 years ago. My cousin lives there in a brand new 2 story house in a subdivision you could find in any suburban area of the country (technically it's really in Gananda... but close enough)

veryprotourism

April 26th, 2006, 05:41 AM

newark NY ???

ummm ummm ummm

yeah wayne county. i think western portions of wayne county (walworth, gonanda, you know places closer to monroe county) are growing but overall i think wayne county is kind of stagnant. im not really sure though. maybe some of the guys that live on the east side get out there on occasion. i haven't been there in 5 or 6 years.

yeah so really i have no clue, i hope that helps.

blangjr21

April 26th, 2006, 05:42 AM

Gananda was actually a government planned subdivision at one point, I know that sounds stuipd, the government encouraging sprawl, but apparently that was the point of Gananda at one point. Now its pretty much all around one sprawled out golf course. A lovely sprawl community that continues to grow

veryprotourism

April 26th, 2006, 05:43 AM

yeah i was just gonna throw that in about gananda.
it looks like it, it looks so preplanned(not all of it but alot of it)

you guys are really fucking fast tonight

sargeantcm

April 26th, 2006, 05:44 AM

Isn't Newark looking at developing a sort of park/riverfront sort of thing for the Erie Canal? I think my office is involved with some sort of planning process for something like that.

veryprotourism

April 26th, 2006, 05:52 AM

hey i have a question, how come the rochester boosters get all horray over sprawl and continued suburban development in a place where the population is shrinking?

i see the new subdivisions in penfield butting up against thousand acre swamps and i just don't see the point. its just redistribution of population.

ROCguy

April 26th, 2006, 06:42 AM

I'm hardly shouting horray. I think it's sad that the Rochester I'm most familiar with is now seen as the "old school" area and left for freaking Perinton and Victor.
Greece > Victor.

blangjr21

April 26th, 2006, 07:31 AM

I'm actually excited about the growing demand for city housing...a 40% growth in sales of homes in the City of Rochester is a great statistic as far as I'm concerned. You can't beat city living. Well for me as long as I have a two car garage, front porch, small yard, and 1500sq. feet of living space. Give me that and I'm a happy man.

Also, I don't think any of us are doing any kind of dance about suburban sprawl it's terrible for any area, in fact I'm doing a research paper about it. As far as Penfield is concerned I love the neighborhood (Milford Crossing) that abuts the South end of Thousand Acre swamp, very beautiful homes. I volunteer near there and it's amazing to see that neighborhood develop into a mature young neighborhood.

Susie

April 26th, 2006, 03:25 PM

lol. How did I know the SECOND I saw that article that our resident troll would post SOME of it. In all reality, 97th out of 360 ain' so bad... 73rd percentile... meaning that Rochester made more than 3/4 of the other metros in the country. Although, obviously the lower rate of income growth isn't too great. Not horrible though, I'm sure it's not the worst. I wonder if any city's average income went down? That would be pretty sad.
It is when you look at the web site and see that in 2002 we were number 91.
It is when we have gone from being above the national average to being below it.
It is when you look at the web site and see that during the same time Buffalo went from #141 to #132.
It is when you see that in 2002 we were $1,999 per capiata ahead of Buffalo and are now only $1,297 ahead of Buffalo.
It is when you see that in 2002 Buffalo's Total Income of $32.951 Billion was ahead of us by $1.333 billion and that by 2004 they have increased their market income lead on us to $2.143 billion to $35.773 billion.
It is when you realize that this data is for 2004 and next years data will factor in the additional 8,100 jobs that NY State says have disappeared in our area since March of 2005

And yes to make you feel better there were 5 metros where the income went down. Champaign-Urbana, IL down 8.6%, Springfield, IL down 8.4%, Kokomo, Indiana down 1% and Flint,Michigan down .3%

Also Detroit was up only 1%. With all the job losses we are having this year we will probably join them on the downside next year.

RochesterAddict

April 26th, 2006, 06:37 PM

http://my-expressions.com/up_media/4051/pblog/5159/1146053077.jpg

In the foreground is Dinosaur BBQ....in the background is the new I-490 bridge.
www.picturerochester.com

http://fomh.org/
http://fomh.org/image/home001.gif
This is the website for Mount Hope Cemetary. Where Susan B Anthony, Frederick Douglas, Nathaniel Rochester, Buffalo Bill, and rumored Jack the Ripper is buried. If you live in Roc and get a chance take a guided tour on Sat or Sun of the cemetary. With its cobble stone roads, mausoleums, and sitting areas spaced sporadically throughout the cemetary it is more like a serene park.

http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060426/BUSINESS/604260315/1001

Here is another story on the income study.
Top and bottom
How some cities ranked in per capita personal income in 2004, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

1. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., $62,979.
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif., $49,276.
3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., $48,530.
69. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, $33,950.
97. Rochester, $32,303.
132. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, $31,006.
156. Syracuse, $29,944.
359. Laredo, Texas, $17,769.
360. Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas, $16,994.
361. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, $15,460.

As naysayers have stated before, if Albany is doing so well (With LOTS of highly paid state employees and NYC summer home owners playing into the mix) then why is their income only $1,000 higher than ours is and why is Buffalo's $1,000 lower than ours. You can see that #69-#132 only has $1,000 differences both ways, so I am going to say any city in that range will have similar buying power. What will differentiate a city is the quality of the population, their education levels, and their taste for goods and services. (superficial or simple minded) That is what would make me choose to locate a business or service in a location. White collar vs blue collar.

sargeantcm

April 26th, 2006, 07:39 PM

^^ Friggin' Dinosaur and their 90 minute wait times lol. Well J&K was good at least.

The other thing to consider about Rochester vs. Albany, $33k will buy you more in Rochester, won't it?

RochesterAddict

April 26th, 2006, 07:57 PM

Im not really sure, if you have ever been...Rensalear and Troy are very ghetto, Schenectady is still very rural, and Loudonville and the northern suburbs up to Saratoga Springs area are very nice and probably priced high? I dont feel like doing the research on Albany, but you probably are right?

Oh and about Wayne County, I think that areas close to Monroe are growing, like Pultneyvillle is having a recent resurgence. I just ate at Relish! there and the sommelier said that Pultneyville has had an influx of Monroe county summer home owners lately who are priced out of Canandaigua lake. If you ask me, no thanks, I would not want to live year round in Wayne county, Id rather eat my arm then live in Newark. But maybe in 15-20 years sprawl will catch up to Wayne county and redistribute enough people there to make it a decent place to live.
http://cmsimg.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A2&Date=20060209&Category=ENT0302&ArtNo=602090309&Ref=AR&Profile=1062&MaxW=550&MaxH=430
http://thelandingatpultneyville.com/index.html

blangjr21

April 26th, 2006, 08:20 PM

bjfan82

April 26th, 2006, 09:28 PM

I just watched at 3D simulation of a chunck of the new Rennaisance Center in Rochester at this civil engineering luncheon today. That is one sweet project.

blangjr, btw I saw a whole group of girls at the Sabres game the other day wearing Max-Nation shirts. They were hot.

Jerome

April 26th, 2006, 09:28 PM

Here is another story on the income study.
Top and bottom
How some cities ranked in per capita personal income in 2004, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

1. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., $62,979.
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif., $49,276.
3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., $48,530.
69. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, $33,950.
97. Rochester, $32,303.
132. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, $31,006.
156. Syracuse, $29,944.
359. Laredo, Texas, $17,769.
360. Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas, $16,994.
361. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, $15,460.

As naysayers have stated before, if Albany is doing so well (With LOTS of highly paid state employees and NYC summer home owners playing into the mix) then why is their income only $1,000 higher than ours is and why is Buffalo's $1,000 lower than ours. You can see that #69-#132 only has $1,000 differences both ways, so I am going to say any city in that range will have similar buying power. What will differentiate a city is the quality of the population, their education levels, and their taste for goods and services. (superficial or simple minded) That is what would make me choose to locate a business or service in a location. White collar vs blue collar.

If it's per capita then the household size would tend to be a major factor. Young communities with a lot of non working small children such as Salt Lake City would stand to have a lower per capita income. It seems like it would be more relevant to look at the total income divided by the total number of workers. It could be that Stamford CT and SF are full of DINKS while cities lower on the scale are full of families.

The amount or percentage that the total income went up or down or the % change in per capita income per year seems to be more important than the measurement used by the Rochester Newspaper.

From the posting above by Susie/Rocboy you can see that over the two year period 2002-2004 Rochester's Total Income went up by 6.36% and Buffalo's by 8.56%.

Susie’s post is also inaccurate in that Buffalo’s per capita income increased by 5.2% (31,006/29,477) and Rochester’s by 4.8% (32303/30814). The national increase per Business First was 5% so both Cities are not out of the ballpark compared to the national average. Though of course Buffalo's increase was more than 8% greater than Rochester's. for per capita and almost 35% greater in the total income increase (8.56/6.36). But I would think this is merely a reflection of all the jobs Rochester has lost this decade. I agree with Susie in that it will be interesting to see how this list shakes out when they update it for 2005.

ROCguy

April 26th, 2006, 10:16 PM

Gotta agree that I would never want to live in Wayne County, and the price on some of the cottages on Canandaigua Lake is crazy! 100,000+ for small 1,000sq foot cottage is too rich for my blood...but theres a market for it, so good for them. Our cottage is on Keuka Lake, and it still retains its "country charm" so to speak, at least it has yet to be taken over by crazed teen boaters, and drunks.

I fucking want MY cottage back. I made the thread and nobody responded (no worries though, I ddin't really espect any). My aunt and uncle, the same ones who are moving from Gates to somehwere on the "east side".... own a cottage on Port Bay in Wane County close to Sodus. I love it there; but agreed, wouldn't want to live there year round. I have to wonder what percentage of people in the Rochester area have a cottage. Most of them don't actually "own it" per say, but rather it's their grandparents or aunt or uncle or cousin.... most extended families have one.

Oh and this sounds good. Some revitalization of Upstate Canals would be fantastic. This article doesn't mention it; but I've heard the idea thrown around to completely revitalize the Erie canal to (almost) it's original state and path. THAT would be pretty awsome.

200 NY leaders here to talk canal revitalization

Dolores Orman
Staff writer

(April 26, 2006) — PERINTON—An estimated 220 municipal officials, business owners, and community leaders from throughout the state are participating in a daylong conference today about what canalside communities can do to revitalize themselves and, in turn, enhance the state's canal system.

Workshops on topics ranging from tourism and commercial shipping to trails and grants are part of the first-ever "Quality Canals for Quality Communities Conference" hosted by the New York State Canal Corp., at the Burgundy Basin Inn.

Partnerships between state and local governments and among communities was the underlying focus of the gathering.

"We have to promote communities and educate communities on the importance of working together," Carmella Mantello, director of the Canal Corp., said.

ROCguy

April 27th, 2006, 03:54 AM

Port of Rochester Development news:

Plans for the Port of Rochester are unveiled

Brian Sharp
Staff writer

(April 26, 2006) — Discussions begin Thursday about how to fit a $7 million Great Lakes research center into the high-speed ferry's former home. Tonight, nearly 100 people turned out for what might be the final public planning meeting to debate the future of the entire Port of Rochester area.

Planning consultant Sasaki Associates Inc. of Watertown, Mass., is in town to unveil the design concept for the 30 acres south of Ontario Beach Park, between Lake Avenue and the Genesee River and north of the CSX rail line. Planning began 20 years ago. Sasaki joined the process last fall, its work taking on added prominence with the city deciding in January to shut down ferry service to Toronto.

Sasaki's latest plan, unveiled at Charlotte High School beginning at 7 p.m., places a greater emphasis on residential development than an earlier version, officials said, and replaces a proposal for a massive inland marina with two smaller ones. A River Street extension might run one block from the river instead of slicing through the middle of the development area.

State University College at Brockport is behind the $7 million plan for the Lake Ontario Natural Resource Center.

"The questions we're dealing with, and will be dealing with over the next month or so, is if there is a configuration that works for us," said Joseph Makarewicz, director of the college's environmental science and biology department.

He said 3,000 to 3,500 square feet of the 60,000-square-foot center could be set aside for an aquarium display area, including multiple tanks of various sizes and other displays. There also are plans for a 150-seat auditorium. Sasaki, meanwhile, lists restaurants and shops as possible uses to complete the space, and the city remains interested in maintaining the terminal for some form of ferry or tour boat excursions.

Makarewicz, speaking before the meeting, said Sasaki provided the college on Monday with three layout options for using part of the terminal building. He said the questions tomorrow will focus on whether the building has sufficient electricity, water and other qualities, or how much it might cost to transform the building from general to scientific use.

"It's not really the beginning beginning," Makarewicz said of tomorrow's talks with Sasaki. "It's the beginning of getting serious, perhaps."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm glad to hear they are thinking more about residential development, that's the key to getting more activity in the area. Having more people live there.

blangjr21

April 27th, 2006, 06:46 AM

The max nation grows! Go max, go sabres

North_Coast

April 27th, 2006, 08:17 PM

Port of Rochester Development news:

Plans for the Port of Rochester are unveiled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm glad to hear they are thinking more about residential development, that's the key to getting more activity in the area. Having more people live there.

The entire lakefront on both sides of the river has plenty of dense housing. Traffic conjestion and a gestapo-style policing of the area during the summer tends to keep people away - but it still gets conjested. Most people elect to swim at Durand Eastman as an alternative to Charlotte.. and our city in its infinite wisdom has prohibited swimming at Durand for decades.

The common rule for boaters is to stay away from the port. You'll likely get boarded for inspection. I average about two boardings and inspections per year when I pull into Charlotte from my dock in Greece. We have all learned to watch out for the Sherrif's Department and Coast Guard boats.

In the 70's, there was a plan to redeploy the port for commercial shipping. The locals shot it down - citing "too much traffic on Lake Ave" as the reason. The company proposing to reopen the port moved shipping to Oswego as a result.

The best thing the port area had going for it was the ferry service. Now they are proposing to use a portion of the terminal to house a $7 Milliion aquarium. 7 Million paltry dollars for an aquarium??? It will probably cost them 7 million just to remodel the terminal. If they're lucky, they'll have enough money left over for a 55 gallon aquarium tank from Petco.. minus the stand.

I think its time to check our municipal water supply for high lead content. There has to be a reason behind the consistent stupidity that this city has demonstrated in their "plans" for the port region over the years.

RochesterAddict

April 27th, 2006, 10:39 PM

The new elephant exhibit at the zoo opened today! And Rhinos are coming! Not the soccer kind, but they are coming in another month too.
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060427/NEWS01/604280347

Here are two links for the port development:

This is for the Sasaki (the architects) website with the 3 schemes for the port, It should be updated throughout the project:
http://projects.sasaki.com/portofrochester/worktodate.html

And an article from the newspaper today:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060427/NEWS01/604270429

And here is to anyone that believes that New York State is the only one losing population and business:

Most Nissan workers in Calif. won't go to Tenn.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
The Post-Standard
Nissan Motor Co. said less than half the employees at its North American headquarters in California plan to move when the automaker relocates to Tennessee.

About 42 percent of the nearly 1,300 employees at the headquarters in Gardena, Calif., will relocate. Most of the positions are to move by early summer to temporary offices in Nashville, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

They will locate next to the plant where they currently build their cars.

I dont blame then, who would want to live in Tennessee?

ROCguy

April 28th, 2006, 01:12 AM

I think I have to respectfully disagree north coast. At least partly. I agree that an aquarium at the terminal is stupid... but so was the ferry there in the first place. A smaller, privately owned ferry would be fantastic if it would take off. But I Definitely have to disagree about the home construction in the area. I think it sounds like great development. luxury yet affordable townhomes around Charlotte would sell pretty well to a lot of retirees/ empty nesters/ or even young couples and singles. Here is the update on it today.

Wishes meet reality on port plans

Neighbors say new structures risk lake vistas

Brian Sharp
Staff writer

(April 27, 2006) — Plans for the Port of Rochester show a mix of townhouses, villa-style apartments, park spaces and a marina — all good ideas, Sue Reynolds said, but maybe a little too much for Charlotte.

Too many people. Too much traffic. Too many structures crowding open views of the river, Ontario Beach Park and the lake and changing the character of the place.

Plans unveiled Wednesday night during a public meeting at Charlotte High School show more than a dozen structures reaching as high as three stories and including 545 residential units plus 30,000 square feet of retail space.

"I'm not against development," said Reynolds, who moved to the neighborhood five years ago. "I think we need something down there, but it is hard to give up something we've always had, just this broad open space."

The 30-acre development would wrap around the terminal building that served the high-speed ferry to Toronto. While plans maintain a departure hall for passenger ship use in the future, a proposed Great Lakes marine research center is envisioned to fill half of the two-story building. Restaurant, retail and office space would take the rest.

About 100 people turned out for Wednesday's meeting, expressing a mix of skepticism and optimism on the vision of city planning consultant Sasaki Associates Inc. of Watertown, Mass.

Sasaki principal Varoujan Hagopian said 30 percent of the site would be developed, with the rest for public use in a network of streets and alleyways, tree-lined sidewalks and a central park next to a marina for 55 to 60 boats. Townhouses would front Lake Avenue; retail space likely would be concentrated near the marina immediately north of the terminal building and along the river to the south.

"Let me take you to some reality," Hagopian said when some audience members took issue with how the buildings would block views of the water or box in the park. "We're all spoiled. We like to keep it that way. ... This is a trade-off, and that's what we're telling you about."

Private development would pay for a public green adjacent to the marina, a promenade along the river and internal courtyards open for public use.

Some beachfront parking would be maintained, but most would move to a four-level, 360-space garage at the southeast corner of Beach Avenue and Estes Street. Townhouse and apartment parking would be tucked beneath the structures.

The State University College at Brockport, which is behind the $7 million Lake Ontario Natural Resource Center, begins meeting with Sasaki today.

"The question we're dealing with, and will be dealing with over the next month or so, is if there is a configuration that works for us," said Joseph Makarewicz, director of the college's environmental science and biology department.

Questions focus on whether the building has sufficient electricity, water and other capacities, and how much it might cost to upgrade from general to scientific use.

Makarewicz said 3,000 to 3,500 square feet of the 60,000 square feet could be set aside for an aquarium with multiple tanks and displays. A 150-seat auditorium also is planned.

I can also sympathize with the current residents of the area who fear they will lose their views of the water.

OH MY GOD.... THERE ARE NO MORE RED HOTS OR WHITE HOTS BECAUSE THE DUMBASSES IN MASSACHUSETTS DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zweigle's renames white hots, red hots

Customers elsewhere were getting confused, company says

Mary Chao
Staff writer

(April 27, 2006) — When is a white hot not a white hot?

When it's a premium white cooked sausage.

That's the new name Zweigle's is giving its Rochester culinary icon, part of a move to make its product more recognizable to new consumers outside the area.

Zweigle's, a 125-year-old Rochester company that made the white and red hot famous here, is expanding its market into New England and the mid-Atlantic states, said Zweigle's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Salva.

"As we began to introduce our new products, it became evident that the names we are so used to were points of confusion," Salva said. "People weren't buying them because they thought they were spicy."

Red hots, by the way, will now be known as Texas Brand hot dogs.

The name change will be reflected in new packaging set to roll out in a few weeks, the company said.

Zweigle's has traditionally sold its meat products in Rochester and Buffalo. But with the completion of its new plant last year, Zweigle's was able to increase production, allowing for sales to other regions, Salva said.

Zweigle's hot dogs are now being sold at some Shaw's Supermarkets in Connecticut and Massachusetts. And they're also available in Wegmans Food Markets, which has been expanding in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia, Salva said.

Sales at Zweigles have been flat to slightly up the past few years, Salva said. The best way to increase sales was to expand beyond the region, he said.

Salva would not disclose the company's sales, only saying it sells about 4 million pounds of packaged meat products a year. Sales from the New England region add an additional 10,000 to 15,000 pounds a month. And once cookout season gets into high gear, sales will really get fired up, he said.

The repackaging is a good move by Zweigle's as it expands, said Lauren Dixon, chief executive of Dixon Schwabl Advertising in Victor.

"That's the right thing to do," Dixon said. "If it is confusing in other markets, for them, it's suicide."

Since the Zweigle's brand name will remain, the new packaging should not alienate existing customers, Dixon said.

And that's important to the company, Salva said.

"We wanted to make sure we didn't offend our loyal customers," he said.

Susie

April 28th, 2006, 03:36 PM

March 2006 National Conference Board Help Wanted Ad Index

Nationwide - Thirty Eight (38)

Syracuse - Eighty Two (82)

Rochester - Twenty One (21)

Syracuse 82 us 21 'nuff said.

Susie

April 28th, 2006, 03:54 PM

The Best Cities for Doing Business

As part of it's annual report, Inc. Magazine studied 393 population centers across the nation, identifying job creation and other signs of business vitality. What did we find? The big cities are idling, and the real entrepreneurial hot spots are on the periphery -- where low costs and favorable regulatory environments make it possible to thrive.

Out of 393 metro's studied here is how NY State Metro's Ranked

Glens Falls - 115
Ithaca - 160
Albany - 184
Syracuse 257
NYC - 292
Buffalo - 330
Utica - 341
Binghampton - 365
Rochester - 376 down from 195 in 2005, the only significant cities we beat were New Orleans and Biloxi, but at least we don't have hurricanes, but then again that is the only reason we beat them.

ROCguy

April 28th, 2006, 10:21 PM

Yet another update on the Port of Rochester: And a crappy sketch of the proposed plan;

Port's promise: Plan rich but many doubts linger

Brian Sharp
Staff writer

(April 28, 2006) — In the 33 years Jim Wood has called Charlotte home, he has seen at least six or seven plans for redeveloping the Port of Rochester, but he has seen little change.

The high-speed ferry did a lot to spark street improvements and the like. But empty promises of reviving the once-bustling port with housing, retail, marinas and parks have become routine.

"We don't want to be disappointed again," Wood said Thursday, a day after city planning consultants Sasaki Associates Inc. of Watertown, Mass., unveiled the latest plan for the port. "We'd like to think that this is the plan that might really work."

Plans show a mix of townhouses and apartments, some retail and a four-level parking garage covering 30 percent of the 30 acres south of Ontario Beach Park and east of Lake Avenue. Nearly all of the land is city-owned and used for parking. Many questions remain, including whether the city would sell or lease the land, offer tax breaks or other incentives, how much the city would need to invest in the development, what will happen with businesses that would be displaced, and how the pieces will fit together and within the neighborhood.

"This is the master plan, and you begin to see what the developers are going to do," said Julio Vázquez, the city's commissioner for community development. "It could be in five years this plan could change. A plan has to be flexible ... (and) how fast we'll go depends on the private sector, and the ability of the city to invest money in the infrastructure."

Public money invested in the port area has totaled $157 million over the past decade, including road improvements, the ferry terminal and the Col. Patrick O'Rorke Bridge. Redeveloping the port is a priority for the current city administration, Vázquez said, and so is its goal of promoting market-rate housing. But, he added: "If it requires a lot of money, then we don't have the money. We have to wait."

For now, Wood and his neighbors are generally accepting, though concerned about the extent of development with 545 market-rate housing units proposed and 30,000 square feet of retail space. City officials think they are on the right track, and are working on possible traffic and parking issues. And developers — including Mark IV Construction, which built Corn Hill Landing — appear eager to move forward.

"We've wanted, everyone has wanted something dynamic to happen there," said Don Riley of Mark IV. "It's the best chance in a generation that the communities have to do something with the river, so we're really excited about it, and we're going to follow it very closely."

For perspective, Corn Hill Landing was a $20 million project. Mark IV's Paul Foti estimated the cost of developing the port area, between Ontario Beach Park and the CSX rail line, Lake Avenue and the Genesee River, at $120 million or more. In addition to creating jobs, Foti said "the real estate upside is incredible," with the new investment likely to push surrounding property values higher. Corn Hill Landing has half the retail space proposed for the port, one-third of the 375 apartments planned and none of the estimated 170 townhouses.

"Right now, you're looking at a huge, massive parking lot and that's not attractive, that's not doing anything for us," said Michele Labigan, a 21-year Charlotte resident and president of the Charlotte Community Association. "Let's put something else here to get the community back to where it needs to be. Things can't stay the same. That's just the way it is.

"I think people realize now that, yes, this really could be happening."

The projected housing units would fill half the estimated market demand for market-rate, high-end housing in the city, Vázquez said. Taxes collected on the property would help offset city expenses for maintaining park and courtyard areas and streets and provide normal city services. A 55- to 60-slip public marina also is included.

But while Vázquez calls the area highly desirable for high-end market housing, Bob Barbato, management professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, isn't so sure.

"I don't think it's all that attractive," Barbato said of the current port area. "It's a very seasonal place that is lively when the weather is warm enough to enjoy the scenery, but for a good part of the year it's pretty cold and pretty desolate."

He said a marina and a few townhouses for snowbirds seem appropriate enough. Plans to locate a Great Lakes research center, aquariums and marine displays in the ferry terminal are reasonable. And the small amount of retail seems good, too. All summer stuff, Barbato said, envisioning T-shirt shops where Labigan and her neighbors see upscale niche stores.

"When it comes time to do business there it will be done in the summer," said Barbato, also director of RIT's Small Business Institute. "Only a few businesses will be successful in a situation like that, and that's why it's mostly bars up in Charlotte. ... I don't know why we can't accept Charlotte as a summer place. It's a great summer place."

Louis Bellanca is co-owner of Bellanca's Portside Restaurant, and is likely to be displaced in the development. He was unaware of his precarious position until asked about it Thursday.

As for the future of the port, he said, "getting housing is the first step toward making the area better."

When he thinks of the possibilities, he points to Corn Hill Landing along the Genesee River. It's about the water, the lakefront, the river.

"That's the beauty of it," he said.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/nixter369/portofrochester.jpg

Susie

April 29th, 2006, 12:22 AM

blangjr21

April 29th, 2006, 03:21 AM

http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060428/NEWS01/60428011

This is where I was most of the afternoon, sorry if I wasn't here to argue about rediculous statistics with ya'll

ROCguy

April 29th, 2006, 04:18 AM

Is that in your neighborhood?!?!?!? Oh and don't worry about her dumbass stats. Nobody even pays attention to her rants any more.

gripja

April 29th, 2006, 03:20 PM

It seems to me that a lot of fires start in the 'attached garage' I'm glad my parents always park the car in the driveway. A garage should be used to store extra stuff anyways, who has room to put a car in there anyways About Zweigle's, they should include 'original Rochester white(red) hots' on the new packaging. Give Rochester some Props in the new markets!!!

blangjr21

April 29th, 2006, 05:32 PM

I'm actually a volunteer

ROCguy

April 29th, 2006, 05:59 PM

A volunteer firefighter? Cool.

ROCguy

April 30th, 2006, 05:34 PM

Technicaly this isn't "Rochester" News.... but it's the Rochester MSA's news. Eat your heart out Napa;

Newcomers juice wine land values

Amy Wu
Staff writer

(April 30, 2006) — Husband-and-wife team Michael Schnelle and Nancy Irelan looked at land in California and Washington state to start Red Tail Ridge Winery and Rogue Vineyard. The West Coast couple ended up a bit farther away: on a 34-acre plot that overlooks Seneca Lake.

They loved the beauty of the Finger Lakes and the lifestyle of area vintners, and sensed the promise of the local industry. It was the price, though, that sealed the deal. At roughly $2,500 an acre for the land, plus the house, the final price tag was only $147,000.

"We wanted to do this on our own, really, and if we had wanted to do it with investors, we would have considered other options," said Irelan, 45, a former vice president at E&J Gallo.

"It was within our grasp financially to do it on our own," she said. "Let's face it: We're talking about investing our own money and time, so we're looking at the best deal we can get."

The couple is part of what could be a new chapter in Finger Lakes wines: out-of-towners buying land for wine-related businesses because they believe it's a steal compared with land in other premium wine regions.

The trend could boost the prestige of the wine-growing region, make it a more popular vacation destination and boost the economy both through tourism and wine sales. At the same time, real estate agents predict that in coming years there may be a bidding war for prime Finger Lakes land among vintners, grape growers, farmers and those who want to build dream homes.

Although there are no solid numbers on sales across the region, two months of interviews with real estate agents, winery owners, town assessors and industry experts found that interest in the Finger Lakes region has surged in the past five years.

As a result, the price of prime vacation and wine-growing acreage has tripled in that time from about $1,500 per acre for bare land in 2001 to $4,500 today. Depending on location, the cost for land with existing vinifera or hybrid vines can run $8,000 to $10,000 an acre, the real estate agents estimate.

"It's (land) under high demand, and whatever is available gets snapped up quickly," said Mel Russo, owner of Senecayuga Properties in Seneca Falls.

And when compared with other premium U.S. wine regions, the land is "bargain basement," said Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.

The Finger Lakes is one of the fastest-growing wine regions in the United States, with more than 100 wineries wrapped primarily around Seneca, Cayuga and Keuka lakes.

New York state comes in third in terms of vineyard acreage and annual harvest, behind California and Washington state. It is second in wine production after California, according to the wine foundation.

The search

Irelan and Schnelle's search for land started in 2002 from their Modesto, Calif., home. In her travels as vice president of enology and viticulture technology at Gallo, Irelan frequently visited Cornell University in Ithaca and its agricultural station in Geneva, so she came to know the region's players over the years.

"I really did start to think this might be a good spot for us. I think Seneca is a great location. I was tasting some Riesling and some Vignolles that were very distinct," said Irelan, 45, who remains a consultant for several wineries.

On vacations and other business trips, the couple looked in Oregon, Washington, New Mexico and California.

They talked with real estate agents and spent several hours on Saturdays surfing the Internet from California.

The couple's checklist: 50 acres or less, prime for cool-climate grapes, a solid research community.

They contacted Century 21's Mark Malcolm II after finding an online listing for the land, which is sandwiched between Anthony Road Wine Co. and Fox Run Vineyards along Route 14 on the northwest side of Seneca Lake.

The low price "leaves quite a bit extra for us to have for development," said Schnelle, 44. The couple has invested their life savings in the venture.

Long row to hoe

Launching a winery involves tremendous upfront investment, with three to four years for the first harvest to emerge and another before the first bottle of wine is produced. The investment for a 50-acre vineyard for wine grapes is $17,304 an acre, according to Gerald White of Cornell University's department of applied economics and management.

"It's definitely a little more than I anticipated taking on, so consequently I'm not as far along as I'd like to be," Schnelle said. "We're still going ahead as planned."

Now rain or snow, Schnelle is up at dawn six days a week, sometimes seven, to tend to the vineyard.

When Irelan's not consulting for wine companies to pay the bills, the couple tries to network by attending industry workshops and socializing with their vintner neighbors.

"I've always dreamed of producing my own wines, to start my own vineyard and manage the process all the way from the beginning," Irelan said. "It's a little piece of you when you take care of the whole process. It belongs to you."

The couple is well aware of the risks. Nature is considered one of the bigger hurdles to the industry. A number of wineries are still recovering from the winter freezes of 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Thomas Barbolt, a senior research fellow with Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson Co. subsidiary, for example, put his property, once known as Cayuga Creek Winery, on the market in September after his vines and buds were ravaged in recent winters.

Irelan, a graduate of the prestigious viticulture and enology program at the University of California at Davis, said she and her husband "are accepting that risk, and we're going to have to figure out ways to manage that."

Seasoned vintners say that the couple brings a sophisticated view.

"I think a lot of (local) people are looking for a deal, and they don't think $4,000 an acre is a deal, but it's a total steal," said neighbor and mentor Scott Osborn of Fox Run Vineyards.

The land

The tourism draw, as well as the potential of the wine industry, adds to the interest in the Finger Lakes, real estate experts say. New York sees an average of 18,393 visitors per winery, compared with 12,167 in Napa, according to the VinQuest 2006 U.S. Wine Industry survey. The average tasting room sales per New York winery were up 41 percent in 2005 from the year before, according to the same survey.

"Lake view property is going up, the land for crops is going up, the land for grapes is going up," said Mary Lilyea, assessor for the towns of Benton and Torrey, Yates County. "This whole winery thing has grown so fast."

Factors that play into a price tag: What kind of house is on the land? Is the soil prime for growing viniferous or hybrids? How close is it to the lake? Is it on a wine trail?

"It's location, location, location," Lilyea said.

Real estate agents are fielding inquiries for land from Long Island, New York City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California.

The wine and grape foundation says about 10 new wineries open a year in the Finger Lakes region, with the average vineyard being 30 acres.

And the tourism industry should get a boost in June with the opening of the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, a $7.5 million facility backed by Constellation Brands Inc., Wegmans Food Markets Inc. and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Constellation, based in Perinton, is the world's largest wine company.

Some helpful laws

New laws allowing interstate wine shipping and the growing popularity of Rieslings made in the Finger Lakes also are raising the profile of the region.

Real estate agents and assessors say that they don't see the prices going down, and they expect more newcomers like Irelan and Schnelle.

The growth of the winery industry also is triggering more bed and breakfasts, residential developments, restaurants, cheese stores and creameries.

Scott Snyder and Laura Kudla, owners of Madderlake Cafe — just down the road from Irelan and Schnelle — sold their home in St. Helena, Napa Valley, for $450,000, moved here and invested $65,000 into their new venture in 2004, and launched the restaurant in 2005.

"There is everything here to make it a success: the beauty, the architecture," Kudla said.

Amy Hoffman, who moved to Keuka Lake in 1999 and launched Rooster Hill Vineyards with husband David in 2002, says the key to success here is rolling with the punches.

The Hoffmans left Costa Mesa, Calif., to start their boutique winery, which specializes in Rieslings. They have survived the winter chills by adopting techniques to protect their vines.

"We love it, knock wood," said Amy Hoffman, a former marketing executive with a high-tech company.

Back at Red Tail Ridge, Irelan and Schnelle have big plans, including making dry Riesling and opening a tasting room.

"The current market reminds me a lot of what it was like a lot earlier in California," Irelan said. "It was a great opportunity to be involved at an early stage in the market development."

So far, so good. The winter has been kind to them, as have the seasoned winery owners.

Still, there's much work to be done. For example, the deer fence needs to be completed and they need to tend the Rieslings.

"If the season is nice and it's not too harsh next winter, we should see some fruit next year," said Schnelle, nodding at the landscape of wire and vine.

ROCguy

April 30th, 2006, 11:30 PM

I also just have to post todays pic from http://picturerochester.com/ (sorry Rochestraddict, I know this is usually your job but I beat you to it today) because it is of my favorite building in the city and one of the best shots of it I've ever seen. The Powers Building:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/nixter369/1picturerochesterpowersbuilding.jpg

RochesterAddict

May 1st, 2006, 06:29 PM

Heres another...

http://my-expressions.com/up_media/4051/pblog/5159/1146195987.jpg

In the Foreground is Frontier Field, in the background is Kodak World Headquarters.

RochesterAddict

May 1st, 2006, 06:34 PM

Four high schools here in top 100
Democrat and Chronicle

Four Monroe County schools again appear on Newsweek's 2006 list of the top 100 high schools in the country.

The area schools are Wilson Magnet in Rochester at 24; Pittsford Mendon at 58: Pittsford Sutherland at 61; and Brighton at 92. New York state placed a total of 17 schools in the top 100. The New York school ranked highest was City Honors in Buffalo at No. 4.

Last year, Wilson Magnet was 27th, Pittsford Mendon was 39th; Brighton was 47th and Pittsford Sutherland came in at 78th.

Newsweek rankings are based on the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests taken at the school, divided by the number of graduating seniors. That score rose for Wilson Magnet and the Pittsford schools but dropped slightly for Brighton.

In Pittsford, where students begin AP exams this week, Superintendent Mary Alice Price called the recognition an honor.

"Students and staff work hard to continuously challenge themselves in a rigorous and demanding program," she said in a statement. "They have high expectations of themselves, and it's an honor to be listed."

Other schools receiving recognition: Odyssey Academy in Greece, 110; Victor, 121; Honeoye Falls-Lima, 411; Penfield, 437; Webster Thomas, 506; and Fairport, 726.

Congrats to Buffalo! The only other upstate New York city to place in the top 100.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/

Simon School research in top 20
Rochester Business Journal

The University of Rochester’s William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration is among the nation’s top 20 resources for downloading business faculty research, a new study by the Social Science Research Network shows.
The study looked at more than 800 U.S. and international business schools. It listed the top 20 national and international schools ranked by the numbers of requested downloads on the SSRN electronic library.
Simon ranked ahead of the business schools at Cornell, Duke, Northwestern, Ohio State, Stanford, Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, California at Berkeley, Southern California and Texas at Austin.
“This ranking is evidence of the significant impact that the Simon School’s premier faculty have had on business research over the past three decades,” Simon School dean Mark Zupan said. “It is remarkable for a school of our size to be so prolific in terms of cutting-edge research. This study places us in prestigious company among leading business schools.”

ROCguy

May 1st, 2006, 10:09 PM

Dude. That's awsome. I'm surprised to see Wilson Magnet is ranked higher than the suburban Rochester schools. Some very decent bragging rights for the city, at least they have ONE good school.

RochesterAddict

May 2nd, 2006, 12:10 AM

Hey...ok you gotta do your homework before you make sweeping generalizations Rocguy...I have a friend who went to the School of the Arts and he is highly intelligent and working in Washington for a six figure salary at age 27. So other schools do produce quality as well. I know there is a similar city school as well that does a good job like Edison Tech or something too. And the School without Walls has won many accolades for teaching, so not all city schools deserve the stigma that most urban school districts receive. The media just sensationalizes the negatives of a small amount of city schools because we have such slow news here in our little city of Rochester.

ROCguy

May 2nd, 2006, 05:15 AM

Yes, you are right. But the School without walls has only about 200 students. It's not bashing Rochester to say the inner city schools are bad, that's a generalizatoin that could be made about pretty much any inner city school district. It's not like it's the students fault. With the exception of magnet and alternative schools (like tech and arts schools) inner city schools tend to be terrible. The two you've named fall into that exception category.

veryprotourism

May 2nd, 2006, 06:17 AM

hello schools!!!

i've brought this up before, and will bring it up again.

there is nothing wrong with the city schools in rochester. the budget gap is a result of sinking property values within the city(thus a sinking schools tax levy) and less people living (and owning) in the city of rochester (again, less taxes levied). you could also look at the teachers union, and teacher tenure, as they play a significant role in driving up costs for school districts.
the city of rochester spends as much, and in some cases more, per student, as many of monroe county's suburban school districts. the under funding of inner city schools, though true in many american cities, is a myth in rochester.

the faults in rochester's city schools(and many other city's schools) can be placed, for the most part, on the parents of the students who attend these schools. if parents dont care to involve themselves in their childrens education, that education will suffer.
education starts and ends at home. if not for help with that education, atleast for encouragement.
i am in no way suggesting that rochester's city schools are perfect, but they are not as bad as many a city resident(or real estate agent) would have you believe.
i have a friend who attended east high(by no means on of the city's finest). he has since graduated from george mason university in fairfax,va.. last i spoke with him, he had a good job, and overall a good life. why? he worked hard, he applied himself, and he had GUIDANCE. the people around him tought him to want more, to learn more, and to not accept "good enough".

any way, im ranting now and i think ive already made my point.
cheers to wilson magnet(and school of the arts, and school without walls) and all of rochester's fantastic suburban schools. cheers to rochester's city schools!
a big fat piss off to all the people who whine about funding for city schools. involve yourself in you childrens life, and their education. theres a good probability that your children will do better, and your schools will do better, when you stop blaming someone else for your children's failure, and start looking at yourself.
furthermore, if there really is a problem with the school your child attends, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!. are you a taxpayer? are you a voter?
"i have no control over it" you have no control over it because you refuse to take control of it. why?, cuz your a piece of shit, just like your children will be, thanks to you.

sargeantcm

May 2nd, 2006, 03:09 PM

...the faults in rochester's city schools(and many other city's schools) can be placed, for the most part, on the parents of the students who attend these schools. if parents dont care to involve themselves in their childrens education, that education will suffer.
education starts and ends at home. if not for help with that education, atleast for encouragement.
i am in no way suggesting that rochester's city schools are perfect, but...
Amen. :master:

I feel that applies to schools everywhere. Per capita funding only covers so much of the equation; you can't spend your way out of the problem, in fact I'm sure we're past the point of diminishing returns. The crux is that the baby boomer generation seems to have left parental responsibility by the wayside, and it's becoming increasingly evident in today's society. (A viewpoint which my "boomer" parents fully agree with.) If you need a case example, go through a grocery store checkout line. It's not the store's fault the cashiers/baggers are idiots, it's the best they can do with the available "talent" (talent in air quotes) pool.

But like I've always said, the dumber today's kids are, with me not being too far ahead of them in age, that's just more opportunities and money for someone like myself who has the intelligence and responsibility to actually make something of myself. Obviously there are downsides to a nation of idiots as well, but you can probably do a decent job of insulating yourself from it if you play your cards right.

blangjr21

May 3rd, 2006, 12:55 AM

As far as school's go you will find your good ones and bad ones in the city and suburbs alike. Though I'm a Penfield High graduate it doesn't suprise me to see so many schools above it, frankley I'm surprised that PHS was rated as high as it is. I guess the music and arts program makes up for a failing math program, though there has been a recent turn around in numbers in that department.

I think that at some point our schools are "over-funded" that there is just too much money which means they need more money, then thats not enough so they need more money, a vicious cycle if you ask me. As far as that goes I fear the day that they require cuts in services but with all of these unfunded freakin mandates what can one do.

Oh and yes I'm a volunteer, but I'm a volunteer EMS worker, New York State EMT. Was a HUGE fire, burned the side of my face and i was never anywhere closer than 200 feet....frightening to be taking a piss at home, look out your window and see if from over a half mile away! Needless to say I was the second unit on scene, and it was a fire, not the biggest we've had in the past year but it's been a very busy year!

ROCguy

May 3rd, 2006, 02:52 AM

Wow! Yeah you could tell the house was completely gutted from the picture. Did they ever find out how it started?

blangjr21

May 3rd, 2006, 04:43 AM

Not sure as of yet, was a rumor that someone bumped a propane tank which ignited...and we all know that would be a problem, but not sure1

blangjr21

May 4th, 2006, 02:29 AM

Fast Ferry is Sold to U.K. Company
by R News Staff
Published May 03, 2006

The fast ferry has been sold. Mayor Duffy announced the sale Wednesday, at a press conference.

"We have just finalized a signed agreement, for $29.8 million, to Euroferries, Ltd. which is located in United Kingdon," announced Duffy. "It is a great price, especially given some of the early projections."

Duffy added, "There are two more steps to go but we felt it was important to come out today and tell you where we're at."

Those two steps are a vote by the Rochester Ferry Company board and then approval by Rochester city council. Both meetings are scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Seven bids came in on the ferry. Rochester city attorney Tom Richards worked through the bids. He will offer more information after Thursday's finalization of the sale.

"The complexity of this is just incredible," the mayor said, complimenting Richards on all his efforts. "We worked very hard to make sure it's a win for everybody."

Euroferries will use the ferry on a route between the U.K. and France.

The rest of the money will be applied to the $40 million loan with EPIC. The transaction is expected to close sometime next week, with the boat expected to leave for the U.K. a short time later.

ROCguy

May 4th, 2006, 03:46 AM

Bye bye Fast Ferry/Spirit of Ontario/ Breaze/ Cat.

veryprotourism

May 4th, 2006, 04:04 AM

thank god.

ROCguy

May 4th, 2006, 04:20 AM

It's like taking a tick off. I just hope it didn't leave lime disease.

blangjr21

May 4th, 2006, 05:54 AM

Good analogy, hopefully we're able to do something with this ferry terminal cunondrum that we've been sadled with. How rediculous that we ever got into the ferry business in the first place. If it were smaller maybe, but not that large, the demand isn't there, unbelievable to me that it ever happened. Oh well, live and learn.

blangjr21

May 4th, 2006, 05:54 AM

Oh and I've heard there will be BIG announcments at Kodak tommorow, not sure what about, or anything, I've just heard this through wispers around town.

Probably layoffs or something (that is the cynic in me talking!)

ROCguy

May 4th, 2006, 05:57 AM

What else would it be. I have to wonder how low it will go. How small do you think Kodak will get? I don't think it will dissapear altogether because it is very strong in it's digital sector, it's the film sector that's dying hard and fast. I also have to wonder (and hope) that as a digital company, Kodak coud lose all those damn smokestacks in Kodak park. You can see them from my grandparents house in greece and it's just ugly.

blangjr21

May 4th, 2006, 05:24 PM

ROCguy

May 4th, 2006, 11:53 PM

Kodak loss widens

Ben Rand
Staff writer

(May 4, 2006) — Eastman Kodak Co. will explore unspecified "strategic alternatives" for one of its most historic businesses, the $2.7 billion Health Group, the company said today in reporting first quarter earnings.

The announcement came as Kodak reported financial earnings for the first quarter, plus a separate reorganization that will result in the retirements of three senior executives.

Kodak said it lost $298 million or $1.04 a share during January, February and March, largely due to restructuring costs as well as increases in the price of silver and crude oil. That compares with a loss of $146 million or 51 cents a share in 2005's first quarter.

It was not immediately known how the results compared with Wall Street analysts' estimates. Wall Street had been estimating operating earnings of 5 cents a share or $14.3 million. But Kodak recently stopped the practice of reporting operating earnings, which give a different picture because they exclude one-time charges such as restructuring.

Kodak said it has retained Goldman Sachs and Co. to consider options for its health group, which sells chemical and computerized imaging systems to radiologists across the world. Until recently, the health group was one of the company's crown jewels in the shift from film to digital imaging.

Kodak has been a participant in the health care industry since the late 1800s, when it worked with William Roentgen to develop the first X-ray film.

The company this morning did not identify the specific alternatives it was considering. But it said the decision partly reflects trends in the marketplace.

"While the Health Group is enjoying strong organic growth in elements of its digital portfolio, such as digital capture solutions and healthcare information solutions, we have been observing for some time consolidation in this industry," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perez said in a printed statement.

"Given our valuable assets and the changing market landscape, we feel that now is the time to investigate strategic alternatives."

Kodak said that despite the loss, it remains committed to key financial targets for 2006 for generating profits from digital imaging as well as cash flow. In January, the company forecast digital earnings for the year of between $350 million and $450 million, with digital revenue growth expected to be between 16 percent and 22 percent.

Revenue for the first quarter was $2.9 billion, up 2 percent.

In connection with another part of Kodak's shift from film to digital imaging, Kodak is taking steps to decentralize its massive manufacturing operations. The company said it would now assign certain facilities to specific business units. Kodak is the process of reducing manufacturing assets by two-thirds through next year.

These moves, Kodak said, are designed to increase accountability among the businesses for product manufacturing and inventory, while also enabling further cost reductions.

As a result of the shift, three executives are retiring: Charles S. Brown, Jr., chief administrative officer; Daniel T. Meek, director of global manufacturing and logistics; and Charles C. Barrentine, director of the Kodak Operating System.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone surprised by this news? I'm not, we have the highest paid CEO in Monroe County here, Perez, something like $4.8 million in real salary not to mention the benifits and fringe benifits he enjoys, and the company continues to lose money. The guy has enough now, why not lead by example, cut your pay, I can't understand terminating all these employees and everything while his salary continues to grow, it has to end somewhere.

Also it looks like they are going to sell off parts of the company (again) so that may be a blessing in disguise, because it worked out well the last time, and may again.

Anyone wanna guess how many unfortunate workers will be layed off after this news?

You said itL:

Kodak Considers Health Imaging Sale
by Dan Smith
Published May 04, 2006
Eastman Kodak plans to explore strategic alternatives for its health group.

The company hired Goldman Sachs as its adviser as it weighs options, including selling the business segment.

Kodak also announced the pending retirement of three senior executives as it expands as a digital company. The news came out along with Kodak's first quarter earnings report.

Kodak reported a first quarter loss of $298 million or $1.04 per share.

The company blamed the loss on continued restructuring charges and the rising cost of silver and oil.

Kodak sales rose 2% to $2.89 billion over the same period last year, led by a 29% increase in the sale of digital products and services.

Traditional film sales, however, continued their rapid decline.

Kodak CEO Antonio Perez said alternatives for the health group and organizational changes aimed at improving the company's ability to compete in digital markets are important steps toward completing the creation of the "new" Kodak.

Those steps include dismantling Kodak's manufacturing structure by assigning manufacturing facilities to specific business units and disbanding the chief administrative office.

That means the retirement of chief administrative officer Charles Brown, director of Global Manufacturing and Logistics Daniel Meek, and Kodak Operating System director Charles Barrentine.

Kodak expects the organizational changes to take effect by July 1.

Financial analyst Scott Nasca of Generation Capital Management called Kodak's first quarter earnings report, "not a very good one."

"Revenue numbers and earnings came in below forecast and that is not a good sign for the company. Film sales were a big reason for the miss," explained Nasca. "It is interesting that they are looking to possibly sell the Health Imaging Group. This is consistent though, with their wanting to cut costs and focus more and more on the digital side."

I have to wonder.... if the digital kodak is growing so well while the film sector crashes.... why not just end the misery and cut the film sector out? It sounds harsh, but maybe some of thsoe jobs could be assimilated back into the "new kodak" kind of like how the Chase-Pitkin employees were assmiliated into Wegmans? It would a drastic move but wouldn't it just be quicker than just waiting for those jobs to leave anyways? Kodak's digital sales already account for more than half (54% as of 2005, the first year ever digital sales surpassed those of film sales) and that number will only go up. The film industry is leaving Rochester (and the world) for sure, but that certainly doesn't have to mean (and won't mean) that the photopgraphic industry has to.

RochesterAddict

May 5th, 2006, 04:34 AM

http://cctvimedia.clearchannel.com/wokr/0503paetekparklg.jpg

Showing Off Pae-Tec Park
13 WHAM News
After nearly $30 million in state funding and years of development, the new home of the Rochester Rhinos is nearly ready to host some serious soccer.

With opening night for Pae-Tec Park just one month away, Rhinos Executive Vice President Matthew Ford showed off the rookie stadium on Oak Street for 13WHAM News.

"It's amazing what this piece of land was a couple of years ago, and what it is today," Ford said.

The artificial field turf is in and the large scoreboard is still in progress, but it will be ready for kickoff next month.

Most of the seats are in except for the rows behind the east goal. The luxury boxes that will sit between the lower and upper decks won't open until 2007.

In its current configuration, Pae-Tec Park will hold about 13,500 people, but that number could go up with possible addition of an upper deck on the north end. That expansion could add 5,000 seats and give the Rhinos a better shot at getting into major league soccer.

Matthew Ford "We have the fan base, we have the stadium now. We certainly have the team on the field to compete in MLS. So once we have a couple seasons in this stadium under our belt, MLS is going to be a viable option for us."

Pae-Tec Park will host summer soccer camps for kids and eventually some concerts with big-name talent.

Season ticket sales have already rocketed past last season's total.

The Rhinos' season starts Friday night on the road. They'll play their first seven games away from Pae-Tec Park while construction wraps up.

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=14F1B601-D24F-4074-B2A2-B16A537990E9

Click on the link and watch the video, for an inside look.

wada_guy

May 5th, 2006, 01:21 PM

I THOUGHT YOU ALL MIGHT LIKE TO SEE THIS
KODAK MAY BE ON THE ROCKS, BUT WEGMAN'S IS SOARING!
BALTIMORE SUN
Wegmans' spread in Md. greeted with pride
Plan to open 2 more stores hailed as sign of state's affluence
By Andrea K. Walker
Originally published May 5, 2006

Elected officials' cutting ribbons on new grocery stores is a sight more associated in recent years with inner-city neighborhoods, where previous supermarkets had closed as residents moved away. But the reception that greeted news of new food markets in two affluent Maryland suburbs in recent days signaled a much different phenomenon.

It was a Wegmans.

While retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have faced opposition when trying to move into some communities, the gourmet grocer Wegmans Food Markets Inc. has been openly embraced as it has ventured from its Upstate New York roots into Maryland. The Rochester, N.Y., chain, whose markets include European-style cafes, French patisseries, sushi and gourmet cheeses, has, for some officials, become a broader symbol of economic and cultural gain - a grocery version of Starbucks.

Yesterday, Prince George's County officials, along with Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., announced that Wegmans will locate in a development being built at Glenarden. Anne Arundel officials announced last week the building of a 140,000-square-foot Wegmans at the Village of Waugh Chapel in Gambrills. The grocer is also said to be scouting sites in Howard County.

"What it means for Maryland is a sign we're coming of age in having these high-income people, and it's starting to be noticed," said Richard P. Clinch, director of economic research at the University of Baltimore's Jacob France Institute. "When you look at high-end retail throughout the state, it is now located in many areas, where it used to be in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac." Wegmans opened its first Maryland store last fall in northern Baltimore County's Hunt Valley to crowds that waited in the pre-dawn. The grocer has been credited with helping to revitalize the former Hunt Valley Mall, once dubbed "Death Valley" mall because of its sparse shoppers.

John Wegman started the grocery as the Rochester Fruit & Vegetable Co. in 1916. The business was largely centered in Upstate New York and later spread to parts of Pennsylvania. In recent years, it began expanding into more heavily populated areas and grew to 70 stores from New York to Northern Virginia. Fortune magazine has ranked it among the "100 Best Companies to Work For." In Prince George's, County Executive Jack Johnson and the governor have been trying for two years to convince Wegmans to move there, said Kwasi Holman, president and chief executive officer of the county Economic Development Corp.

"It's certainly one of the best grocery stores in the country," Holman said. "It also signals to other retailers that the county has the kind of population that will meet their market needs. So hopefully, it will start a series of dominoes falling which will encourage other folks to sign leases in the county." Prince George's, which has struggled to attract upscale retail despite being one of the wealthiest African-American-majority jurisdictions in the country, had to convince Wegmans it had sufficient population to support the store, which will anchor the Woodmore Towne Center.

"The counties want Wegmans because Wegmans is a source of prestige and a source of economic impact and quality-of-life improvement," said economist Anirban Basu, chief executive officer of Sage Policy Group Inc. "Wegmans recognizes what many of us have known, which is that Maryland is one of the nation's most affluent states, has tremendous spending power and that in past times, much of that spending power has been released in other places such as Northern Virginia or New York City," Basu said. "Many of Maryland's old wealth shops outside of Maryland to gain access to luxury goods. Wegmans is the type of retailer that really addresses a need in Maryland, which is for more upscale retail."

Two years ago, Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens began her mission to lure the grocer there after she traveled with local developers to visit her first Wegmans in Northern Virginia. She spent two years writing the company letters and talked the county up to leasing agents at a convention in Las Vegas before the store finally agreed to locate in Anne Arunedl.

Wegmans said it gets hundreds of letters from people asking it to move to their communities. A company spokesperson said the grocer looks for areas with rapid business growth, roadways that can handle its deliveries and large tracts of land to accommodate its stores. With up to 140,000 square feet, Wegmans is more than triple the size of a typical grocery store. "There were certainly areas in Maryland where we thought there were ideal locations," said Jeanne Colleluori, a Wegmans spokeswoman.

blangjr21

May 5th, 2006, 03:19 PM

You'd be amazed if you were able to see just how much money each store makes each week, or how many customers they bring in each and every day. I for one was shocked the first time I saw the stats.

Good read, and funny how they see it as a sign of prestige, where we see it as our average grocery store.

blangjr21

May 5th, 2006, 06:27 PM

So I talked to a realtor last night, and she said that they have never seen the speed in which transactions are taking place lately. She also said that there wasn't any historical increase in the number of houses for sale, just how quickly the ones for sale are being sold.

A couple of examples...

Two story, 1,000 sq. foot house on Penfield Road put up for sale on Tuesday, sold on Thursday.

Two story, 1,500 sq. foot house in suburban tract put up for $255,000 sold for $252,000 when originally bought for $195,000 six years ago.

I gotta tell ya there are a good amount of sales, and houses for sale still, I think this year may be a record breaker in home sales...but we'll see.

Susie

May 5th, 2006, 06:39 PM

. She also said that there wasn't any historical increase in the number of houses for sale, just how quickly the ones for sale are being sold.

She is wrong or simply does not read her own organizations data per the Rochester Business Journal 4/13/2006.

By MARY STONE
Rochester Business Journal
April 13, 2006

“We have a confluence of factors at work here,” Miglioratti said, theorizing that interested buyers in the latter half of last year may have been disappointed with the inventory available then, deciding to wait until the spring to shop again.
The number of homes listed for sale jumped 22.2 percent to 6,007, which Miglioratti suggests gives prospective buyers what they want: a larger market from which to choose.
The median sale price of $100,000 was down nearly 5 percent from $105,000 in February and down 2 percent from $102,000 a year ago.
“We did have a little tick down in median price,” Miglioratti acknowledged.

blangjr21

May 5th, 2006, 06:49 PM

This Week's Top Stories
For more information on business in our community subscribe to our weekly print edition.

Boston REIT buys Frontier Building
Another out-of-state real estate investment trust has snapped up a major piece of Rochester real estate with its $26.4 million purchase of the Frontier building.

ITT division picks new leader
ITT Industries Inc.’s Rochester-based Space Systems Division—the region’s 11th-largest private-sector employer—has a new leader. Christopher Young—a roughly 24-year veteran at the White Plains-based ITT—took over as president and general manager last week.

Infotonics center set to expand with new $6 million lab
On the eve of its two-year anniversary, the Infotonics Technology Center Inc. is building a $6 million packaging lab. The move should increase interest from companies, especially those in the optics arena, Infotonics Center leaders say.

Rochester picks pair of firms for downtown sites
City officials have pinpointed developers for projects on Charlotte Street and South Avenue and expect to hear from each in the next few weeks on the financial viability of the work.

Changing channels: the ferry is sold
The agreement reached midweek to sell Rochester’s fast ferry for $29.8 million to Euroferries Ltd., a newly created firm in the United Kingdom, leaves the city with an estimated debt of $19 million to pay over the next 15 years.

ROCguy

May 5th, 2006, 07:07 PM

Yes susie, you are right. There are more homes for sale.... BUT THERE ARE ALSO A LOT MORE SELLING! How can you not comprehend that? The real estate market in Rochester is GOOD susie, you are just going to have to accept that and move on. Find something else to gripe about (I'm sure you could think up plenty).

Susie

May 5th, 2006, 07:13 PM

jr21 said that there were not more houses for sale I was simply pointing out that this is way WAY off. A 22.2% increase in homes for sale is MAJOR and indicative of a buyers market which is bad for the home owners and not a sellers market which is good for the home owner. Being just a kid I can understand that this would not matter to you but to the seller it means falling prices which is evidenced by the 5% drop in median prices this year.

ROCguy

May 5th, 2006, 07:27 PM

I know you are just a fat ignorant housewife..... but you don't let me explain. Blang was talking about HIS realtor. The realtor HE is working with. She has sold houses fast. And you really are dumb because a buyers market is way better for BUYERS looking for a house. The sellers markets in Los Angeles, New York and Florida are what is leading them down the path to a housing bubble bust. All of Upstate NY has a very stable housing market because the prices are more attracting to BUYERS. Rochester has a good housing market, again, you are just going to have to get over it.

Susie

May 5th, 2006, 07:35 PM

If Rochester had a good housing market 1) prices would be rising and 2) listings would be stable. If Rochester had a hot housing market listings would be falling. dems the facts junior.

ECoastTransplant

May 5th, 2006, 07:47 PM

Rochester picks pair of firms for downtown sites
City officials have pinpointed developers for projects on Charlotte Street and South Avenue and expect to hear from each in the next few weeks on the financial viability of the work.

^^ What is planned for these sites?

ROCguy

May 5th, 2006, 07:50 PM

If Rochester had a good housing market 1) prices would be rising and 2) listings would be stable. If Rochester had a hot housing market listings would be falling. dems the facts junior.

I didn't say it had a hot housing market, I said it had a stable housing market. There's a difference. Stable is good for a while, hot is boom and bust.

Susie

May 5th, 2006, 08:01 PM

Right and an increase in listings coupled with a decline in median prices equals a weakening housing market which is what we have.

sargeantcm

May 5th, 2006, 08:06 PM

Rochester will be just fine. The housing bubble never really showed up in the first place, as was the case with most of the country between the coasts.

Here's an article from CNN/Money about Dead, Danger, and Safe Markets (http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/03/news/economy/realestateguide_fortune/index.htm). Rochester would appear to fall within the geographic and economic ranges of the featured "safe" markets.

blangjr21

May 6th, 2006, 01:55 AM

I'm not sure about the Charlotte Street and South Avenue project, but I had heard something about more apartments like Chevy Place downtown...but we'll find out!

blangjr21

May 6th, 2006, 01:57 AM

By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer
May 1, 2006: 5:45 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - If you've recently gambled that Las Vegas housing prices would continue to rise this year, you may be on the losing side of the bet.

According to the latest housing price forecasts from Fiserv Lending Solutions, a provider of mortgage and consumer lending services, Las Vegas real estate will tumble a whopping 8.2 percent in 2006, the largest predicted fall among the 379 metro areas studied.
Home prices on hold
How the five biggest metro areas will perform.

Metro area Median home price Forecast growth (loss) for 2006
New York $395,000 (2.3%)
Los Angeles $438,000 (3.0%)
Chicago $255,000 0.6%
Houston $145,000 6.1%
Atlanta $182,000 4.6%

Source: Fiserv Lending Solutions

Fiserv forecasts a significant stagnation in housing prices for the United States in 2006 -- median home prices overall will inch up only 1.5 percent this year. And many metro areas will experience drops, including some of the largest, and most expensive, ones such as New York (down 2.43 percent), Los Angeles (down 3 percent) and Washington (down 1.9 percent).

Phoenix, one of the fastest-growing areas the past couple of years, is another town too hot not to cool down. Fiserv predicts an increase of just 3.3 percent.

Some of the metro areas that have lagged over the past few years, however, may play a bit of catch-up. Fiserv forecasts Houston, where the median home price stands at a modest $145,000, to grow by 6.1 percent. San Antonio (median price is $138,000) should do even better, rising 8.3 percent. Memphis, where prices average $129,000, should see a rise of 7.8 percent.

Some of the recently cooler markets in the Northeast are also expected to be among the winners this year. Rochester, New York, where median homes average only $120,000, should see prices rise 8 percent. Neighboring Syracuse will rise 7.8 percent and Scranton, Pennsylvania will increase 7.6 percent.

The table below gives forecasts for 379 metro areas, ranked by median home price. Click on column headings to re-sort. And click on state names for more stats on key towns. Top of page

RochesterAddict

May 6th, 2006, 02:36 AM

The Charlotte St development are the luxury condos and apartments they are building behind Spot Coffee. I will look for my Roc Devlpmt 2 posting about this. They have already begun the grading and and paver sidewalks for the project.

The South Ave project can only be the former site of the Downtown Motor Lodge which has sat vacant for like 10 years. They knocked down the lodge in 1996, and have had one last building stopping the progress. Perhaps that means they finally came to an answer of what to do with the horrid homeless shelter blocking the progress of the project. (Not saying homeless people are horrid, but if you have ever seen the building the homeless shelter is in, it is putrid.) But all the bleeding hearts want to spare the building because it has been a shelter since 1920 run by the nuns, even though the city offered the building across the street to move the shelter to. I dont understand why some would want to halt progress?

Here's something cool:

Red Osier going national
Deal with Tyson expected to greatly increase roast beef sales
Democrat and Chronicle

The Red Osier brand could become a household name nationwide with a new production and distribution deal with Tyson Foods. "Red Osier Roast Beef Powered by Tyson" will be distributed in all 50 states under the new deal, which will be announced this morning. The deal has the potential to triple the volume of Red Osier roast beef sold and generate $3 million in additional sales in the first year for Red Osier Food Products in Irondequoit, said Chief Executive Rob Moore. Tyson Foods, the world's largest processor and marketer of meats, will distribute the new line of products and provide the roast beef while Red Osier will provide the flavoring and juices. The announcement will come at the debut of a Red Osier kiosk at the Greater Rochester International Airport. A smaller distribution deal with current Red Osier client Delaware North Sportservice, which runs concessions at sports stadiums, also will be announced. Tyson and Red Osier started working together in April. Officials from both companies say that their partnership is a first for them and that it is a win-win situation. For Red Osier, it expands the company's distribution network from 34 markets in 22 states to Tyson's distribution network, which includes all 50 states and 26 countries, Moore said. Red Osier is currently ranked 88th out of 500 roast beef brands in the United States. The company's goal is to be in the top five in three years, Moore said. For Tyson Foods, based in Springdale, Ark., it allows the company the use of the Red Osier brand. "They had such strong brand recognition in this area, and quite honestly, I was sick of selling against them, and I said, 'Let's make them a part of our family,'" said Michele Rocker, Tyson's director of sales in the Northeast. "I knew that having our products associated with Red Osier roast beef would increase our presence in the roast beef category ourselves." Talks between the companies started two years ago, and the deal was signed at the beginning of this year, said Rocker, who is based in Buffalo. The only partnership the company has similar to the one with Red Osier is with former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. That partnership does not involve beef. Tyson has rolled out a national advertising campaign for the new products, which will sell from $5.99 to $9.99. "Other than the purchase of the restaurant in 1979, this is the most significant partnership and business expansion we have had," Moore said. "This is kind of The Little Engine that Could and David and Goliath combined." The Red Osier brand started at its landmark restaurant in Stafford, Genesee County. The family has said the restaurant business is also exploring expansions. The community will benefit from the Red Osier-Tyson deal as well, said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks. "Red Osier will be known across the country, and they are headquartered here in Rochester," she said. "Certainly as a community, that's the most significant thing — this is a local product that will now be a national product. It is significant exposure for Rochester and Monroe County."

I've always known we have some culinary potential in Rochester. Frenchs, Zweigles, Montana Mills, Red Osier, Great Northern Pizza, Honey Brown Beer, Wine, Birds Eye, blah blah blah....and a place to sell them all Wegmans.

RochesterAddict

May 6th, 2006, 03:23 AM

Speaking of Wegmans...

Plan Approved for Greece Wegmans
RNEWS
It's out with the old and in with the new for Wegmans in Greece.

The Greece Town Planning Board approved Wegmans' proposal to tear down its food market and former Chase Pitkin store on Mt. Read Boulevard.

Wegmans plans to build a new 105,000 square foot store on the 13 and a half acre parcel.

The company hopes to open the new store by September of next year.

Its about time Wegmans invest in their hometown stores. Some of our stores have been around forever and need an upgrade. Now they will build a new store on Caulkins Road in Henrietta, a new store on Mt Read Blvd in Greece, a new store at Latta and Long Pond Rd in Greece, a new East Avenue Wegmans in the city, and a new Holt Road store in Webster. Now I just want to see a time line for the stores? Hopefully it will be soon.

Here is another story on the Frontier buliding:

Frontier Building Sold
13WHAM

The company that leases Frontier Telephone was sold for $26.5 million.
Boston-based Newkirk Realty bought the property from a Syracuse firm, which has owned the building since 1987.
The sale was one of the most expensive transactions downtown in recent years.

ROCguy

May 6th, 2006, 03:29 AM

I was just about the post the wegmans story..... I can't believe they are tearing down the old one. I'll miss it because a trip to Rochester is never complete without a visit at the old Greece Wegmans with it's orange floors, brown walls, and distinctive "Wegmans Smell". I went there a lot, like almost every day, when I was a little kid. But it's also good to note progress and see something new being built as well. I'm sure the new store will eventually get it's "wegmans smell" too.

veryprotourism

May 6th, 2006, 07:12 PM

I've always known we have some culinary potential in Rochester. Frenchs, Zweigles, Montana Mills, Red Osier, Great Northern Pizza, Honey Brown Beer, Wine, Birds Eye, blah blah blah....and a place to sell them all Wegmans.

don't forget about soyboy (northern soy) in chili!

ROCguy

May 6th, 2006, 08:49 PM

ANDY'S CANDIES!

blangjr21

May 7th, 2006, 04:21 AM

Just got back from the St. John Fisher graduation thing at Blue Cross Arena, the loss of South Ave parking garage really sucks for traffic flow down there, but Eliot Spitzer was the keynote speaker, and I was really impressed by his speech. Long story short the message was for the kids to "stay in New York" to help re-build the Empire State, there were many powerful connections from the building of the Erie Canal to the Womans Rights movements that started out here. Now I'm still not sure who I'll vote for come November, but I tell you I was really impressed with his speech, and the delivery of it.

Though I wonder how it was recieved, though he got the largest ovation of all the speakers (though its not tough when going against the schools chairman and president (boring!!!!)) anyways, was a good speech.

blangjr21

May 7th, 2006, 04:23 AM

Also a few R-news pieces, this is kind of just a fluff piece I guess...

Mayor's Newest Hire is On the Job
by Anthony Pascale
Published May 06, 2006

The newest member of the Duffy administration is now officially on the job.

Carlos Carballada was named Commissioner of Economic Development back in February. He just recently started, after leaving his job as director of the M & T Bank Corporation.

Carballada says his first objectives include working with the county to attract new business. He says he will also focus on convincing companies already here in Rochester to stay and expand.

"One of the things the Mayor and I are going to do is, we're going to be reaching out to companies to make sure they understand how important they are to us," Carballada said.

Carballada does not have an opinion on the idea of putting a casino in downtown Rochester. He says it's not on the radar right now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And this I think is more a Buffalo-Rochester thing I guess...not sure where to put it, but it doesn't really directly effect Rochester, though its sad, and a backhand to Medina:

Local Company Relocating to China
by Rocco Vertuccio
Photo by Alecia Kaus
Published May 06, 2006

A company that has been in Orleans County since the '60s is shutting down. It is a loss of almost 300 jobs.

Employees of Bernzomatic in Medina found out Friday that the company will move its operation to China. The company makes hand held torches.

The news came as a surprise to not only the employees, but also to Medina's mayor. Mayor Clayton Ehrenreich said that he heard the news from the village's police department.

Police were put on stand by Friday when the company delivered the news to employee, for fear some would lose control.

"It’s very bad. I worked there when I was in college as a security guard. I am familiar with the plant and what they do over there. To think they have been here that long they have their workforce that has been loyal for years to this without any warning or anything like that it bothered me quite a bit," said Mayor Ehrenreich.

Ehrenreich said that he spoke to lawmakers both locally and at the federal level, they told him they knew nothing about the news.

The company plans to move to China in March next year.

ROCguy

May 7th, 2006, 04:44 AM

ROCguy

May 7th, 2006, 06:16 PM

OK. so, here is another great think that Kodak has come up with. Now the only question is if they will actually be able to keep it , get credit for it. and make some serious revenue off of it.

Find photos in a flash

New Kodak technology will know what you are looking for in hunt for old pictures

Ben Rand
Staff writer

(May 7, 2006) — The next chapter of digital photography as envisioned by Eastman Kodak Co. reads a little like a Ray Bradbury novel or the script of the 2002 movie Minority Report.

Kodak and others in the industry believe that in the future, you won't have to waste time trying to recall details of an old photograph. Your computer will tell you where and when the photo was taken, who was in it, even how old they were at the time.

And that, believe it or not, could just be for starters. Researchers across industry and academia are hard at work developing futuristic technologies that could transform digital picture-taking by enabling images to communicate useful information.

"The whole strategy for us in pressing the fast-forward button in this new chapter is looking at how we can break the mold of the old system ... so that consumers will be inspired to do more," says Pierre Schaeffer, chief marketing officer for Kodak's consumer digital photography group.

This vision of the future could mean that you would no longer have to search manually for pictures of your children — the PC or other device will do it for you. Need images or videos from your trip to Florida? Pictures from birthday parties through the years? A few clicks of the mouse will produce them.

The breakthrough applications could provide a critical boost to Kodak's plans for digital imaging. By making it easier to find and organize your images, the company believes it will generate new revenue through increased sales of items such as keepsake photo books, unique online photo-sharing services or products not yet imagined.

There is some urgency: Kodak last week reported a loss of $298 million during the first quarter, marked by a 10 percent decline in revenue from consumer digital photography.

A whole new world

Long talked about, but now on the verge of reaching the marketplace, the technologies — showcased to reporters in New York recently — are part of a research area known as "image understanding." Simply put, image understanding holds that pictures, like words, have no meaning without context — "the who, the what, the where, the when and, in some cases, the which and the whose," says Patrick Cosgrove, program manager for intelligent content and semantic understanding at Kodak.

As envisioned, those questions would be answered by high-level software that analyzes the telltale clues silently captured every time you snap a digital photo.

The research is currently focused on three main areas: recognizing people through their faces, identifying objects such as trees or basketballs and analyzing the background. The ultimate goal is not to gather information for information's sake, Cosgrove says, but to turn "data into knowledge."

He provides an example: In the future, digital cameras may routinely record the latitude and longitude of where the photo was taken through an internal global positioning system. By itself, that information isn't useful to the average person. But imagine if it could be used to sort pictures taken at a specific place, such as grandma's house, he said.

Kodak is not committing to a specific date when the technology will be widely available. If and when it is, the technology will more than likely not be a stand-alone item — rather, it will be found inside another product, such as a digital camera or a photo kiosk.

The company is not alone in pursuing this line of research, as a conference in Rochester will show this week. A dozen scientists from industry and academia will be talking about cutting-edge projects as part of "frontiers in imaging," at the George Eastman House on Thursday, part of the weeklong International Congress of Imaging Science.

Out of the box

Some projects, however, are closer to fruition. The company is marketing a new service aimed at creating a digital archive from the box of prints found in virtually every closet.

The service, known as Scan the World, is built around a high-speed scanner and organizational software. Kodak is testing the service in Wegmans Food Markets on Latta Road in Greece and Penfield Road in Penfield. Since December, consumers have used the service to scan 75,000 prints.

The next generation will likely come with higher-level software that will organize pictures into the decades they were taken, based on analyzing the photo's size and shape and a scan of its watermark.

Scan the World is an illustration of an important change in the photo industry, said Jeff Holdsworth, photo category merchant for Wegmans.

In the past, photo counters essentially acted as manufacturers, Holdsworth said. Consumers brought in film, and photo-processors made pictures. In the future, consumers will be in control and will direct the industry on what services to provide, Holdsworth said.

"The goal is to try to serve consumers by changing the way they access their images," Holdsworth said. Wegmans is testing a range of pricing: Scanning up to 40 pictures costs $19.99; at the top, consumers can have Wegmans scan up to 4,000 pictures for $199.99.

The bigger picture

The initial cost for the scan is only the beginning of the revenue opportunity, says Mitch Goldstone, co-owner of 30 Minute Photos Etc., a photo retailer in Irvine, Calif. Goldstone's store has been offering Scan the World since November. He says that once the shoeboxes are in digital form, customers are sending them to friends and family, who are then coming in for reprints.

He sees it immediately in the store. Goldstone will invite customers to view their images on an in-store kiosk. At first, he says, people go through their images quickly. "But then, they slow down and start to make prints," he said.

Goldstone is looking forward to getting his hands on the newer technologies. The ability "to have the software recognize faces, to have them archived by decade — it's extraordinary."

And extraordinary to more than just Kodak. Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc., as well as major universities such as Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Rochester and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have programs focusing on image understanding.

Microsoft, for instance, is promising enhanced photo organization and archiving in connection with the upcoming release of Windows Vista, the next-generation operating system. One of the goals is to make it easier for users to attach information to their images and be able to retrieve it using a range of software programs, said Ed Lee, digital imaging analyst for InfoTrends Research Group Inc. of Boston.

The value of the new technologies is far greater than just printed products. There is likely money to be made in helping consumers transmit their images electronically, Lee said.

And if pictures are considered "personal content," there may be opportunity in the cross-section with licensed content — for instance, inserting your portrait into a Boston Red Sox uniform and making a print, Lee said.

Taking shape

Business opportunities are just being formed, says Andreas Savakis, a former Kodak researcher, now an RIT professor of computer engineering.

"As people collect more and more digital images, the business case becomes stronger," says Savakis, who has collaborated with Kodak on several research projects at RIT.

One of the next frontiers may be enabling more of a grassroots exchange of photos, a top industry analyst says.

Today, sharing photos online with large groups requires the use of a central repository — a service such as Shutterfly.com or KodakGallery.com. It would be a lot easier to have a system "where you say, 'I'll send you my files, you send me yours,'" said Alexis Gerard, publisher and founder of the Future Image Report, a California-based industry researcher.

That was exactly the experience of Bob Witeck, chief executive of a Washington, D.C., marketing communications firm. Witeck used Scan the World offered by Goldstone's store. He sent a box of images to Goldstone and got back a CD that he gave to his sister, who is battling breast cancer.

"It's been a huge home run. We've been sending pictures to friends and family we haven't seen in a long time," he said.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I gotta say though, it does sound little creepy. One day, our digital cameras could take over the world! lol

BuffCity

May 7th, 2006, 11:33 PM

anyone hear the rumor about GE General Electric buying Kodak?

perhaps they need a bigger vision. :sleepy:

ROCguy

May 7th, 2006, 11:49 PM

Nah, I don't think they were talking about the whole company. Probably the health group though. It would be way too ironic for ANOTHER of Rochester's big three to go to Connecticut (where GE is headquartered, as is Xerox).

blangjr21

May 7th, 2006, 11:57 PM

I would think GE would like to purchase something like Kodak's Health Imaging department, but I just don't understand why Kodak would want to unload a profitable portion of their company, I guess whatever keeps the Health Imaging portion in Rochester is my favorite option...

Susie

May 8th, 2006, 03:30 PM

see below

Susie

May 8th, 2006, 03:35 PM

Yeah, that move to china thing is a bitch. Geographicaly it's more a "buffalo" issue, but technically, because it is BARELY within Orleans county, it's in Rochester's MSA. But still, any American company from anywhere in the country moving to freaking China is a shame; a damn shame.

So when we are counting people Orleans belongs to Rochester but when we are losing jobs then Orleans County belongs to Buffalo. Is that the type of logic you need to get through the day? BTW per mapquest Medina-Rochester 43.03 miles. Medina-Buffalo 42.72 miles. Also Orleans County is adjacent to Monroe County (Rochester) it does not touch Erie County(Buffalo) at all.

Still it is still fun to watch you rationalize and try to explain away every single new piece of bad news that befalls the Rochester area.

Susie

May 8th, 2006, 03:54 PM

Deal could end Mpower's local presence

David Tyler
Staff writer

(May 6, 2006) — Mpower Holding Corp. will be acquired by TelePacific Communications, a Los Angeles company, in a move that may signal the end of the Perinton telecommunications provider's presence here.

TelePacific will pay about $204 million for Mpower under a deal announced Friday.

"TelePacific has indicated they would wind down operations over time after the closing," Mpower spokeswoman Michelle Sadwick said in a statement.

The deal could close this summer, but no timetable has been set for reductions, she said.

Privately held TelePacific will borrow money to pay $1.92 in cash for each Mpower share, the companies said. TelePacific provides telecommunications services to businesses throughout California and in Las Vegas.

Mpower has emerged from bankruptcy and added 100 jobs in the past year, mostly in Western states. It employs 80 locally. Those employees will be offered severance packages, Sadwick said.

Since bankruptcy, the vast majority of the company's business has been in California, Nevada and Chicago.

"As demonstrated by the terms of this transaction, Mpower has come to this agreement with TelePacific from a position of considerable financial and operational strength," said Mpower Chairman and Chief Executive Rolla Huff in a printed statement.

Both companies' boards have approved the agreement. Mpower will hold a special shareholder vote at a meeting that has not yet been set. The acquisition also would need regulatory approval.

"This transaction brings together two solid, very well-run companies that share a focus on offering a meaningful competitive choice to small and medium-sized business customers," said Dick Jalkut, president and CEO of TelePacific in a statement.

Jalkut will lead the combined company in the same positions. Huff has been offered a position on TelePacific's board, but has not decided whether to accept, Sadwick said

RochesterAddict

May 8th, 2006, 05:44 PM

What an annoying hick.....

I spoke with Rolla Huff last month and she told me that the sale of the company will be invested locally. She is taking the money and pumping it into a local start up from some RIT students in health imaging. Mpower hasnt been profitable since the early 00's and Telepacific just wants the company for its network. If Rolla does accept a job with them, then she will telecommute from Rochester. Just like the local VP for Sirus Radio does with California. She is also taking the money and purchasing a winter home in Boca Raton Florida as well. Im happy for Mpower and Huff, it was success to sell it!

Here is todays story on our local sprawl and Ontario county:
http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060508/NEWS01/605080339

The public market is thriving and Javas restaurant just had its grand opening:
http://rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=37614&rnews_story_type=18

Here is a story about Saint John Fisher graduates and how most will stay in Rochester to find work:
http://whec.com/newspoll.asp?template=item&story_id=18709

For all who never got a chance to see the Fast Ferry and the beautiful terminal to the right:
http://my-expressions.com/up_media/4051/pblog/5159/1146835258.jpg

And here are some of the recently renovated St Paul Quarter buildings, my friend lives in the red building, such a great view of the city from his windows:
http://my-expressions.com/up_media/4051/pblog/5159/1146918686.jpg

Susie

May 8th, 2006, 07:41 PM

From 2002 to 2003, 20,191 people moved out of Monroe County
Bennett J. Loudon
Staff writer

(May 8, 2006) — Christopher Miles will be driving almost an hour to work in Monroe County when he moves to rural Ontario County later this summer.

But the long daily trek is worth it to him so he can enjoy the beautiful scenery and small-town atmosphere of Naples, where he purchased a four-unit apartment house. Miles, a 35-year-old sales supervisor who now lives in Penfield, said he's fond of the Adirondack Mountains, "and in western New York, the closest thing to that for me is the Naples area, or the Finger Lakes area."

Like Miles, hundreds of people are leaving Monroe County every year for homes within the region, in places they consider less expensive, safer or more scenic.

And for most of those folks, Ontario County is the top choice. From 1992 through 2003, according to Internal Revenue Service data based on the addresses of tax return filers, an annual average of 1,428 people moved from Monroe County to Ontario County. During the same time, an average of 405 fewer people moved in the other direction — from Ontario to Monroe County.

From 2002 to 2003, most of the 20,191 people who moved out of Monroe County made a beeline for the state line. But among people looking to stay in the region, Ontario County was the top choice. In all, 1,467 former Monroe residents moved to Ontario County.

Ontario County is the only county in the six-county Rochester region that has grown since 2000.

While the population of Ontario County increased by 1,046 from 2004 to 2005 — from 103,415 to 104,461 — Monroe County lost 2,450 residents.

Moving out

John Joseph and his fiancée, Catherine Antoniak, wanted a home in a peaceful, natural setting. They found it in Bristol, Ontario County. "South of (Routes) 5 and 20, your nerves start to calm down, literally," said Joseph, a software engineer who will drive 40 minutes to work after they move into their ranch house on five acres in mid-May.

Joseph, 50, who now lives on Rosedale Street in Rochester, said they chose rural Ontario County for the privacy and "natural surroundings and peace and quiet."

Sarah Boyce, associate director of the Center for Governmental Research, said an important factor in the growth of Ontario County is an excellent highway system.

"Ontario County is located at the end of (Interstate) 490, so that gives easy access to Monroe County for people commuting in for work," Boyce said.

The average commute to work for Monroe County residents is 19.6 minutes, compared with 25.5 nationwide. But the fastest-growing commuter group in the country is people traveling 90 minutes or more to their jobs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Almost 10 million people are driving more than an hour to work, an increase of about 50 percent since 1990.

"I don't think there is a lot of mystery to this. We have a metropolitan area where the transportation infrastructure works very well, and so people who are looking for housing that gives them a lot of space, gives them high-quality new housing, or even existing housing for a lower price, are very tempted to leave our immediate area," said Kent Gardner, president of the Center for Governmental Research.

"It's easy to live in the town of Victor, or Farmington, or even Canandaigua, and commute to a job in Monroe County," Gardner said.

Indeed, according to 2000 U.S. census data, 13,094 people commute to work from Ontario to Monroe County.

In addition to Interstate 490, which connects Rochester and Monroe to the state Thruway and its four exits in Ontario County, the recent expansion of Route 332 leading from the Thruway to the city of Canandaigua has further eased the commute and led to more development.

The growth of the outlying region, made increasingly accessible by multi-lane roads such as I-490, the Thruway and Route 332, provides a classic example of taxpayer-funded projects encouraging sprawl, said Gardner.

Tax money from residents of Rochester and Monroe County is helping to make it easier for people to move farther away from the city and the heart of the metropolitan area.

"It's a little hard to put too much of a nice spin on that," Gardner said.

Intangibles

Interstate 390 provides similar access to Livingston from Monroe County, and I-490 also links Monroe and Genesee counties. But the level of migration by Monroe County residents to those counties is a fraction of what Ontario County receives.

Experts don't have a definite explanation for the disparity. But transportation is seen as only one factor among many that lure away residents.

Cynthia Cole, an agent for McMillan Realty Inc., said the No. 1 reason she hears for people moving to the Finger Lakes region or Ontario County is that it is pretty.

"I think they're coming out to be in smaller school districts, a little lower crime; (lower) taxes is another thing," Cole said.

Debbie Iezzi, a sales representative for Morrell Builders, based in Pittsford, said 14 of 44 homes the company has built in the Camden Hills development off Lynaugh Road in Victor are owned by former Monroe County residents who now commute to jobs in Monroe.

"We're still very exurban, in a sense. People enjoy being in small towns, small villages and with plenty of services available, but not being overwhelmed by the urban environment," said Ontario County Planning Director Kristen Mark Hughes.

Impact on Victor

One of the hottest growth spots in Ontario County is the town of Victor, where the population grew from 9,977 in 2000 to 11,474 in 2004.

During the past five years, the Victor Central School District's enrollment has increased by 17 percent, or 534 students. Since the 1996-97 school year, enrollment has grown from 2,970 to the current 3,655.

The town, home to Eastview Mall, which attracts about 11.5million shoppers annually and generates about a third of the county's sales tax revenue, is holding a series of forums to gather public input on planning the future of the town. Town officials also are gearing up to write a new master plan; the current one is more than 10 years old.

"Managed, balanced growth is one of our biggest challenges," said Leslie Bamann, who took over as Victor supervisor in January.

"The question becomes, how much do we want to grow?" Bamann said. "If you want to limit some of that, who is going to pay for setting aside green space, and how is that going to be paid for?"

sargeantcm

May 8th, 2006, 08:04 PM

..."It's a little hard to put too much of a nice spin on that," Gardner said...
You do realize he's talking about taxpayer assisted sprawl, and not Monroe Cty outmigration (in and of itself), don't you?

This is something happening everywhere, in much smaller cities even. Take a drive and see for yourself.

I'm a highway engineer, and even I say it's becoming sickening.

Susie

May 8th, 2006, 08:10 PM

You do realize he's talking about taxpayer assisted sprawl, and not Monroe Cty outmigration (in and of itself), don't you?

This is something happening everywhere, in much smaller cities even. Take a drive and see for yourself.

I'm a highway engineer, and even I say it's becoming sickening.
You do realize that the D&C article clearly stated that 20,191 people moved out of Monroe County and that Ontario gained only 1,046 people. You further realize that the article also clearly stated that ALL of the other counties in the region LOST people. You also realize that the article clearly stated that most of the 20,191 made a "beeline for the state line". I do not think that qualifies as sprawl, I think that qualifies as an exodus.

ROCguy

May 8th, 2006, 10:44 PM

So when we are counting people Orleans belongs to Rochester but when we are losing jobs then Orleans County belongs to Buffalo. Is that the type of logic you need to get through the day? BTW per mapquest Medina-Rochester 43.03 miles. Medina-Buffalo 42.72 miles. Also Orleans County is adjacent to Monroe County (Rochester) it does not touch Erie County(Buffalo) at all.

Still it is still fun to watch you rationalize and try to explain away every single new piece of bad news that befalls the Rochester area.

Actually what I have always said and maintain is that Orleans county in reality should be SPLIT between the two, eastern half going to Rochester, and western half going to Buffalo. We've had this discussion, and if I rememer correclty, YOU are the one that said that Orleans county should go to Buffalo. But it doesn't matter either way. It's not really in either cities direct metro area but no matter which it was in it's bad news for all of WNY. Susie, you really are a sad person. I just, can't fathom how screwed up your kids must be and I feel HORRIBLE for them. Look at how psycho you are. You are on the internet, trashtalking a teenager FROM DAY ONE, SO DON'T EVEN TRY TO SAY I STARTED IT, and dissing the hell out of your home town every chance you get. You are so bitter I can't imagine you being a loving mother or wife at all. In fact, I'm doubting that you have a husband or kids at all. Chances are the reason you act so bitter and miserable all the time is because you are lonely and have no kids or husband. You are probably some middle aged spinster lady who is realizing her life sucks and vents her misery at the area she lives in and random people with whome you disagree. Pretty sad and REALLY pathetic.

ROCguy

May 9th, 2006, 06:28 AM

Well, let's see how Susie takes this one. Here is another company setting up shop in Orleans County, very close to the one that is moving to China, that is going to create hundreds of jobs... which metro area is Orleans County in now susie? I think it's good news for WNY overall personaly;

http://rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=37653&rnews_story_type=18

Ethanol Plant Coming to Shelby
by Mark Schoenberger
Published May 08, 2006
New York's first dry mill ethanol plant will be built in Shelby, Orleans County.

The $85 million dollar plant will help reduce the country’s reliance on foreign oil by producing clean-burning corn-based fuel. It will produce an estimated 55 million gallons of fuel grade ethanol each year.

Hundreds of new jobs will come out of the project. The plant received $6 million dollars in state funding. Construction on the ethanol plant is expected to begin this summer.

sargeantcm

May 9th, 2006, 06:43 AM

You do realize that the D&C article clearly stated that 20,191 people moved out of Monroe County and that Ontario gained only 1,046 people. You further realize that the article also clearly stated that ALL of the other counties in the region LOST people. You also realize that the article clearly stated that most of the 20,191 made a "beeline for the state line". I do not think that qualifies as sprawl, I think that qualifies as an exodus.
Ahhhh hah hah...

But did you not also say (and even go so far as to bold)...
...an annual average of 1,428 people moved from Monroe County to Ontario County. During the same time, an average of 405 fewer people moved in the other direction — from Ontario to Monroe County.

From 2002 to 2003, most of the 20,191 people who moved out of Monroe County made a beeline for the state line. But among people looking to stay in the region, Ontario County was the top choice. In all, 1,467 former Monroe residents moved to Ontario County.
...
While the population of Ontario County increased by 1,046 from 2004 to 2005 — from 103,415 to 104,461 — Monroe County lost 2,450 residents.

Now if they lost 20,191, but lost only a net total of 2,450 (of which a net 1,023 (1428-405) remained in state moving to Orleans Cty, not to mention other bordering counties), that would imply people are also moving in, albeit at a slower pace, would it not? What percentage is that loss as compared to Erie Cty 1990-2005? And we're better off?!?!

Idiots. Who would want to move to Rochester.

ROCguy

May 9th, 2006, 06:45 AM

I know! Don't they realize that Rochester will soon be reduced to a small isolated fishing village on the Genesee River?

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 03:37 PM

Ahhhh hah hah...

But did you not also say (and even go so far as to bold)...

that would imply people are also moving in, albeit at a slower pace, would it not? What percentage is that loss as compared to Erie Cty 1990-2005? And we're better off?!?!

Idiots. Who would want to move to Rochester.

Not at all. Earlier posts to this site indicated that the main reason the decline was smaller here than in Erie County was that the birth to death ratio was much more favorable here than in Erie County.

In your posts you frequently wish to point out that Buffalo is in even worse shape than Rochester as if that somehow makes us ok. It's not true and even if it was it is only indicative of a race to the bottom. the fact is there is not one shred of economic data that would show us doing better than Buffalo. Every job statistic, every magazine ranking of economic performance, every Bureau of Economic report on income and wages show us behind the Buffalo area.

The only area you could say that we are doing better is in population loss, but that is not economic since that Census data shows that the difference is largely the result of a more births to deaths here than in the Buffalo area.

Look objectively at the data and you will see that they have gained jobs while we are the only area of the entire state to lose them. And this has been going on for 5 years now. In the last year alone Buffalo has increased it's job plurality over us by 11,200 jobs. (March 2006 NYS DOL web site)

A month or so ago I put a post on the Rochester and Buffalo threds asking the boosters to list projects over $20 million dollars. As I recall the Rochester thread did not come up with one single project while the Buffalo thread easily came up with over a dozen more than one of which was over $100 million dollars. So don't go telling me we are doing better than them. I drove there a few weeks back and saw the contruction cranes along the 190. The only cranes you will see in Rochester are at the zoo.

RochesterAddict

May 9th, 2006, 05:37 PM

Please stop the above....it will escalate out of control...as always and is SO annoying. Let those who are miserable be miserable, and the rest will live their life to the fullest.

Bernz-O-Matic headed to China
Democrat and Chronicle
MEDINA — Hand-held torch manufacturer Bernz-O-Matic will move its Orleans County operation to China in March, displacing more than 270 workers.

Employees were told Friday that the company, which has had a presence in Medina since 1969, would retain about 30 to 40 jobs there.

Huntersville, N.C.-based Irwin Tools, a division of Newell-Rubbermaid, bought Bernz-O-Matic in 1982. A call to an Irwin Tools spokeswoman was not immediately returned Monday.

Bernz-O-Matic employs about 220 union workers, between 30 and 40 office workers and several dozen contract employees, Behe said.

The company was founded in 1876 by Otto Bernz in Newark, N.J., to sell plumbers’ tools, furnaces and torches. The company changed its name to Bernz-O-Matic in the 1940s and relocated to Rochester. In the late 1970s, all manufacturing and offices were relocated to the Medina facility.

The product line includes fire extinguishers, charcoal fire starters, insect foggers and hand tools.

I think this story is interesting, and I am sure the #1 reason for this company leaving the hick town is because of the union asking for astronomical things. If you are not educated and not determined enough to get an education, then you should be happy making $10 an hour. Unions are not needed, it is not like its 1920 and we are trying to stop children from working in a plant. If you dont like your job, quit, and get another, you dont need a union fighting for outdated principles for you.

Ethanol Refinery Planned for Orleans County
13WHAM
(Shelby, N.Y.) – Governor George Pataki was in Shelby, New York on Monday to announce a plan for New York state's first dry mill ethanol plant.

The plant will be built in the Orleans County town where it will produce clean-burning, corn-based fuel. Pataki said the plant will reduce dependency on foreign oil and help local farmers.

Officials said the plant will use 6 million bushels of corn from the region's farms to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol each year. It will also create 58 new jobs.

Construction on the $87.4 million plant is scheduled to begin this summer. It's scheduled to begin production in January 2008.

Using ethanol could help drivers save 25 percent on their gas bill.

So Rocguy it will not create hundreds of jobs, but it is still good news. Not only for the Medina hicks out there, but for our planet, that our state is leading this innovation and that they will use this land for something good for all.

RochesterAddict

May 9th, 2006, 05:50 PM

This is cool..... www.savorourflavor.com

http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20060509&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=605090323&Ref=AR

Open Face sandwich eatery is an awesome place to eat...its run by hippies, but they did a really nice job with the place and the food is excellent!

I thought this was interesting:

New York locations by per capita income
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New York is the eighth richest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $23,389 (2000).

New York counties ranked by per capita income
There are sixty-two counties located in New York, six of which are in the 100 richest counties in the country.

Rank National/Rank by County

Per Capital Income/ Median Household Income

1 2 New York County (Manhattan) $42,922 $47,030
2 6 Nassau County $38,762 $72,030
3 12 Westchester County $32,151 $60,582
4 47 Putnam County $30,127 $72,279
5 74 Rockland County $28,082 $67,971
6 98 Suffolk County $26,577 $65,288
7 193 Saratoga County $23,945 $49,460
8 194 Dutchess County $23,940 $53,086
9 196 Richmond County (Staten Island) $23,905 $55,039
10 225 Albany County $23,345 $42,935
11 262 Monroe County $22,821 $44,891
12 295 Columbia County $22,265 $41,915
13 318 Schenectady County $21,992 $41,739
14 361 Orange County $21,597 $52,058
15 374 Ontario County $21,533 $44,579
16 397 Onondaga County $21,336 $40,847
17 427 Rensselaer County $21,095 $42,905
18 465 Ulster County $20,846 $42,551
19 476 Warren County $20,727 $39,198
20 521 Erie County $20,357 $38,567
21 639 Tompkins County $19,659 $37,272
22 720 Wayne County $19,258 $44,157
23 732 Queens County $19,222 $42,439
24 733 Niagara County $19,219 $38,136
25 749 Broome County $19,168 $35,347
26 760 Madison County $19,105 $40,184
27 799 Greene County $18,931 $36,493
28 807 Sullivan County $18,892 $36,998
29 874 Tioga County $18,673 $40,266
30 882 Hamilton County $18,643 $32,287
31 925 Oneida County $18,516 $35,909
32 928 Genesee County $18,498 $40,542
33 1005 Chemung County $18,264 $36,415
34 1030 Steuben County $18,197 $35,479
35 1031 Essex County $18,194 $34,823
36 1074 Livingston County $18,062 $42,066
37 1095 Cayuga County $18,003 $37,487
38 1114 Washington County $17,958 $37,668
39 1121 Clinton County $17,946 $37,028
40 1192 Schoharie County $17,778 $36,585
41 1255 Seneca County $17,630 $37,140
42 1366 Delaware County $17,357 $32,461
43 1412 Wyoming County $17,248 $39,895
44 1520 Schuyler County $17,039 $36,010
45 1537 Montgomery County $17,005 $32,128
46 1608 Oswego County $16,853 $36,598
47 1610 Fulton County $16,844 $33,663
48 1612 Chautauqua County $16,840 $33,458
49 1635 Otsego County $16,806 $33,444
50 1648 Yates County $16,781 $34,640
51 1653 Kings County (Brooklyn) $16,775 $32,135
52 1718 Cortland County $16,622 $34,364
53 1780 Orleans County $16,457 $37,972
54 1798 Chenango County $16,427 $33,679
55 1908 Jefferson County $16,202 $34,006
56 1927 Herkimer County $16,141 $32,924
57 2012 Cattaraugus County $15,959 $33,404
58 2043 Franklin County $15,888 $31,517
59 2117 St. Lawrence County $15,728 $32,356
60 2413 Allegany County $14,975 $32,106
61 2414 Lewis County $14,971 $34,361
62 2752 Bronx County $13,959 $27,611

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_locations_by_per_capita_income

This is from Wikipedia so I dont know what kind of research was put into this, but it couldnt be made up, with so much information posted. Either that or some loser has A LOT of time on their hands. If you click on the link above, there is a list with a ranking by town at the bottom of the page. I thought is was very interesting that Brighton and Pittsford rank #183 and #184. With only 3 other very small towns in upstate NY ranking above them. I love the amenities available in Brighton in Pittsford, if anyone ever visits Rochester, make sure to stop into those two towns, it wouldnt be a visit without eating and shopping in Pittsford or seeing Ambassador Drive or Sandringham Drive in Brighton.

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 06:11 PM

This is from Wikipedia so I dont know what kind of research was put into this, but it couldnt be made up, with so much information posted.
Sure it could, Wikipedia cannot be a source document as it is user posted, there is no quality control on it whatsoever. Why are you afraid to go to the federal government web sites and look at the current data?

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 06:14 PM

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 06:20 PM

see above

BuffCity

May 9th, 2006, 07:10 PM

liberals raise taxes, liberals strain the oil production so that gasoline is so expensive, liberals restrict business growth...liberals are to blame for all these problems.

next time you see a able-bodied person using a food-stamp card or using Medicaide...Wonder to yourself who is paying for all of it.

Loss of jobs, limited or idle business growth...high taxes and restrictive and layered government agencies.

but go ahead...elect Spitzer and keep complaining.

:)

sargeantcm

May 9th, 2006, 07:58 PM

I hate when people drone on about "liberals" vs. "conservatives". Instead of bashing the other side, let's come up with solutions. It's like watching Fox News for chrissakes.

In NYS, liberals are not the problem. Entrenched party bosses are the immediate politcal problem. At least in Erie Cty.

***

From today's Buffalo News:

New York firm's aerial imaging is becoming indispensable tool
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Government agencies use company's pictures

By BEN DOBBIN
Associated Press
5/9/2006

ROCHESTER - Low-lying Cessna 172s fly in grid patterns over major cities, capturing eagle-eye images of every square foot from just about every direction.
Instead of just the straight-down views that distant satellites gather, the planes photograph America's varied landscape at a 40-degree angle from a few thousand feet in the air. The images are detailed enough to pick out fire hydrants in Chicago, lilac trees in Rochester and the levees of New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina.

The small company behind all this, Pictometry International Corp., has found plenty of business, notably in the realm of public safety.

Now, Pictometry is trying to make inroads with the general public.

Tens of millions of the static digital pictures will become widely accessible online this summer through Microsoft Corp.'s new map site, and analysts believe Pictometry's technology - and the high degree of resolution in its images - translates into a distinct competitive edge.

"Think of this as a long path to a kind of telepresence, the ability to go to places without actually leaving your office or your home," said Rob Enderle, a technology analyst in San Jose, Calif. "The higher the quality of the shot, the more valuable the service is going to be."

So far, the 6-year-old company has mapped most of the nation's big cities and 140 counties where 30 percent of Americans live. The company says urban and rural zones encompassing 80 percent of the population will be shot by the end of next year, as well as big chunks of Canada, Latin America, Europe and beyond.

Pilots are hired to simply fly the planes, outfitted with patented technology that can automatically snap the land from four to 12 directions. Many swaths are photographed again every year or two.

"We have 33 planes flying in the U.S. alone," said Stephen Schultz, the company's chief technology officer. "This spring, we're bringing down 170 terabytes of data. That's a really big number - not quite a gazillion but close."

The images are processed on the ground such that, at the click of a mouse, Pictometry's unique measuring software can dissect the longitude, latitude, elevation and precise dimensions of every discernible landmark.

"On a regular basis, Pictometry helps us get an ambulance to a person who needs help" in an out-of-the-way place, said Ginger Rudiger, who manages the 911 dispatch center in largely rural Polk County in central Florida. "It's like having a magical photo album at your fingertips."

Based in the suburb of Henrietta, Pictometry owes its origins to nearby Rochester Institute of Technology, where Schultz as a computer science student began developing the technology in the 1990s.

The company now employs 105 people, is profitable and boasts a perennial doubling of sales that could top $100 million by 2008. It has been showered with calls from Wall Street this year about its potential plans to go public.

Two Israeli companies, Ofek and Idan, claim to have developed the same oblique-imaging systems, but Pictometry says neither has delivered commercially outside Israel.

So far, Pictometry's aerial images are mostly used by law enforcement and other government agencies.

In Arlington County, Va., the first county mapped in 2001, firefighters quickly sized up the damage when terrorists slammed a jetliner into the Pentagon. Police in Atlanta were able to scrutinize the layout of an apartment complex where suspected gunman Brian Nichols retreated after a courthouse rampage in March 2005.

Images of New Orleans taken in January 2004 gave searchers a better idea of what they were supposed to be looking at after Katrina howled ashore and helped evacuated residents decide whether or not to return home.

And without leaving the office, property appraisers all across Massachusetts - the only entire state mapped so far - can now pick out every swimming pool and rooftop deck that was built without a permit.

In booming Lee County in southwest Florida, where tax rolls have soared above $80 billion from $4.5 billion in 1980, far fewer people are challenging their property assessments. Petitions have plummeted from an average of 2,000 a year to less than 500, said the county's chief appraiser, Kenneth Wilkinson.

Although Pictometry initially focused on government contracts, it kept its eye on the commercial world, a niche that blossomed much more quickly than anticipated.

Microsoft already has begun making images available for free on a new maps site it is testing. Beginning in June, under a five-year licensing deal with Microsoft, visitors will be able to order Pictometry's close-ups of individual homes for $3 each, neighborhood-size tracts for $6 and square-mile panoramas for up to $25. People can then take that high-resolution image to make prints and other items.

In the newly evolving "visual GPS" category of online mapping, the Microsoft partnership poses a big threat to Google Earth's maps, which rely on satellite images.

On the Net:

www.pictometry.com

maps.google.com

local.live.com

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 08:13 PM

I hate when people drone on about "liberals" vs. "conservatives". Instead of bashing the other side, let's come up with solutions.
The solution IS at the ballot box, the solution IS to vote the Liberals out of office be they Democrat or Republican. That is the only solution for NY State. It will never happen as long as the likes of you keep voting in idiots like Spitzer, voting for him simply because there is a D attached to his candidacy. Don't say that you want change and improvement in this state and then go and vote for Spitzer. That is just hypocritical.

You are wrong in blaming the party bosses of your county, like it or not the problems stem from Albany and not from County Halls. The solution must also come from Albany, but it never will. That is why we are dying the death that we are in Rochester and across the state.

sargeantcm

May 9th, 2006, 08:40 PM

blangjr21

May 9th, 2006, 08:41 PM

I've got to agree with Susie here, the problem starts at the top and then stems down from there, the New York political game is probably one of the most notorious in the nation at least right now. I can't believe we've ended up here, and for what? Hopefully someone can change the course we're on right now, but I'm not sure Spitzer is the guy to do it...

sargeantcm

May 9th, 2006, 09:01 PM

Maybe true, but you can't go out and challenge to fix something else that's out of control, if you can't even fix up your own problems.

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 09:23 PM

Don't you dare call me a Democrat or a liberal. I'm independent, no affiliation. Politcal parties will cause the end of this country. People who vote straight ticket sicken me, as they've no doubt paid no attention to the issues, only the tags.

Besides, my man is Suozzi. You can't argue against results.

As for party bosses, maybe you should read the article in the Buffalo News about the newly elected legislators from the "taxpayer revolt" and their lock-step in choosing a water authority chairman; said authority is the seat of patronage and corruption in Erie Cty. Why is a party boss even necessary? Ask yourself that. What purpose does that position serve in a so-called democracy?
You are worrying about local pennies when the state is sucking dollars out of yours and every county in the state. ALL the property tax collected in my County is still less than the cost of state mandated programs. Only about 10% of County budgets are controlled by local politicians. What is your response the problem is too big, so lets not tackle it? That is a sure way to keep the status quo (read: downward spiral) alive.

You are what every career politician dreams of a whiner that will keep pulling the same lever for the same group of political hacks.

sargeantcm

May 9th, 2006, 09:55 PM

You are what every career politician dreams of a whiner that will keep pulling the same lever for the same group of political hacks.
You know an argument is lost when one side starts heaving baseless accusations about the other.

Speak for yourself. Like I said, results speak for themselves. Your generation has alot of it's own questions to answer before they can start blaming anyone else. Of course that's what most boomers do nowadays. If you and your cohorts weren't asleep at the wheel, we wouldn't be having these issues right now. You're just afraid the younger voters might accomplish what you've spectacularly failed to do; and thus you won't have the GenXers to blame for your problems.

I vote the issues and for the candidate that best represents my view. I can't say I've ever voted the same party twice in a row at any particular election. If I know nothing about the issue, or no candidates hold a view reconciliable to mine, I abstain from that one. It's how the system was intended before it was bought and paid for by corporations and special interests.

Oh, and by the way, I've only participated in one election year as a NYS resident. So I don't see how it's possible for me to continue "voting in the same hacks". Actually, last year I broke character, and voted in elections for which I didn't know the issues - I voted against the incumbents (unless there were no challengers).

ROCguy

May 9th, 2006, 10:14 PM

So Rocguy it will not create hundreds of jobs, but it is still good news. Not only for the Medina hicks out there, but for our planet, that our state is leading this innovation and that they will use this land for something good for all.

Yeah, I don't know why Rnews got "hundreds" out of 58 last night. Still excellent news though. WNY is supposed to be one of the premier regions in the country that is going to have the fuel cell research labs. This is probably the first of many to come, and thank god. This is defintely great news for our nation and our planet. No more damned oil barrens running our nations economy, no more livining under the dictatorship of OPEC, no more toxic ozone levels every summer, and no more TEXAS. (lol, jk about the no more Texas thing). Also, we who like to drive can stop being bitched at by those who don't like to drive. I understand where they are coming from completely, but without my car, I wouldn't be able to do squat. It sucks that it's not ethonal capable, but it still gets 30 city and 40 highway.

Susie

May 9th, 2006, 11:06 PM

Oh, and by the way, I've only participated in one election year as a NYS resident. So I don't see how it's possible for me to continue "voting in the same hacks". Actually, last year I broke character, and voted in elections for which I didn't know the issues - I voted against the incumbents (unless there were no challengers).

Sorry but I am not old enough to be a boomer. I am also sorry to say that you voted in the same old hacks. You must be very proud of the fact that you voted in elections where you did not know the issues. You are too lazy to learn what the issues are, so you blindly cast your vote against the incumbents. For all you know you could have voted for a criminal, but you don't care, 'cause you are an illiterate voter. You are exactly what career politicians dream of, a voter that can be totally maniplulated, by the press or advertisements. To be so manipulated that you vote in a knee jerk reation is exactly what got this state into the problems it now has. You voted against every incumbabt just as your parents probably voted for a straight ticket in years gone by. You should have stayed home, NY cannot take any more uninformed voters such as you.

RochesterAddict

May 9th, 2006, 11:33 PM

My god...you people...

Newspaper publisher relocating from Chicago
Rochester Business Journal

One of the nation’s largest publishing companies of community newspapers is moving from its suburban Chicago location to Perinton early next month.
Gatehouse Media Inc., until recently known as Liberty Group Publishing Inc., owns some 300 publications in at least 15 states, reaching approximately 2 million people a week.
CEO Mike Reed, appointed earlier this year, said in an interview today that he is returning to his family roots and moving the company to an area whose universities and corporate presence provide enough sophistication that, coupled with nearby natural beauty, makes the move a good one for everyone involved.
The company will open its doors with approximately 10 staffers at the WillowBrook Office Park next month, Reed said. He expects to add more employees quickly, as the company ramps up to an initial public offering in the coming years.

Xerox inks deal with Hummer firm
Rochester Business Journal

Xerox Corp. has signed a five-year, multimillion dollar contract with AM General LLC, the designer and manufacturer of Hummer and Humvee special purpose and military vehicles, the document company said Tuesday.
The deal includes supplying South Bend, Ind.-based AM General with nearly 100 networked digital multifunction systems that have replaced an aging fleet of copiers, printers, scanners and fax machines. The systems will be placed at five U.S. locations.
“By combining Xerox’s expertise in document management with innovative technology, software and services, we have provided AM General with a complete solution that spans its entire enterprise and addresses all of its document needs,” said Michael Brannigan, president of Xerox U.S. Solutions Group, in a statement.

Some great news....Willowbrook is a really nice office park near Eastview Mall.

Oh and Rocguy, the ethanol plant may actually produce hundreds of jobs? I forgot that many farmers out there said that they may have to plant additional fields to produce the corn for the ethanol plant. Those farmers will need people to help on the farm, so those people WAY out there in Medina may all find jobs because of the ethanol plant. Good for Orleans county, wherever the hell it is?

blangjr21

May 10th, 2006, 12:25 AM

Just announced at the last Penfield Town board planning meeting that a new $15 million dollar Hilton Garden Inn will being built at the corner of Panorama Creek Drive and Panorama Trail...will be the second hotel in Penfield

sargeantcm

May 10th, 2006, 12:39 AM

Sorry but I am not old enough to be a boomer. I am also sorry to say that you voted in the same old hacks. You must be very proud of the fact that you voted in elections where you did not know the issues. You are too lazy to learn what the issues are, so you blindly cast your vote against the incumbents. For all you know you could have voted for a criminal, but you don't care, 'cause you are an illiterate voter. You are exactly what career politicians dream of, a voter that can be totally maniplulated, by the press or advertisements. To be so manipulated that you vote in a knee jerk reation is exactly what got this state into the problems it now has. You voted against every incumbabt just as your parents probably voted for a straight ticket in years gone by. You should have stayed home, NY cannot take any more uninformed voters such as you.
Man, you're pathetic. It's your myopic, depressive outlook that has put this state where it is. Move out so we can recover. And you're not even a boomer yet? Aye Gavalt! I can't imagine how bad you'll be in 20 years. Heaven help us.

And my parents voted straight ticket Republican, if they voted straight ticket. Conservative Christian.

So the challengers were the same people as the incumbents. Man, I must be blind! And I did vote for a criminal, most politicians are social criminals.

I'm so bought off by political advertising too. I just love a good filthy attack ad. When I can't decide, I take a drive around and see who has the most lawn signs.

Get a life. I'd highly recommend it, it's truly great. Who knows, maybe you'll find something worth living for so you don't have to perpetually bitch about your own sad state of affairs and have to make uninformed personal attacks against other forumers.

F'in whore. Go roll your SUV over an embankment so we can be done with you. If you don't own one, buy one. Do the humane thing, spare your children a trite, meaningless existance.

I was wrong. You make Fprmer look like a Rhodes scholar, not the other way around.

***

Go ahead and proceed to hijack another thread. Sorry for the trouble, Jman, I'm done with this one. Sometimes it takes the better person to apologize. Perhaps we'll have to reconsider a ban.

ROCguy

May 10th, 2006, 02:08 AM

I TOLD YOU. Look, she even made Sargeant crack. He was usually the one who could brush it off and laugh but her stone cold bitchedness even pushed him over the edge.. jman, for the sake of this thread and all of SSC please

BAN SUSIE!!!!!!!!!!

veryprotourism

May 10th, 2006, 05:31 AM

in less pressing rochester news, i planted,well, transplanted actually, some 50 or so basil plants today.
this will create zero jobs and no increase in the tax rolls.

BuffCity

May 10th, 2006, 05:56 AM

you know, I started the whole political deal we are into here...

to be honest, I don't understand how any of you can defend the liberal democrats, liberal moderates or even liberal republicans...fact is this STATE is SPENDING more MONEY that it can possibly need, our state is taxed to death by STUPID PUBLIC WELFARE programs and I find it amazing that there are some of you here that still justify all this waste.

dumping money into Buffalo and Rochester won't fix the cities, getting the people off Welfare and working will...get them off the state dollar and on their own.

for once, I agree with Suzie...Jman, this is political and eveyone deserves to voice themselves. Suzie, I understand you negitivity towards the area, I won't agree its a productive way to represent yourself...but we agree the liberal spending is what keeps New York from being the Empire state again.

ROCguy

May 10th, 2006, 06:03 AM

That's fine and dandy Buffcity and I agree with you on everything except susie. She is a troll, she personally attacks everyone and hasn't made a productive comment yet. She should have been banned a while ago. I sent Jman a PM a little while ago explaining the situation in this thread and I hope he does something about it. She was warned and kept on with her persistant trolling. Her very first post ever on SSC was made to take a shot at me and cut down Rochester. She is not a good person. Hell, she essenitally just called sargeant an ignorant moron and that New York's problems are his fault! Susie does not give a damn about Rochester, she doesn't want to see progress. It's not only that she doesn't think there will ever be any, she's made it pretty obvious; she wants Rochester to be a failure of a city. Some sort of psychological blaming for her life problems probably. Don't defend her just because you agree with her on what every person with half a brain in NY knows..... the state is being taxed to death by fiscaly irresponsible politicians.

RochesterAddict

May 10th, 2006, 06:17 AM

Wow, Blang that is awesome! Hilton Garden Inn's are usually beautiful but affordable. The one in Saratoga Springs is really nice, hopefully this one will be too, that is exciting. We are in desperate need of more hotels in the Rochester area. My friends are coming in from Manhattan in July and there is some conference going on that weekend. Every decent hotel is booked solid. The only openings are at the Motel 6 and other dumps, its sucks. The reservations girl told my friends to wait until closer to the time period and perhaps there will be cancellations. And remember when we had the PGA championship in 2001 and people had to stay in Buffalo and Syracuse? The Wegmans LPGA sells out all the hotels in the area every year as well! Cheers to Hilton, I wonder if this will be a franchise or corporate hotel?

I cant picture where that is though? Is it near where the Walgreens is going in?

ROCguy

May 10th, 2006, 06:22 AM

There's that Marriot in Greece by my grandparents house that the dude jumped to his death from.

Susie

May 10th, 2006, 03:56 PM

Man, you're pathetic. It's your myopic, depressive outlook that has put this state where it is. Move out so we can recover. And you're not even a boomer yet? Aye Gavalt! I can't imagine how bad you'll be in 20 years. Heaven help us.

And my parents voted straight ticket Republican, if they voted straight ticket. Conservative Christian.

So the challengers were the same people as the incumbents. Man, I must be blind! And I did vote for a criminal, most politicians are social criminals.

I'm so bought off by political advertising too. I just love a good filthy attack ad. When I can't decide, I take a drive around and see who has the most lawn signs.

.

You seem to be missing my point, it is not enough to just vote against the incumbants, the problem in NY is that BOTH the Democrats and Republicans are very liberal when it comes to fiscal issues. Both are beholden to the Unions esp SEIU and the Teachers Unions and both are runnning this state into the ground. There are a few exceptions to this in both parties and those individuals should be rewarded with your vote. To blindly vote against all incumbants is as ludicrous as voting straight Dem. or straight Rep.

There have been chances for change but everytime a proposition is put on the ballot for a State constitutional convention it loses. It has to be on the ballot every so many years (10 I believe). But watch, next time it is on the ballot it will again be overwhemingly defeated. People say they want change yet they continually vote for the status quo.

Ishamael

May 10th, 2006, 04:49 PM

Actually, voting straight Democrat or Republican is a good idea because then you can actually hold a political party accountable for the decisions they unilaterally make.

blangjr21

May 10th, 2006, 05:12 PM

Newspaper chain moving to Monroe

GateHouse Media to add some jobs

Ben Rand
Staff writer

(May 10, 2006) — A community newspaper chain based in the Midwest has chosen Monroe County for its new corporate home in connection with two major acquisitions announced this week.

GateHouse Media Inc., formerly known as Liberty Group Publishing, is relocating its headquarters from the Chicago area to Perinton.

The move, to be completed by June, will add a handful of white-collar jobs to the region's economy.

GateHouse is fast becoming a major player in the consolidation of the community newspaper industry, which focuses on smaller markets and neighborhood news.

Upon closing its latest transactions, the company will own 77 daily newspapers, 271 nondaily papers and 136 shoppers and other publications in 17 states.

Circulation for its daily papers would top 464,000; that's 10,000 less than the daily circulation of the Boston Globe alone.

GateHouse is shifting its home base in conjunction with an expansion in the New England market.

The company this week agreed to purchase substantially all the assets of CP Media Inc. and Enterprise NewsMedia Holding LLC in separate deals for a reported $400 million.

CP Media and Enterprise together operate six daily, 103 nondaily and 25 other specialty publications in and around Boston, including the 55,000-circulation Patriot Ledger newspaper, which would be its largest.

The company is not currently pursuing acquisitions in greater Rochester, officials said.

However, the area is close to several company holdings.

GateHouse owns daily newspapers in Corning and Hornell in Steuben County, Herkimer and Little Falls in Herkimer County, Oswego, Oswego County, and Wellsville, Allegany County.

GateHouse also owns weeklies in Hornell, Penn Yan, Yates County, and other upstate areas.

The move to Rochester is part of an effort to develop an expanded, centralized corporate office that will provide a range of shared "back-office" functions and services to individual newspapers, GateHouse Chief Executive Officer Michael Reed said.

GateHouse will occupy about 15,000 square feet in the Willowbrook Office Park in Perinton, said Bob Lucchesi, principal with Ardent Commercial Real Estate.

"Rochester is a big city, but it has a small city feel to it," said Reed, a native of Elmira, who in the 1970s worked as a newspaper carrier for the Elmira Star-Gazette, owned by Gannett Co. Inc.

"It's a great place to raise a family. We think we can recruit some of the best talent in the newspaper industry to live there," Reed said. "It's a great place to attract a diverse work force."

The jobs picture

Reed said the company would probably bring about five to 10 employees to the area to start, but that number could ramp up to 50 to 100 depending on the course of the company's acquisition strategy.

GateHouse remains in the market to buy other papers that are focused on local news over national and international news, Reed said.

The company's model calls for pursuing newspapers where "90 percent or more of the news is local," he said.

The Massachusetts-based deals, Reed says, reflect his company's bullishness about local newspapers.

Local newspapers "are the leading provider of news and information in the communities in which they participate," Reed said. "And that space is so valuable."

Reed previously served as CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., which now operates nearly 90 daily newspapers.

The newspaper industry is in the process of consolidating as companies pursue strategies for coping with the exodus of readers and advertisers to the Internet.

Earlier this year, for instance, Knight Ridder Co. agreed to sell its chain of newspapers to The McClatchy Co. of California. McClatchy is in the process of re-selling 12 newspapers in that chain to other companies.

The consolidation trend is likely to continue as the industry adjusts to new economic realities, said David Rubin, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

GateHouse Media's approach — to focus on local news in smaller communities — is a very valid strategy considering the struggles of newspapers in the biggest cities, Rubin said.

"Those newspapers have to figure out their futures," he said, citing Philadelphia as a hypothetical example.

The question, is, "How do they make the transitions to cover Philadelphia and all the wealthy suburbs around Philadelphia?" The new owners, he said, "can come in and don't have to worry about Philadelphia."

Even though Reed indicated GateHouse isn't pursuing a Rochester-area acquisition, a local communications professor said he wouldn't rule it out.

"Rochester is a great media town. It has a lot of solid performers and great outlets in a range of media," said Tom Proietti, professor of communications at Monroe Community College.

GateHouse may pursue an initial public offering later this year, Reed said.

Jerome

May 10th, 2006, 05:42 PM

Actually, voting straight Democrat or Republican is a good idea because then you can actually hold a political party accountable for the decisions they unilaterally make.
Smart plan indeed - as NY State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt said "You could run a monkey in my district and as long as he had a D after his name he would win."

Me thinks it explains why he is in office and why our state will never improve the business climate. Any progress or growth we are ever able to achieve will be despite the state and not because of it.

Jerome

May 10th, 2006, 05:47 PM

GateHouse remains in the market to buy other papers that are focused on local news over national and international news, Reed said.

The company's model calls for pursuing newspapers where "90 percent or more of the news is local," he said.

The newspaper industry is in the process of consolidating as companies pursue strategies for coping with the exodus of readers and advertisers to the Internet.

GateHouse Media's approach — to focus on local news in smaller communities — is a very valid strategy considering the struggles of newspapers in the biggest cities, Rubin said.

Perhaps they could rescue the 4 WNY daily papers (Lockport, N. Falls, Tonawanda and Medina) currently being run into the ground by Alabama based CNHI.

blangjr21

May 10th, 2006, 06:43 PM

April house sales, prices rise

Nishad Majmudar
Staff writer

(May 10, 2006) — Sales of existing single-family house in the Rochester area were up about 2 percent through April compared to the same four months in 2005, according to new data released by the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors this morning.

The average sale price of existing homes also rose by more than 2 percent to $128,013, compared to the same time last year. The median sale price jumped about 3 percent as well to $105,000.

For April, the number of houses sold was down 0.6 percent from March, but up 0.5 percent from April 2005.

In the region, Genesee and Livingston counties experienced 18-percent jumps in the number of home closings through April. Closings in Monroe County, which numbered 2,198 through April, were up 4 percent in 2006 compared to last year.

ROCguy

May 10th, 2006, 10:04 PM

This should have been done a LONG TIME AGO!

City is closer to gaining control of closed beach

Joseph Spector
Staff Writer

(May 10, 2006) — Mayor Robert Duffy has pitched reopening Durand-Eastman beach – now he may get to manage it too.

Late Tuesday, the Monroe County Legislature gave County Executive Maggie Brooks authorization to turn over control of the closed beach to the city. Currently, the city owns the beach, but the county maintains it.

The vote doesn't change the agreement, but it does give Brooks an opportunity in the future to reach a new accord with the city to turn over control of the beach, Republican legislators said.

So now it will essentially be up to Brooks and Duffy to strike a deal. They plan to meet next week.

"The bottom line is we don't have the financial resources to open that beach up," said Legislature President Wayne Zyra. "If the city can get help from the state or from other resources to open it up, we don't want to hold them up."

Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Durand-Eastman beach has been a trouble spot for the city and county for years. The beach is closed to the public for swimming because the county hasn't funded lifeguards there, but many people swim there anyway. Several have drowned over the years, including 5-year-old Lamar Glover of Rochester last July.

In his State of City address last month, Duffy proposed reopening the beach, saying it's a valuable resource and should be made safe for residents.

City spokesman Gary Walker said today that Duffy continues to work with the county and other government leaders to find a way to reopen the beach this summer. And he suggested that if the county wants to hand over control of Durand-Eastman, the city may also be interested in taking control of Ontario Beach Park, which is run by the county, but is part of the city's plans to revitalize the Charlotte area.

The future of the beaches is "something we're going to have to sit down and discuss with the county now that they have passed this amendment."

Durand Eastman is 71857321875189035781 times better than Ontario Beach Park. The water is cleaner, the sand is nicer, and the area is more secluded and IMO more picuresque. OBP is a better place to go just to spend a day walking the peir or eating abbots and all that good suff... but to cool off on a hot summer day, Durand is much better.

donbuy

May 10th, 2006, 10:36 PM

Kodak falls to 3rd in digital sales

Ben Rand
Staff writer

(May 10, 2006) — Eastman Kodak Co. shareholders today re-elected four directors, reappointed its outside auditors and rejected a proposal on executive compensation at the company's 105th annual meeting.

The meeting was held on the same day that new market share data shows that Kodak, which employs 14,100 locally, surrendered the top spot in U.S. digital camera sales for the first time since 2004.

Gathering in Dayton, Ohio, shareholders also heard a positive update on the course of Kodak's historic transition from analog to digital photography. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Antonio Perez said that the company is on track for completing that transition sometime next year.

"We are confident that we are creating the business model we need to generate substantial and profitable growth in digital imaging," Perez said at the meeting. He faced no questions from shareholders.

Dayton is the headquarters of Kodak Versamark, which develops inkjet products and services for commercial applications, such as printing credit card or bank statements.

The company fell to No. 3 in camera sales to retailers, behind No. 1 Canon, Inc. and No. 2 Sony Corp., according to research group IDC Corp. of Massachusetts. But some of the decline was expected: Kodak has said that it will focus in 2006 on increasing profitability from digital imaging, even at the expense of some camera sales. Digital cameras are a key part of Kodak's plans for digital photography.

At the meeting, the shareholders:

Re-elected Perez, Martha Layne Collins, Timothy Donohue and Delano Lewis to the board of directors. Collins, former governor of Kentucky, is chairman and CEO of Kentucky World Trade Center. Donohue is executive chairman of Sprint Nextel Corp. Lewis is former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and president and CEO of National Public Radio.
On a side note, the meeting marks the retirement from the board of Paul H. O'Neill, who served as President Bush's first secretary of the treasury.

Re-appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as the company's independent accountants. Kodak and Pricewaterhouse have had a lengthy relationship.

Rejected a proposal from a pension fund to adopt a policy regarding executive compensation. The Amalgamated Bank LongView Collective Investment Fund wants the company's board to take steps to recoup executive bonuses and other rewards in the event of an earnings restatement.
Bonuses are often based on the company hitting earnings targets. But those bonuses should be adjusted accordingly if earnings are later reduced downward, the pension fund argued. "If you don't earn it, you should return it," a representative of the fund said at the meeting.

Kodak advised shareholders to vote against the proposal on the grounds that it already has a policy in place to address earnings restatements and bonuses.

BRAND@DemocratandChronicle.com

donbuy

May 10th, 2006, 11:01 PM

New state tax group launched
Business First of Buffalo - 10:07 AM EDT Wednesday
A new group has been formed to fight against "ruinous" state and local taxation policies.

The New York State Taxpayers Union said it selected Tuesday, May 9, to announce its formation because that was "tax freedom" day in New York. It is the day when, on average, New Yorkers have to work till before they pay their combined federal, state and local tax bill for the year.

New York's tax freedom date is the second-latest in the country behind Connecticut's, which is May 12.

The New York State Taxpayers Union said it will represent the interests of average taxpayers in Albany against special interests that are seeking additional state spending for a variety of purposes.

Matthew Guilbault, formerly of the National Federation of Independent Business-New York in Albany, is executive director of the new group.

"In 2006, New York's Tax Freedom Day comes four days later than it did in 2005, and eleven days later than it did in 2004; continuing a trend of New Yorkers having to work further into the year to pay for state and federal taxes," Guilbault said. "This is why NYSTU's work will be important and relevant."

More information is available on the new group's Web site at www.nystu.org.

ROCguy

May 11th, 2006, 02:50 AM

^^ That group should be called TPWTSNYS..... The People Who Want To Save New York State.

BuffCity

May 11th, 2006, 07:23 AM

another group...another group

if this group was in power we would be okay.

Susie

May 11th, 2006, 03:36 PM

RochesterAddict

May 11th, 2006, 05:23 PM

Area houses selling briskly
Optimism despite flat April sales
Democrat and Chronicle

(May 11, 2006) — House sales in the Greater Rochester area probably won't break the record set last year, but the region's realty trade association still expects a "dynamite" year for the residential real estate market.

"Interest rates are still at a modest level, and buyers are still knocking on doors and coming to open houses," said Robert Miglioratti, chairman of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors.

The real estate association reported Wednesday that sales of existing, single-family homes in the 11-county Rochester area totaled about 3,300 closings through April, a 2.3 percent increase over the first four months of last year.

That puts the region on pace to break 2005's record of 13,312 home closings, but Miglioratti said that isn't likely.

"Sales won't be at the record levels of the past couple years but we're having a dynamite year," he said.

For April alone, the number of houses sold was down 0.6 percent from March, but edged up 0.5 percent from April 2005.

More notable was an 18 percent increase in the number of houses listed for sale compared with the first four months last year, Miglioratti said.

"That bears well for people who are buying because they'll have more choices, they'll have time to do some comparison shopping," he said.

One real estate agent said demand has been strong enough to sustain prices, even though interest rates and inventories are on the rise, forces that tend to push house prices down.

The average sale price of existing houses through April rose by 2.6 percent to $128,013, compared with the same period last year.

The median sale price through April jumped about 3 percent, to $105,000, compared with the first four months of 2005, the association said.

"There's no question inventories have risen," said Dick Beers, a Realtor with Red Barn Properties in Pittsford. "When there's more of anything on the market there's a price pressure, but sales are strong."

Miglioratti expected the momentum from March, when house sales jumped 12 percent compared with the previous March, to continue into the summer and fall.

"The routine business cycle is kicking into place, so if we'll see any drop-off of demand resulting from early activity, we won't experience it until October or November," he said.

"We have early momentum and it will be maintained through the summer," Miglioratti said.

National sales figures for April are not due out until May 25. The Rochester market fared better than the nation as a whole in March.

Mall adding new stores
Marketplace spending $200,000 on upgrades, adding 5 retailers
Democrat and Chronicle

(May 11, 2006) — The Marketplace mall in Henrietta is spending $200,000 to revamp its center court area and also is getting five new stores.

Three of the new stores — Against All Odds, an urban fashion store; dELIA's, a teen apparel and accessories store; and Beauty Extended, which sells wigs and beauty products — are opening their first Rochester-area stores, said mall manager Mike Wilmot.

The renovations and new shops will give the 24-year-old mall a fresh look, Wilmot said.

"It'll be more upscale than the current mix," Wilmot said. "Our goal is to reinvent ourselves."

When the renovation is completed, the center court area will have new tiling and soft seating similar to Eastview Mall, Wilmot said. A Starbucks Coffee kiosk will open in the middle of the court this summer.

Bath & Body Works is expanding into new space, and Mobile Solutions is opening a new store as well.

All of the stores are under construction and will open this summer, but no opening dates have been set, Wilmot said.

With the opening of the new retailers, the mall will be 90 percent occupied, Wilmot said. The industry average is about 87 percent.

Marketplace is owned by the Macerich Co., which also owns Eastview in Victor, Ontario County, and the Mall at Greece Ridge Center in Greece.

Those two malls also are above the industry average for occupancy.

The area's fourth mall, The Medley Centre, owned by Adam Bersin, is still in the middle of a turnaround plan.

Malls such as The Marketplace need to constantly update their image to attract customers, said Eugene Fram, a marketing professor at Rochester Institute of Technology.

"It's a necessity for an older mall to compete," he said.

Chili resident Donna Podeszek, 48, is looking forward to the changes at The Marketplace. She shops there regularly because it is close to her home and her job in Henrietta.

"I love it," Podeszek said of the changes while shopping at the mall Wednesday. "I'm a Starbucks drinker, so this is exciting."

She is also looking forward to the opening of dELIA's — which was a hit with her 14-year-old daughter Amy when they were vacationing in Florida.

"She's a shopper," Podeszek said. "She would make me take her here."

dELIA's, based in New York City, has more than 50 stores across the country. New Jersey-based Against the Odds has more than 15 stores in the Northeast.

Wilmot did not have more details on Beauty Extended.

For anyone not in Rochester, our economy here is fine, and I see nothing different than I did six years ago.

See we dont need Donbuy's help recruiting national retailers and restaurants. Our malls store selection still sucks, even Eastview's selection is still mediocre but for a virtually unknown small city, we are holding our own.
Macerich/Wilmorite just re-made their websites, they look great:
http://www.eastviewmall.com/
http://www.themarketplacemall.com/
http://www.greeceridgecenter.com/
http://www.pittsfordplaza.com/

For Rochestererians if you have not heard, on Jefferson Road near the Home Depot, Benderson is putting in a new town center plaza with our 4th Bed, Bath and Beyond, 7th Marshalls, 2nd Red Robin, 1st Christmas Tree Shops, 1st Smokey Bones BBQ, and some other stores. Greece has a new Benderson property on the way for West Ridge Road with our 4th Panera Bread and something else. In the hard copy of the D and C the latest living here section did a nice camparo on Retail in upstate NY with Rochester retail the second most in spending dollars in upstate. Albany ranked first but they have a large influx and make tons of money off the Canadians, the North Country people, and people from the Berkshires in Massachusetts who all have a dearth of retail in their areas. The only extra people that feed Rochester retail are the occasional hick from Wayne County.

RochesterAddict

May 11th, 2006, 05:48 PM

HMT moves into Medical Arts Building
Rochester Business Journal
HMT Inc. has opened its first Rochester location in Alexander Street’s Medical Arts Building, which will serve as a base for the company’s Western New York operations.
It also will serve as a field office for the Syracuse-based firm’s Rochester area engineers and technicians. A high voltage electrical engineering and maintenance firm, HMT will keep its headquarters in Syracuse as it continues to open three other regional offices this year, including one in Buffalo in the summer.
Company officials did not provide exact employment numbers for the Rochester office except to say that the number is expected to grow.
“Personnel positioned in Rochester will evolve over time as we secure projects and assign engineers and technicians specifically to that marketplace,” said Paul Wells, HMT’s chief operating officer and co-owner.
“Currently, it is more of a field office for our existing Syracuse staff. However, our intention is to place both engineers and technicians dedicated to the Rochester office,” he added. “Some of our expansion efforts will be driven by strategic acquisitions that are based within our targeted regions.”
Eric Vangellow, the company’s CEO and co-owner, said in a statement that the offices will help HMT accelerate its response time and supplement growth initiatives.
Formed in 1996, the company’s founders live in Greater Rochester—Wells in Greece and Vangellow in Pittsford.

Wow! Check out the new Grove Place Aprtments that went in next to the new Grove Place condos selling for $250,000 and up.
http://www.1groveplace.com/

Here are the new Halo lofts designed for Eastman students, I posted an article before on them, how they are all already leased.
http://www.halolofts.com/#amenities

http://cctvimedia.clearchannel.com/wokr/0509highfalls_full.jpg

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=53448603-77C7-47AC-A173-106130683749

Here is an article on the Cordish company and High Falls. It states how it still is not successful. The ONLY way it will EVER be successful is to put places to live in that area.

Oh and Blang, you wanted to know about places to dance a while ago. Well on Charlotte St in the former Metro 37, EROS is opening, an upscale restaurant and bar, with a dance floor and valet. Should be a great place to dance and be seen. The former Pearl is opening on East Ave as an Ultra Lounge with a dance floor and bar. Hopefully neither of them will be cheesy and will be an older professional crowd. Also, the former Jungle on Alexander Street is opening up as a microbrew bar, selling MANY different kinds of beers hard to find. Similar to shopping at Beers of the World. (I love it there) Finally, the former Chasers bar in St Paul is re-opening as an upscale lounge. A 26 year old just bought the entire building is gutting the former bar and remodeling the apartments above to attract a higher end clientele. Tapas 177 and Table 7 are already great places to chill. Now if they would just close down The Liquor Room and Liquid to clean out the ghetto trash that parties there, the St Paul Qtr would be the perfect place to go.

http://rocwiki.org/Beers_of_the_World