Letter to Assistant Secretary Fernandez

Letter

Dear Assistant Secretary Fernandez,

I am writing to follow up on my March 15, 2011 letter to Secretary Gary Locke in support of the City of Rochester's application for a $2,057,850 grant for the Midtown Rising Redevelopment Project through the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Public Works and Economic Development Facilities Grant Program. I understand the grant application period recently closed on June 10th and that the EDA expects to announce awards shortly. Therefore at this time I want to reiterate my strong support for this grant which will leverage private-sector investment and help construct critical infrastructure elements including new streets, pedestrian facilities, and utilities on the former Midtown Plaza site in downtown Rochester. Without the timely funding of these infrastructure elements, the Midtown Rising project would not be able to achieve its full vision in the planned timeframe which could jeopardize private-sector investment commitments.

The financial and physical deterioration of the moribund Midtown Plaza over the past two decades precipitated a decline that encompassed the entire downtown Rochester region and discouraged new investment throughout the heart of the city. Now the redevelopment of the nearly nine acre former Midtown Plaza site in the center of downtown is the key component of an overall economic rebuilding strategy to reshape the City of Rochester and reinvigorate its local economy.

On its merits, the project is uniquely suited to leverage the EDA's grant to achieve the agency's goals of generating and retaining jobs by stimulating industrial and commercial growth and private-sector investment in economically distressed areas of the United States. Specifically the Midtown Rising project includes the privately-funded construction of a $55 million new world headquarters for Paetec Communication and a $70 million redevelopment of the 17-story Midtown Tower into a multi-tenant residential and commercial complex. Additional redevelopment of shovel-ready plots at the site will lead to tens of millions more in additional private investment. Once completed, the site will accommodate about one million square feet of office, residential, and retail space and will create approximately 2,000 new jobs for downtown Rochester.

Last week the City of Rochester released the Final Design Report for the Midtown Rising Redevelopment Project which defines the site's final redevelopment build-out including the street grid, development parcels and open space as well as sidewalks, parking, sewer, water and other required public improvements. The ambitious transformation called for in this Final Design is predicated on a public investment to build new streets and utilities on the site. In this way if approved, the EDA grant will be a fundamental linchpin to reverse years of disinvestment in downtown Rochester and usher in new jobs and private capital investments.

I sincerely hope this application meets with your approval. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. For additional information please do not hesitate to contact me or my aide, Grant Kerr, in my Washington, D.C. office at 202-224-6542.

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