Proposed downtown development calls for new library, hotel and senior condos

The Rochester Public Library Board was presented Wednesday with plans to include an expanded library as part of a mixed-used development on the site of the former Post-Bulletin headquarters in downtown Rochester.

The proposal, as presented by RSP Architects, calls for creating a public-private partnership that would allow for the construction of a new 150,000 square foot library, a 120-room hotel, and a 17-floor senior living complex.

The library would be incorporated into all three structures on the 1.86-acre site, which is located just one block just north of the current library site.

The land was purchased by PB Rochester Investments LLC in 2019 for $10.5 million following the sale of the Post-Bulletin to Forum Communications. The former building has since been demolished and the newspaper’s staff has relocated to a new headquarters in southwest Rochester.

Ryan Sommers, senior project designer for RSP Architects, described the location as a critical part of what makes the project work. The site is located directly across from the Mayo Civic Center — and Sommers said the hotel would be oriented toward primarily serving civic center visitors.

“Market demand… in the future, not in today’s world… will get back to normal,” said Sommers. “There is interest from hotel operators in having a hotel here.”

For the library, the proposal presents an opportunity to move into a space nearly twice the size of its current facility. The library has long said it needs a larger footprint — and four years ago, it introduced plans for a $55 million, two-story addition to its existing building. Those plans, however, never materialized.

Asked by a board member about whether future satellite branches could alleviate the need for a larger library downtown, Library Director Audrey Betcher suggested the decision should not be an either/or, noting that the proposed expansion would give the library time to consider when and where to add branches.

“The ability to bring people together is something really unique about Rochester,” said Betcher. “And when you have branches, you are not trying to replicate what’s happening at the main library — because you just can’t.”

Details on how the project would be funded have not been released. Deputy City Administrator Aaron Parrish said that info will be discussed in the next steps as the developer and the city begin to evaluate financing strategies.

Parrish added that he expects a preliminary development agreement to be presented in the coming months. “We’re just barely dating right now and there is a long ways to go before we would ultimately decide to make a more significant commitment,” said Parrish.

Sommers said any major decisions on the project design would only come after the board has had “significant opportunity to provide feedback.”

“We look forward to working with the Library Board to really scrutinize these plans further and really ensure that we’ve got everything placed in the right location, so everyone feels comfortable how the space is laying out,” said Sommers.

The full Library Board meeting can be viewed here.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover graphic: rendering of the proposed development via RSP