[HISTORY: Adopted by the Rochester City Council 11-12-2019 by Ord. No.
2019-351.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Official Map — See Ch. 76.
Zoning — See Ch. 120.
Land Subdivision Regulations — See Ch. 128.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance repealed former Ch. 130, Comprehensive
Plan, adopted by the Rochester City Council 4-13-1999 by Ord. No.
99-120, as amended.
For the purpose of this chapter, the Comprehensive Plan shall
consist of Rochester's physical, social, cultural, and environmental
goals and aspirations as contained in the adopted portions of Rochester
2034.
The Comprehensive Plan, or any part thereof, shall be considered
an official statement of the City of Rochester with respect to the
existing and developing character of various areas of the City; the
proper objectives, standards and direction for the future maintenance,
growth and development of the City; the means to be employed to protect
existing character or development and to encourage future development
that will be in the best interest of the City; and the actions and
programs to be undertaken by the City with respect to its future maintenance
and development. The Comprehensive Plan shall serve as a guide and
resource for City officials and agencies in the performance of their
duties but, except as otherwise provided in this chapter and the codes
and ordinances of the City, shall not be binding upon them.
Because the Comprehensive Plan consists of a number of related ordinances and documents, it shall be deemed to be amended as its subsidiary parts are amended or otherwise changed. Such amendments shall be adopted in accordance with the procedures set forth in other parts of the Code of the City of Rochester, such as Chapter 120 and Chapter 128 of the Code. In those instances where an amendment procedure is not otherwise provided in the Code of the City of Rochester, amendments to the Comprehensive Plan shall be adopted in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 120-190.
A.
In addition to the authority set forth in Chapter 120 of the Zoning Code, and § 12-13A of the City Charter, the City Planning Commission shall review and report on all matters relating to the location of any roadway, park, square, playground or recreation ground or public open space within the City; the discontinuance, closing or abandonment of a public roadway; and any other land use matters of City-wide impact and importance referred to it by the Mayor, City Council, or a Commissioner.
(1)
Procedure for review and construction.
(a)
Within 45 days of any such submission, the Planning Commission
shall review such plans for conformity to the Comprehensive Plan and,
if necessary, shall confer with the submitting agency with regard
to suggested alterations and shall transmit either its recommendation
for approval or disapproval of such plans to the submitting agency,
stating in detail the reasons for such recommendation.
(b)
If the Planning Commission has issued its recommendation for
approval or has failed to act with respect to a submission within
45 days or such longer period as may have been agreed to by the submitting
agency, the submitting agency may then, but not before, proceed with
work on the proposed project. If the Planning Commission has recommended
disapproval, then the submitting agency shall undertake no work with
respect to the proposed project unless it shall have first obtained
express approval therefor from the City Council by ordinance duly
adopted.
(c)
No City official, agency or department shall issue any permit,
approval or authorization necessary in conjunction with any public
project subject to this provision, nor issue or authorize any funds
or expenditures for such project, unless the agency responsible for
such project shall have first obtained a recommendation for approval
from the Planning Commission or the City Council as herein required.
(d)
In addition, the Mayor shall, before submitting the capital
improvement program to the City Council, submit such program to the
Planning Commission for its review and comments. The Mayor shall submit
any comments of the Planning Commission to the City Council at the
same time as the capital improvement program is submitted.
The codified portion of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of
Rochester shall consist of the policy principles, placemaking principles,
goals, and placemaking plan as follows:
A.
Policy principles.
(1)
Healthy living. We will strive to be a city where all residents,
regardless of age, income, and ability, live active lives in a healthy
environment, have access to community-based health services, healthy
food, and healthy housing, and where they have equitable economic
and social opportunities.
(2)
Equity. We will promote equity, inclusion, and environmental justice
by working to reduce disparities, extend community benefits, ensure
access to housing, and include traditionally under-represented populations.
(3)
Resilience. We will reduce risk and improve the ability of individuals,
communities, economic systems, and the natural and built environments
to withstand, recover from, and adapt to natural hazards, human-made
disasters, climate change, and economic shifts.
(4)
Prosperity. We will support a diverse, low-carbon economy, and foster
employment growth, competitive advancement, and equitable prosperity.
(5)
Partnership. We will join with neighborhood, government, business,
not-for-profit, and institutional partners to implement this plan
and enjoy the results of reaching our goals together.
B.
Placemaking principles.
(1)
Design at the pedestrian scale. We will prioritize development and
design that is pedestrian-scaled and generates street-level activity
in order to promote walkability and healthy lifestyles, and to create
an attractive and welcoming built environment.
(2)
Create beautiful spaces. We will design our streetscapes and public
spaces to be vibrant, playful, and environmentally sustainable, to
reflect, cultivate, and celebrate the unique identities of our City
and neighborhoods.
(3)
Provide diverse housing options. We will work to preserve our existing
housing stock while also providing more diverse options within all
neighborhoods that expand our range of housing types, densities, and
prices.
(4)
Celebrate assets. We will capitalize on our existing unique assets,
including natural and scenic amenities, cultural heritage, and distinctive
historic structures and landscapes, recognizing that these assets
enhance neighborhood pride, foster a strong cultural identity, and
attract visitors, new residents, and investment.
(5)
Strengthen multimodal travel. We will strengthen multiple modes of
transportation and promote more sustainable transit options by improving
walkability and increasing bus and bicycle access throughout the City.
(6)
Focus growth. We will focus population growth and commercial development
along key transportation corridors and within mixed-use centers in
order to capitalize on existing infrastructure and a critical mass
of activity.
C.
Rochester 2034 goals.
(1)
Placemaking.
(a)
Create a comprehensive placemaking approach that goes beyond
traditional land use planning, with a particular emphasis on aligning
land use and transportation planning efforts.
(b)
Foster growth in the City's population and business community
in order to restore the critical mass needed to support local businesses,
deconcentrate poverty, grow the tax base, and address housing affordability.
(c)
Employ a "zoning for jobs" approach whereby greater flexibility
and efficiency of land use regulations fosters emerging business trends
and creative reuse of buildings while not compromising the historic
character and stability of neighborhoods.
(d)
Protect the existing character of neighborhoods while allowing
room for evolution into more vibrantly urban, inclusive, and resilient
design and character.
(e)
Continue to elevate the importance of the pedestrian and bicyclist
experience through infrastructure, policies, traffic safety enforcement,
and education.
(f)
Improve public parks, open spaces, public facilities, and waterfront
access.
(g)
Support capacity-building and creative programs, both organic
and formal, that enable more localized participation in placemaking.
(2)
Housing.
(a)
Implement existing housing plans, initiatives, and policies.
(b)
Improve understanding and monitoring of local housing and community
development issues, needs, opportunities, and impacts.
(c)
Improve collaborative planning and coordination to promote more
holistic housing policy and community development.
(d)
Pursue new housing development that grows the City's population
and fosters the creation of vibrant, equitable neighborhoods.
(e)
Pursue additional housing strategies that support innovative
and equitable housing and community development.
(f)
Develop and implement middle neighborhoods strategies that expand
homeownership and build community wealth.
(3)
Vacant lands.
(a)
Strategically position vacant sites for redevelopment.
(b)
Turn vacant lots in areas of low housing market demand into
vibrant community spaces.
(c)
Facilitate community gardening on vacant lots.
(d)
Create the City Hall administrative infrastructure to allow
creative and flexible options for repurposing vacant lots.
(5)
Historic preservation.
(a)
Promote and preserve Rochester's rich history through preservation
of its historic and cultural resources.
(b)
Promote the benefits of the NYS tax credit programs for rehabilitation
of homes and businesses in historic districts.
(c)
Reduce barriers to rehabilitating buildings in Preservation
Districts and foster enthusiasm for owning homes in these areas of
the City.
(d)
Use local regulations and programs to supplement the state and
federal government's protection of historic resources.
(6)
Schools and community centers.
(a)
Improve conditions for students to ensure a healthy and nurturing
environment for learning that is targeted at key success indicators.
(b)
Nurture a culture of positivity around public school options
and benefits in order to encourage current residents and students
and to help rebuild the City's population.
(c)
Reposition public facilities to serve as, or support, multipurpose
community centers.
(d)
Provide educational facilities and programs of the highest quality,
enriching the student experience through stronger connections to their
community, the arts, and the natural environment.
(7)
Public health and safety.
(a)
Continue building connections and partnerships with the community
to enhance public safety efforts and impacts.
(b)
Incorporate preventative public safety and active design principles
into the built environment through development projects and infrastructure.
(c)
Increase the capabilities of the RPD and RFD through collaboration,
data analysis, technology, and new or improved resources.
(d)
Maintain and seek out accreditations and standards for the RFD
that allow it to best do its job, and benefit the whole community.
(e)
Improve understanding of community health conditions, needs,
service provision and access in the City, and use to improve access
and overall community health.
(f)
Increase access to healthy foods and decrease the proliferation
of establishments that only offer unhealthy, highly processed, low-nutrient
food.
(9)
Natural resources.
(a)
Invest in infrastructure, policy, and advocacy efforts that
protect and enhance Rochester's water resources.
(b)
Provide ongoing upgrades and modernization of water distribution,
storage, and treatment systems and facilities.
(c)
Protect and expand Rochester's urban forest.
(d)
Promote and protect Rochester's natural resources as assets
for attracting residents, businesses, and tourists.
(e)
Protect natural resources and promote long-term sustainability
through increased environmental awareness and education.
(10)
Parks, recreation and open space.
(a)
Reclaim the Genesee River and the City parks and recreation
system as foundational assets that help achieve cross-cutting community
goals.
(b)
Enhance parks and recreation planning capacity.
(c)
Ensure high-quality maintenance, operations, and safety of parks
and trails.
(d)
Increase community awareness, pride, and engagement with our
parks and recreation system.
(e)
Extend the reach of our parks and recreation system through
innovative programming and strategic infrastructure investments.
(11)
Climate change mitigation and adaptation.
(a)
Mitigate and adapt to climate change through coordinated planning,
plan implementation, and performance monitoring.
(b)
Use City authority, facilities, policies, operations, and investment
to help achieve climate action planning goals.
(c)
Work with property owners and community development partners
to improve building energy performance and sustainability.
(d)
Develop broad outreach campaigns and community programs that
educate people and support them living more sustainable lives.
(13)
Transportation.
(a)
Expand and strengthen Rochester's multimodal planning,
policy, programming, and infrastructure maintenance.
(b)
Improve quality, connectivity, accessibility, and safety in
order to achieve a fully accessible network for pedestrians of all
ages and people with disabilities.
(c)
Develop a "minimum grid" dedicated bicycle network and work
to increase bicycle mode share.
(d)
Implement a high-frequency transit network and work to grow
its impact and reach.
(e)
Achieve safe, multimodal streets and eliminate traffic injuries
and deaths through strategic traffic calming, community outreach and
education, and enforcement.
(f)
Develop transportation demand management (TDM) and transportation
access policies and initiatives that help encourage people to reduce
drive-alone trips, particularly for workers and large employers.
(14)
Economic growth.
(a)
Attract businesses to Downtown Rochester.
(b)
Support existing and help/incentivize new neighborhood businesses.
(c)
Support entrepreneurship as the foundation of business development.
(d)
Continue to support and attract job-generating economic development.
(e)
Improve opportunities for historically disadvantaged businesses
through business development programming and by providing access to
contracting opportunities with the City of Rochester.
(f)
Establish a culture of collaboration among anchor institutions
and other regional partners in order to better drive positive economic
change locally.
(g)
Focus on market research, data, and analysis to drive economic
development decisions and programming.
(15)
Workforce development.
(a)
Help build the capacity of workforce development programs and
encourage collaboration to better serve program participants.
(b)
Work with partner organizations to build connections between
workforce programs and employers to help bridge the gap between training
and employment.
(c)
Focus workforce development efforts on vulnerable populations.
(d)
Provide support for individuals starting their own businesses.
(18)
Smart City innovations.
(20)
Building community capacity.
(a)
Build the capacity of community organizations and associations.
(b)
Continuously improve City Hall public outreach and communication
of City services.
(c)
Improve City Hall systems to make them more inclusive and accessible.
(d)
Increase resident engagement in City decisionmaking processes.
(e)
Increase youth engagement and empowerment.
D.
Placemaking plan. The placemaking plan, Initiative Area 2 of Rochester 2034, shall inform an update to the Zoning Code and map, as codified in Chapter 120 of the City Code, as well as future projects, programs, and policies related to community development, including, but not limited to, transportation, community building, parks and recreation, and arts and culture. The approximate boundaries and land use categorization of the Character Areas depicted on the Placemaking Plan Map shall guide any updated Zoning Map. The permitted uses and associated dimensional requirements of any updated Zoning Code shall be consistent with the general vision and objectives expressed in the Character Area descriptions and associated imagery, as well as other principles and recommendations expressed throughout the Initiative Area.
A.
The following studies and plans and any amendments thereto shall
constitute implementing documents of the Comprehensive Plan:
(1)
Rochester 2034.
(2)
Zoning Code and Official Zoning Map.
(3)
Adopted Urban Renewal Plans.
(4)
Subdivision Ordinance.
(5)
Official Map.
(6)
Capital Improvement Program.
(7)
Housing Market Study.
(8)
Transit Supportive Corridor Study.
(9)
ROC the Riverway Vision Plan.
(10)
Brownfield Opportunity Area Plans.
(11)
Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.
(12)
Center City Master Plan.
(13)
Climate Action Plan.
(14)
Rochester Public Library Branch Facilities Plan.
