Community Development Committee – Monthly Updates

SUCCESS for the Port of Rochester and Charlotte Community Charrette Day on November 4^th

On Saturday, November 4^th, about 80 participants from Charlotte and the Greater Rochester area gathered with 30 volunteers from the Community Design Center Rochester (CDCR) and CCA board members to commence the Port of Rochester and Charlotte Community Charrette Day at the Port Terminal Building. The all-day event opened with encouraging remarks from Mayor Lovely Warren, NYS Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morrelle, and NYS Senator Joe Robach (delivered by a representative in his absence).

Participants were randomly divided into small focus groups to study an assigned focus area among six different topics: 1) Transportation; 2) Year-Round Activities in Underutilized Spaces; 3) Port/Marina area; 4) Ontario Beach Park; 5) N. River Street; 6) Lake Avenue Corridor. After a brief presentation on the history of Charlotte and its present day conditions, the groups then went outdoors, guided by CDCR facilitators, and conducted a walking tour of their respective study areas and began to visualize what might improve them. The CDCR facilitators themselves are designers and architects promoting healthy, sustainable communities through quality design in the built environment. All of the great ideas put forth during this giant brainstorming session were captured on paper and shared with the full group later in the day. This process revealed many common ideas that can be identified as “what the community wants” for development in the neighborhood. Everyone came away with a better understanding of the area’s needs and excitement about the possibilities and opportunities for the future.

Feedback generated at the event will be included in a report published by the Community Design Center Rochester. The document will become the basis for a comprehensive vision plan and will be used to demonstrate how the community would like developers to approach projects in the area. A public forum will be held on February 5, 2018 to share the results of the charrette and to collect further feedback from the community.

Please follow the post-charrette day updates via the CCA website at

https://charlottecca.org/community-development/charrette-process/. You can also become involved in the CCA’s ongoing Community Development Committee by contacting infocharlottecca@gmail.com .

“Charrette Day” Invites Community Members to Share Ideas for Redeveloping the Port of Rochester

Neighborhood partners to host a community-wide “charrette” to gather public input for redeveloping the port and surrounding areas  

Rochester, NY (September 21, 2017) – The development of the Port of Rochester in Charlotte has been a subject of hot debate among Rochester community leaders and residents for more than 20 years. Controversial projects including the Fast Ferry and an unsuccessful 2016 proposal for mixed-use housing and retail development have brought the City of Rochester back to the drawing board, seeking community input.

The City of Rochester, the Community Design Center Rochester, and a number of Charlotte-based neighborhood groups have collaborated to host a “charrette” – or public brainstorming session – on Saturday, November 4, 2017. Residents of the Greater Rochester area are invited to participate in the “Charrette Day” to share ideas and discuss solutions and opportunities for redeveloping the Port of Rochester and surrounding locations. The process is open, inclusive, and essential in ensuring that the vision of community members is reflected in future projects.

Geographic areas to be studied in the charrette include:

• The port, harbor, and marina;
• Ontario Beach Park and the Roger Robach Community Center;
• River Street North and the Riverway Trail;
• The Lake Avenue corridor.

Topics to be addressed during the event include:

• Transportation;
• Year-round activities and cultivating underutilized spaces;
• The port, harbor, and marina areas;
• Accessibility to Ontario Beach Park;
• Connectivity of the River Street North area and the Riverway Trail to the beach;
• The Lake Avenue corridor as a gateway to the waterfront and city.

Other communities in our area have participated in charrettes. Their steering committees offered these reflections about the process:

• “Be open-minded about what makes a community great. Offer ideas for improvement or change instead of only criticisms. Be willing to work toward that change.”
• “I have a better understanding of how traffic flow can affect a town, its businesses, and its residents. I have a better appreciation for the historic buildings in town, and even the appearance of “non-historic” buildings. I better understand how a cohesive plan could affect the look and feel of a town’s character.

”Charrette Day runs from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 4 in the Port of Rochester Terminal Building (1^st floor). The session will begin with a presentation about the history of Charlotte and will include an educational session about the built environment. Attendees will then be divided into groups to discuss assigned study areas and topics, and brainstorm their ideas for improving those areas. A light breakfast and lunch will be served.

Feedback generated at Charrette Day will be included in a report published by the Community Design Center Rochester. The document will become the basis for a comprehensive vision plan that will be used to demonstrate how the community would like developers to approach projects in the area. A public forum will be held in early 2018 to share the results of the charrette and to collect further feedback from the community.

Participation in Charrette Day is free and open to all interested residents, stakeholders, and members of the Greater Rochester community. Pre-registration is required for refreshments and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Details and registration information for the charrette are available at https://charlottecca.org/charrette-registration/or by calling 585-865-6101. For more information about the charrette process or the study areas and topics, please visit at www.charlottecca.community-development/charrette-process.

About the Charrette Day Steering Committee

The Charrette Day Steering Committee is comprised of 15 volunteers who are active members of the Charlotte community. Committee members represent a cross-section of stakeholder groups and are responsible for ensuring the charrette process is open, inclusive and transparent. Specific stakeholder groups that are represented include the Charlotte Community Association (CCA), Charlotte Community Development Corporation (CCDC), Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse Society, CHARLOTTE Strong, Port of Rochester Marina, and the Ontario Beach Park Program Committee, Charlotte residents and business owners, as well as the Greater Rochester community at large. The committee is advised by the Community Design Center Rochester and representatives from the City of Rochester and the Monroe County Parks Department.

About the Charlotte Community Association

The Charlotte Community Association provides a forum for residents and stakeholders to come together and discuss issues, as well as plan and promote events that occur in this unique and vibrant neighborhood. Charlotte incorporates its maritime and cultural heritage as the City of Rochester’s port and historic waterfront district. To learn more, visit https://charlottecca.org/.

About the Community Design Center Rochester

The Community Design Center Rochester (CDCR) is the Finger Lakes region’s only independent, non-profit community design center serving a nine county region. Its mission is to be a resource, assisting municipalities and residents of the Greater Rochester Region in defining, understanding, promoting and implementing concepts of design excellence and sustainability for the built environment with emphasis on the public realm.

CDCR accomplishes this by engaging in partnerships with neighborhood, village, town, city, and regional initiatives encouraging community involvement in planning and developing processes. CDCR’s work is made possible by a community volunteer base of more than 30 design professionals and 100 community members supporting CDCR staff. For more information, please visit www.cdcrochester.org.

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Charlotte Hosts A Community “Charrette Day” On November 4, 2017

Update: August, 2017

Development at the Port of Rochester in Charlotte, NY has been a hot topic under discussion for more than 20 years. Most recently, in 2016 a failed proposal for mixed-use development convinced the City of Rochester to seek more community input before initiating a new Request for Proposals (RFP). The City hired the Community Design Center Rochester (CDCR) to assist the Charlotte community in providing that input through a charrette.

Charrette (shê’ret) noun: A meeting in which all stakeholders in a project attempt to resolve conflicts and map solutions. (Oxford Dictionary)

The Charlotte Community Association, in collaboration with other neighborhood organizations and CDCR, will host an 8-hour “Charrette Day” on Saturday, November 4, 2017 to gather public input for redeveloping the Port of Rochester and surrounding areas.

A charrette brings together community members to brainstorm potential solutions and opportunities for a specific project. The Charlotte event will explore ideas for celebrating the history of the Port and surrounding areas, while creating a vision for its future. Topics to be addressed include transportation, year-round activities in underutilized spaces, potential business and residential development, green space, and more. Geographic areas to be studied in the charrette include the Port and Marina area, Ontario Beach Park and the Roger Robach Community Center, River Street North, and the Lake Avenue corridor north from Pattonwood Drive to the lake and west to Ruggles Street.

Feedback generated at the event will be included in a report published by the Community Design Center Rochester. The document will become the basis for a comprehensive vision plan and will be used to demonstrate how the community would like developers to approach projects in the area. A public forum will be held in early 2018 to share the results of the charrette and to collect further feedback from the community.

Charrette Day will be held at the Port of Rochester Terminal Building. Full-day registration is required to participate and will open September 7^th on a first-come, first-served basis. Details and registration information for Charrette Day will be posted at www.charlottecca.community-development/charrette-process as it becomes available.

Charrette Steering Committee

Update: August, 2017

Planning a charrette requires six months of intensive work by a team of dedicated community leaders. The following people are volunteering many hours and much effort to organize Charlotte’s “Charrette Day.” On behalf of the Charlotte community, THANK YOU!!!

Tom Brewer, Molly Clifford, Glenn Gardner, Carl Giardino, Carolyn Hinchman, Joe Hinchman, Megan Mack, Mike May, Sharon O’Brien, Bob Owens, Ron Penders, Jose Peo, Suzanne Phillips, Craig Ristuccia, Sue Roethel – Committee Chair, Larry Staub, Marianne Warfle

The Community Design Center of Rochester is a local non-profit agency that works with neighborhoods to create this vision. For more information about a Charrette and some local examples, visit their website at http://www.rrcdc.org/

Charrette – A Process to Create a Vision for Our Neighborhood of the Future

On March 30, 2015 the Charlotte Community Association Board of Directors held a special open community meeting to learn about the community vision plan process. About 55 neighbors attended and heard a presentation by the Community Design Center of Rochester (CDCR).

The central theme of the discussion was to inform members of the Charlotte Community about a process to develop a long term vision for the neighborhood. The scope of the vision plan can be as narrow or as broad as the community decides. Ideally it will encompass the entire neighborhood of Charlotte.

The process begins with a brainstorming session called a “charrette “that takes place over a series of months. It brings together community members and design professionals to create collaborative solutions for cities, towns, and neighborhoods. It begins with a walk through the neighborhood to see what’s there now, followed by a series of workshops facilitated by design professionals to solicit input from all attendees to produce sketches of dream neighborhoods and landscapes. Then the CDCR creates a consolidated report, or Vision Plan, of all the ideas from the charrette. The report can include materials such as posters, brochures, etc. with maps, drawings, photos and written commentary. It covers land use, gateways, transportation and connections.

The Community Design Center of Rochester is a local non-profit agency that works with neighborhoods to create this vision. For more information about a Charrette and some local examples, visit their website at

http://www.rrcdc.org/