North Main gets some city love, with building bought, crosswalk made safer

It's gonna get a little brighter and a little flashier at a North Main Street crosswalk. (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - Rochester's City Council on Tuesday approved the city's purchase of the old Hoffman's Furniture building at 55 North Main Street and the installation of a $50,000 flashing beacon safety package for a North Main Street crosswalk just north of the Lilac City Grille.

Prior to the final vote on the Hoffman Furniture building purchase City Councilor Pete Lachapelle noted he was voting against the resolution.

"I'm going to vote no on this," Lachapelle said during the remotely held meeting. "This is a thorn in our side, I don't think we should be kneeling to this corporate company."

Rochester Mayor Caroline McCarley stated her backing saying she considered the property "an anchor store in our downtown."

"We have this opportunity that provides lots of people moving downtown to have places to go," McCarley added. "It gives us control over being able to do something."

The motion easily passed with only Lachapelle, Jim Gray and Jeremy Hutchinson voting against it.

With the purchase by the city complete, it is expected that the building could be marketed for development as in the case of the Scenic Theater and Salinger blocks recently acquired by Chinburg Properties of Newmarket.

The North Main Street crosswalk safety package includes overhead streetlights and crosswalk signs with rectangular rapid flashing beacons at a cost of $5,000, too much money from Lachapelle's viewpoint.

City Councilor Donna Bogan also was against it saying if the city erects one there it could be only a matter of time before they want one at the Factory Court crosswalk near Revolution restaurant.

"If we end up doing this one and then we do the Factory Court crosswalk, we're just going to end up being a flashing mess," Bogan said.

Lachapelle and Bogan, however, ended up the only no votes and the motion passed.