League of Women Voters of Rochester Metro Area

Meeting of October 19th 2021

The status of local labor monitoring was reported. Since last month, 63 site visits were conducted and all 356 workers were in compliance. The local labor rate at the Amazon Manitou site is at 63% with a goal of 70%. The local labor exemption requests were reviewed. USRE Rochester LLC requested two exemptions for their Shepard Road project in Ogden for warranteed installation of equipment and specialized iron work for which the local union does not have workers.

APPLICATION REVIEW: Requests for sales and recording tax exemptions and real property tax abatements were approved for the following applications:

A50EB LLC, a real estate holding company, for the renovation of the Aqueduct buildings in downtown Rochester for occupancy by Constellation Brands as their corporate headquarters. The Rochester site was chosen due to the historic nature of the buildings and the river frontage enabling the development of an innovative and creative work environment.
587 LLC for the renovation of buildings at 350-362 State Street, Rochester into 16 market rate apartments ranging from studios to 1-2-bedroom units. Two studio apartments will be designated for those people with income equal or less than 60% of the area median income.

PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The following requests were approved:

Tower 195 LLC requested an extension of the sales tax exemption through December 31, 2022 for The Metropolitan building in downtown Rochester due to construction delays.
1733 Ridge Rd LLC requests a portion of the land at Medley Center Parkway be released to accommodate required financing.

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE REPORT: Work continues on the housing policy and inclusion of an affordable component. The current consensus is that a requirement of 10% of units should meet the definition of affordable. Anticipate that work will be complete in next month or two.

FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT: The 2022 proposed budget was reviewed. The estimated revenue total is $2.25 million. A $15,000 line was added for one internship. COMIDA will continue to support local projects such as the Workforce Development Center at Monroe Community College. The proposed budget was approved.

The following requests were approved:

MCC asked to extend the original contract with COMIDA for Empower (formerly Ladders Up) to December 31, 2021.
A 2-month extension of the contract with Loewke Brill Consulting Group for local labor monitoring services extension was requested. The need for increased monitoring was discussed.
The MARL 5G accelerator program requested a contract amendment for their start up program to adjust the program scope to support students and young entrepreneurs.

A presentation of the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan (known as Plan Forward), last conducted 40 years ago, was given. The county plan will consider how to coordinate with local stakeholders and municipalities to enhance community growth, address regional issues, and plan for improvements in the county over the next 10- 15 years. Public outreach to build awareness and solicit feedback will be the first step. A draft plan is expected by Fall of 2022 and a final version by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023. This effort is being coordinated with the Bring Monroe Back program which is funded under the American Rescue Plan Act. The presentation is accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPi-WYqdZg.

OBSERVED BY DEBORAH RICE GORDON