Furst Draft: The Miracle Mile list of 'concessions'

Here's one more batch of raw information on the $25 million-plus Miracle Mile residential and retail project, which is supposed to face a moment of truth at the Rochester City Council meeting tonight.

Council Member Michael Wojcik has said on Facebook that he'll try to "continue the Miracle Mile discussion to the following meeting without discussion" because of a packed council agenda. A city official has told me that further delay threatens to undo the project, though it's always hard to know whether that's a developer ploy or a real concern.

In any case, it remains on the agenda tonight.

In his email to council members Friday -- which then led to what I've described as a "fiery" email exchange with a neighborhood leader -- Oronoco businessman and developer Javon Bea, whose family interests own the center, says he made changes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the project to accommodate the Kutzky Park neighborhood. Below is the memo listing those "concessions."

Neighborhood residents may challenge some or all of this. They're welcome to add comments below. This is just the developer's take.

I'll trim off the last few grafs, which make assertions/attacks on a few neighborhood residents -- I don't think it's fair to post those without their response. (I know in one case the resident denies Bea's assertion.) Otherwise, the memo is unedited.

MIRACLE MILE PROJECT

CONCESSIONS WE MADE FOR THE NEIGHBORS

The following concessions where made in the various design iterations as a result of the neighborhood meetings with our development team.

Building and Loading Dock Orientation

• The original design concept oriented the building with grocery entrance to the North of the site, with the loading dock on 16th Ave. The neighborhood requested that the loading dock be relocated away from 16th Ave. and onto 1st Street.

• The neighborhood then demanded that we were to enclose the loading bay, trash and compactors which is an additional building cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a result of this design change, the RENTABLE retail space was decreased BY APPROXIMATELY 1500 SQ FEET and underground parking was REDUCED by nine parking stalls.

BOTH OF THESE TWO ABOVE CONCESSIONS WILL COST US ONGOING LOST RENT FOREVER AS THE GROCERY WILL NOT PAY FOR DOCK SPACE AND WE WILL LOOSE RENT ON NINE PARKING STALLS TO TENANTS FOR AS LONG AS THE BUILDING EXIST.

• The National Grocery required that we face West (HWY 52). The location of the main entrance is predicated on the right hand circulation pattern of The National Grocer which is part of their protocol for all their stores. This circulation orientation is a non-negotiable design element of the National Grocer.

• In regards to the 16th Ave. façade; the original design had small windows with one material the full length of the façade. The Neighborhood requested that the design was to "activate" the street.

• We redesigned the 16 th St.façade to provide more variation in building façade through, material change and much larger windows using the expensive Kalwall translucent panel fenestrations.

• The incorporation of Kalwall translucent panels to the façade allows for light from interior of the space to be visible from the street while still screening the "back of house". The translucent panels are back lite by the actual grocery space, not with a separate or artificial light source.

• The housing located above the retail space was set back from the retail space on 16th Ave. to allow façade relief so it does not look like a tall building from the ground level.

• The housing set back at the second floor, also allows for minimal shadow impact on the surrounding neighborhood. The housing is oriented to capture the majority of daylight during the afternoon hours.

• The housing building itself will provide a sound barrier for the neighborhood from the noise of the highway. The U shape facing the highway will minimize any sound transmittance from the apartment building toward the neighborhood otherwise a "U" shape can amplify/redirect sound similar to an amphitheater, if open toward the neighborhood causing possible future complaints of noise by the neighbors. With facing the U shape toward the highway,the sound from the outdoor living of the tenants will be directed to the highway which is already noisy.

• We also agreed to the Housing portion of the project incorporating a secondary entrance and Lobby from 16th Ave. so as to have a more direct engagement of the new residential tenants with the neighborhood.

Site/Landscape Design

• We agreed to enhanced pedestrian connectivity with the introduction of sidewalks, plantings, benches and bike racks on 16th Ave.at the neighbors requests to allow for neighborhood interaction with the retail/commercial spaces.

• Benches where also incorporated in the design at the neighbors request to allow for areas for residents and the neighborhood to rest and engage with others.

• At the request of the City/neighborhood additional native landscaping was introduced to the site from the previous design.

• The enhanced pedestrian connectivity with the introduction of sidewalks, and plantings on 1st Street, allows for neighborhood interaction with the retail/commercial spaces.

• The height/massing of the monument signs were reduced at the request of the City/Neighborhood.

ALL THESE CHANGES ABOVE HAVE ADDED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO THE PROJECT COST AND ONGOING LOSS OF REVENUE IN BUIDING SEMI TRAILOR TRUCK SPACE ENCLOSED INSIDE THE BUILDING SO THE NEIGHBORS DO NOT HAVE TO SEE SEMI TRUCKS OUTSIDE WHEN THEY ARE UNLOADING. THE GROCERY WILL NOT PAY FOR DOCK SPACE SINCE THEY EXPECT IT AS PART OF THE BUILDING OUTSIDE. THIS INSIDE SEMI TRUCK SPACE ALSO TAKES AWAY 9 RENTABLE PARKING STALLS.

WE AGREED TO ALL THE ABOVE TO TRY AND MAKE THESE PEOPLE HAPPY AND I BELIEVE THE "NORMAL" NEIGHBORS ARE HAPPY AND EXCITED FOR THIS WONDERFUL IMPROVEMENT TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.

THE IMAGINE KUETZY CONTINUED DEMANDS OF WANTING TO FORCE THE GROCERY TO TURN THEIR FRONT DOOR AND PARKING LOT TO 16 TH ST. WILL FORCE THE GROCERY TO CANCEL AND THE BANK SAID THEY WILL NOT FINACE THE PROJECT WITHOUT THE GROCERY LEASE –SO THE PROJECT WILL DIE...