Irondequoit business owner selling after years of issues with town

IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y.- Mike Nolan says he created I-Square twelve years ago in hopes of giving the community somewhere to gather.

But he says throughout that time, he’s been met with nothing but resistance from the town, which is why he is selling off part of it.

Mike Nolan is looking for a buyer for five of his properties: The main building, the Imaginarium, the stage, a vacant lot, and a parking lot. The sign out front says, “For Sale – Ask me why,” so we did. I-Square includes restaurants, a brewery, space for outdoor performances and offices, as well as the Imaginarium, a two-story “green” building that can be rented out for events.

Irondequoit native Mike Nolan and his wife Wendy envisioned the project as a place for the public to gather. Now, he is looking to unload much of it.

“The path is identical. The process, virtually everything about it reached exactly the same path that was followed then and now, just not up for going through it again,” Nolan said.

Nolan says that in 2016, the Town of Irondequoit gave him grief on his plans to develop I-Square. And now, he says, it’s happening again.

“We have our own way of doing things. And we do it properly. We do it to code. We are compliant. And every agreement and every commitment we have, has always been, and but it tends to bother them a bit,” Nolan said.

Irondequoit Town Supervisor Rory Fitzpatrick says Nolan has not been fully compliant.

“So, he has a road blocked, that road that turns in from Titus is blocked. He has outdoor dining. That’s not permitted. He’s built a wall that does not fit a site plan. He has several site plan issues. He had dumpsters on private property,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick, who became supervisor a year and a half ago, says his administration has been trying to give Nolan every opportunity to fix the problems.

“He’s like I said, he’s been in violation for many years. For whatever reason, the prior administration chose to ignore those. But he’s trying to do some other stuff and wants to do, and he has to clean up, clean up his property to fit his site plan. And we’re trying to work with him and be reasonable,” Fitzpatrick said.

However, Nolan says he’s been doing everything the right way, putting in permit requests and attending planning board meetings.

“We didn’t build it for anything but to make our town a better and stronger place. And I don’t understand. That makes no sense why our town supervisor and deputy supervisor are so actively working against something that’s viewed so positively,” Nolan said.

Mike Nolan says he has had a lot of interest in the properties he’s listed. But he currently has no plans to sell the brewery and senior-living apartments he owns.