ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester’s Main Street is set for a transformation following a unanimous vote by the City Council to address blight and abandoned buildings on Main Street.

The plan, called Re: Main, was first proposed by Mayor Evans, and aims to revitalize the road from North Clinton Avenue to West Broad Street with a $2 million investment.

City Council President Miguel Melendez emphasized the importance of the project.

“This project will invest about $2 million in that general area, trying to attract and create opportunities for business development and other development,” said Melendez.

The funds will target vacant buildings, like those on East Main Street, turning them into spaces for businesses or apartments.

Melendez noted that the investment will support existing businesses and attractions, including the convention center, which already has ongoing construction projects.

“So we have the convention center, which is a stable, steady asset that already has some projects underway from a construction standpoint,” Melendez explained. “But this is also a section where there’s vacant storefronts. If you look at the corner of State and Main, the intersections have many opportunities, business development opportunities.”

For businesses to qualify for the grant money, their total cost of the project must be at least $1 million and the projects must be completed by October 2029.

Lifelong Rochester resident Zeb Coleman expressed his enthusiasm for the revitalization efforts.

“I’ve been a big fan of revitalization because that’s exactly what it does. It just brings some life back down here,” Coleman said. “And I always like to say, just stimulate the little local economy. Get people coming in and out of shops.”

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