Concerns About 75 Monroe Ave.

75 Monroe Ave will be the largest development in Pittsford Village since the Erie Canal.  It will increase our population by 20% and its single entrance on Monroe Ave. will exacerbate a traffic situation that is already unacceptable.  The proposed development consists of 167 apartments and a 125 seat restaurant.  We object to the scale (4 stories) and density (24 dwelling units per acre) as well as the increased traffic and noise generated by the site.  The current proposal is not compatible with the scale of the Village as required by R-5 Zoning (210-19.2.B.3.c.2).

Our preference is to see a smaller scale development at this site that is compatible with other residential areas of the Village.

The Village of Pittsford is a small village on the Erie Canal and in the opinion of our Mayor, Robert Corby, it is the best-preserved small Erie Canal village in New York.  Mayor Corby stated the following:
“An important part of the physical characteristic contributing to the Villages Historic character is its modest size and two-story scale.  Of the Villages 800 buildings only church steeples, a few silos, two schools, and 6 commercial buildings are taller than two stories."

"The Village, Schoen Place, and canal commercial districts in villages of similar size to Pittsford are comprised primarily of one and two-story structures. In canal commercial districts, larger taller and longer buildings are usually surrounded by lower barns and sheds giving a sense of hierarchy and a distinctive varied profile to these areas.  To be visually compatible with the Village and the canal commercial concept this project will need to incorporate a variety of scale similar to authentic canal commercial districts.”

The developer’s concept is one that would negatively, and permanently, alter the character of one of the best-preserved canal villages in New York State. There is a legacy at stake.  It is antithetical to preservation efforts made in the last 40 years by committed Village lawmakers and residents.  Our community is nationally recognized and admired for its stewardship of historic architecture and viewsheds, which from many perspectives would be blighted should this project move forward.

The developer’s conceptual plans call for a row of residential buildings over a quarter-mile long adjacent to the Historic Erie Canal that will be significantly larger than commercial buildings in the Village.

From Friends of Pittsford Village