FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

City of Rochester Initiating Effort to Update Downtown Master Plan 

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox is pleased to announce that Rochester will partner with consulting firm Resilience Planning and Design to develop a Downtown Master Plan, and is seeking community input throughout the process.

The forward-looking plan for future development of Rochester’s downtown will include considerations for the arts, green infrastructure, transportation, economic development, historic preservation and more.

The team selected to assist in the process has extensive experience in community planning, design, outreach and engagement, as well as economic analysis. Working in close collaboration with city leaders, Resilience Planning and Design will draw upon that expertise to create an innovative and informed vision for downtown Rochester.

Resilience Planning and Design has worked with communities like Dover, Portsmouth, Franklin and Littleton to create similar master plan documents, and will help Rochester refresh its own master plan, which was last completed in 2003.

“This process is an essential step in ensuring that downtown Rochester reaches its fullest potential,” City Manager Cox said. “This will be a collaborative effort that’s deeply reliant upon community feedback and stakeholder engagement, and will ultimately serve as a road map for the future of our city.”

The team from Resilience Planning and Design includes the firm’s Founder and Principal Steve Whitman, who will serve as Project Manager for the Downtown Master Plan, and Liz Kelly a professional planner and designer with the firm. It also includes Russ Thibeault of Applied Economic Research, and Rob Harbeson of Market Square Architects.

The city’s Planning and Development Department is seeking citizens or business owners to join members of the City Council in serving on the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee. Those chosen for the committee are asked to make themselves available to attend monthly meetings for the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee for the remainder of this calendar year, and then to assist with ongoing implementation efforts.

If you are interested in being a part of this important Downtown planning process and vision, contact Michelle Mears at [email protected] or 603-335-1338.

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