Office of City Planning

Featured Link

City Beautiful: Exploring A City Plan for Rochester 1911 & the Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan 
 
Click here>> to download the slide deck from this event hosted by the Highland Park Conservancy. 

The Office of City Planning plays a variety of roles within City Hall and the community related to policy development and placemaking. At times we are leading these efforts while in others we are providing assistance to other internal and external groups leading an effort. We serve our community and City government as facilitators, consensus builders, and process brokers. Our team brings a perspective rooted in holistic planning, multi-disciplinary collaboration, sustainability, equity, urbanism, and data-based decision making. 

Our Core Capabilities are listed below:

Long-Range Planning

  • community visioning and city-wide planning
  • neighborhood/area planning
Current & Near Term Planning & Implementation
  • reviewing development projects and urban design
  • policy development
  • guiding City investments (housing and commercial projects, recreational facilities, infrastructure, public facilities, and public art

Internal Investment Coordination

  • facilitating or contributing to annual processes
  • alignment with Rochester 2034
Data Analytics & GIS Mapping
  • data-driven policy development
  • custom map requests

Community Engagement

  • project-specific engagement 
  • neighborhood capacity building
  • collaboration and City representation with key community partners
  • on-call engagement services

Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan

17 ROC 2034 logo

Rochester 2034 is the 15-year comprehensive plan to improve our community leading up to our 200th birthday. Overall, the Plan presents a blueprint for growth and development, with three main themes carried throughout - positioning Rochester for growth, placemaking, and social and economic equity. This plan sets the framework for all current and future community initiatives. Rochester 2034 was officially adopted by City Council in November 2019.

 Rochester 2034 Implementation Logo

Rochester 2034 ImplementationThe City and its many community partners are hard at work on implementing the Plan. Rochester 2034 Moving Forward: A 2-Year Progress Report summarizes all that has been accomplished and is underway since the Plan’s adoption in November of 2019.

The following initiatives are part of the larger effort to implement Rochester 2034. The City will report back to the community every two years on the status of the Plan's implementation. 

  • Zoning Alignment Project: The City is currently in the process of developing a new Zoning Code and Zoning Map to reflect the vision expressed in Rochester 2034. The project team anticipates releasing a draft of the Zoning Map through a series of community workshops in early 2022. Stay tuned for updates on the project website, www.rochesterzap.com.
  • 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan + Annual Action Plan: As a jurisdiction that receives funding directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of Rochester is required to develop a Consolidated Plan to inform its use of annual HUD funds.
  • Inner Loop North Transformation Study: Continuing the completion of the Inner Loop East project, the City is currently evaluating and planning to remove portions of the northern Inner Loop for purposes of neighborhood revitalization, economic development, creation of green space, and multi-modal connectivity.
  • DataROC Open Data Portal: This is a public clearinghouse for data from studies to demographic data to interactive maps and more. 
  • Energy Smart Rochester: This initiative provides tips, actions and resources to increase energy efficiency in buildings and to promote beneficial electrification in our community.
  • Arts + Creative Community Committee (AC3)A collection of stakeholders that aims to advance the City’s investments in arts and culture, particularly previously underrepresented groups and individuals, as well as improve the overall ecosystem of creatives throughout our region.

     

Past Plans and Studies

To view all City and community-led plans and studies from the past 10 years, please see the Projects and Plans Application and click on the "Plans and Studies" tab. 

Additional Information

If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Kelley, Manager of City Planning at Kevin.Kelley@CityOfRochester.gov or (585) 428-6861.  

If you have questions related to zoning, building permits, or the City Planning Commission, please contact the Division of Zoning at (585) 428-7043 or zoning@cityofrochester.gov.