David Riley

@rilzd

Don't call it a park.

The people behind a new campaign to preserve the center of the Midtown site in downtown Rochester as a green public space say there's much more to their proposal than that.

They envision a public square that could host festivals and performances in warm weather and sledding in the winter; a spot where the region's restaurants, breweries and wineries could share great food and drink; and an incubator of sorts for small retailers and entrepreneurs who would set up in modular shops.

Driving the point home is the name of their newly launched website — thisisnotapark.com — and their proposed name for the property now known as Parcel 5, Rochester Visionary Square.

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The idea's backers include Ken Sato, director of Big Picture Rochester, which has adorned downtown buildings with large photos; Kathy Palokoff, founder of goFirestarter, which does consulting for entrepreneurs; and Benjamin Woelk, a principal at Slow Road Consulting. They have been talking with others, including downtown developers and business owners, about potentially supporting their concept.

The group plans to submit a formal proposal to the city, which has formally requested plans to develop Parcel 5. The site is on East Main Street across from the Liberty Pole.

The parcel also has been eyed for a Seneca-run slot parlor and a performing arts center, among other ideas.

Recognizing that they could be competing with people with much deeper pockets, the group that favors open space wants the public to get involved in shaping the plan and to sign a petition on their website that will be submitted with the proposal to demonstrate community support. That's why they are airing the idea about a month before the Sept. 9 deadline to submit proposals to the city.

"We need the community to come behind this and take ownership of Parcel 5 and recognize that this is what they want for their future," Woelk said this week. "They want to be able to have the ability to gather, and they want to be able to have the ability to pause and relax and play and shop."

Sato submitted a similar idea to the city last year, and was turned down. But many people saw the site's potential after the final show of this year's Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival brought a massive crowd to the lot, and he's worked to develop the concept since then, he said.

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The group plans to form a nonprofit that would manage the site and raise money through a mix of crowdfunding, foundation money, grants and naming rights. They also hope to raise revenue through renting out retail space and to tap volunteers and in-kind donations, but they aren't interested in government subsidies, Sato said.

This financial plan presents at least one immediate challenge: meeting the city's $1 million price tag for the property. Palokoff said she hopes the city may be willing to be flexible about paying the sale price in installments.

In addition to a lawn and a performance area, the rough plan calls for small-business space — in renovated shipping containers, perhaps — that could be added incrementally as demand grows. The business component would bring more activity and jobs downtown, and that could potentially draw more people to surrounding shops, Sato said.

"It's a blank canvas for the entrepreneurs of Rochester," he said.

Woelk stressed that the plan requires minimal investment, and the site could be reconfigured for different uses throughout the year or as demands change.

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Other cities offer evidence that this type of public square can be a major draw that helps to fuel the surrounding economy, Woelk said. He pointed to Cleveland Public Square, Bryant Park in New York City, Larkin Square in Buffalo and an urban flea market in Cincinnati as examples.

But Rochester Visionary Square should be unique to our city, he said. Woelk invited people to stand in the center of the site themselves and imagine what they want to see there.

"It has to be a complete reflection of the community," Woelk said.

DRILEY@Gannett.com

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