Mayor's plan adds rooftop stage, IMAX cinema to proposed Parcel 5 theater, tower

Mayor Lovely Warren unveiled a modified vision Tuesday for downtown's Parcel 5, repositioning it as an "entertainment complex."

The shift is more about message than design. Warren also announced she had chosen Sandy Parker, former head of the Rochester Business Alliance, now known as the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, to lead the project team. Parker will handle public relations going forward, officials said.

And in an effort to tamp down lingering skepticism, Warren sought City Council approval on Tuesday to have concerns about the impact on other arts groups and venues answered by a consultant.

More: Arts groups, others raise alarms over Parcel 5 theater proposal

"We have listened to the people — people who want more than just a performing arts center," Warren said. "They want entertainment. They want vibrancy. They want outdoor concerts. So we are going to bring them all of that in the new Golisano Arts and Entertainment Complex at Midtown Commons."

The reboot, coming 11 months after the project first was unveiled, highlights previously planned outdoor and greenspace venues. An undefined rooftop area now includes a performance stage. Equipment would be added allowing the theater to double as an IMAX-style theater on non-performance days.

More: Parcel 5 to become performing arts center, residential tower

The $135 million price tag remains unchanged, as does a request for $20 million in state funding. The theater accounts for $85 million of the total and remains partly funded with no private commitments announced beyond the original $25 million pledge from billionaire businessman Thomas Golisano. A 13-story residential tower fills out the remainder of the project and will be financed by developer Bob Morgan.

More: RBTL outlines financials for operating Parcel 5 theater

"We've met with everybody. We've met with foundations and donors," said John Parkhurst, chief operating officer for the Rochester Broadway Theatre League, a co-developer of the project, adding that response has been positive but with common questions about where the city and state stand.

"I think today went a long way to telling us where the city is on the project," Parkhurst said.

That message no doubt will be relayed to Albany, where RBTL Chairman Arnie Rothschild happened to be on Tuesday.

Ideas for the 1.1-acre East Main Street lot have been tossed around for years, as has talk of a new downtown performing arts center. The parcel is part of the long-razed Midtown Plaza. A vocal contingent has pushed for the lot to be left as open space. Funding for the theater has long been a stumbling block.

When the city sought proposals for the site back in 2016, it required that there be no projected funding gaps, no anticipated subsidies and that financing not rely on state or local grants or loans.

The subsidy question could be answered in part by a parking surcharge. Asked what level of funding she would need to see in place before seeking City Council's OK to sell the lot, Warren said: "As soon as we are in a good position to break ground, we will take the legislation to Council and try to get their approval."

Talk of going back to the consultant has been ongoing since before or around the first of the year, based on questions from incumbent City Council members and anticipated inquiries from three new members.

"It's a conversation," Warren spokesman James Smith said previously, anticipating the request. "This isn’t about reopening the entirety of everything we have learned about Parcel 5."

Under legislation Warren submitted Tuesday, Cleveland-based DLR Group/Westlake Reed Leskosky, which prepared an earlier feasibility study for the downtown theater, would be asked to substantiate job projections while answering questions about whether it is possible to forecast the financial impact on other arts organizations, how and whether the proposed facility supports other arts groups, how to minimize dark time and engage the surrounding community, and what other cities have done to build an arts endowment that helps all arts organizations.

The added work is estimated to cost $66,435 and should be completed by July 31. As for a full-blown study of the impact on other theaters — sought by Geva Theatre Center since November 2016 — Chief of Staff Alex Yudelson has said the city is not opposed to a deeper dive "if somebody wanted to do that study," but that he did not see the city paying for it.

Warren wrote City Council that once Westlake submits its responses and "adequate project financing sources" are verified, "Council may proceed with authorization for development of the proposed housing/entertainment complex on the city's Parcel 5."

Whether the reboot will hit the mark is a question.

Some council members are skeptical. And groups including This is not a Park, Free Parcel 5 and People for Parcel 5 have pushed for an incremental approach, leaving the Midtown lot open for any multitude of uses, active and passive, to see what develops naturally. They want community input that will shape what happens with Parcel 5, rather than development plans to either support or oppose.

"We shouldn't be rushing to do this," said Steve Carter of People for Parcel 5, reiterating questions about finances and other details. "We reject this top-down approach to downtown development."

BDSHARP@Gannett.com