ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Local leaders are seeking $35 million in state funding from the upcoming state budget for a long-awaited project to turn a former oil refinery into a public park.
The project, part of the City of Rochester’s “Restore the Shore” initiative, aims to clean up the old Vacuum Oil refinery plant near Plymouth Avenue, turning it into a public space with trails, amenities, and foundations for redevelopment.
They’re also planning to restore a flood protection wall for the nearby neighborhood.
The site has been unusable for decades because of contamination from the oil company. The city says the former refinery left much of the soil and groundwater contaminated and has already been working to clean up the area.
Community reactions
“I would love to see a park. I would love more green spaces where people could go to the city to enjoy nature and to, like, really get outside,” said Misha Zain, who was visiting the nearby Rochester Night Market.
“I think that this would be a perfectly reasonable thing to spend [$35 million] on,” Zain said.
Businesses hope for change
Lex Page, organizer of the Rochester Night Market, said while she’ll miss the old building itself, she’s glad to see the site cleaned up and improved upon.
“I know that there is a lot of pollution in the area, and there’s a lot of things that we have to do, even within having this building in order to accommodate that. So anything that makes that easier would be nice. As long as it, you know, keeps everything preserved the way that it was, I want to keep as much of the natural infrastructure as we can,” Page said.
Karrie Laughton of Roc Paper Straws said she is cautiously optimistic and hopes the project will bring more attention to the neighborhood.
“Right now the details are a little vague. So I hope that they, the city keeps the neighborhood informed and lets them weigh in on what they’d like to see over there, especially the permanent residents,” Laughton said. “I think that’d be great. But any sort of positive forward motion to make things better is always good for our neighborhood and our city.”
The state budget is now expected to be passed on April 7.
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