Meeting planned on port project

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Charlotte residents this week may see some preliminary construction work by Lake Ontario and the Genesee River.

The Port of Rochester marina development project is expected to begin this week, although more detailed plans and a project overview will be shared at a public informational meeting. The meeting is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the terminal building, 1000 N. River St.

Visitors also will be able to ask questions about the project and its schedule, according to James DiNardo, project manager.

“We’ll be giving a presentation on the project, and what can be expected for the people who need to get to the beach,” DiNardo said.

The $20 million marina project has been in the works for some time.

The first phase of the project calls for the construction of a deep-draft marina basin for 85 slips, which would be built south and west of the ferry terminal. The basin would be surrounded by a park and promenade connecting the Genesee Riverway Trail and Charlotte Pier.

The plan does allow for as many as 157 more slips to be built in the future as well as for the extension of North River Street.

Sidewalks, lighting and on-street parking also are planned.

City officials are hopeful the private aspect of the development could lead to an economic shot in the arm for the neighborhood, although some residents are opposed to the project.

Officials envision more than 100 owner-occupied housing units for an undeveloped 2.8-acre parcel of land in the future. That could lead to more boutique shops and retail stores that fit in with the restaurants and bars already in the area.

Although much of what is proposed is years away, there has been a visible sign of progress in eliminating rather large stumbling block. A 100-ton hunk of slag — referred to as a “button” — has been removed from a parking lot at the site, DiNardo said.

The button, which is believed to be a remnant of an iron mill that operated there in the early 1900s, was made up of limestone, phosphate, iron and other heavy metals and is a byproduct of the iron-making process, according to the Rochester Subway blog.

The port project, which has evolved over time and incorporated and eliminated many ideas, was first floated in 1965.

“It’s finally going to happen,” DiNardo said.