Proposed Marketplace Mall change gets key approval

June 18, 2019 -- Marketplace Mall in Henrietta is a step closer to making changes to accommodate the still-undisclosed tenant that would occupy the former Macy's store.

Imagine Monroe, the county's industrial development agency that gives tax breaks and incentives to new and expanding businesses, condemned part of the mall property and cleared a path for the project proposed my mall owner Wilmorite.

The agency vote allows Wilmorite to free up parking spaces around Macy's. In a statement in April, Wilmorite said the parking lot rights could "delay if not prevent the desired transformation of Marketplace Mall."

Additional parking rights still need to be purchased from a handful of stores still operating in the mall.

Wilmorite has declined to identify the new tenant, citing a non-disclosure agreement. Past reports have indicated that the University of Rochester Orthopedic Center was interested in moving into the property.

Hillside shutting ROmulus treatment facility

June 18, 2019 -- Hillside Children's Center will close its Romulus residential treatment facility and lay off 244 workers.

Hillside provides services to children and their families with a range of emotional and behavioral challenges. The Romulus campus serves 79 youths from across New York. About 60 workers losing jobs in Romulus will be relocated to other Hillside campuses along with the youths.

Hillside officials attribute the decision to an industry trend toward community-based services as well as costly improvements that would have been needed at the Romulus location that has been in use since 2004. The non-profit also has struggled to recruit and retain staff at the site of the former Seneca Army Depot.

Christa changing focus of downtown housing plan

June 17, 2019 -- Christa Construction wants to back away from plans approved to bring luxury housing downtown and shift the focus to more affordable units.

Christa is asking city officials for permission to scrap plans for units that woud rent for $2,000 a month on a parcel of land at the corner of East Avenue and Union Street on a parcel of land along the Inner Loop. The revised plan is for a five-story building with apartments renting for $750-$800 per month. An enclosed parking garage would replace first-floor retail space featured in the original proposal.

New York AG opposing merger that would bring jobs here

June 11, 2019 -- A deal that could bring more than 1,000 new jobs in a proposed T-Mobile call center to the area could be in jeopardy as New York's attorney general has joined the effort to block a merger.

T-Mobile announced months ago that it would build a call center here if it got approved to merge with Sprint, but Attorney General Letitia James called the proposed deal a "job killing mega-merger", adding it could lead to a huge retail job loss, and lower employee pay.

James said T-Mobile and Sprint could raise prices on customers who rely on their current lower subscription costs, and cut quality.

Multiple other attorneys general from across the country have voiced similar concerns.

Developer Morgan in talks to sell properties

June 6, 2019 -- A Pennsylvania-based company that has been purchasing apartment complexes across the mid-Atlantic region may be preparing to buy properties owned by embattled Rochester developer Robert Morgan.

Morgan and his company, Morgan Communities, is in negotiations with Morgan Properties, which is not connected to the Rochester company. Attorneys for Robert Morgan disclosed the negotiations in Federal Court in Buffalo, with the suitor prepared to invest $100 million.

Such an infusion of cash could make investors whole in the investment funds that are now the target of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the attorneys said.

Morgan Communities has thousands of apartment units across 14 states. Media reports show Morgan Properties has been in recent negotiations for apartment complexes in Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee for costs totaling more than $1 billion.

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