The Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association, in partnership with First Homes and Rochester Area Foundation, is proud to announce the Kick-Off meeting for Imagine Kutzky!



The Imagine Kutzky kick-off meeting will take place on Saturday, June 12th, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. United Way Building

The Kick-Off meeting is first in a series of three meetings. We will give you all cameras to take pictures of your favorite spots and use photos as a basis for what we would like to see more of in the neighborhood. We will also learn more about the Imagine Kutzky process and project goals. Great neighbors and great food included!

The Imagine Kutzy revitalization and planning effort for Kutzky Park is now in full swing. All of you (residents, landlords, business owners and organizations) should have received a mailing this week announcing the Imagine Kutzky effort and inviting you to the series of Imagine Kutzky meetings to be held this summer. The Kick-Off is the first in the series.

The other meetings will be held on:

Tuesday, June 29th, 2004
7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
location to be announced

Tuesday, July 20th, 2004
7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
location to be announced

As Kutzky Park embarks on this effort, your attendance is vital. Our goal is not just to beautify Kutzky Park, but also to build a strong and vibrant community of neighbors. Without your participation this cannot happen!

There is much ethusiasm building from entire Rochester community about this effort, but attendance at our neighborhood planning meetings will be the key to success. In order for a revitalization plan to be supported and approved in the end, it needs to be YOUR plan.

Read more details on our Imagine Kutzky page.

If you did not receive an invitation in the mail, please contact us so we can update our mailing list and send one out to you.

Posted by Stephanie at 10:11 AM | Link

 
The proposal to build a 17-unit semi-transient rooming house for patients visiting the Mayo Clinic was denied in a 7-0 vote at the City Council on Monday, May 17.

The proposed development was planned for 836 and 840 West Center Street. If approved, the two homes currently located on the properties would have been torn down and the lots combined to make one building.

The Church of Christ, applicants of the proposed facility, have owned and operated a guest house called the Hands of Compassion that has operated at 830 West Center for nearly 19 years.

While the new facility would have replaced a structure in deteriorating condition, the KPNA felt that to demolish two residential-scale homes and replace them with a large, commercial style building would set a dangerous precident for future redevelopment in the heart of the neighborhood. With the large number of semi-transient, rooming house and outreach organizations in the interior of neighborhood, any one of them could see the need for expansion in the future.

Redevelopment and expansion on the edges of the neighborhood is easier to integrate into the street scape and doesn't interupt the residential aspect of the neighborhood the same way it would in the center of the neighborhood. While the decision was difficult for KPNA leadership, it was this factor that lead us to believe it was necessary to argue opposition to the project.

Change is inevitable and non-residential development is bound to occur on the periphery of the neighborhood. But in the end we believe Kutzky Park should remain a place where people live.

Originally the Hands of Compassion development by the Church of Christ was not scheduled for a Public Hearing. The KPNA requested this development be heard as a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission. The hearing occured on April 28, 2004 and was unanimously approved by Commission Members.(read the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting minutes.) Believing the Commission did not give full consideration to the future impact the development would have on the neighborhood, the KPNA appealed the decision to the City Council where the Commission decision was unanimously overturned. Minutes from the May 17th City Council meeting should be available within the week on the City of Rochester website.

Posted by Stephanie at 4:53 PM | Link

 
If you have been at the Kutzky Park playground lately you've probably seen a sign announcing that the old equipment will be replaced with a new play structure this June. (See images on the right side of this web page to view the new equipment).

Three summers ago, with the help of our City Council Representative Marcia Marcoux, Kutzky Park received a new play structure geared toward younger children (2-5 years). Previous to that, only one structure geared toward older children existed, and it was often over-crowded and dangerous for smaller children. The replacement of the structure geared toward older children (5-8 years) this June is yet another exciting improvement.

These two improvements to Kutzky Park in the past three years help to make it the most beautiful park in the central-city and a wonderful family-friendly neighborhood in which to live!

Posted by Stephanie at 11:49 AM | Link

 
Volunteers are needed to help gather neighborhood history. In the near future, Kutzky Park will be participating in two exciting events that require Kutzky Park history:

1. IMAGINE KUTZKY:

On June 12th Imagine Kutzky will be launched during a neighborhood-wide kickoff event. Mailings with details should arrive early next week! During this event we would like to give a brief overview of neighborhood history, but need your help gathering information.

2. STREETS AND STORIES, a sesquicentennial event

During Rochester's Sesquicentennial Grand Birthday Party in September, the Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center will sponsor a historical exhibit focusing on the history of Rochester neighborhoods. Kutzky Park would like to participate in creating a display to be included, but needs a small committee of people to help focus the project, do some research and help with the creation of th display. There is limited space and displays should be very visually oriented, so in-depth research and time committment is not required to create a beautiful display!

To help with either of these projects please contact us through the website or by calling me at 529-9043.

Posted by Stephanie at 11:09 AM | Link

 
At the May 17 Rochester City Council meeting, the KPNA will be addressing two different issues.

1. The Hands of Compassion Guest House: The Church of Christ is the applicant for the project and is proposing to tear down two homes at 836 and 840 West Center Street and build the Hands of Compassion House. This proposed project is a 17- unit semi-transient facility for patients visiting the Mayo Clinic. This item was heard at a public hearing at the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 14. Although the commission sympathized with neighborhood concerns and suggested that the developer make some design modifications, they voted to approve the project without tabling it to give the the developer and the neighborhood time to work together to make changes to the design.

Being that the Commission did not vote to reflect their own concerns, the KPNA appealed the decision and the issue will be heard before the City Council on May 17. We will be requesting that the council direct the developer to work with the neighborhood to make design modifications to the building that will help it blend with the neighborhood and break-up the large, commercial look of the building.

The Church of Christ, the owners of the property and developers of the proposed Hands of Compassion facility, have met with us and have been favorable to meeting our concerns. Our purpose for taking the issue to the city council is to ensure that design modifications are official and not to be deviated from once approved.

2. The Krispy Kreme development is also on the agenda for the May 17 City Council meeting. Updates can be found just below this posting. Meeting Minutes from the April 28 Krispy Kreme Planning and Zoning Commission hearing are now available on the City of Rochester website.

Posted by Stephanie at 9:37 PM | Link

 
The Annual KPNA Spring Park and Creek Clean-Up will be held on

Saturday, May 15 at 10 a.m.

- Garbage bags and gloves will be provided

- Bring a rake or garden hoe for those hard to reach spots!

Refreshments will be provided by the KPNA

Meet at the Kutzky Park Picnic Shelter

Spring is here, See you at the Park!

Posted by Stephanie at 2:07 PM | Link

 
The Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association was heard at the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing on Wednesday April 28th regarding the proposed Krispy Kreme store. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of the project to the City Council, but also asked that the developers meet with the neighborhood before that time to address some of our concerns.

Improving traffic circulation and the appearance of the rear side of the building facing 16th Avenue will be the focus of our negotiations with Krispy Kreme. We will be meeting with the developers next week. Please send us any comments or concerns you may have by Friday, May 7th.

Read the Post-Bulletin article, "On the Hole, Neighbors Sweet on Krispy Kreme" (online subscription required -- provided free to anyone with a PB paper subscription).

Posted by Stephanie at 1:02 PM | Link