Junk yard proposed at West/Ames

Junk Yard Proposed for Ames/West

LKQ of Tualatin, OR has proposed an auto salvage yard at the site of the former Taylor Instruments plant at the NW corner of Ames Street and West Avenue. The site is directly across the street from homes on West Avenue and Ames Street, as well as the Danforth Recreation Center and senior towers. The 19th Ward Community Assocation Executive Committee has discussed the issue and has expressed major concerns about the proposal. The issue will be discussed at the April Delegates’ Council meeting, and a decision will be made as to whether the 19th WCA will oppose the proposal. The Sector 4 Community Development Corporation is opposing the proposal, and the Dutchtown Neighborhood Association and Sector 3 are also raising concerns.

The proposed salvage yard would use the entire 14.5 acre site, and would take in end-of-life cars, dismantle them, and offer parts for sale to the public. The proposal calls for a 3,600 square foot sales building, a 14,100 square foot 3-sided building for auto dismantling and crushing, a 200-car parking lot for customers, and a 1300-car yard for storing cars that are to be dismantled. The storage yard would be surrounded by a utilitarian 8’ solid metal fence. LKQ estimates that the salvage yard would hire 18 employees.

Concerns have been raised that the tax revenue and jobs generated by the proposed salvage yard would be offset by the decline in property values on surrounding streets and the loss of marketability of commercial space on West Ave. The proposal would have a direct impact on homes on West Avenue and Ames Street, and it would be within the line of site of homes on Appleton, Somerset, Thorndale and Danforth. Ames Street is a gateway to the northern 19th Ward from I-490 and the Dutchtown neighborhood.

The 19th WCA welcomes the input from all members of the SW community on this issue.

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Permalink Reply by DeWain Feller on May 5, 2011 at 7:49am

The organizers of the meeting (Sector 4 CDC and the 19th WCA) aimed to make the meeting as civil as possible. We even moved the meeting from the lower meeting room to the main church to create an atmosphere of respect.

Most people were very civil, and we can't control everyone's actions, especially when it is understandable when people are emotional about a problem in their neighborhood.

We hope that LKQ will look at another site, but we do not have a confirmation at this point that they will. It is possible that they may still consider this site. In which case, we would still have to work on opposing the project.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Maher on May 7, 2011 at 7:26pm

Thank you, Wendy. As television commentators and talk radio move us into increasingly antagonistic and aggressive behavior, your call to civil discourse is crucial. Maybe we need a Coffee Party for the neighborhood.

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Permalink Reply by Marian Boutet on May 7, 2011 at 9:17pm

Better make it de-caf.

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Permalink Reply by Joan Roby-Davison on May 7, 2011 at 11:21pm

I'll stick with tea...

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Permalink Reply by John Boutet on May 6, 2011 at 11:23am

Here is a proposal from John Curran:

Subject: Ames Street (Taylor Instrument) property alternative

Hello All,

An environmentally-friendly opportunity for good stewardship of the Ames Street (Taylor Instrument) property has escaped our attention: a raised-bed nursery for native "old growth" trees maintained by the City of Rochester Department of Environmental Services with the involvement of the Rochester Landscape Technicians program. This is not a food-production suggestion.

It is clear that the site is unfriendly towards growing things in the current soil. Even raised-bed food gardens seem risky here. Likewise, contact with contaminated grass at the location is disinviting to bringing people onto the property for active play or gardening.

Consider the following:

1. Use the current arrangement as an asset: a concrete cap over a mercury-contaminated soil subsurface.

2. Place an impermeable barrier with guided and channeled rainwater run-off on top of the concrete parking lot area.

3. Develop raised-bed nurseries for growing native tree species for subsequent planting along southwest quadrant brownfield areas within the next five-to ten years.

4. Persons who cultivate the trees would perform watering operations primarily and not need to spend much actual time on the property itself. Remote security monitoring for the site.

Benefits:

1. Productive use of a multi-acre area that is not suitable for extended human presence and is unlikely to attract desirable commercial or residential use.
2. Turning a non-contributing urban land area into a resource-generating asset. Grow native trees at lower cost to be used to improve the urban environment. Provide landscaping training opportunities. Grow cat-tails and toxic chemical-absorbing trees, shrubs and flowers under raised-bed conditions for subsequent reclamation of southwest Rochester brownfield areas.
3. Turning the concrete urban "heat island" into a cooling greenspace.
4. Reducing carbon dioxide levels and increasing oxygen levels in an urban area.
5. Developing a traffic-reducing application for the extended acreage and busy street intersections.
6. Capturing rainwater and using it to grow new vegetation instead of seeping into residual mercury-contaminated groundwater.
7. Creating a natural noise barrier for current traffic conditions.
8. Providing a tranquil entryway to a neighborhood while preserving property values.
9. Relative proximity to DES facilities and equipment resources to save fuel and travel time. Property access by persons familiar with monitoring and managing toxic substances.
10. Developing attractive blossoming trees to enhance vacant lots too small to support new housing throughout Rochester.
11. Maturing trees and shrubs become the attractive perimeter fence accented with masonry details or cut-stone reclaimed (and banked for further use) from other historic sites.
12. Acknowledging the historical role the southwest and southeast quadrants played on a national level with the export of trees from Rochester nurseries westward along the Erie Canal.

Bank on it.

John Curran, Chair
Southwest Rochester Riverfront Planning
Steering Committee

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Sullivan on May 8, 2011 at 6:00am

I love this idea!

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Permalink Reply by Laura Suda on May 8, 2011 at 10:34am

I second that emotion! But will it fly with the current cost-cutting axe-wielding atmosphere with the powers-that-be?

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Permalink Reply by Eleanor Coleman on May 8, 2011 at 10:07pm

On Saturday, a student from RIT's sustainability program interviewed me regarding SWAN's Grow Green urban agriculture program. I referenced John Curran's idea about a local nursery and she was thrilled. I'll be connecting with her this week to add her to the conversations so we can continue to explore this idea and perhaps get something more "concrete" going. Get it?

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Permalink Reply by MacClurg Vivian on May 9, 2011 at 8:30am

thank you everyone, for keeping us posted on the thinking about this junk yard, will there be an actual summary of the meeting discussion posted soon?

MacClurg

Winbourne United Neighbors

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Permalink Reply by Joan Roby-Davison on May 9, 2011 at 10:32am

The notes from the 5/3/2011 meeting have been compiled, thanks to Eleanor Coleman. I've attached them here as a pdf - I have NOT had any answers yet about the next steps for the proposal. If it moves forward with an application for a special use permit (which would be required to operate at this location), I will let you know.

Any comments on the proposal can be submitted to Marcia Barry, Director of Zoning, City of Rochester, 30 Church Street, 14614. You do not need to wait - if you have comments, send them now!

Attachments:

LKQ Community Mtg 050311.pdf, 67 KB

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Permalink Reply by MacClurg Vivian on May 9, 2011 at 9:32pm

thank you for this note, I appreciate this update and the time Eleanor put into this.

Regards

MacClurg

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Permalink Reply by John Boutet on May 11, 2011 at 6:12pm

For those who did not see pictures of the proposed LKQ Self Service Auto Parts proposal this is a rendering:

The meeting at St. Stephen's Church, 350 Chili Avenue, was well attended.

As seen below, Eleanor Coleman recorded minutes, Joan Roby-Davison of the CDC and DeWain Feller of the 19WCA helped organize the meeting, Zina Lagonegro Sr. Planner at City Planning Office was there to answer questions from the city's perspective and Mark Forcum of LKQ Self Service Auto Parts provided a company overview.

Mark Forcum said that the company wanted the community's input and would look elsewhere if the community did not want this location used for the proposed enterprise.