From Friends of Lorenzo comes word of a presentation tonight about the economic development and preservation successes of Pittsford, NY. The presentation will be held at the Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany Street, at 7 PM.
Cazenovia--Is it possible to maintain the historic integrity of a Rochester suburb, encourage sustainable development, maintain a 200-acre working dairy farm, and compete economically with surrounding malls and mega stores? The answer is a resounding “yes” as evidenced in the bustling Village of Pittsford, New York. Balancing historic preservation concerns with sound economic development in Pittsford (population 2000) will be the subject of this year’s fifth installment of the Annual Lorenzo Preservation Lecture Series on May 23 at 7 PM in Cazenovia. Lorenzo State Historic Site is pleased to host award-wining architect, planner, urban designer and Mayor Bob Corby for this special evening presentation.
In successfully revitalizing its neighborhoods and maintaining a vigorous real estate market, preserving its architectural character and reestablishing itself as a retail destination, Pittsford has been acclaimed by the National League of Cities, the Preservation League of New York State, Preserve America and numerous other professional groups and institutions.
Mayor Corby will be on hand to highlight the strategic mix of planning, zoning, economic development, design and marketing tools successfully employed to make Pittsford such a desirable suburb today. In 1971 the Village became one of the first communities in New York to enact a local preservation ordinance and thus began a more-than-thirty year preservation success story. In the early 1990s, the Town of Pittsford initiated a program to preserve farmland in and around the village through the purchase of development rights and the Village embarked on a multi-phase capital project to create a waterfront promenade and encourage private investment to rehabilitate the area’s historic structures. In 2002, the Village adopted an award-winning Comprehensive Plan that emphasized traditional neighborhood planning techniques. Two years later, the Village completed a comprehensive traffic calming plan. Despite heavy traffic volume, the village has sought to reclaim its streets and public spaces for public enjoyment through the restoration of street trees, new landscaping, benches, pedestrian scaled streetlights, and other capital improvements.
With support from The Friends of Lorenzo, and in cooperation with the Cazenovia Public Library, Mayor Corby’s presentation is open to the public at no charge and will be held at the Public Library, 100 Albany Street, Cazenovia. For more information, please call Lorenzo State Historic Site at 655-3200.