September 19, 2026

Hey, it's Khem, still only Khem in the world.

and here is the new video just got published. Why They Chose Rochester NY After Searching 6 Cities

Riverfront Transformation
An $8.2 million overhaul of Genesee Crossroads Park officially breaks ground.

Restore the Shore
A 4,200-foot stretch of former industrial riverfront moves closer to environmental remediation, flood protection, parkland and future redevelopment.

Innovation Economy
The University of Rochester advances the final design of a proposed $13.7 million high-power laser research facility.

Healthcare & Philanthropy
Tom Golisano commits another $225 million to six children’s hospitals, expanding the Golisano Children’s Alliance to 21 hospitals nationwide.

Construction is officially underway on the $8.2 million revitalization of Genesee Crossroads Park, the latest major investment under Rochester’s ROC the Riverway initiative.

Located along the east bank of the Genesee River downtown, the park connects to Austin Steward Plaza on the opposite bank through the Sister Cities Pedestrian Bridge.

The project will make the park fully accessible, improve connections to the Genesee Riverway Trail and create a more welcoming public space along the waterfront.

$8.2 million total project

$3.75 million administered through New York’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program

$3.1 million from Empire State Development

Improved river access

Full ADA and bicycle accessibility

New lighting and landscaping

Public space and safety improvements

Enhanced connections to surrounding streets and the Riverway Trail

Construction is expected to continue through 2027.

This is not happening in isolation.

Rochester has already improved Austin Steward Plaza and the Sister Cities Bridge, while other ROC the Riverway projects are moving forward throughout the Genesee corridor.

The original ROC the Riverway partnership launched in 2018 with a $50 million state commitment. Since then, New York has committed more than $175 million in additional state funding to riverfront projects, including $75 million for the first phase of the new High Falls State Park.

Successful downtowns need more than buildings.

They need parks, trails, restaurants, housing, entertainment and public spaces that give people reasons to stay downtown after work.

Genesee Crossroads Park adds another piece to that larger strategy.

I think we need to look at ROC the Riverway as one large transformation rather than a collection of individual park projects.

Genesee Crossroads, Austin Steward Plaza, High Falls, the Aqueduct and Restore the Shore are gradually changing Rochester’s relationship with the Genesee River.

The long-term opportunity is creating a connected riverfront that becomes an actual lifestyle and economic-development asset for Rochester.

While Genesee Crossroads represents what Rochester’s downtown waterfront can become, Restore the Shore tackles a much more complicated section of the river.

The project covers approximately 4,200 linear feet along the west bank of the Genesee River, extending north from the University of Rochester area toward Ford Street.

A majority of the existing river wall is failing, leaving portions of the surrounding area vulnerable to floodwater damage.

The property’s industrial history goes back to 1866, when the Vacuum Oil Company established operations there.

Vacuum Oil later became part of Standard Oil, and the property eventually came under ExxonMobil ownership.

That history left Rochester with contaminated industrial land occupying a potentially valuable stretch of waterfront. The city has since acquired much of the site with the goal of creating modern parkland and neighboring development opportunities.

Restore the Shore is designed to:

Repair and stabilize the riverfront

Improve flood protection

Address brownfield conditions

Reconnect the PLEX neighborhood to the Genesee River

Improve the Genesee Riverway Trail

Create more natural public waterfront spaces

Prepare neighboring sites for future development

Final design work has been underway, with public bidding targeted for fall 2026 and construction projected for 2027 through 2028.

Some of Rochester’s biggest redevelopment opportunities are also its most complicated.

Former industrial properties can occupy incredible locations while carrying environmental and infrastructure challenges that private development alone may struggle to solve.

Public investment can change that equation.

The real opportunity is not simply building another park.

It is turning previously contaminated and disconnected waterfront into an area capable of supporting recreation, neighborhood connections and eventually additional private development.

This may take years to fully play out, but I believe Rochester’s riverfront is one of the most important long-term real estate stories to watch.

When infrastructure and environmental barriers are removed, land that was previously difficult to develop can suddenly become much more valuable.

The University of Rochester has received the first round of National Science Foundation funding needed to move NSF OPAL into its final design phase.

The proposed $13.7 million two-beam, high-peak-power laser facility would be built at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

If ultimately funded and constructed, the University says it would become the world’s most powerful laser system and operate as a shared national research resource.

$13.7 million proposed facility

Nearly $18 million in earlier NSF funding awarded in 2023 for design and technology development

Final design phase now advancing

Artificial intelligence and machine learning incorporated into experiment planning, operations and data analysis

Potential research applications across fusion energy, national security, semiconductor manufacturing and medicine

This is where Rochester’s history becomes its competitive advantage.

The region already has a deep concentration of expertise in optics, photonics, imaging and precision technology.

The Laboratory for Laser Energetics gives Rochester something relatively few metropolitan areas can replicate: existing scientific infrastructure combined with universities, researchers and an established optics industry.

Major research facilities create economic impact beyond the researchers working inside them.

They can support university partnerships, suppliers, workforce development, startup activity and private-sector commercialization.

The project is specifically expected to support Rochester’s optics and photonics sector through industry partnerships and workforce development.

The facility is not yet approved for construction.

The latest funding moves NSF OPAL into final design. A separate future award would still be required before construction could proceed.

This is exactly the kind of economic-development story Rochester should pay attention to.

We already have the talent and institutional knowledge. The opportunity is turning that scientific advantage into companies, jobs and investment that remain in the Rochester region.

Rochester entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano has announced another enormous healthcare commitment.

This time, $225 million will be distributed among six children’s hospitals joining the Golisano Children’s Alliance.

$35 million to Children’s Minnesota

$30 million to Dartmouth Health Children’s

$40 million to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

$40 million to Renown Health

$40 million to Children’s Hospital Colorado

$40 million to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

The additions bring the alliance to 21 hospitals nationwide and expand its presence westward for the first time.

The Golisano Children’s Alliance began in 2025 with a $403 million commitment.

Another $125 million followed earlier this year.

With the newest $225 million announcement, Golisano’s total investment in the alliance has reached approximately $753 million.

The money in this particular announcement is going to hospitals around the country, so this should not be confused with a $225 million Rochester healthcare investment.

The Rochester connection is influence.

A company that began here became Paychex. The wealth created from that success is now supporting a national pediatric healthcare network carrying the Golisano name.

That puts a Rochester-born philanthropic institution on an increasingly national stage.

Riverfront investment can have effects beyond the immediate construction zone. Better public spaces, trails and waterfront access can strengthen neighborhood desirability and encourage additional private investment over time.

Rochester’s affordability is only one part of the relocation story. Investments in parks, universities, healthcare, research and public infrastructure help determine what living in a region will look like five, ten or twenty years from now.

Watch where public infrastructure investment removes barriers to private development. Restore the Shore is especially interesting because environmental remediation, flood protection and improved access could change the development potential of surrounding land over the long term.

This week gives us a good picture of Rochester’s growth strategy.

Improve the places people live. Reclaim underused waterfront. Build on the industries Rochester already does exceptionally well. And use established local institutions to extend the region’s influence beyond Western New York.

[Schedule a call]

See you next week,

Khem