COMIDA abatements could help plaza renewal

SPENCERPORT - With the approval of tax abatements by the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA), officials and business owners in the Town of Ogden and Village of Spencerport hope new life will come to Spencerport Village Plaza. Since the closing of the grocery store, the plaza, located at 28 Slayton Avenue on the Erie Canal, is about 50 percent vacant.

Real Estate Developer Bob Morgan is the owner of the shopping plaza. He went before the COMIDA board requesting tax abatements that would allow him to spend about $20 million over the next seven years to redevelop the plaza.

Since the closing of the IGA Supermarket, village and town officials have stated that attracting a new grocery store was a prime objective, especially because of the high number of senior citizens in the area.

At a meeting on October 16, the COMIDA board approved the tax abatements but it is up to the individual municipalities (and the school district) to determine the amount.

Joyce Lobene, president of the Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce said, "This is wonderful news and we really want to thank (Town of Ogden Supervisor) Gay Lenhard for making this happen with the COMIDA board," she said. "She really took the bull by the horns."

Lobene said Morgan Management is talking about a complete overhaul of the plaza and that will hopefully bring more people to the downtown area. "If we get an anchor grocery store, that will benefit not only the people in the plaza, but the Main Street businesses as well," she said.

Plans are also in the talking stages for construction along the canal bank (as part of the plaza renovations) that would be home to shops on the lower level and apartments on the upper levels.

Lobene said the Chamber is applying for non-profit status because it would then allow the entity to apply for and administer grants that could be accessed by the business owners for improvements to the backs of their buildings. "Some of the backs of the buildings need some rehab work and if we could offer grants or low interest loans to the business owners we could get that taken care of as well," she said.

Village of Spencerport Mayor Ted Walker said that he anticipates village officials will discuss the abatements at its October 17 workshop. "This is very exciting news for the plaza and the village," he said. "Once each taxing jurisdiction grants approval, then the plans for the plaza can move forward. This is an excellent starting point, though."

While there was no official word, there has been talk of negotiations with a grocery store operator for the site.

© October 21, 2007 - Westside News Inc.