Assembly Minority Leader Joe Morelle says with so many questions and so few answers, it would be irresponsible for the state to commit $20 million to Rochester’s Downtown Performing Arts Center at this time.
Morelle says the massive project hasn’t been designed yet, there’s no real cost estimate, and other arts venues in the city also need public investment.
Mayor Lovely Warren and the Rochester Broadway Theater League are seeking $20 million from the state as part of the funding package for the $130 million development that would combine a theater with an apartment tower and commercial space. They have $25 million pledged by Tom Golisano and would raise the rest through naming rights and a capital campaign. The RBTL has released preliminary financials that indicate it would run a surplus its first year of operation, but other arts venues including Geva Theater suspect it would require an annual subsidy.
Assemblyman Morelle shares those concerns and believes RBTL, as a non-profit with limited assets, may not be the right operator for such a facility.
The developers say the leases from the residential and commercial space would help avoid running at a deficit.