A $4.7 million state grant aims to help relieve an electricity shortage in Henrietta that officials say is holding up housing and commercial development.
Rochester Gas and Electric will use the grant to start work on substantial upgrades to a substation serving the southwest part of the town. The project will significantly increase capacity — enough to power several thousand homes — but could take several years to complete.
“This project is an investment in our collective future,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “It reflects our commitment to ensure that our community continues to thrive economically and environmentally. These upgrades will pave the way for more robust economic development, attract new businesses and improve the quality of life for Monroe County.”
Henrietta is one of several communities locally and across New York state that are struggling with limited electricity supply.
Back in January, the county notified the state of its intent to apply for $17 million in assistance, writing: “The available power at the RG&E substation for most of Henrietta has reached 0MW. This puts over 1,000 new housing units at risk, as well as hundreds of jobs. At least one project has already moved elsewhere due to lack of available power.”
A fuller accounting of projects lost listed eight developments totaling a potential $2.5 billion in investment and more than 2,600 jobs.
“We’ve had a number of projects that have had to be turned away because they can’t get power today,” said Henrietta Supervisor Steve Schultz. “So this is a huge step in that direction.”
Schultz said the upgrades are also necessary to support new housing. For example, the Masonic Care Community wants to build what Schultz called “a significant addition to our senior housing,” but the project is on hold because there isn’t power for it.
And while RIT has capacity to meet current power needs, the county application to the state noted that the school “is concerned it will be challenging to meet needs for future projected growth over the next 5 years.”
The project is scheduled to begin this year and could take three to four years to complete, though RG&E President and CEO Patricia Nilsen said utility would try to compress the timeframe. Once finished it would benefit developments in the southern and western portions of Henrietta.
“And this project is only the first step,” Nilsen said. “We’re proposing two others in Brighton and Penfield to create additional capacity to support building electrification for housing, economic development, and electric vehicle charging in Monroe County.”
That could help address a project along Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road that has been at a standstill since 2013. Buckingham Properties’ Winfield Park is an expansive proposal that would include 470 affordable and market-rate housing units, retail and commercial space, and a 58-acre high-tech business park.
“If we had these buildings available, they would be full right now, we turn down so many projects,” Buckingham’s Aaron Malbone told the county’s Industrial Development Agency board earlier this year.
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