New York Construction Report staff writer
A $23.6 million mixed-use community hub is coming to Rochester’s Bull’s Head neighborhood, aiming to support workforce development, small businesses, and local families.
The Bull’s Head Empowerment Center will transform and expand an existing building on Clifton Street into a fully occupied facility offering job training programs, nonprofit services, and commercial space. Confirmed tenants include a construction workforce development center, two construction firms, several nonprofit organizations, a proposed coffee shop, and a 24-hour daycare operated by Action for a Better Community.
New York State is contributing $3 million to the project through the Regional Revitalization Partnership (RRP), a public-private initiative supporting economic growth in Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. The center is expected to open in spring 2027.
Led by USC Builds, a certified Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise based in Rochester, the project is an early anchor in the city’s $350 million Bull’s Head Revitalization Plan. The initiative seeks to create equitable economic opportunities, improve infrastructure, and deliver quality housing in one of Rochester’s most historically underserved areas.
“We are deeply grateful to Empire State Development for this $3 million investment in the Bull’s Head Empowerment Center,” said USC Builds President Melissa Suchodolski. “By bringing workforce training, affordable childcare, and local business support under one roof, we’re laying the foundation for a community resource designed to meet real needs.”
Jerome Underwood, president and CEO of Action for a Better Community, called the project a long-overdue step forward. “The revitalization of the Bull’s Head Plaza has been a long time coming,” he said. “We are thrilled to be an integral part of this development and look forward to providing high-quality, affordable childcare to those who need it most.”
The Empowerment Center will sit next to the West Main Gateway project, which received a separate $10 million RRP investment to help revitalize the corridor between West Genesee and West Broad streets.
Mayor Malik Evans said the center will play a key role in restoring the neighborhood’s prominence. “This project provides the people of Bull’s Head the signs of progress they deserve,” Evans said.
Rochester’s first phase of RRP funding includes 14 projects totaling more than $40 million, spanning commercial development, riverfront activation, and workforce training. In total, the city is set to receive $80 million through the RRP, with OneROC serving as the regional intermediary to coordinate investments.
The RRP’s $300 million fund combines $200 million in state investments with $81 million from philanthropic and corporate partners, and $19 million from city and county governments. The initiative focuses on supporting small businesses, rebuilding neighborhood infrastructure, and expanding access to job training.communities for growth, prosperity, and resiliency in the face of increased fluctuation in water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The dozens of completed REDI projects are strengthening local economies, protecting public health, improving habitat, and safeguarding vital infrastructure. The communities that have benefited look forward to improved sustainability and growth.”
In response to the extended pattern of flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, New York State established REDI to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and bolster economic development in the region. Five REDI Regional Planning Committees, composed of representatives from eight counties (Niagara and Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, and Jefferson and St. Lawrence) were established to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public safety concerns. Through REDI, the State has committed up to $300 million to benefit communities and improve resiliency in flood prone regions along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
Since the creation of the State’s REDI program in the Spring of 2019, 134 REDI funded local and regional projects are underway, including 16 projects in the design phase, 7 projects in the construction phase, and 111 projects completed. All ten of the projects awarded in St. Lawrence County are complete.
For additional information, project profiles and REDI news, click here.
