Kruse Lumber expansion plans seek to address Lowertown concerns
ROCHESTER — The start of Kruse Lumber's planned expansion could be months away.
"The original plan was to actually start this fall," said Del Krusenstjerna, president of Shaw Acquisition Corp., which purchased the lumberyard in 2022. "I don't know if that will happen. We'll probably start in the spring with all the things we have to go through with the city."
The company plans to add a 5,300-square-foot, L-shaped structure at the intersection of First Avenue Northeast and Eighth Street, extending the storage capacity of the business that first opened its doors at 111 Seventh St. NE since 1915.
It's a plan that saw initial support after the Rochester Planning and Zoning Commission approved flexibility under current zoning in August.
On Tuesday, the company held a mandated neighborhood meeting, starting the clock on a site development plan application. With the plan expected to be submitted to the city within 30 days, the required state and local reviews can take two more weeks before building permits and other authorizations can be granted.
Levi Kaiser, a project manager with Benike Construction, said once work begins it is expected to take less than seven months.
The expansion plan drew immediate pushback from the Lowertown Neighborhood Association, which questioned whether the expansion plan was a good fit for the area, especially as residential and commercial growth is being seen in the area north of downtown.
"Everyone had been expecting a mixed-use project or housing," Lowertown Neighbor Association President Benjamin Zastrow, said of the property that sits behind Rochester Repertory Theatre, as well as across the street from his Eighth Street Northeast home.
He said plans to expand the lumberyard were unexpected, since homes had previously sat on the lot.
Kruse Lumber bought the nearly third of an acre in 2012, eventually selling it to Shaw Acquisition Corp. with the existing lumberyard in 2022.
Kimley-Horn project manager Katie Olson said the expansion isn't expected to bring significant new traffic to the area, since it's not expanding showroom or office space.
"It's literally a storage area for material that they are already getting brought into the site," she said.
At the same time, Krusenstjerna the expansion could increase the current 15-person staff, with the addition of up to four people in sales and yard jobs. He said those hires could come from within the neighborhood.
"As we get additional space there will be opportunities for employment," he told the 10 residents gathered at Tuesday's informational session.
Mary Idso, a neighborhood association member, said she still questions whether it's the best use of the site from a neighborhood perspective, but she voiced appreciation for Kruse's plan to make sure the addition isn't an eyesore for the neighbors living west of Silver Lake.
"We have to transition from commercial to residential at some point," he said.
Krusenstjerna said landscaping and the addition of historic photos on the exterior walls are intended to lessen the impact of the expanded windowless structure. Plans also call for blending the new and existing structures with matching paint color and wall treatments.
Additionally, he said the majority of the Eighth Street Northeast sidewalk, which has been in disrepair, will be replaced, with one change that Krusenstjerna and Zastrow agreed would be unfortunate.
"The only way to replace that sidewalk is to take that tree down," Krusenstjerna said of the largest tree on the north side of the building.
Zastrow continued to be cautious about the plans, but said Kruse Lumber appears to be working toward making accommodations to fit into the neighborhood as it addresses some of the concerns raised since the project was initially announced.
"They have elevated the plan and look toward becoming part of the neighborhood," he said.
