Democrat and Chronicle signs lease for new building

Construction could start as soon as April on a new downtown home for the Democrat and Chronicle Media Group.

The news organization said Friday that its parent company, Gannett Co. Inc., had signed the lease for its new Rochester digs.

In April 2014, the D&C announced plans to relocate operations from 55 Exchange Blvd. to an addition to the Seneca Building in the Midtown redevelopment area. But construction expected to start that spring was put on pause as the media company worked on numerous details, including a parking agreement with City Hall.

D&C Publisher Michael Kane said Friday that the lease with real estate developer Pike Development Co. has now been signed, clearing the way to actual construction starting — as long as a few remaining issues, including parking, get hammered out within the next couple of weeks.

If construction starts in April, it should take 15 to 16 months to complete, with the D&C relocating its offices in the summer of 2016, Kane said.

The plans are for a Pike-owned three-story addition at the corner of East Main and South Clinton Avenue downtown, with the D&C signing a 15-year lease for 40,000 square feet on the first two floors. The third floor would be available for another tenant. The project has a total price tag of $6 million.

The Seneca Building currently is occupied by telecommunications and Internet services company Windstream Communications.

Meanwhile, the D&C's existing building remains on the market, though company spokesman Dennis Floss said "We have had serious interest in the building."

The relocation is being done with some taxpayer assistance, as the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency in September approved a set of nearly $800,000 worth of property and tax breaks on the building project. The D&C's parent company, Gannett Co Inc., also received $2.2 million worth of sales tax breaks on construction costs, furniture and equipment for the new site.

The new D&C building and a new owner for its existing building would mean a pair of downtown developments "that will be filled and vibrant," Kane said. "I think that's good news for the community."

The Exchange Boulevard building opened in 1928. And it has seen three major additions since then — in 1949, 1957, and 1977.