The University has learned that Constantino’s Market, one of College Town’s original tenants, plans to close effective Feb. 13.
Constantino’s Market opened in College Town in April 2015, bringing great excitement about the return of a full grocer to this area of the City of Rochester, especially one that focused on offering high-quality, fresh, local products. Despite many months of collaborative effort and support to help the Cleveland-based grocer succeed in its retail space, the business has not been profitable. As a result, the owners understandably have had to make the hard decision to shutter Constantino’s Rochester operations.
Moving forward, the University is working with College Town developer and manager Fairmount Properties to evaluate the best options for the 20,000 square-foot space Constantino’s will soon vacate. There are a number of strong possibilities for new tenants currently being considered.
Overall, the College Town development on 14 acres of University property is very successful. Its businesses and restaurants have become very popular among those who work, study or visit the University and its Medical Center, and College Town’s occupancy rate is currently at 90 percent. New tenants are scheduled to open for business very soon, including Bar 145 and Texas de Brazil steakhouse. Additionally, the Mt. Hope Lofts at College Town are at 100 percent occupancy, the Hilton Garden Inn at College Town is continuing to impress its guests with exceptional service and amenities, and great community programming is being offered throughout the year.
I’d like to personally thank the owners and management of Constantino’s Market for their early commitment to expand their business into Rochester, and I wish them much success in the future. I would especially like to thank U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Action for a Better Community (ABC) for their support and partnership with Constantino’s Market. I would also like to thank all our partners in government and in the community who helped make College Town a reality and such a success, including U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, Governor Cuomo and our New York State delegation, Mayor Lovely Warren and City Council, Monroe County, the Upper Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, the Mt. Hope Business Association and the entire Mt. Hope Task Force. Thanks to their efforts, College Town has created a new vibrancy in the city’s historic Mt. Hope area.
