An application to change the legal use of of this property is pending. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 20th. You are encouraged to learn more and comment. Details below.
Background
The current owner of 53 Avondale Park recently applied to legalize a formerly unpermitted finished attic apartment he “inherited” when the property was purchased last summer.
A prior owner had finished the apartment & rented it out without prior approval by the City. A city inspector shut the unit down when it was discovered during an inspection. The current owner purchased the property knowing it was not legal. The unit is no longer being rented.
The current legal use of the property is as a three family residence. If permission is granted for an attic apartment, the property would then permanently become a legal four family residential building.
The owner reached out by email to notify UMNA of his intent to apply for permission to change the legal use. The opportunity to talk about the application early in the process is warmly welcomed by UMNA.
Lydia Crim, UMNA Community Connector for the Avondale Park area and Rome Celli, a nearby neighbor on Werner Park, interviewed the owner by phone on March 25, 2026.
The owner's request: To permit the conversion of a third floor attic space into one, 1-bedroom apartment, thereby creating a four-family dwelling, in a legally existing three-family dwelling, an action requiring City Planning Commission approval.
The following is a layperson's description of the situation as described to UMNA reps by the owner of the property.
City permission is required because the overall size of the lot is too small for a four family under the current code. This is a very common situation for multi-family homes in UM and across the City of Rochester. Most existing multi-family homes are not required to meet the current code standard. (They are “grandfathered in”.) Adding an additional living unit triggers the rule and, by implication, requires a variance;
No additional onsite parking spaces would be required by the city even though a living unit would be added. The owner indicated he did not plan to request any additional onsite parking. Tenants at 53 Avondale Park without an onsite parking space will have to park somewhere on street;
Since the attic had been improved by the prior owner there would only be minor construction to make the apartment habitable from a code compliance standpoint;
Fire code will require a sprinkler system and a fire egress (commonly a fire escape). The cost of this work was unknown by the owner at the time of the call.
The City Planning Commission (CPC) will hear public comments and rule on his application on Monday, April 20, 2026. Details below.
You are encouraged to submit your opinion to UMNA and to submit your comments directly to the City of Rochester. Details below.
