La Marketa at The International Plaza
New Outdoor Plaza Creates Community Gathering Place
LaBella Associates teamed up with the City of Rochester and Architectura to design a new community plaza on North Clinton Avenue in Rochester. The design includes an outdoor marketplace, bandstand, and restroom building. The plaza will serve as a community hub featuring local music, arts, and entertainment.
The design is centered around providing a positive neighborhood atmosphere, and includes amenities such as benches, bike racks, and seat walls. Grass berms serve as viewing areas during concerts and events. The project team strived to create a visually appealing site with the incorporation of features like colored concrete, signage, ornamental fencing, granite curbing, and a large-scale City of Rochester logo. Trees and shrubs were planted to enhance the design.
The site contains five repurposed shipping containers, which are used for pop-up retail by local vendors. Two containers are designed for year-round use. A concrete bandstand structure features a two-foot high stage and a standing seam metal roof. Signage with the City logo enhances the structure’s appearance. A new building is located behind the bandstand, and contains restrooms and storage space for shipping container vendors. The building consists of CMU block and features a metal roof.
The site facilitates vehicle and pedestrian flow effectively, as the design includes a 36-car parking lot and sidewalk connectivity to all three surrounding streets. A vehicle pull-off area allows food trucks to stage on-site and provide concessions during events. ADA parking stalls and wheelchair ramps contribute to the site’s accessible layout.
Site utilities include water, gas, electric, and sanitary and storm sewers. Low impact development strategies, including green infrastructure and conservation of natural areas, were used in the stormwater design. Cutoff shields were placed on certain light fixtures to prevent light spillage onto adjacent properties.
Below, see an original rendering view and the finished project!
Site and Project History
Inspired by placitas, or Caribbean outdoor plazas frequently centered on a community’s Catholic church, La Marketa is an outdoor marketplace located at 828 N. Clinton Avenue in Rochester, NY. After decades of planning, the ribbon cutting for this new community plaza took place on October 8th, 2020.
For more on the history of the site and project, read this article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
