Rochester is about to gain something it has never had before: a state park in the heart of the city. On May 5, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled the updated design for High Falls Terrace, the first construction phase of the future High Falls State Park. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, funded through a $75 million allocation proposed in the 2026–27 Executive Budget.

The project represents the first state park to be established within the City of Rochester and anchors a broader initiative known as ROC The Riverway, the ongoing partnership between New York State and the City of Rochester to revitalize the Genesee River downtown waterfront. To date, the state has committed more than $100 million to dozens of ROC The Riverway projects, several of which are already complete — including the Brewery Line Trail extension and Pont de Rennes Bridge renovation within the High Falls area.

What High Falls Terrace Will Look Like

High Falls Terrace serves as a gateway to the lower gorge, connecting the street-level park to the 40-acre ribbon of parkland that will eventually stretch 2.5 miles along both sides of the Genesee River gorge. The updated design, developed by Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm OLIN, incorporates significant community input gathered through a multi-year engagement process. According to WXXI News reporting from the May 5 open house, the first phase elements include:

• Accessible overlooks with views of the 80-foot High Falls and the Genesee River Gorge
• A nature-themed playground
• An open lawn designed to recall the historic Falls Field that once occupied the site
• Native plantings, a shady picnic area, and public restrooms
• A small 16-space public parking area with accessible spaces

A centerpiece of the Phase 1 design is a new Heritage Walk, a memorial focused on immigration and the migration of people to Rochester. Positioned overlooking the falls that powered Rochester's industrial rise, the memorial will feature an Irish-American tribute near the former Little Dublin neighborhood along St. Paul Street — developed in partnership with the Col. Patrick O'Rorke Memorial Society. The Heritage Walk is designed as the first phase of a longer Heritage Trail that will traverse the entire park and tell the stories of multiple cultures, including the indigenous Haudenosaunee nations.

OLIN Managing Partner Michael Miller said the collaborative relationship among the state, the city, local nonprofits, and community groups helped strengthen the design and will help ensure the park's long-term success.

A Long Road Through Remediation

Building a park along the Genesee gorge is not simply a matter of breaking ground. The three-quarter-mile stretch of gorge has an industrial legacy that requires careful environmental remediation before trails and overlooks can open safely. Property owners including Rochester Gas and Electric, the City of Rochester, and Bausch + Lomb are each leading phased cleanup work across their respective parcels under oversight by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Some parcels are already remediated; others remain in process. The full remediation effort is expected to take another five years, meaning the park will open in phases as parcels are cleared.

The remediation challenge is real and affects the construction timeline. The park will be designed to open incrementally in concert with cleanup progress — beginning with High Falls Terrace at the gorge rim, and extending into the lower gorge as parcels become available.

Scale and Broader Timeline

The full High Falls State Park footprint covers 40 acres. The lower gorge portion — a 2.5-mile stretch extending north from the base of the falls along both sides of the Genesee River — is scheduled to begin construction in late 2026, following the fall 2026 start on High Falls Terrace. The $75 million first-phase investment is the largest single state commitment to date for this project.

Empire State Development President and CEO Hope Knight described the park as a centerpiece of the ROC The Riverway investments that are "transforming the Genesee River waterfront." She noted that the multi-year project will be "a game-changer for residents and visitors alike, offering yet another reason to explore, experience and enjoy the vibrant Flower City."

City of Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans tied the park's design directly to the city's history: "From the Haudenosaunee people who heard the voice of the Creator in the roar of the High Falls to the immigrant workers who built America's first boomtown by traversing the river via the canal... High Falls State Park will serve as a testament to the people who shaped and continue to shape Rochester's rich history, vibrant present, and limitless future."

Construction Context for the Industry

For the construction industry, the launch of High Falls Terrace represents a substantial new project entering procurement and execution in the fall of 2026. The work will involve civil and site construction, accessible infrastructure, trail systems, landscape and horticulture, public amenities, interpretive and memorial elements, parking improvements, and utility connections — coordinated across multiple disciplines and phased to align with ongoing environmental remediation on adjacent parcels.

Remediation contracts on individual gorge parcels are already moving through their respective timelines. As those parcels are cleared, additional construction phases will follow, creating a sustained pipeline of work in and around the gorge over the next several years. The project's location in a constrained urban gorge environment adds logistical complexity that will require specialized approaches to access, staging, and material handling.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello has called the park a vital complement to Monroe County's parks system, while state legislators including Senator Jeremy Cooney and Assemblymembers Harry Bronson, Demond Meeks, and Sarah Clark have all pointed to the project's potential to drive tourism, small business activity, and community investment around downtown Rochester's northern edge.

Phase 1 construction is anticipated to begin fall 2026. Full build-out of the gorge trail system will follow remediation progress over the subsequent years, building toward a park that, when complete, will connect downtown Rochester to one of the more dramatic natural features of any mid-size American city.

Sources

Governor Hochul Announces Updated Design for High Falls Terrace — NY Governor's Office, May 5, 2026
Get a First Look at Updated Designs for the New State Park in Rochester — WXXI News, May 5, 2026
Construction for High Falls State Park to Begin in Fall — WHEC News10NBC, May 6, 2026
Governor Hochul Announces Release of Framework Plan for Future High Falls State Park — NY Governor's Office, October 21, 2025