A new family-focused cafe on South Main Street, another outdoor music event at Rio Tomatlan and a large mural planned for the Bemis Street restaurant all won approval Wednesday as the Canandaigua Planning Commission worked through a packed agenda.
The Aug. 12 meeting also included approvals for new signage at Canandaigua National Bank and Wegmans, a subdivision of the 7 Brew property on Eastern Boulevard and a new poolside bar structure at The Lake House. Commissioners tabled a proposed Marathon signage overhaul after raising concerns about additional illumination, then ended the meeting with a broader discussion about whether the city needs stronger architectural standards for Eastern Boulevard and Lakeshore Drive.
One of the night’s lengthiest discussions centered on Canandaigua Playhouse Cafe, a new concept proposed for 175 South Main St. that would combine a traditional coffee shop and light food service with a paid children’s play area.
Victoria Frost told commissioners the cafe would serve coffee, other beverages, soups, sandwiches, salads and pastries without operating a full commercial kitchen. The children’s area would be gated, and parents or guardians would remain responsible for supervising their children.
Frost said the business would initially operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, although those hours could change depending on demand. She also plans occasional evening events such as paint-and-sip programs, bingo, board game nights and children’s activities that could run as late as 9 p.m.
Commissioners spent considerable time debating whether the business should properly be considered a cafe with a play component or a children’s play business with a cafe attached.
City staff said the proposed use fits within the city’s restaurant regulations because a significant portion of the storefront remains open to the general public and food and beverage service is a primary component of the operation.
The commission ultimately approved the special use permit unanimously.
Members separately reviewed the proposed exterior alterations, including a new awning and a large “CDGA Playhouse Cafe” wall sign. Some commissioners questioned the typography and whether the word “Playhouse” visually overshadowed “Cafe,” but others cautioned against effectively redesigning the applicant’s professional branding.
The sign and awning package passed 4-2.
Rio Tomatlan gets approval for another concert and a new mural
Rio Tomatlan received two separate approvals that will change both what happens outside the restaurant and how part of its building looks.
Owner Juan Guevara received unanimous approval for a one-day live music event at 106 Bemis St.
Guevara said the event will largely follow the format of previous concerts held at the property, with a roll-in stage, security, portable toilets, food from other restaurants and several blocks of ethnic music.
The six-hour event is expected to run roughly from noon to 7 p.m.
Unlike a previous concert, the new event will not receive a waiver from the city’s noise ordinance.
City staff said the event must comply with existing noise regulations, although daytime hours reduce the likelihood of the late-night noise issues that typically trigger complaints.
A neighboring property owner, Joe Edamescu of Ellis Place, spoke during the public hearing and endorsed the event, telling commissioners Guevara has operated previous events responsibly and that he has not experienced problems despite living directly behind the restaurant.
The commission approved the event unanimously.
The commission then approved a much more permanent addition: a large mural painted directly on an exterior wall of the restaurant.
Guevara said the project is being coordinated through Wall\Therapy and would be painted by an artist who has completed other large-scale works in Rochester.
The mural would not advertise Rio Tomatlan or depict the restaurant’s branding. Guevara described it simply as public art and said the artist’s work has drawn visitors to other locations.
Because the building is historically designated, the mural required Planning Commission review as an exterior alteration.
Commissioners generally embraced the proposal.
Members said the blank wall provided a strong location for public art and noted that murals have increasingly become part of Canandaigua’s visual landscape.
One commissioner said the mural would add considerably more value than leaving the wall blank.
The proposal passed unanimously, and Guevara said the work must be completed in September to meet the requirements of the organization funding the project.
CNB signage debate ends in compromise
Canandaigua National Bank returned to the commission with a revised signage package for its downtown buildings after the proposal was tabled in July.
The bank removed internally illuminated signs from its previous plan and instead proposed external lighting bars that would shine back toward several wall signs.
It also reduced the size of a drive-through blade sign on Chapin Street and eliminated illumination from that sign.
The revised package still divided commissioners.
Some objected to adding lighting where none currently exists, particularly on historic downtown buildings.
Others said the modern lighting fixtures were understated and compatible with the architecture, particularly on the pedestrian bridge between the bank’s buildings.
The first motion to approve the proposal failed on a 3-3 tie because four affirmative votes were required.
That sent the commission into a second round of discussion.
Bank representatives offered a compromise: only the sign that is already illuminated today would remain illuminated after replacement. New signs could still be installed on the other buildings and bridge, but without additional lighting.
That revised proposal passed 5-1.
The commission also approved a separate Canandaigua National Bank signage package at 709 South Main St., where the bank operates in a Wegmans-owned plaza.
Those wall signs will be white rather than the bank’s preferred red because of Wegmans’ property standards.
The application passed 5-1.
7 Brew property split into two development lots
Commissioners approved the subdivision of the 7 Brew property at 160 Eastern Blvd., creating a second vacant commercial lot that can eventually be sold or leased for future development.
Brew Team NY LLC proposed splitting the 1.66-acre parcel roughly in half.
One approximately 0.83-acre lot will contain the existing 7 Brew coffee stand, while the second 0.83-acre parcel will remain vacant and be marketed for development.
Company representative Doug Beachel said the subdivision gives the owner greater flexibility to sell or lease the unused portion of the property.
Commissioners questioned whether 7 Brew would continue relying on parking or access across the future lot.
Beachel said the existing coffee stand has 17 parking spaces of its own and does not require the additional land for normal operations. He said extra vehicles seen there recently are largely related to employee training ahead of openings at other locations.
Any future user of the vacant parcel would have to return to the city with its own site plan.
The commission determined the subdivision would not create significant environmental impacts and approved final subdivision status unanimously.
Wegmans gets new “The Grill” sign
Wegmans received unanimous approval to add signage for a new restaurant concept inside its 345 Eastern Blvd. store.
A roughly 41-square-foot illuminated sign reading “The Grill” will be mounted on the building.
Wegmans representatives said it will use the same lighting color and schedule as other building-mounted signs at the store.
The sign is smaller than the existing Market Cafe sign and will occupy a previously unsigned section of the facade.
The commission approved the application 6-0.
Lake House gets roof and bar structure at pool
The Lake House on Canandaigua also received unanimous approval for upgrades to its pool deck.
The project will replace an existing trellis between two small poolside structures with a permanent roof and install a small bar underneath.
Representative Eric Reynolds said the structure will remain open-air, with siding, shingles, tile and other finishes designed to match the existing resort campus.
The pool, hot tub and overall deck configuration will remain unchanged.
Existing utility connections will be reused, and the project will rely largely on existing structural bases rather than requiring major new foundation work.
The commission approved the proposal unanimously.
Marathon lighting plan tabled
Commissioners were less enthusiastic about a late-added application from Marathon at 540 North Main St.
The proposal would update corporate branding on the gas station canopy and add illumination to red and blue striping that is currently unlit.
Members said the reworked signage itself appeared more attractive but raised concerns about introducing additional lighting near surrounding residences.
Because no applicant was present to answer questions, commissioners opted not to modify or deny the application.
Instead, they unanimously tabled it and asked city staff to relay their concerns about the proposed illumination before the application returns.
Commission begins tackling Eastern Boulevard’s future look
The meeting concluded with a discussion that could have much broader implications than any individual project considered Wednesday.
The Planning Commission is being asked to consider whether Canandaigua needs specific architectural standards for Eastern Boulevard.
The city already has standards for downtown and South Main Street, but Eastern Boulevard largely operates under broader citywide rules.
That has left commissioners repeatedly confronting franchise restaurants, retail chains and other businesses whose standardized corporate architecture may technically comply with city requirements but contribute little to a distinctive Canandaigua identity.
Commissioners acknowledged the challenge.
Eastern Boulevard is already heavily developed, and requiring buildings to move to the sidewalk or place all parking behind structures would be fundamentally different from the area’s existing highway-commercial layout.
City staff also cautioned that overly aggressive design requirements could simply cause some businesses to locate elsewhere.
Members generally agreed, however, that doing nothing is not the best option.
Several suggested landscaping may offer the most practical opportunity to improve the corridor without making development prohibitively difficult.
More trees, landscaped buffers, berms and greater screening between Routes 5 and 20 and the businesses behind the access roads could make the corridor feel less like a generic commercial strip while still accommodating franchise business models.
Commissioners also broadened the discussion to Lakeshore Drive.
Several members argued that while Eastern Boulevard may already be substantially built out, Lakeshore Drive still has enough undeveloped or redevelopable property that architectural standards could meaningfully influence its future.
One commissioner said the city should act now because more Lakeshore Drive development is likely and there are currently no distinct design standards for the corridor.
The consensus was that more specific standards are worth pursuing, but the commission may need examples from other communities or professional planning assistance before deciding how prescriptive those rules should become.
City staff said the discussion and general direction will be taken back to City Council for further consideration.
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