Highland Hospital’s Planned Development District

Highland Hospital has officially been approved by the City of Rochester for a new Planned Development District. This plan is a result of years of discussion and compromise with the hospital’s surrounding neighbors. You can view the final approved PD here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Planned Development District (PDD)?

A PDD outlines permitted uses for the district and defines its boundaries including building heights, setbacks, materials and other characteristics.

Why does Highland need updated zoning?

Highland’s zoning designation was outdated due to changes in city zoning regulations. In order to do any further campus development or redevelopment, the hospital had to be rezoned. In 2014, when Highland first considered building its current southeast wing, neighbors understood we could put it in place with a variance to our current zoning. When the City of Rochester granted the variance, it said rezoning would be needed for any future development.

What does the final Planned Development District look like?

You can see a map of the final PDD here.

As a result of feedback from our neighborhood, Highland made the following changes to the Planned Development District:

• We reduced maximum building heights in center campus from 11 stories/178 feet to 9 stories/155 feet. We require up to 155 feet in the center of campus in order to have flexibility for future needs, including possible reconstruction of the West Tower, sometime in the next 25-35 years.
• On the corner of Mt. Vernon Ave. and Rockingham St., Highland reduced the maximum building height along the perimeter of the campus from 94 to 60 feet.

We have also included or adjusted these additional items based on input from our neighbors and the city since submitting our application in August 2018:

• Increased setbacks on South Avenue from 5 to 20 feet
• Added 20-foot no build zone on Rockingham Street
• Added 30-foot no build zone along Bellevue Drive
• Enhanced landscaping and screening plans on Rockingham Street
• Changed reference from number of stories to actual height in feet