A brighter, safter future at Genesee Park Boulevard and Pioneer Street

When neighbors gathered earlier this year to imagine a safer, more beautiful intersection at Genesee Park Boulevard and Pioneer Street, they shared ideas for a space that would slow traffic, increase safety, and reflect the spirit of the community. This spring, that vision came to life. 

On a sunny day filled with upbeat music, and community energy, volunteers of all ages came together to help finish the latest Complete Streets Makeover. Families, children, longtime residents, and community partners traced stencils of the Rochester flower, dipped brushes into paint, and got to work to transform the intersection into a brighter, more welcoming space—one designed to help make walking, biking, and rolling safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

Alex, who lives close to the intersection, is hopeful for change. “The speeding is not good,” he said. “There are a lot of accidents here.”  But for the day, he was happy to just have some fun with the kids.

There was a festive feeling throughout the day. Royal  Visions' DJ Teresa Williams kept the music going and Rick Peterson of Peterson's Hots served up freshly grilled burgers and dogs. As the intersection was being painted and outfitted with traffic-calming bollards installed by the City of Rochester’s Department of Environmental Services, kids used new Play Finders stencils on the sidewalks to help people find their way. Neighbors stopped by to admire progress, connect with one another, and celebrate what can happen when a community comes together around a shared goal.

Morgan also lives in the neighborhood. She and her young children were all in. “It’s nice for us to have a part in making something like this. But, on a larger scale, it’s great to have the streets be safer, so we can walk and ride our bikes more safely, right through our neighborhood.”

Over the course of a single day, a well-known trouble spot became a visible expression of neighborhood pride and possibility. Even when rain arrived toward the end of the event, it didn’t dampen spirits. Volunteers kept going, and the heart of the new intersection shined through.

Jesse Knoth, PlayROCs coordinator, is already hearing from community members that the plan is working. "Folks love the reimagined intersection, the art and flex posts have slowed cars down. One neighbor even told me it saved them from an accident," he said. "And of course they can't get enough of the nods to Genny, our neighborhood turkey, who is memorialized with permanent turkey made of metal and painted turkeys on the sidewalk." Jesse also serves as President of the 19th Ward Community Association.

This transformation was rooted in community leadership from the very beginning. In March, residents gathered at a workshop hosted by Reconnect Rochester with support from Healthi Kids to share their ideas for improving the intersection, which had been identified as a place where traffic speed and cut-through driving created safety concerns. 

For Healthi Kids, this work is about more than one intersection. It’s about the built environment—the streets, sidewalks, crossings, and public spaces that shape daily life for children and families. When communities are designed with safety and connection in mind, they make it easier for kids to be active, for neighbors to gather, and for families to feel a stronger sense of belonging.

Michelle used to live in the 19th Ward and was more than happy to come back and contribute. “We don’t see it all the time, but the community really does want just to be together, to get along,” she said. “This helps bring them out.”

This latest Complete Streets Makeover is also a reminder that meaningful change happens best when community members help lead it. The intersection at Genesee Park Boulevard and Pioneer Street reflects the ideas, experiences, and care of the people who live there, the people who know it best. By the end of the day, the intersection looked different—but just as importantly, it felt different. It felt joyful. It felt cared for. And it felt like a place shaped by community.

Legion Johnson-Gatsby, a member of the Healthi Kids’ Parent Coalition, was there to help but also learn more about the concerns of parents in the neighborhood. “I hope we continue to have things like this and have new opportunities for the community to get engaged and connected.” 

Healthi Kids has proudly partnered with Reconnect Rochester on Complete Streets Makeovers since the initiative’s first project in 2018. By putting community voice at the center and helping to create neighborhoods that support health, safety, and connection, it is one more example of what’s possible when residents, advocates, and families work side by side to reimagine the places where they live, walk, bike, and play.