Town of Rochester’s Rural Character & Road Safety at Risk – STOP the Rav Tov Expansion on Cherrytown Rd
Updates & Calls To Action
Update 2.5.2026 Hello everyone,
The proposed Event & Banquet Hall at 30 Cherrytown Road will be discussed at the Town of Rochester Planning Board meeting this coming Monday, February 9th, at 6:30 PM, and it appears as the third application on the agenda.
Important note: There will be no public comment period for any items at this meeting. While we know that can feel discouraging, attendance is still incredibly important. Showing up in person demonstrates to the Planning Board that the community is engaged, paying attention, and invested in how decisions are made.
The official meeting agenda can be found HERE
If you would like to receive timely updates directly, please follow the link below ↓
With deep appreciation,
The Town of Rochester Alliance
A 42,000sq ft banquet hall threatens Rochester’s rural character, road safety, and water supply.
Now is the time to act. The Planning Board is sworn to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all residents — and they need strong public support to make the right decision for the entire community.
Say NO to this oversized development — sign the petition protect our town, our neighbors, and our future.
The Town of Rochester is facing a development proposal that would permanently alter the agricultural, scenic, and historic character of Cherrytown Road — and put the health, safety, and welfare of our community at risk.
The applicant seeks to construct a 42,000 square foot banquet and event hall at Pine Grove/Rav Tov. This massive commercial-style project is completely out of scale with our agricultural area, rural roads, and neighborhoods.
Here’s why you should care:
• It does not align with our Town’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code. The proposal does not align with standards for commercial design, landscaping, aquifer protection, parking, traffic, signage, or setbacks..
• It threatens our water. The project lies within the Aquifer Protection Overlay District. Town law requires a hydrogeological study when water use exceeds 1,000 gallons/day. We feel with dual kitchens, classrooms, and space for 500+ people, this threshold will be exceeded many times over — putting our wells and aquifer at risk of contamination.
• It endangers drivers and pedestrians. Cherrytown Road and adjoining roads cannot safely handle the traffic volume and bus congestion from large-scale events.
• It undermines our rural and agricultural identity. The R-5 Rural Conservation District was designed to preserve farmland and community character — not mega-sized banquet facilities.
• It repeats past harms. Neighbors have already experienced disruption from Rav Tov/Pine Grove’s activities, including noise, unsafe traffic for drivers and pedestrians, trespass, debris and damage to crops via helicopters. We feel this expansion will only make these impacts worse.
Why we must say NO to this expansion:
✅ First, sign the petition to show that residents stand united against this oversized development. Please include your mailing address (and email/phone if possible) so we can keep you informed of next steps.
✅ Attend the next Public Comment Planning Board Meeting: The next Planning Board meeting is set for February 9th, 2026. We are awaiting the release of the agenda to see if this issue will be up for discussion. PLEASE CHECK the TOR Planning Board’s Agenda & Minutes page HERE to stay up-to-date on future meetings! We will update here as soon as we have confirmation via the Planning Board's site. If you would like to see the additional submitted docs, renderings, etc., you can follow this LINK.
✅ Submit your written comments to: PBZBA@townofrochester.ny.gov, kgundberg@townofrochester.ny.gov, eenouen@townofrochester.ny.gov and mlchristianalaw@aol.com