Listen to this articleTax incentives totaling $4.3 million were approved for developers to build a Topgolf recreation and entertainment facility along the border of Brighton and Rochester while DelMonte Hotel Group was granted an incentive package worth $7.8 million to build a dual-brand hotel bordering CityGate.
The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) approved the tax breaks today, meaning $77.1 million in development projects will move forward.
Both proposals passed by a 5-1 vote. Board member Jay Popli cast the nay vote on both.
Topgolf, an international brand touted as a tourism engine, will be built adjacent to CityGate by Brighton Westfall SRE LLC on 19 acres of abandoned, landlocked property that was once a landfill. The property sits in the town of Brighton.
While Topgolf’s incentive package includes a PILOT agreement worth just shy of $2.5 million, the town of Brighton will be made whole through a host community agreement equal to the tax abatement.
“The 19 acres in Brighton, there’s been scrub for 19 decades,” Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle said when addressing the COMIDA board before the Topgolf application was brought up for consideration.
“Topgolf will generate far more in the PILOT agreement than the raw land does today,” Moehle said, “and of course, it will generate more jobs (212 full-time equivalent) than the zero the raw land generates today.”
County Executive Adam Bello, Greater Rochester Enterprise president and CEO Matt Hurlbutt and Visit Rochester president and CEO Don Jeffries all urged COMIDA to approve the incentives for Topgolf before the application review.
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Without Topgolf (or any other development on the site), the vacant property would produce around $324,000 in property taxes for the county, town of Brighton and Rush-Henrietta School District, Bello said. With Topgolf, the property tax will rise to $1.8 million over the 10-year life of the PILOT agreement.
“That’s not giving away tax money to a new company, that’s receiving new revenue from a new business establishment that would not invest in Monroe County without our support,” Bello said.
County Legislator Rachel Barnhart spoke in opposition. She said that while Topgolf very likely will be a great addition to the retail scene, there is no way to calculate the impact on other entertainment businesses and restaurants in the area, or whether people traveling to Rochester to visit Topgolf wouldn’t have come here anyway.
Along with the PILOT, Topgolf also will receive a sales tax exemption of $1.624 million and a $187,500 mortgage and recording tax exemption.
The developer still must finalize purchase of the property. A contract is in place, said Betsy Brugg, partner at Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP, and Topgolf is planning to sign a 20-year lease.
The project is expected to open late in 2025.
DelMonte Hotel Group will bring two new brands to Rochester with a dual hotel featuring a total of 191 rooms.
The AC by Marriott will have 115 rooms while an Element by Westin will have 76 rooms. The combined hotels will total 114,000 square feet and create 15 full-time and 37 part-time jobs.
The AC by Marriott and Element by Westin are considered “lifestyle brands,” according to Alex DelMonte, president and CEO of DelMonte Hotel Group.
“They are two very exclusive brands that — similar to Topgolf — are coveted by any real estate developer,” Delmonte said.
DelMonte Development LLC was approved for a $6 million property tax break through a PILOT agreement, as well as a $1.6 million sales tax exemption and $252,000 mortgage and recording tax exception.
Alex DelMonte said that while his firm had considered the CityGate site on three different occasions, the arrival of Topgolf made development possible. A target date for opening is Q3 of 2026.
Popli questioned the need for additional hotels in Rochester, where the current average occupancy rates is around 67.5 percent. DelMonte said his company believes there is demand, especially for “centrally located great brands.”
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