County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency

COMIDA holds its board meetings at the Ebenezer Watts Conference Center. Photo by Ben Margolis (April 2007)

Location

50 West Main St, Rochester, NY 14614

CityPlace, Suite 100

Phone

585 753 2000

Website

http://www.growmonroe.org

The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) is an economic development agency of Monroe County, as described on their website About Us page,

"was created ... with the goal to promote, encourage, attract and develop job and recreational opportunities and economically sound commerce and industry throughout Monroe County, for the purpose of preventing unemployment and economic deterioration.

COMIDA provides assistance to qualified applicants/projects. COMIDA does not lend any money to these projects, rather this assistance is provided through tax exemptions, real property tax abatements and access to lower interest rates through tax exempt bond issues. ... Approved projects have included construction of a blood collection processing facility for the Red Cross, a state-of-the-art distribution center for CooperVision, renovation of an existing building for Rochester Precision Optics manufacturing facility, renovation of the former ArtCraft Optical building" - {now known as Buckingham Commons }.


"COMIDA provides this assistance without any public money. Income is generated by the fees charged to applicants. These monies are reinvested in our community to further the goals of economic development."

COMIDA has been controversial in recent times with accusation by government officials and citizens of always granting tax breaks, eroding the tax base, and for not creating jobs that are equal in value to the taxes not collected.

COMDIA lists the following partnerships:

• Biz2Edu,
  

• Empire State Development,
  

• Greater Rochester Enterprise,
  

• The Entrepreneurs Network,
  

• RochesterWorks!,
  

• Small Business Administration,
  

• City of Rochester,
  

• Rochester Business Alliance,
  

• Rochester Downtown Development Corporation,
  

• CNSE's Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center of Excellence, and
  

• Rochester Gas & Electric

Notes and References

• COMIDA Board Meetings to review applications are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Ebenezer Watts Conference Center, 49 S. Fitzhugh Street, Rochester, New York 14614 at 12:00 noon.
  

• Every project seeking COMIDA assistance must use all local labor for the construction of new, expanded or renovated facilities. ¹
  

• Audit Problems - NY State Office of State Comptroller
  

• Also see COMIDA Discussions on Water Buffalo Press
  

• Forum calls for oversight of COMIDA (PDF) from D&C
  

• Update on COMIDA June 2006 - on RochesterTurning.com
  

• Brighton Town Councilman questions County of Monroe COMDIA BNET.com - Daly Record Sep 17-2008
  

• Maggie Brooks' COMDIA does it Again!!! On DragonFlyEye.net
  

• Penfield bayfront housing project gets tax breaks Democrat and Chronicle - 10/15/2013
  

• COMIDA Approves Incentives For Xerox - WXXI 07/25/2013
  

• COMIDA OKs breaks for Marketplace; new anchor planned - RBJ 12/18/2013

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