l fl DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION May 18, 2016 Mayor Lovely Warren City Of Rochester 30 Church Street Rochester, New York 14614 Dear Mayor Warren: I write to you today as a business leader who is proud to have been born, raised and is now running a family owned and operated business that has served the Rochester community for over three decades. | respectfully urge you not to pursue the development of a Seneca Nation casino on Parcel 5 in downtown Rochester, as it would negatively impact our ability to attract new firms and maintain those companies located in our central business district As you are aware of, our firm owns and manages two towers in the downtown area. One East Avenue, housing the local operations of Bank of America, and The Metropolitan, formerly The Chase Tower, which houses the local operations of JP Morgan Chase, along with four other office tenants. In addition to these major downtown employers, | have spoken to other downtown firms that are very concerned about the presence of a casino immediately adjacent to or near their operations. | would strongly suggest that you request feedback from the local business leaders before proceeding with the idea of selling Parcel 5 to the Seneca Nation for video gaming operations Another concern expressed is the type of “windowless building” that is typical in gaming facilities that may be constructed on this precious parcel of vacant land. This type of facility will not contribute to the rich architectural fabric of our downtown and will have no connection to the pedestrian activity that we are working so hard on to re-invigorate Main Street. Frankly, my fear is that a casino in our central business district, which is very different from Buffalo's casino location and operations, would have a counterproductive affect on our efforts to re-build our downtown area. From an urban planning and growth standpoint, this direction could be devastating and simply will not add to the urban core that we are so diligently working on. We have and continue to invest tens of millions of our own dollars to re-vitalize our two towers in the hope to attracting young entrepreneurial companies in support of our burgeoning “innovative district’. 1880 SOUTH WINTON ROAD, SUITE 100 ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14618 (585) 654.6650 FAX (585) 288-7646 WEBSITE: wwwgallinadev.com E-MAIL: gallina@gallinadev.comA recent poll conducted by the Rochester Business Journal showed strong resistance toa Seneca casino in downtown Rochester, with nearly two-thirds of respondents saying they opposed the project. Capturing a concern that many of us in the Rochester business community hold, some respondents reportedly commented that such a deal would be a “black hole, ensuring that no dollars emanate out to the surrounding area businesses.” Thave spent decades in the commercial real estate industry and know what it takes to overcome obstacles, to create jobs, and to revitalize communities. Bringing a Seneca Nation casino into downtown Rochester is not the silver bullet. It’s a bullet to the heart of our local economy and our collective efforts to create a sustainable downtown business district. urge you to consider the broader impact this project would have on our entire community: Sincerely, Callipfa Development Ce: Robert Duffy, President & CEO, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce