Rochester building director outlines rise in complaints, ongoing junkyard court cases and suggests rental-inspection threshold

Director Grant, director of Building and Licensing Services for the City of Rochester, told the Codes and Ordinances Committee on Thursday that the department is seeing stronger construction activity while continuing to handle recurring code complaints and several slow-moving junkyard enforcement cases.

Grant said the city is processing roughly $72 million in construction work outside the tax-increment financing districts this year, up from about $60 million in the prior year, and described the city as "literally going through some major growing pains." He gave a month-by-month breakdown of complaints the department has handled over the past five months: October (22 complaints, 7 active), November (8), December (12), January (14) and February (9). The most frequent complaint types, he said, are working without a permit, trash placed before the allowed date for bulky items, unpermitted motor-vehicle repairs visible from public ways and occasional…