Building Vibrant Commercial Centers: Delivering on the 2028 Envision Brighton Comprehensive Plan

In 2018, Brighton residents came together to create the 2028 Envision Brighton Comprehensive Plan—and it pointed to a clear opportunity: Brighton has everything a great town should have, except vibrant commercial centers that feel like ours. Let’s change that. We can protect what we love about Brighton—our safety, our neighborhoods, our top-tier schools, our engaged community—while finally building commercial centers that feel lively and welcoming.

Entertainment, shopping, and amenities in our community haven’t grown or evolved meaningfully in years; the current options do not meet the needs of Brighton families. Right now, when Brighton residents want dinner, drinks, or a fun evening, we often drive to the city or a neighboring town. That’s not a knock on Brighton; it’s simply a missed opportunity. The Envision Brighton Plan already laid out the case for creating a vibrant, walkable commercial center with restaurants, cafés, shops, and gathering places along our key corridors— like Monroe Ave, West Henrietta Road, the Winton Plaza area, and South Clinton Avenue—so staying local becomes the easy choice. Think the charm and momentum of Park Avenue, the Village of Fairport, or Schoen Place adapted to Brighton’s scale and character. 

This vision isn’t extraordinary: it’s rooted in our heritage. Brighton has historically been the quintessential inner-ring suburban community in Rochester, where the best of the City’s character—dining, culture, shopping—meet the best of suburban Monroe County’s high quality of life for families. The core issue today is that Brighton hasn’t changed in decades—and that isn’t due to lack of demand. Great ideas and new investment opportunities for Brighton are consistently shut down by outdated policies, murky and inefficient town approval processes, and disengagement. 

We have plenty to work with. Along Monroe Avenue and across other commercial centers, too much land is still dominated by empty parking lots, outnumbering the businesses that have managed to navigate our zoning and excessive parking requirements. It doesn’t reflect who we are. With smarter planning, better design, and a pro-small-business mindset, we can turn these areas into places where people actually want to walk, meet friends, and spend an evening—without compromising the things that make Brighton a great place to call home.

Brighton’s schools, neighborhoods, and quality of life are exactly why people want to live here—but right now it’s getting harder and harder to actually find a home in town. Over the last decade, Brighton permitted far fewer new housing units than comparable Monroe County suburbs (about 297 units in Brighton vs. ~343 in Pittsford, ~878 in Perinton, and 1,400+ in both Penfield and Henrietta), while demand has remained strong. When supply lags behind demand like that, prices rise fast—even buyers who can afford Brighton often spend months and sometimes a year or more waiting for the right house to appear.

We can protect the character of Brighton’s residential neighborhoods while still making room for the next generation to live here—and for longtime residents to stay here. That means simplifying a permitting process that has become overly restrictive and unpredictable, and allowing more right-sized housing in the right places: near commercial centers, with existing infrastructure to support growth. Done thoughtfully, more housing choice can keep costs in check, support local businesses, and keep Brighton accessible to young families, seniors looking to downsize, and people who want to move back home.

Property taxes in Brighton reflect the value of living here, funding the public services, excellent schools, and park system that make this town what it is. But right now, Brighton is the hardest place in Monroe County to raise a family. It doesn't have to be. Too much of the tax burden falls on homeowners and renters because our tax base is overwhelmingly residential. When our commercial centers stay underbuilt and half-empty, families end up carrying the load—and that burden is felt most acutely by seniors on fixed incomes, working families, and renters who have little control over rising costs.

Vibrant commercial centers aren't just about restaurants and coffee shops – they're about tax fairness, economic diversity, and long term resilience. By attracting and supporting more local businesses, offices, and mixed-use development in the right places, we can grow our commercial tax base, bring in new revenue, and gradually shift some of the burden off  residential taxpayers. This would generate the sustainable funding needed for the public amenities our community deserves—like expansion of our pedestrian and bike system, recreation facilities and programs, and a community center—while fully funding the schools and services that Brighton residents and businesses rely upon.

Town government works best when people feel informed and included. Recent changes to the waste and recycling contract—like moving to every-other-week recycling—left many residents surprised and frustrated, in part because the data, options, and tradeoffs weren’t clearly shared ahead of time. Our communication tools and habits haven’t kept up with what Brighton residents expect.

Brighton government needs to be easier to see, easier to understand, and easier to reach. That means a regular email newsletter, a cleaner and more modern website, and simple ways to get answers from the town. For major contracts and policy changes, the underlying information must be shared upfront and resident input actively invited. Brighton already has committed staff and strong institutions; we need to match that with a culture of openness and engagement that treats residents as partners in how the town is run.

Clean, affordable energy will be a cornerstone of our town’s future – strengthening our local economy, protecting our environment, and keeping life in Brighton stable and predictable for families and businesses.

We can get there by modernizing and streamlining the permitting process for safe, clean energy projects, including stand-alone battery storage. The goal is simple: uphold rigorous safety standards while building a responsive, solutions-first town government that works to get to yes – so we can improve reliability, reduce blackout risk, and help keep long-term energy costs in check.