JOSANA Houses for Sale

The Jay-Orchard Street Area Neighborhood Association organized to combat blight and violence on the west side of Rochester in the early 2000s. Through intentional place-building and the creation of a master plan, a neighborhood called JOSANA was also born. “JOSANA is an acronym for a redeveloping neighborhood that’s done great community building and has good highway access and walkability,” says Daniela Polidor, a real estate salesperson at Empire Realty Group with 12 years of experience serving the Rochester market. For years, tragedy and decades of abandonment had earned JOSANA the name “Ghost Town.” However, the latest decades of work by national and local community groups have improved access to services and affordable housing next to a blossoming sports and recreation district along the Genesee River. The closely-packed homes on JOSANA’s blocks favor the simple National styles popular in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. Most date back to that period, and may show signs of age or neglect, but some only mimic those styles. “Habitat for Humanity built 100 homes within half a mile of School 17,” Polidor says. “They look like new homes because they were all built in the