Waterfront
Webster’s waterfronts are highly regarded public assets that differentiate the community from its peers in the Greater Rochester region.
Webster’s waterfronts can also function as an environmental education and social sciences destination to maximize the benefits of this public resource to residents and students from throughout the region. The Finger Lakes Region has an amazing wealth of water resources, and it’s waterfronts are recognized as economic development engines offering a multitude of tourism and recreation opportunities for residents and visitors. However, opportunities for public access to the State’s waterfronts, especially Lake Ontario, are limited by terrain and ownership.
With over 22 miles of shoreline, Webster has just one mile of public access along the Lake Ontario/Irondequoit Bay waterfront. The Webster Sandbar is one of the few locally-controlled parks in the region that provide access to both Lake Ontario and a protected harbor. Infrastructure investments at this park will increase regional utilization of the community’s waterfronts while encouraging spin-off private investment.
The Sandbar is a narrow strip of land extending approximately one mile across Irondequoit Bay from the Webster mainland and separating the Irondequoit Bay from Lake Ontario. It is a unique maritime environment, with a marina, residential uses on small lots, and several restaurants. Since 2003, the Town has acquired approximately 14 acres of property along the Sandbar for the establishment of a waterfront public park that spans the isthmus and includes frontage on both Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario. The proposed revitalization strategy seeks to undertake significant investments in public access improvements to make Webster’s waterfront at Sandbar Park a viable and family friendly destination to meet the needs of the Town’s expanding population.