Mayor Duffy's proposal to modify the Renaissance Square plans seems to me to strike the right balance between long-term best interests and the need to create jobs now.

1) For downtown as the functioning core of the metropolis: Keep a mass transit facility at the heart of downtown.

2) To make a replacement for Midtown Plaza: Restore first-floor Main Street to its best use - retail - by providing parking on both sides of Main Street.

3) To help compete for federal funding for high-speed rail: Scale down the transit project so there will be money to rebuild the Amtrak Station as intermodal, as was successfully done in Syracuse.

4) To encourage the ongoing adaptive reuse of historic buildings for housing: Reduce the footprint and provide proper buffers between the diesel buses and housing.

5) To avoid long-term deficits for operation: Scale back the transit center to just what is needed to keep patrons warm while they wait for a bus.

6) To help the environment by promoting mass transportation solutions: Assure a convenient link between the intermodal station and Ren Square.

7) To help MCC achieve its goals of attracting more students to its urban campus: Keep a new building for MCC as part of the project.

The mayor's plan follows citizen and consultants' input over the years. The county's Ren Square plan that is moving ahead does not.

RICHARD ROSEN, ROCHESTER

(The writer is an architect with Mark IV Construction Company involved in historic restoration for housing.)