Brighton, N.Y. (WHAM) — Tax incentives were approved Tuesday to make way for a Topgolf facility in Brighton.

After hearing from several speakers both for and against the project, COMIDA (County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency) voted for the tax breaks that will make the Rochester area the only with a Topgolf location in Western New York.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello was the first to speak about the major proposal at Tuesday’s COMIDA meeting.

“It’s a quality of life issue,” Bello said. “These are the types of amenities that we want here. Rochester and Monroe County deserve nice things, too.”

The major investment drew praise and opposition.

“It’s a plot of land that isn’t being used right now,” said Don Jeffries, president & CEO of Visit Rochester. “It means just another something for us to sell to bring tourists in. We are in favor of any kind of attraction that is going to bring visitors to Rochester.”

Claudia Perea, a concerned Rochester resident, attended Tuesday’s meeting to express her concerns.

“We should be giving incentives to community organizations and food re-localization, and projects that will revitalize the community — not just a recreation,” she said.

The plan would see a nearly 50,000-square-foot Topgolf facility built on vacant land at Citygate in Rochester and Brighton.

At a public hearing last week, community members expressed concerns over the proposed tax breaks and environmental impact.

After hearing comments from a half-dozen speakers, the board voted to approve sales and property tax exemptions for the Topgolf project, totaling what the county claims is approximately $4.3 million spread over 10 years.

Bello believes the project is worth the investment.

“Without Topgolf coming here and they chose another community, we’re actually losing out on over a million dollars of revenue over the next 10 years,” said Bello.

COMIDA board members also said they expect to receive a proposal to build a hotel at Citygate in the future.

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