The 3100 to 3300 block of Chili Avenue changed more in 2026 than any other part of Chili. A gym opened at 3170. A thrift store moved into the old Big Lots at the same address. A drive-thru at 3208 closed, and a bakery at 3313 added an ice cream window. Since late summer, the state's detour for a closed stretch of Beaver Road has also run over NY 33A, which is Chili Avenue. So the stretch now holds more of the town's daily errands, and more of the town's traffic passes through it.
The Big Lots Box at Chili Square Is a Goodwill Now
Chili Square, at 3170 Chili Avenue, spent the winter filling its largest vacancy. In December 2025 the Town of Chili Planning Board agenda listed Goodwill of the Finger Lakes as the applicant for a 23,000-square-foot thrift store at that address, with Chili MZL, LLC named as property owner. The store opened on April 10, 2026, in the former Big Lots. More than 200 community members came to the ribbon cutting, and the first 100 shoppers got a $10 Goodwill gift card.
The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce reported it as Goodwill's first store in Chili, its eighth in Monroe County and its 16th across a 20-county area. The store is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. It also takes donations, which gives the plaza a drop-off point for gently used household items.
Two months earlier, Planet Fitness Chili Square held its grand opening in the same plaza. 103.9 WDKX covered it on February 11, 2026, and kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester handled the ribbon cutting. Planet Fitness also gave the club $1,000.
With both openings, Chili Square now covers a full errand run in one parking lot. In December 2025, WROC listed the plaza's tenants as ALDI, Rochester Regional Health and Pet Supplies Plus. Jersey Mike's had already opened in Unit 10, next to ALDI, in early 2025. That puts groceries, health care, pet supplies, a sandwich shop, a gym and a donation drop in one plaza.
At Paul Road, One Corner Closed and Another Is Still Waiting
A short drive east, the KFC at 3208 Chili Avenue, at the Paul Road intersection, had closed by June 16, 2026. WROC reported a sign on the door sending customers to the KFC at 1345 Chili Avenue in Gates. The exterior signs and drive-thru menu boards were gone, and the station said it was unclear what might come next for the site. The Town's Planning Board agendas from May through July 2026 do not show an application for the property.
The other open question on this stretch is at Chili Avenue and Old Scottsville Road, beside Memorial Park. In May 2025, the Rochester Business Journal reported plans for Chipotle at 3235 Chili Avenue, Starbucks at 3249 and Panera at 3253. At the Planning Board hearing that month, the developer said Starbucks was the only tenant with signed paperwork. The first phase was a 7,200-square-foot, three-tenant building with a Starbucks on the end. We could not find public reporting from 2026 that confirms construction or an opening date. For now it is a proposal.
Taken address by address, the stretch looks like this:
- 3170 Chili Avenue: Chili Square, with ALDI, Rochester Regional Health, Pet Supplies Plus, Jersey Mike's, Planet Fitness and Goodwill
- 3208 Chili Avenue: the former KFC at Paul Road, empty since June
- 3235 to 3253 Chili Avenue: the proposed restaurant site at Old Scottsville Road, next to Memorial Park
- 3237 Chili Avenue: Chili Community Center, Chili Public Library and Chili Senior Center
- 3313 Chili Avenue: Sweet Sammie Jane's
Sweet Sammie Jane's Ice Cream Window Is in Its Last Month
Sweet Sammie Jane's has been baking at 3313 Chili Avenue for 14 years. This summer it added an ice cream window. Owner Angela Marmo trained at the French Pastry School in Chicago and is best known for macarons. She told the Democrat and Chronicle in June:
"I've always kind of wanted to have ice cream."
Before it opened, the window had to get Town approval. In March 2026, Marmo asked the Planning Board to turn a window facing Chili Avenue into a takeout window and to add outdoor seating. The board approved it unanimously, with conditions that included bollards to protect the seating area and striping outside the window. The paper's photo gallery showed Birthday and Cookie Monster flavors and waffle taco shells.
The timing matters for October. At the Planning Board, Marmo described the season as April through September. The bakery's website now lists the window as seasonal from April to October. Its posted window hours overlap and are hard to read, so check with the shop before you make a trip. The bakery itself is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you haven't tried the window yet, this month is probably your last chance until spring.
The Community Center's Fall Calendar Sits Midway Down the Stretch
Chili Community Center, Chili Public Library and Chili Senior Center all share one address, 3237 Chili Avenue. That puts the town's main public building in the middle of the commercial stretch, and its fall schedule is already set.
| Date | Event | Time and Room | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | Oktoberfest | 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Banquet Room 118 | Senior center program, $10, bratwurst meal and music |
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | Community Halloween | 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Gym | Town and library event with trick-or-treating, games and booths |
| Tuesday, Nov. 3 | Tree Lighting cookie-making | 1 to 3 p.m., Senior Lounge | Volunteers bake cookies for the Community Tree Lighting |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | Veterans Celebration & Breakfast | 9 to 11 a.m., Banquet Room 118 | For Chili veterans and a guest, Line of Honor afterward, advance registration required |
| Wednesday, Nov. 18 | Pancakes & PJ's | 10 to 11 a.m., Room 122 | For children five and under with adults 55 and older; parents stay on site |
The Town has not yet posted a date for the 2026 tree lighting itself. The cookie-making session on November 3 suggests it comes soon after.
Beaver Road Is Closed Until Next July, and the Detour Uses Chili Avenue
All of the above is going on while one of the town's north-south roads is closed. On August 19, 2026, the New York State Department of Transportation closed State Route 252, Beaver Road, between State Route 386 and State Route 33A. Route 386 is Scottsville-Chili Road, and Route 33A is Chili Avenue. An inspection had found problems with a culvert under the road. The posted detour runs over Route 386 and Route 33A, and NYSDOT warned drivers to expect delays.
At first the closure looked open-ended. NYSDOT's August release only said the public would be kept informed about a reopening. The Town of Chili's update from September 22 gives a schedule. Culvert repairs run continuously in both directions from Sunday, September 20, 2026, through Saturday, July 31, 2027, with all lanes closed and detoured. Neither notice says why the work runs into next summer. NYSDOT notes that construction depends on the weather. For updates, the Town points residents to the interactive map at 511NY.
Beaver Road is planned to stay closed for about ten months, from late September through July. The posted detour runs over Chili Avenue for that whole stretch. For anyone who used Beaver Road to get between Scottsville-Chili Road and Chili Avenue, that means the Goodwill drop-off, the gym, the Community Center's November events and next spring's reopening of the ice cream window will all be on the detour route.
If you own a home anywhere near this part of Chili Avenue and want to talk through how this year's openings and the Beaver Road schedule affect your street, the team at High Falls Sotheby's International Realty follows these changes closely in our Chili neighborhood coverage. Contact Us anytime. We're glad to share what we're seeing.
