Letter to editor in response to entertainment study. I can't believe this guy is predicting total doom & gloom to guide future planning.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...3/1024/OPINION

Maybe we should just get busy building bomb shelters again for the big war when Iran gets the bomb.:rolleyes:

I recognize the name
 

Wasn't he the same idiot that thought that sprawl was good and that jobs should be spread out into the hinterlands?

^ May well be whit, sounds like the same kind of reasoning.:rolleyes: :koko:

Mixed reviews on unemployment in the Ithaca area:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...603290324/1002

Ithaca needs more hi-tech type jobs, and the jobs which would support hi-tech position.

Even with Cornell there
 

Not too many people want to stay afterward,especially the entrepenurial types that feel condescended by having to live in Ithaca. As much as I'd love to move home, the reality is that there is a very limited job market that pays any money there unless you want to work at Cornell or IC. This is the same scenario that plays out in most college towns, not just Ithaca. I agree that there needs to be High Tech jobs and that the presence of Cornell should support that, but at some point, most of these companies want to be in a place with a deeper labor pool and not be stuck in a place whose airport has one permanent airline (for the time being) and one airline that might not be ther in 6 months or a year as their case moves through bankruptcy court.

^ Agreed, just pisses me off that the potential will probably go unrealized.

Here's an editorial from the local paper which kind of tells the city to pat itself on the back. Some good news for a change.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...5/1014/OPINION

Tax abatements for new projects downtown put on hold:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...WS01/604080329

Sucks.:yuck:

One airline, eh? I think the last time I felw into Ithaca, it was on Mohawk..... yikes.

Mohawk still exists? No way. Did they ever lenghthen the airport runway?

^^^^Only on someone's head....lol.....runway? I don't have a clue....Ex-Ithacan is our man in the know.....

The runway was lengthened a bit, but it still doesn't generate enough traffic for any big jets. There are actually 2 airlines: US Air and Northwest (both going bankrupt?:rolleyes: ). Funny you should mention Mohawk, my Uncle use to work for them many years ago. That airline was merges with others and eventually became US Air.

Speaking of the airport, it's hard to find pics, but here's a few:

aerial with airport to left (this is an old pic);

http://www.cornellbtp.com/images/aer6.jpg

aerial with the airport in upper half

http://www.cornellbtp.com/download/slide6.jpg

inside the terminal

http://ouvertlanuitfermelanuit.typep...e/img_1648.JPG

2 for now
 

But the next time that Northwest cuts back, Ithaca will be the first to go, just like with Continential on their multiple attempts to serve the Ithaca area. I still thought that Ithaca, Elmira, and Binghamton should have combined into one big airport that would have actual service.

I read that Northwest is actually doing better than expected on the Ithaca routes. Who knows, maybe someone else might get interested too. I think the 3 cities joining to make one airport would have been feasable some time ago, but there's a lot of infrastructure in place for the 3 cities and their airports, and building one from scratch might be cost prohibitive. Not sure all three together could generate enough money for a whole new airport. Besides, there's a lot of local pride involved too.

Here's a possibilty I think you're going to hope for whit:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604110318/1002


And good ole Gary Ferguson letting us know downtown's gonna be OK. I love that guy's positive outlook.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604110325/1002


:)

They got smart
 

Ithaca isn't growing fast enough to support 2 12 to 14 screen mainstream first run theaters. Now if this works out, maybe they can turn Fall Creek into a dollar theater and expand the gym in Center Ithaca inth the Cinemopolis location.

There was s study back in the 70's about this and occassionally it's brought up, but you're right, since Ithaca got a new terminal and both Binghamton and ELmira renovated their terminals in the 90's it's gonna be a while, plus you're right about the egos involved.

Works for me, but I hope it won't affect the tax abatements for the project. If it does, there could be a problem since a moritorium has been set on any tax abatements for the next 6 months. And you know in Ithaca development is 3 steps forward and 2 back.:rolleyes:

Sad news for an Ithaca neighbor. The city od Cortland (the other half of the Ithaca/Cortlan MSA) lost an historic landmark building to fire yesterday. Here's an article with pics:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604120330/1002

The only pic of the building I could find from my collection isn't that great:

http://www.picpile.com/uploads/637781125.jpg

I hate it when old gems like this are destroyed.:(

I think there used to be a decent pizza place in that building, although I could be wrong.

^ I think you're right.

I hope a nice rendering of this building comes out soon:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604130319/1002

I'm getting concerned about the next phase of the Cayuga Green project:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...8/1014/OPINION

:(

Holy S*%^, a bunch of politicians write a document in such a way that covers their butts if anything changes about the project. In living in Florida I'm used to the politicians not realizing what they signed until it's too late. Still, I think that this will get worked out. At the end of the day, here's what probably will happen. The developer will still get part of their money (for the apartments) The money that was going for the theaters will be used to buy out the operator of Fall Creek and Cinemopolis. The space that would have been for the 12 screen theater will be a 6 screen art theater with 3 good restauarants and a little more retail. Fall Creek becomes a dollar theater and the health club at Center Ithaca expands into the Cinemopolis space pretty easliy.

^ Nice scenario, but don't forget we're dealing with the folks in Ithaca. Could end up a People's Park taking up 10 parking spaces and designate the rest a no development zone. ;) :rolleyes:

True, but
 

Even they want something built downtown, It's just that they don't want to pay for it. Something will be built there. It might take 20 years and Cornell will wind up with a large part of it, but it something will be built.

whit, we can only hope.

Once again the voices of unreason are taking over the Ithaca density issue:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604180326/1002


And another article about affordable housing in the Ithaca area (leads me to believe the city/county should be a lot bigger population wise if only housing were more affordable)

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604180336/1002

The one person had a good point. With all of the hype about downtown redevelopment, you would think thate would be a maket for someone or someones to buy some of the buildings on the Commons and gut and modernize the upper floors. Yet all anyone wants to do is build new.

That's the case everywhere, not just in Ithaca. It's a little more extreme there than in other areas in Upstate because Cornell's student population throws the pricing out of kilter inside the city.

The coffee wars is about to hit Ithaca as Starbucks prepares to open its first local store. The Ithaca Times discusses this in relationship to how this will affect local chain Gimme Coffee
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=216620&rfi=6

^Yeah, this could be a good "battle" to watch. Gimmee is so Ithaca, touchy & feelie, gotta love it. Thanks whit.

Not good news on the housing front for regular folks in the Ithaca area:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...8/1016/OPINION

About your last oist, Ex-Ithacan, This is especially needed because with gas at $3 a gallon with no end in sight for the price going up, the same people that can't afford a place in Tompkins County or especially in the City or Town of Ithaca are going to be even more hamstrung. The problem is, as mentioned here before, that the student housing market skews prices up, especially in desirable areas such as near Cornell. Also, with the only affordable housing being built being mobile homes, the choices are even more limited, since very few places close in are zoned for mobile homes, those that exist are at or very near capacity, such as in Varna or down at Nate's Floral Estates, and cities have no desire to zone property for mobile homes because of Nimbyism, low return on their investment for infrastructure and schools, and asthetics.

I think mobile homes are gonna be a tough sell anywhere in the city or town of Ithaca. I know there's been some recent developments in the town for mixed income housing developments near transit stops. Perhaps some mixed income stuff in the city (on transit loops) of a hi-rise variety is a possibilty. I think this could work well in the west end or northside as long as it doesn't degenerate into another set of projects (section 8). Just a pipe-dream of mine, but what the heck.

I'd love to see this stuff being built too, edspecially in Fall Creek or in the Southside, but even then, what's considered affordable is targeted at a price point that developers are leery to build at, and as amazing as it sounds for such a touchy-feely place like Ithaca, there's no inclusionary housing ordinance on the books. Even with one on the books (notwithstanding the legal challenges) the amount of housing a project has to have to kick in this provision in a place like Ithaca would create maybe 5 to 10 affordable homes per year.

Interesting article about Rod Serling:

http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articl...0the_twili.htm

Looks like there's going to be more retail going in along the Elmira road corridor. kind of strip mall sprawly, but at least it's within the city limits, so the taxes will help, and no green space wasted in the burbs.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604260325/1002

:yes:

The only "development" type of info I've found recently has to do with the expansion/merchandise change in a downtown store. Maybe the hippies in Ithaca are starting to fade a bit:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...48/1002/NEWS01


And nothing to do with development, but here's a legal matter involving a local landlord(perv).

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604280338/1002

Just a pic I found on the net. A cranky old bar in downtown Ithaca, and someone must have been a bad boy (or maybe it was the dirty pants;) ).

http://static.flickr.com/45/13605889...a693c8.jpg?v=0

Here's a quick article about the closing of a downtown parking garage. Not sure I'd want to park on the surface lot underneath the garage :rolleyes:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...604290316/1002

:)

More praise for TC3. It's been named the number one digital community college

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststa...170.xml&coll=1

What a place. Townie bar downstairs, upstairs a small club frequesnted by IC students.

^ LOL, yeah it's a one-of-a-kind in some respects.

Good find on the TC3 article. I graduated from there in '77. The Dryden campus was still fairly new. Good foundation for a continuing education. Thanks whit.

:cool:

:previous:

Here's a negative oped to the downtown density policy in Ithaca, gee thanks guys.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...605020301/1014

This is certainly not positive news, but there's been a rash of stabbings in ithaca this week. I wasn't too worried about it, but the latest one happened a block from my brother's apartment building, and 2 of the guys arrested live a block from him. I'm afraid there's been too much "gang" type stuff going on. It's not the little town I grew up in anymore.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...605050349/1002

:(

I don't think it's as bad as some make it out to be
 

If you don't piss people off at the bar, you and your buddies won't have a reason to retaliate against them. Still, there's always some underlying tension there, whether it be drugs, idiots, or racially motivated crime involving some yahoo from Brooktondale or Enfield.

I know Ithaca was never perfect (crime-wise), but it seems to have gotten a lot more violent over the last 15 years or so. Sad stuff. It may be called enlightened, but that could be a stretch for the reality of the city.