Looks like this project is still alive. From the Ithaca Journal:
Seneca Way building project approaches final approval
7:14 PM, Oct. 11, 2011
Written by
Liz Lawyer
Ithaca -- A project to replace the old Challenge Industries building at the intersection of East State Street and Seneca Way with a new mixed-use building is likely to go forward, the project developer said.
Bryan Warren, a principal in Fall Creek Development of Ithaca, which is building the Seneca Way building, and president of Warren Real Estate, said the next stage in the process is to get final site plan approval from the city Planning and Development Board.
The board has already granted preliminary site plan approval, Warren said. Variances have been approved through the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Warren said demolition on the Challenge building, a former factory, could start in late spring 2012. He estimated the project may take nine months to complete.
The proposed building would include a parking garage at the street level, with commercial space in the floor above it, and 32 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments in the upper stories. It will also include a workout room, a rooftop terrace, and bike storage.
Warren said the approval process has taken longer than he expected. Original financing for the project has fallen through in the year since he took the project to the city, but he is looking to secure alternative financing in the coming months.
The apartments will be "high-end," he said. There has already been interest in the commercial space, which will house Warren Real Estate offices, along with other tenants.
"We feel good about the Ithaca market," Warren said. "I think things are still very healthy here. For the most part, we still feel good about it, though it put a lot of strain on us, having the approval process take so long."
Residents neighboring the site on Seneca Street raised objections to the project, saying it threatened the historic nature of their neighborhood. Alterations to the project plan addressed some of the concerns. The project also hit a few hitches because of the smallness and odd shape of the lot, Warren said.
"Every time we were troubleshooting, we came up with different obstacles," he said.
Here's the link:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...final-approval