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Old Posted Dec 10, 2012, 2:24 PM
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This stretch of road does look rather shabby, hope this helps (from the Ithaca Journal):

City aims to update Old Elmira Road
Some property owners wary that plan could disrupt business

8:15 PM, Dec 9, 2012
Written by
David Hill

ITHACA — Fortified with a state grant of $682,500, the City of Ithaca has a plan to bring nearly 60-year-old Old Elmira Road up to date with curbs, sidewalks, bike lanes and landscaping.

But some property owners along the overwhelmingly commercial road are skeptical that the work is a good idea, or at least good enough for them to have to pay the sidewalk and curb assessments they’re facing.
A public hearing is scheduled as part of the Board of Public Works meeting at 4:45 p.m. today at City Hall. An informational meeting will be scheduled to show details as the plan takes fuller form, likely in late January or early February, said Tim Logue, the city’s transportation engineer.
Elmira Road was built in the 1940s to standards of the time and hasn’t changed much since, according to city public works officials. The estimated $1.3 million project is still being developed, leaving wide ranges in potential assessments property owners could face. The work would start in the spring with public works crews rather than hired contractors.
“The basic scope of work is to complete the street, by which we mean make a full multi-modal corridor, with sidewalks from the roundabout (at Albany Street) to Route 13 on both sides of the street, bike lane in each direction, vehicular travel lane in both directions,” Logue said.
Improved drainage is also part of the plan, and the TCAT bus stop, which has no pull-off or passenger waiting area, may be upgraded. A pedestrian crosswalk is under consideration.
Assessment issue
Under city codes and the charter, sidewalks are considered a benefit to the adjoining property owners, who will be assessed for the cost. The same principle dictates assessments for curbing installed in commercial districts.
“If the zoning is a commercial zoning and it’s the first time the city’s ever installed curbing there, then the property owner’s responsible for half of that cost,” Logue said.
Logue said a section of Triphammer Road at The Shops at Ithaca Mall reworked several years ago gives a good idea of what’s in store, though that’s more than two lanes, he said.

When the city sent letters to affected property owners about the plan and hearing, some weren’t pleased.
Pudgie’s Pizza co-owner Mike McLaughlin said he wants to keep an open mind and allows that he might be dazzled when details come out, but he is concerned that the work would severely disrupt his business and take longer than expected.
He’s also worried the work could cost his customers parking and saddle him with a big assessment for work that not only isn’t needed but could do more harm than good. Many neighbors feel the same way, he said.
“I’d hate to say I can speak for everyone, but for the people I’ve spoken to, the businesses on this side of the road here that I know and talk to, that’s kind of where we’re all at — a little nervous,” McLaughlin said. “We have to be. The environment in business these days is tight, your profit margins are so small, it doesn’t take a lot to put you out of business if things don’t go well.”
The added assessment on his property was estimated anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, with others facing up to $60,000. He said he is also frustrated that the grant was sought and plans started before affected property owners were consulted — the first communication from the city about it was the letter.
“They just don’t ask the people it affects,” McLaughlin said.
Bill Card, owner of car dealership Automotive Consultants, said the sidewalks and bike lanes are not appropriate for a route that’s dominated by auto traffic, with several auto-related businesses.
“It’s Elmira Road, not Elmira Street,” Card said.
Still, Card said he’s optimistic that when city officials hear from property owners, a compromise can be reached. He suggested, for instance, sidewalks could be only on the west side of the road, where more pedestrian-oriented destinations are.
“There are better ways to spend the city’s money than on plans like this,” he said.

Here's the link:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...text|FRONTPAGE
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