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Old Posted Apr 11, 2011, 9:42 PM
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An old factory building sitting empty, and ready for a new life. Actually, my brother use to work there, but got laid off when the company moved the workforce out of Ithaca (consolidation). That's the second time it's happened to him. The idea of redevelopment might be a tough sale to any potential investors.

From The Ithaca Journal:


The unused Emerson Power Transmission building sits above much of the Ithaca's South Hill neighborhood straddling the city and town lines. Local officials and interested parties are thinking about redeveloping the site. / SIMON WHEELER / STAFF PHOTO


Ithaca South Hill site faces pollution, zoning hurdles
Former Emerson facility needs buyer
11:16 PM, Apr. 10, 2011

ITHACA -- Production ended at the Emerson Power Transmission plant on Ithaca's South Hill in December and the company auctioned off most of its remaining equipment in February, leaving behind a vacant 368,000-square-foot building, a 94-acre parcel overlooking Ithaca, and a lot of questions about the site's future.

Tompkins County Assessment Director Jay Franklin said many ideas have surfaced for the site of the former machine parts manufacturer, but it's too early to tell what has potential and what's just talk.

"I have heard so many different ideas, from a mini South Hill Business Campus to apartments and condos," Franklin said. "It's hard to filter through what might be rumors from what might be somebody's concrete plans."

South Hill Business Campus, just up the hill on Route 96-B, houses offices and light-manufacturing tenants in the redeveloped NCR and Axiohm building.

But no matter how the building and site are eventually redeveloped, one thing is clear: It's going to be very complicated.

The building and parcel straddle the border between the city and town of Ithaca, meaning two sets of zoning laws would have to be dealt with before redevelopment can occur. There is also known pollution, including tricholoroethene and tetrachloroethylene, at the site and trickling down the hill into residential areas from decades of industrial activity at the plant.

Site eyed for mixed use
The whole site is assessed at $3.5 million. The building is so large even Emerson was using only part of it.

Phyllisa DeSarno, City of Ithaca deputy director for economic development, said she would like to see a mixed-use project move in, with residential units alongside commercial and retail space. DeSarno said several developers have toured the site in recent months.

"I definitely believe it should be a mixed use," she said. "That would be the most positive project we could see. There are some interesting things out there and we need to talk about them."

Ithaca Town Supervisor Herb Engman said a mixed-use project could also include light industrial space, though the idea of residential units is also desirable.

"There are lots of great ideas for the site," Engman said. "What it comes down to is who's going to buy it."

Engman said the city and town are willing to work together to make development possible, but a project must be proposed before the municipalities can move forward.

Other proposed uses for the site Engman has heard include a district heating plant, which could provide power to downtown, South Hill Business Campus or Ithaca College. But Engman said it seems clear that the site's days as a manufacturing plant are over.

"I doubt we're going to see that sort of use in there again," he said.

Downtown Ithaca Alliance Executive Director Gary Ferguson said a mixed-use project on the site would fit into the DIA's 2020 Strategic Plan, which calls for 1,500 more housing units in the downtown area and a stronger transit link from downtown to the campuses and West End. The Emerson site is four blocks from downtown, he points out.

"It's a big community asset that needs to be tamed," he said.

But DeSarno said there's no telling when development might occur.

"There's no time frame around it," she said. "It's obviously going to become an eyesore, maybe even an issue if it sits there empty for a long time. Right now it's secure, there's security there. We certainly don't want the property to sit there wasting away."

Pollution a roadblock
Before any new owner can move in, the toxins on the site need to be cleaned up.

"If you're doing a story on what's not happening up there, you'll be able to fill the entire paper," said John Graves, president of the South Hill Neighborhood Association, with a laugh. "If you're doing a story on what's happened -- there's not much."

In October, the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued a final cleanup plan for the neighborhood downhill from the plant. The plan calls for replacing a 300-foot section of sewer line on East Spencer Street, where readings of toxic vapors in homes were highest, and installing mechanicals to vent vapors in the future. Graves said he expects that plan to move forward soon.

The site itself has a groundwater filtration system that has not effectively addressed the problem, according to Walter Hang of the Ithaca company Toxics Targeting. Hang is known for his tough stance on pollution issues.

Hang said the cost to completely remediate the site has not been calculated because the DEC has not required that level of cleanup.

Calling the DEC's decision "shockingly inadequate," Hang said he plans to push the new DEC deputy commissioner, Eugene Leff, to require a more comprehensive cleanup.

"We're hoping that (Leff) will do more to require the removal of the toxic pollution," Hang said. "The minute they found the contamination in the 70s it should have been removed immediately."

Emerson has stabilized and sealed the site, Graves said. Monitoring wells placed on the property and throughout the neighborhood below keep tabs on where the contaminants are moving.

Graves said he believes a more stringent cleanup plan will be possible once a definite development plan is in place.

"My whole theory is ... development has to happen before we can really see what the cleanup is going to be. We have to decide what the development is going to be, then the DEC will have to revisit that plan."


Here's the link:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...text|FRONTPAGE


For reference, here's a pic (from MichaelTurk @ flickr) which shows the factory (you can less than half of it in the bottom right of the pic) in proximity to downtown Ithaca:

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Last edited by Ex-Ithacan; Apr 13, 2011 at 11:38 PM.
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