Some Ithaca news

[ithacat]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

So sad to see this downtown fixture leaving (from the Ithaca Times):


By Bill Chaisson

Mayer's Closing After 117 Years of Business in Ithaca

Posted: Thursday, May 8, 2014 9:00 am | Updated: 10:19 am, Thu May 8, 2014.
By Bill Chaisson

Mayer’s newsstand and smoke shop, which has been a business in Ithaca since 1897, will be closing its doors at 318 E. State St. at the end of June. The newsstand must close because Travis/Hyde Properties, the building’s owner, is putting in an elevator shaft, stairs, and a lobby into the rear of the building to serve its new upstairs tenant, the Downtown Ithaca Incubator. According to Frost Travis, the addition of the second entrance is a mandatory part of the zoning ordinance and the elevator is required by the lease agreement with the upstairs tenant. The lease with Mayer's ends July 11.
Jeff Rubin of Southern Tier News in Elmira Heights has owned Mayer’s since 1978. The business has been at the State Street location since 1963. Travis/Hyde purchased 318 E. State St. five years ago.
“I don’t know for sure,” said Rubin, “but my understanding is that he needs our back room and part of our selling space, and he has to cut through the concrete floor. I didn’t think we could be open for business through all that. It’s not adversarial; it is just the way the lease works.”
Rubin and Travis did discuss the situation, but could not come to terms. “Jeff asked me to send him the notice to vacate,” said Travis, “to stop the back and forth and to give him a date.”
Travis said that he and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance offered to work with Rubin to find a new location downtown. “He said that he couldn’t do a build-out quickly enough to move within 60 days,” said Travis, explaining that a build-out is what a tenant does to modify a new space to fit the needs of his business.
“No matter what happens,” said Rubin, “I’d like to see the institution of Mayer’s continue in whatever shape or fashion, either with everyone who is involved now or with someone different.” Travis said that Rubin had mentioned closing another one of his stores in another city for several months and then reopening it in the same location.
But Rubin has decided to “sell everything to the walls.”
“Certain fixtures are for sale,” said Patty Codner, Mayer’s director of operations since 1994. The magazine racks, she said, are the property of Southern Tier News. They will be emptied and returned to Elmira.
Some stock items are already getting low. They have sold out of some varieties of coffee beans. Mayer’s was well ahead of the gourmet coffee trend; they have been selling beans roasted in St. Louis since the early 1980s. They will now be selling the barrels as well as the beans.
All cigars are selling at 33 percent off and, according to Codner, they selling at good pace. Eventually the chocolate bars will go on sale as well.
Codner has watched the balance of sales at the store change over the years. With the advent of widespread Internet access the sales of newspapers declined, particularly foreign papers for which Mayer’s may once have been the only source. Tobacco is still a draw, said Codner, but sales have declined in response to health concerns and rising taxes.
Southern Tier News had stores in the Arnot Mall, Corning, Elmira, and Ithaca. The Arnot Mall store in Big Flats closed three years ago. The Corning store was open for a few years in the late 1990s. If the Ithaca store does not re-open, then Rubin’s in Elmira will be the last retail outlet.
Mayer’s is presently operating with reduced staff of four and a half employees, all of them working longer hours.
There is a book at the store where customers have been writing down their memories of the store, which Codner has found heartening in light of events. Codner invited everyone to come in add their own thoughts. •



Here's the link:

http://www.ithaca.com/news/mayer-s-c...9bb2963f4.html

It is sad to see a long standing business close. I think the only things keeping them in business these past 4 or 5 years was the CFCU ATM and selling lottery tickets. The books disappeared...the magazines disappeared...the cards disappeared...I miss the days of newsstands and bookstores (and being young).

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by ithacat

The books disappeared...the magazines disappeared...the cards disappeared...I miss the days of newsstands and bookstores (and being young).

Amen to that.....

[Ex-Ithacan]

An interesting video about the old silent movie industry in Ithaca and the desire to make Ithaca a destination for film educational opportunities.

• Video Link

[Ex-Ithacan]

Short article about the comprehensive plan in Ithaca. I believe the city's heart is in the right place, but the citizens have to understand the place needs to grow to ease the tax burden. Half the land is tax exempt, and the available non-exempt land is very limited. Dense (and taller) development is needed.

From the Ithaca Times:

Ithaca Comp Plan Urges Density; Some Residents Balk

Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 12:00 am
By Michael Nocella

City of Ithaca’s Comprehensive Plan Committee recently hosted residents in a workshop on the plan’s “Draft Land Use Chapter,” which gives outlines the vision on future land use in the city. The committee presented its recommendations on neighborhood preservation and future growth to more than 100 Ithacans on Tuesday, April 29. Committee members discussed resident feedback from the workshop during its public meeting on Monday, May 19.
According to the committee’s summary of discussion comments, the general idea of the next comprehensive plan to increase Ithaca’s population and density within the city was met with “mixed reactions.” It concluded that, “Those who supported the ideas presented in the chapter felt that the increases would help achieve the stated goals (provide more housing; minimize sprawl and preserve surrounding green space; reduce traffic from in-commuting; and increase the tax base and reduce the tax burden for residents.” It also summarized that those who opposed an increase noted negative impacts on the community such as the possibility of negatively impacting community character and eventually reaching a point where “Ithaca stops feeling like Ithaca.”
City of Ithaca Planner Megan Wilson said residents expressed most concern regarding the possible consequences of increased density could bring on.
“It’s not the idea of an increase in people that’s a concern for a lot of those in disagreement,” she said, “it’s what the impacts of that would be, whether it’s transportation, community character—but it wasn’t necessarily the actual increase in people.”
The Draft Land Use Chapter claimed “existing development patterns, demographics, and travel habits strongly suggest that our residents already support a denser, mixed-use, and more connected cityscape.” It reasons that Ithaca has “an immense opportunity to maximize our role as a regional hub by attracting a larger population,” alluding to the fact that Tompkins County has nearly doubled its population from 59,122 to 101,544 since 1950, while Ithaca has grown by less than 1,000 from 29,257 to 30,014 in that same span.
Many residents wanted to know how the city would adapt to increasing a population growth that has more or less been stagnant for more than 50 years.
“All of those concerned about the impacts, I think there’s some constructive suggestions,” committee member John Schroeder said. “I think there’s some ways we can respond, not necessarily by changing direction, but by addressing the concerns.”
According to the summary of discussion comments, Ithacans are particularly concerned about growth and development in and around residential areas, and that “new development should be consistent with the scale of the existing built environment.”
“What I see here is less a conflict per se,” committee member David Kay said, “but a failure to convince, a lack of trust that the city is capable of promoting significant growth without it leading to negative impacts of character. To me, what’s needed is some kind of monitoring process, some goals monitoring progress along the way, so we can see what’s happening to neighborhoods as change happens. The goal for this process is creating a proactive vision of what we want—and make that very easy, and the type of development we don’t want—make that very hard.”
• • •
The city’s existing comprehensive plan—completed in 1971—has been amended 14 times throughout the years. The city government understands that much change has occurred since that time, and that a completely new comprehensive plan is needed. As a result, the city has undertaken a two-phase process to create a new plan. It is currently in Phase I, which will identify the vision and goals for the city’s future. Phase II will create specific neighborhood or thematic plans that fall in line with Phase I’s context. After both phases are completed, it is anticipated the draft plan of will be available for public review in fall 2014. •

Here's the link:

http://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca-co...a4bcf887a.html


As an added bonus here's an article about "suburban" growth in the Town of Ithaca and Tompkins County overall:

http://www.ithaca.com/news/west-hill...a4bcf887a.html


Can you say Nimby? I knew you could.

[Ex-Ithacan]

And just to show that some Ithacans know how to party:

Tripping, Naked Ithacan Hit By Car, Tased and Arrested


Courtesy of Ithaca City Police

Derek Deboer


Posted: Monday, May 19, 2014 11:04 am | Updated: 11:49 am, Mon May 19, 2014.
By Staff Reports

It was quite a weekend for a 20-year-old Ithacan.
Ithaca Police report Derek Deboer faces numerous charges after he ran naked through Ithaca, was hit by a car and allegedly grabbed at an officer's gun while police tried to subdue him Saturday, May 17.
The odd series of events for Deboer began at 8 p.m. Saturday. That night, city police responded to the Lighthouse Pier area, located northwest of the Ithaca City Golf Course, of a report of a person yelling for help. An on-duty police lieutenant at Treman Marina reported spotting the frantic person on the pier. The person, police learned, was a friend of the missing subject, who would later be identified as Deboer.
Commandeering an off-duty officer's boat, authorities searched the Cayuga Lake waters for Deboer. The Ithaca Fire Department and the New York State Park Police assisted in the search but found only a set of clothes.
Forty-five minutes into their search, Ithaca Police received a separate report of a naked man who was struck by a vehicle in the 100th block of North Cayuga Street. Police would then come to learn that these two events were related.
Officers located Deboer and tried to subdue him, but Deboer resisted. Officers tased Deboer after he allegedly tried to remove an officer’s handgun from her holster. Deboer told police he and his friend from the pier were under the influence of LSD and marijuana. He was sent, along with his friend, to Cayuga Medical Center via Bangs Ambulance. No charges were reported.
However, around 1 a.m. Monday, May 19, police brought charges against Deboer. He was located at a North Plain Street residence and placed under arrest. He's being charged with felony attempted robbery, felony attempted criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration, public appearance under the influence of drugs and/or narcotics and exposure of a person. Deboer is currently in IPD custody awaiting arraignment, police said.


Here's the link:

http://www.ithaca.com/news/tripping-...9bb2963f4.html

[Ex-Ithacan]

Another "Best of..." deal. Doesn't really mean anything, but what the heck. From the Journal:

Ithaca advances in 'best town' contest

5:38 PM, May 22, 2014

Ithaca is into the second round of Outside magazine’s online contest to find the best town in America, this time up against Civil War battlefield site Gettsyburg, Pa.

Outside is pitting towns against one another in pairs, with winners advancing until online voters have picked the best town for outdoor recreation and living June 15. In the first round ending Monday night, Ithaca beat out the Cape Anne community of Newburyport, Mass., with 63 percent of the vote: 5,937 to 3,483. Gettysburg edged out Jackson, N.H. The second round ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Saturday.


Here's the link:

http://www.ithacajournal.com/article...t-town-contest

[Ex-Ithacan]

Here's links to a couple of good news (mostly) blog entries from our friend Visiteur at Ithacating in Cornell Heights.

http://brancra.wordpress.com/2014/05...-old-with-new/

http://brancra.wordpress.com/2014/05...-news-at-once/

[Ex-Ithacan]

A unique view of the land of Big Boxes in southwest Ithaca (best at full screen):

• Video Link

[Ex-Ithacan]

Nice pic of the northeast section of downtown (with Cornell and Collegetown trying to sneak in at the top):



source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Photo...57437457645927

[Ex-Ithacan]

Looks like there's a new attempt to get a Hampton Inn for downtown (see post #1511 on page 76). Article from the Journal:

Hoteliers plan downtown Ithaca Hampton Inn
Urban version in early planning for tuning fork block

12:26 PM, May 28, 2014
Written by
David Hill

A Syracuse company that floated the idea of a downtown Hampton Inn in late 2012 is following through, proposing a six-story building housing what’s described as an urban version of the chain’s lodging in the tuning fork intersection a block east of the Ithaca Commons.

The hotel would be built along Seneca Way, the short street connecting State/Martin Luther King Jr. Street with Seneca Street, on land now used for parking. It’s just to the north of the Carey Building, itself undergoing renovation to house a business-incubation center.

Lighthouse Hotels inquired in late 2012 about using a parking lot on Seneca Way owned by the city’s development arm, the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency.

Early plans presented Tuesday night to the city’s Planning and Development Board show an entrance off State/MLK between the Carey Building and Community School of Music and Art, on what’s now an alley used for parking, and a possible restaurant on Seneca Way. But most of the hotel would stand on a parking lot that once housed the Strand Theater.

Planning board members generally favored the early sketch version of the plans. Ithaca architect Scott Whitham, working with the Boston firm Group One Partners, said the development team will begin conversations soon with the IURA about the agency’s property.

The hotel would be Lighthouse’s second in Ithaca. It also owns the Hampton Inn on Elmira Road, which opened in 2003 and was renovated in 2011.

The new Hampton Inn would stand within sight of the Marriott hotel planned for the east end of the Commons, on a narrow triangular lot between Aurora Street and the Green Street parking garage. Meanwhile, the Hotel Ithaca on Cayuga at Green Streets, formerly known as the Holiday Inn, is undergoing extensive renovations. Last year, the city raised height limits for much of the interior of the block, which is formed by State/MLK, Seneca, Seneca Way and Aurora Streets.


Here's the "rendering' of a possibility:


Rendering of proposed downtown Ithaca Hampton Inn. / Lighthouse Hotels


Here's the link:

http://www.ithacajournal.com/article...nclick_check=1

[Ex-Ithacan]

If this plan to move the DOT to Dryden happens, a great site for development opens up on the waterfront. From the Journal:


A rower makes his way past the New York State Department of Transportation facility located on the east side of the Cayuga Inlet in Ithaca, directly across from Cass Park. / SIMON WHEELER/Staff Photo


Ithaca, Tompkins move to redevelop DOT's waterfront site
Study aims to find out how to make it ready to build on

5:29 PM, May 27, 2014
Written by
David Hill

A prime site on Ithaca’s waterfront is now used to store road salt and truck fuel but could someday be put to better use in keeping with its location under a plan the city and Tompkins County are working on.

Both are spending $28,000 to match a state grant to study what needs to be done to move the state Department of Transportation facility between Third Street Extension and the Cayuga Inlet to Dryden, where the DOT bought a replacement site eight years ago but never occupied it. The waterfront site now comprises a garage and filling station for DOT vehicles, offices and a salt dome.

The 7.6-acre site zoned as part of the city’s waterfront district is seen as prime real estate for tax-paying development, perhaps with some public use as well. Between the Ithaca Farmers’ Market to the north and the Cornell University and Ithaca College rowing-teams’ boathouses to the south, and across the inlet from Cass Park, it’s a legacy of the waterfront’s industrial history in an era when waterfronts are more prized for recreation, amenities and housing.

“We’re stuck with a what I believe is an inappropriate waterfront use, industrial use, on the waterfront that could be much better used by the community,” Nels Bohn, director of community development for the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, told Common Council’s City Administration Committee last week. “We’ve had developers suggest it would be an ideal location for housing, for hotels, for new Farmers’ Market activities. We’ve had a gamut of different ideas out there. Nobody can move forward as long as it’s under DOT control.”

The committee unanimously approved spending $22,000 from the city’s contingency fund, along with $6,000 worth of staff time. The decision now goes to the full council. Combined with a like amount by Tompkins County, it would match $56,000 from a state waterfront revitalization grant to pay for the study.

The study will update and pin-down the costs of building the relocated DOT facilities, develop a financing plan and delve into technical matters such as the soil conditions at the present site so that potential developers can better estimate their costs, Bohn said.

“This is a way to move this process forward to the next step, showing that there’s a feasible way to relocate the DOT site and redevelop it,” Bohn said.

The DOT purchased the Dryden site in 2006 but can’t move the operations there until the same facilities are built at the Dryden site, according to DOT regional spokesman Gene Cilento. A portion of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail expected to be built this summer will cross the DOT site, which will require reconfiguration of the outside storage area, according to Cilento.

Nearby is other lightly or undeveloped land, including the former Carpenter Business Park. As part of anlyzing the DOT site’s possibilities, a stakeholder group will be formed to include owners of nearby property and businesses, according to Bohn.

In the past few years, the city has been focusing on rezoning Collegetown and loosening height restrictions to stimulate development downtown, but movement on the DOT site is a sign the waterfront may get attention again, too.

“We have sadly too little access to the water,” Mayor Svante Myrick said. “Freeing that site for the kind of economic development that improves waterfront access will help our fiscal bottom line and make the city more attractive.”


Here's the link:

http://www.ithacajournal.com/article...aterfront-site

[Ex-Ithacan]

Some good news for a fun nature walk in an Ithaca gorge, thanks Cornell.
The embede video is kind of a bummer (I use to swim in the gorges all the time as a kid).
From the Ithaca Times:


Cornell Plantations' Director of Natural Areas Todd Bittner
By Deirdre Cunningham


Cornell Restores Cascadilla Gorge Trail

Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 12:00 am | Updated: 4:04 pm, Wed May 28, 2014.

By Deirdre Cunningham | 0 comments
Cornell Plantations is gaining on the eagerly anticipated completion of Cascadilla Gorge Trail’s restoration project. Todd Bittner, Director of Natural Areas, is “striving to have the trail completely open by fall semester 2014”. Although Phase One is completed from Linn Street up the creek as far as the Stewart Avenue Bridge, the upper exit out of the gorge is not open yet. Phase Two is focused on the section between the Stewart and College Avenue bridges with three major staircases and a foot bridge to be rebuilt, new railings, and new walks.
In the middle of the 2008 financial crash Cornell University had a decision to make: either close and invest in the trail or just close it. A comprehensive assessment of the entire gorge trail was conducted and included all wooden railings, trail beds, drainage systems, walls, staircases and more. After much discussion and close analysis, the university chose to invest $1.7 million to pursue the necessary restoration repairs and upgrades for public safety and enjoyment.
Before any work began, Bittner met with university landscape architect David Cutter to consider the historical aesthetics of the gorge as an iconic space; they documented details and elements that complemented the natural beauty. Donated to Cornell by Robert H. Treman in 1909 to “support public use, education and enjoyment,” the Cascadilla Gorge Trail system was initially constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It runs a total of 7,800 feet in length rising through 400 feet of elevation from Linn Street to Hoy Road. Cornell Plantations manages this gorge and Fall Creek gorge and is committed to protecting these natural areas and providing ongoing educational use, while supporting safe public recreation and enjoyment of the gorge. Eighty-five percent of their operating budget comes from donor gifts and membership.
Joints—cracks in the creek beds—are “caused by stress of rocks on an enormous geographic scale, due to the collision of the continents more than 250 million years ago ... water flows into the cracks, freezes and expands, eventually the rock weakens enough to cause a rockslide making it dangerous and the reason why most of the gorges are closed in the winter,” explained the Paleontological Research Institution’s website. (For information about the geology of the gorges and the Finger Lakes, see www.priweb.org.) The university produced a gorge safety video (www.cornell.edu/video/gorge-safety-information) to explain why swimming is not permitted in the gorges and why hikers should not go in there when the trails are closed.
All project repairs and construction work required compliance with the Army Corps of Engineers regulations, and approvals from the Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of Ithaca’s Planning Department. The first major section, from the Treman Triangle on Linn Street up to the base of Stewart Avenue Bridge, was completed and reopened in 2010 with: a new entrance gate attached to a new retaining stone wall with a historical plaque, a realigned cinder path runs along the top of a new retaining wall, a new steel railing that can be seen through, and fewer invasive plants. The black steel entrance gate, designed and built by artisan blacksmith Durand Van Doren of Trumansburg, won the 2013 Pride of Ownership Award, a joint program of Rotary Club of Ithaca and the City of Ithaca.
They experimented with new construction techniques and then tested them for durability. For example, the existing railings’ wooden posts attached to metal brackets were replaced with galvanized steel posts inserted into masonry in the rock. Overhead residential drainpipe and surface water that had flowed down the gorge walls and across the walks was rerouted underneath the walks directly into the gorge.
The naturally occurring rockslides supplied debris to reuse for the reconstruction. Small stones are raked into the wet concrete walks and steps for texture (which reduces slippage) and to make it look more natural and historic. Crane access into the gorge, to clean out debris and move boulders, was from the above residential side streets and from Stewart Avenue Bridge.
Tropical Storm Lee (September 2011) set back the original target date for reopening the trail as far as Stewart Avenue. A subsequent grant application made to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the project an additional $880,000 based on the trail’s historical significance. These new funds are dedicated to Phase Two of the project. Two main efforts in this section are: removal of tree debris piled up in the creek when it flooded the trail, and fixing the trail itself—three major staircases and a footbridge. The FEMA grant included extra funds to develop “best practices” for a more resilient reconstruction resistant to future flooding. Shotcrete—a pigmented concrete spray—is applied as “armor” to the creek bank retaining walls and then covered with an outer rock layer to prevent water from undermining the wall’s base.
Cornell Plantations provides a map with recommended hikes at www.cornellplantations.org/trails/hikes. Campus signs also have a QR code to lead visitors to these same maps. Bittner suggested, “If you zoom out beyond the specific recommended route for each, you can see our entire system of preserves—you will need to add “Natural Areas Layer”—and hiking trails.” Descriptions of the gorge trail’s natural heritage, ecological communities can be found at http://www.cornellplantations.org/ou...scadilla-gorge.
On Linn Street, a passerby thanked Bittner saying, “He’s putting the gorgeous in the gorges.” •


Here's the link:

http://www.ithaca.com/news/cornell-r...9bb2963f4.html

[Ex-Ithacan]

Visiteur at Ithacating in Cornell Heights has a post which outlines/updates several proposals in the pipeline for Ithaca:

http://brancra.wordpress.com/2014/05...-news-at-once/

And another possible project:

http://brancra.wordpress.com/2014/05...r-collegetown/


Good stuff!!!!

[Ex-Ithacan]

Facebook video showing aerial vid of parts of downtown Ithaca:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=2&theater

[Ex-Ithacan]

Found a nice bit of news from the central New York's Business Journal News Network which our friend chk had posted elsewhere:

Ithaca firm among 12 in first wave of Start-Up NY program

by Eric Reinhardt

Date: 6/4/2014 at 14:57:25

ITHACA — An Ithaca firm is among a dozen companies that are either expanding or relocating in New York as part of the first wave of companies participating in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Start-Up NY program.

Under the program, businesses have the opportunity to operate tax-free for 10 years on eligible land and space. Businesses partner with the higher-education institutions and have access to industry experts and advanced-research laboratories, Cuomo’s office said in a news release.

The state projects the 12 businesses will invest a total of $50 million and create nearly 400 new jobs in tax-free areas that Cornell University, the University at Buffalo, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center are sponsoring.

The firms include Incodema3D, LLC, an existing business in Ithaca. It is expanding into Cornell University’s tax-free area to start conducting research and prototype manufacturing.

The company will invest more than $37 million and create 58 new jobs, according to Cuomo’s office.

Incodema specializes in “high precision” additive manufacturing (3D printing) in engineering-grade plastics and metal.

START-UP NY takes New York’s “number one liability — our tax-capital reputation — and turns it on its head,” Cuomo said in the news release.

“Just months after the program’s launch, we are excited to announce the first businesses to participate in Start-Up NY, which will bring nearly 400 new jobs and $50 million in investment to communities in Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, and New York City. This is just the beginning and we look forward to welcoming more and more businesses and entrepreneurs to the state of New York through this bold initiative,” Cuomo said.

Cornell is “thrilled” to be among the first university-company partnerships “getting off the ground” through Start-Up NY, David Skorton, president of Cornell University, said in Cuomo’s news release.

“Incodema 3D represents an opportunity for Cornell to leverage its expertise in advanced materials and manufacturing. The employment of 65 people in advanced manufacturing and investment of over $37 million in capital equipment to support that growth by private investors represents a significant positive impact on the region's economy,” Skorton said.



Here's the link:
http://www.cnybj.com/News/Articles/T...x#.U5Dya_ldWFg

[Ex-Ithacan]

And here is another article from the same sources as noted above. This one is so very Ithaca:

ThankTank Creative launches in Ithaca

by Journal Staff

Date: 6/4/2014 at 13:32:34


THACA — A company called ThankTank Creative has recently started up in Ithaca, providing business consulting, graphic design, and marketing services for socially just, environmentally conscious, and vegan companies.

“ThankTank Creative ties together my two passions: creative communication with veganism,” Eric C. Lindstrom, president and founder, said in a news release. “With my over two decades of experience in marketing small and mid-sized businesses around the world, ThankTank helps me better target and focus on what I believe in most: helping animals and the environment.”

Through the company’s GiveBack8 program, 8 percent of every project cost is donated back to a participating not-for-profit organization of the client’s choosing, he said. Nonprofits benefitting from the program include Catskill Animal Sanctuary, New York Coalition for Healthy School Food, NutritionFacts.org, Our Hen House, Sistah Vegan Project, the Tompkins County SPCA, and A Well Fed World, the release stated.

Before starting ThankTank Creative, Lindstrom was director of design and communications for Gimme! Coffee, a coffee roaster located in Ithaca; vice president of marketing for Woodhouse, the Timber Frame Company in Mansfield, Pa.; underwriting account representative for WSKG Public Broadcasting; and also held the position of vice president and art director of Communique Design and Marketing, an advertising agency in Central New York, for 15 years.

ThankTank Creative says it provides “boardroom-level, small-business consulting, award-winning design, ROI market planning, online and broadcast media as well as social media strategies for the socially just, environmentally conscious, and vegan communities.”


Here's the link:

http://www.cnybj.com/News/Articles/T...x#.U5D0hvldWFh

[Ex-Ithacan]

Here is some updated info on the massive project proposed for the old Emerson/Morse Chain factory on South Hill (courtesy of Visiteur at his Ithacating in Cornell Heights blog).

http://brancra.wordpress.com/2014/06...orks-district/


Also a recent article from the Ithaca Times regarding initial steps by the Town of Ithaca which will affect the town's portion of the project:

Town of Ithaca to Consider Rezoning Emerson Site for Development

Posted: Monday, June 9, 2014 9:39 pm | Updated: 7:05 am, Tue Jun 10, 2014.

By Michael Nocella


ITHACA—The Town of Ithaca will consider developer Chain Works’ request for a Planned Development Zone (PDZ) for the Emerson site, as the Town Board agreed to refer the matter to the planning committee during its public meeting on Monday, June 9. Rezoning of the 95-acre property—owned between the city and town of Ithaca—will be necessary for the redevelopment and rehabilitation of the 800,000-square foot Morse Chain/Emerson Power Transmission facility, since such plans would transform the site from an idle industrial complex to a “reinvigorated mixed-use district” of residential, commercial, office and manufacturing uses.

While the city is exploring the possibility of implementing a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to accommodate the project, the town will consider a PDZ. According to town administrative legislation, the purpose of a PDZ is to “permit, where appropriate, a degree of flexibility in conventional land use and design regulations which will encourage development in an imaginative and innovative way while through the process of review, discussion and law change, insuring efficient investment in public improvements, a more suitable environment, and protection of community interest.”

Town board members discussed how, if at all, the two different zonings from both agencies will affect one another. It has not yet been determined which municipality will be the lead agency for the project, however, Town Planner Sue Ritter said it was likely that “the city will be lead agency.”

“The city is working on a Planned Unit Development,” Town Supervisor Herb Engman said. “Is the thought that they (PUD and PDZ) will look exactly the same in both the city and town, and therefore have the site together for a planned development zone? That would seem to make some sense.”

Ritter said that would be a likelihood, but not a guarantee. The town planning committee will continue the discussion of a PDZ for the Emerson site during its public meeting on Thursday, June 26.

“That’s something that will need to be discussed,” she said. “We certainly like them (PUD, PDZ) to start out looking a lot alike. One thing to consider is that the town’s property has a lot more open space than the city’s, but certainly I think we want most of the language to look very similar. There might be some differences in certain areas.”

Whitham Planning & Design, LLC and Fagan Engineers & Land Surveyors, PC presented the latest version of the project on behalf of Chain Works. They explained the mixed-use development will consist of two primary parts, each of which will have multiple phases: the repurposing of the existing buildings and potential future development within areas of the remainder of the site. The site is currently zoned as an Industrial Zone District in the city and as Industrial in the town. According to the developer, the goal of the project will be to “create a more sustainable and dynamic development than is currently permitted within the current zoning by rehabilitating the industrial facility with a variety of uses and also conserve environmental sensitive areas while creating a new district, an identifiable community bridging the city and town of Ithaca.”

“The city’s PUD is very similar to the town’s PDZ,” Scott Whitham told the Ithaca Times. “The town has used the PDZ for decades with many projects, and it’s worked very well for the town in the past. The PUD is based, in many ways, off of PDZ language.”

While no persons to be heard spoke out against the possibility of the town using a PDZ on the Emerson site during Monday night’s meeting, city residents seem to be more weary of a PUD. In an email to the planning committee, City of Ithaca Economic Development Planner Jennifer Kusznir defined a PUD as: “a floating overlay zone, which may be placed within the city boundaries, anywhere deemed appropriate by the Common Council. The purpose of the PUD is to encourage and allow more creative and imaginative design of land development than is possible under standard zoning district regulations. A PUD allows for flexibility in planning and design, while through the process of review, discussion and law change, ensures efficient investment in public improvements, a more suitable environment, and protection of community interest.”

Ithaca resident Gabriel Holbrow recently spoke about the matter during a Common Council meeting in May. He said he was familiar with PUDs from his experience as a planner for Cayuga County in Auburn, where he also serves on the board of zoning appeals.

“Based on my experience in Cayuga County, my initial thought is that this is a bad idea,” he said. “There’s not a problem I can imagine where using a PUD would be the best way to solve it. Simply put, if there’s a kind of development that you want in Ithaca, that’s not allowed right now, the best way to do that is by amending the underlying zoning code.”

Former Common Council and Planning Board member Jane Marcham also had issues with introducing such language to city legislation.

“Ithacans have to hope that Common Council’s Planning Committee won’t rush to floating zoning district proposal,” she said. “It is an open invitation to developers to bypass the city’s comprehensive plan and normal review procedures. Builders with ‘creative’ ideas could apply for special designation, under a presumably expedited process, to press for spot zoning for some nonconforming project.”


Here's the link:

http://www.ithaca.com/news/town-of-i...a4bcf887a.html

[Ex-Ithacan]

A new proposal for the Inlet Isle waterfront:


A rendering of the proposed apartment building with commercial space proposed for 323 Taughannock Blvd. on Ithaca's Inlet Island as seen from across the Cayuga Inlet. / STREAM COLLABORATIVE


Apartments proposed for Ithaca's Inlet Island

Plans for 20-unit building filed with city

5:42 PM, Jun 11, 2014
Written by
David Hill

A property owner has filed plans with the city for a 20-unit apartment building with commercial space on the ground floor for a parcel on Taughannock Boulevard on Inlet Island.

The property is 323 Taughannock Blvd., formerly the Fisherman’s Pub tavern, across the road from Island Health and Fitness. It’s on the Cayuga Inlet as well.

It would be the first major residential development on Inlet Island. The city rezoned part of it in 2011 to encourage development.

The property is owned by Rampart Real, Llc. Steve Flash is the managing partner. He was involved with a proposal for a hotel at a different site on Inlet Island that did not succeed, and is a member of the business entity that owns the popular Boatyard Grill restaurant near the island’s northern tip.

“I’ve been part of trying to get Inlet Island to kind of move forward, andI think that a lot of the property owners down there agree and see the potential, but somebody’s got to take the first step,” Flash said.

The estimated construction cost is $3.5 million, with a target completion of August 2015.

The apartments are intended to be rented, though it’s possible they could be converted to condominiums at some point, Flash said. As for the potential tenants, “I see it as a kind of aging boomers like myself as well as faculty who may be visiting, graduate students who may be here for a little while longer-term in the community.”

Plans call for 18 covered parking spaces on the ground level beneath the apartments, along with a conference room available to tenants.

The site abuts Cayuga Inlet, and boats could be docked there, Flash said. It’s also near the Cayuga Waterfront Trail and convenient to stores and restaurants, he noted.

“There’s a public walkway, which we think we would enhance by some landscaping and that sort of thing — and it would remain a public walkway.”

The city has been working on redeveloping Inlet Island for years. The island was created when the flood control channel was dug in the 1960s and makes up much of the city’s waterfront. In 2011 the city rezoned it, creating two waterfront districts with provisions to encourage multi-story, mixed-use to protect water views and enhance pedestrian access.

The city also made plans in 2003 for a waterfront promenade on the west side of the island along the flood control channel. While not complete, many components have been built, including Brindley Park, Lookout Point near the Boatyard, the entry plaza and Cayuga Waterfront Trail marker, part of a seawall and a path along the channel.

If funding were available, such as from grants, the city could complete the seawall north to Lookout Point or negotiate the work with a developer with a proposal, according to city planning and development director JoAnn Cornish.


Link is here:
http://www.ithacajournal.com/article...nclick_check=1

[ckh]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

Nice pic of the northeast section of downtown (with Cornell and Collegetown trying to sneak in at the top):



source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Photo...57437457645927

Nice picture and it is going to be interesting to see what the city's skyline will look like in a few years.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by ckh

Nice picture and it is going to be interesting to see what the city's skyline will look like in a few years.

There will be a little more height, but there is a height limit so nothing too tall. The greater density will certainly be evident. When my high school class has our 50th reunion in a few years I bet some of the out of area classmates will be shocked by all the changes.