Some Ithaca news

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

New commercial construction in the flats, cool. Let us know what's going on if you happen to find out.

As far as new home construction in the city, sure it still happens. But the houses must be solar powered, have a big compost pile, use wind power to run the recycled water pirification equipment, and use environmentally friendly materials (ie. hay, mud. old plastic coke bottle) during construction.
Gotta love the place.

I don't think that Eco Village is within the city (lol). Although the windmill might not be a bad idea in some places around town(as long as the NIMBY's and the BANANA's don't come out to protest) since it's still less painful than NYSEG.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Lol

[Ex-Ithacan]

The new luxury apartment building downtown is getting ready to open. Yippee.
BTW Vis, it sure would be cool if you could take one of the tours and get a couple of shots from the penthouse.



Gateway opens doors to tenants
Thursday marks completion of brownfield's transformation
By Anne Ju
Special to The Journal

ITHACA — Windows in the Gateway Commons penthouse apartment boast a bird's-eye view of downtown Ithaca. Turn around, and peer into Six Mile Creek, an icy trickle this time of year.

Views like this will soon belong to tenants of the new building, set to open Thursday, March 1.


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Gateway Commons, a six-story high-rise of luxury apartments, is the second and final installment of Mack and Carol Travis' transformation of a four-acre lot at East State and Green streets into a mixed-use plaza.

The Travises broke ground on the $5.63 million Gateway Commons apartment building in September 2005. It completes the development of Gateway Plaza, a former brownfield and industrial site in the 300 and 400 blocks of East State Street.
Phase I of the project, the rehabilitation of the Dean of Ithaca Moving Company building into Gateway Center, was completed in 2003. That building now houses offices on its upper floors, while the History Center of Tompkins County, Napoli's, Sticky Rice and Domino's occupy its ground-level spaces.

In the new Gateway Commons apartment building, Ithaca Coffee Company will open a second location. Also located in Triphammer Mall, the coffee shop will fill one of the two 2,220-square-foot ground-floor retail spaces. No second tenant has yet been identified, Mack Travis said.

With about a third of the 25 one-, two- and three-bedroom units rented, Gateway Commons has worked aggressively toward the Thursday opening.

According to Mack Travis, apartment tenants so far have fallen into the building's target market — senior citizens relocating to Ithaca and professionals. While he's had some inquiries from graduate students, the building is not, and never was, marketed toward students.

“It's a very good cross-section of senior and professional tenants,” Travis said.

The rents being charged reflect the building's target market. One-bedroom units start at $1,475, two-bedrooms at $2,175, and three-bedrooms at $3,175.

Energy efficiency was a key consideration for the building, which includes Energy Star-rated appliances, low-flush toilets, an efficient water-source heat pump system and other features. The Travises also plan to apply for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation from the U.S. Green Building Council for their building, designed by Ithaca's Holt Architects.

The apartments are equipped with General Electric Profile series appliances, oak cabinets, bamboo floors, washer-dryers and that most precious commodity — space.

One-bedroom units start at 880 square feet, while two-bedrooms are about 1,220 square feet, and three-bedrooms are 1,780 square feet.

Gateway Plaza is a private endeavor, but the Travises explained that its location — which they see as a literal gateway to eastern downtown — is no coincidence.

“We bought the whole property to be able to help develop the vision of what downtown should be,” Carol Travis said.

The Ithaca Downtown Partnership's strategic plan, first written in 1999 and last updated in 2004, calls for 300 new units of downtown housing by the end of the decade, along with retail, offices and entertainment. The project received several tax abatements.

Gary Ferguson, the partnership's executive director, said the plan calls for housing at all levels — high-end, as well as mid-level or affordable.

“We're doing well,” Ferguson said. “We're still waiting to see if some of it will open. But we are hopeful to see more.”

On March 30, about 300 people are expected at a 5:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting and a tour of the project.

A May 9 “Business After Hours” program of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce will be at Gateway Commons. During the spring, the Travises plan to conduct 200 walking tours at the apartment complex.



article with a picture here: http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...WS01/702280319

[Visiteur]

I'll see what I can do .

from the Syracuse Post-Standard Retail Developments blog:

New to downtown Ithaca, it's Eth'nyk, a bohemian fashion boutique with a twist: It's selling clothing from Bamboosa, a company based in South Carolina that makes all of its wares wears? out of bamboo fiber in an environment it promises is "sweatshop free." What's bamboo to you? It's anti-bacterial, breathable and 100 percent biodegradable, the company says.



http://www.ithacajournal.com/apps/pb...WS01/702280330

Oh look, the sciencenter runs on wind power now.

Hmm...300 more units of downtown housing by the end of the decade? This building is 25 units. The Cayuga Green project is 59 units. And the Limestone Tower conversion prob'bly isn't more than two dozen. I'd like to see the other 200 units are expected to come in at some point, we're already in 07'.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Thanks for the info on the new store.

I think there is another proposal for the site between the South Aurora street bridge and the Rothchilds building. In order to get enough units to make it economically possible the building will probably have to be 7 + stories (kind of small foot print). I know Whit said the car dealership on South Cayuga at Clinton would make a great site for a residential tower (maybe 10 to 12 stories). And then there's phase 3 of Cayuga Green, a residential condo midrise (not sure how many units I've seen mentioned for that one).


Science center wind power electricity only $5,000 more a year , eh? You go ithaca.


Hey Vis, did ya see the (Journal) article about all the coffee shops in town?

[Ex-Ithacan]

What the heck, thought I might as well ad this one. Maybe Bond 007 will see it.



Whether from national chains or top-notch cafés, Ithaca loves its joe
By Tina Murty
Special to The Journal

ITHACA — Coffee is evolving. What was once the “black sludge” consumed to wash down breakfast is now an elegant, refined experience with a potentially large profit margin.

Nationwide, consumers no longer want just any average java; they want the good stuff, they want choices, and they want it to be right around the corner. Small café operation has grown from 1,150 to over 21,000 in the United States in the past 10 years and the growth continues. Accordingly, Ithaca's coffee market is heating up with new cafés, new competition and new visions.


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Starbucks may be responsible, like it or not, for some of these emerging trends. Founded in 1971 in Seattle, Starbucks is now the world's largest coffee shop chain with locations in all 50 states and 37 countries worldwide.

“Starbucks is always excited to open a new market and welcome new customers,” says Mike Lenda, regional marketing manager for Starbucks. “We have had a good experience in Ithaca.”
Even with record openings of over 2,000 stores in 2006, including the Seneca Street store, Starbucks still sees room for growth. The chain opened another local store, on College Avenue, in February. This immense growth and profit has inspired other businesses nationally and locally. The market is so enticing that some of the largest fast-food restaurants in the nation are getting into the gourmet coffee buzz.

“Ithaca is known for its high volume of espresso drinks,” says Brian Fitzpatrick, restaurant manager for the Ithaca Dunkin' Donuts. Opening in December 2006, Dunkin' Donuts now offers Italian-style espresso-based coffees and nine flavors in addition to regular coffee selections.

Justin Siegard, a manager at McDonald's on Triphammer Road in Ithaca, notes that in the past two years, their coffee selections have also expanded. In addition to regular and decaffeinated, McDonald's now offers a “Bold” blend as well as vanilla and hazelnut iced coffees.


Local favorites
Despite the competition from the newer “chain coffees,” some local cafés are thriving. Some are expanding to make their high-quality products and unique, personal touches more readily available. Some are earning rewards for excellence.
Gimme! Coffee, which began in Ithaca in 2000, is a local success story with six locations in New York state and international retail sales. Among other recent awards and honors, Gimme! was listed as one of the “Top 10 Coffee Bars” in 2006 by Food and Wine Magazine.

And they'll show you how: The company Web site allows visitors to download a manual — all 150 pages — on how to prepare coffee in the same manner as Gimme!

But Gimme! isn't the only hometown favorite. Buzz Coffee, a small gourmet drive-thru on the corner of Route 13 and Third Street, has been in operation for over four years.

Ithaca Coffee Company in the Triphammer Mall purchased The Gourmet's Delight, and now has the honor of being the longest-running coffee-roasting business in town.

Julie Crowley, the owner of Ithaca Coffee Company, is part of a long history of Ithaca businesspeople. She and her family recently celebrated 65 years of serving Ithacans at Triphammer Wine and Spirits. The store also has specialty cheeses, jams, chocolates, beers and teas.

Juna's Café on The Commons provides more than just a cup of coffee.

“People think of it as home,” notes Kathleen Pasetty, who co-owns Juna's with Pam Gueldner.

The store's downtown location has been operating for a decade, has a regular customer following, competitive prices, a comfortable setting and high-quality food and drink.

Soon, Juna's will open a new location at the Mann Library on the Cornell University campus. When approached with the idea for a sustainable, locally supplied café, Pasetty said, “We knew this would be something so exciting for us.”


****Here's some additional info*****

Anchorage, Alaska leads the nation in major metropolitan areas with the most cafes per capita at 2.8 for each 10,000 residents. With the most recent census data available, Ithaca has just over 30,000 residents, and a walk down The Commons might just beat out Anchorage’s ratio.


Why is Ithaca such a great coffee market? Certain market factors affect the success of a coffee industry. Here’s why Ithaca just might be the perfect café setting:


* YOUNG CONSUMERS: The fastest growing segment of café frequenters and daily coffee drinkers are in the ages of 18-24. This age group makes up about half of the population of Ithaca. As coffee culture is generally associated with intellectual pursuits, the campuses of Ithaca provide an ideal coffee consumer.


* SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS SPENDING: In markets where individuals are willing to spend more for higher quality foods, it has been found that specialty coffee is also successful. In the August 2006 edition of Mother Earth News, Ithaca was ranked number one in the “12 Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of” because it is a “utopia for the eco-minded” with an “active and progressive citizenry.” Ithacans are willing to put their money where their “soul” is and support products they deem as better for society or the environment.


* HEALTHY LIVING: New research claims that coffee has many health benefits, including being loaded with antioxidants. This might stimulate some growth in the health-conscious consumers in Ithaca.


* WEATHER: Oddly enough, weather may be important. Where gloomy weather reigns, coffee sales are the highest. According to SunWize Technologies Inc., makers of solar energy panels, Ithaca’s average daily sunlight is similar to places that are home to the largest café cultures: Anchorage and Seattle.


* DINING OUT: It has been noted that Ithaca has more restaurants per capita than New York City. We enjoy choices in our food and beverage consumption and choose to eat and drink in social situations.


* TAKE YOUR PICK: We are an intelligent coffee connoisseur bunch here. The only question remaining is where to purchase that cup. One of the most unique aspects of the Ithaca market is the consumer’s commitment to local businesses; which may explain the success that some home-grown cafés have achieved.


— Tina Murty

[Visiteur]

I like this photo.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Me too Vis, I saved it.

[whit_x]

Personally I'm starting to like the view from Aurora St a bit better, but that's just me. Now the one from Libe Slope could be a bit better, especially looking to the SW, since the Wal-Mart & Lowes, just sticks out there...(Not that I'm knocking these businesses, just the type of buildings that get thrown up by these companies).

[Ex-Ithacan]

Looks like Ithaca made another "Best...." list.



Magazine: Burlington, Vt., Ithaca rank as nation's top two eco-friendly cities
By John Curran
The Associated Press

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The city of Ben & Jerry's founding, Phish and the University of Vermont now has a new claim to fame — America's most eco-friendly place.

Ithaca, one of nine college towns ranked in the top 10, came in second.


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So says Country Home magazine, which ranked Burlington tops among 379 metropolitan areas in a “Best Green Places” survey that rated cities based on air and watershed quality, mass transit use, power use and number of organic producers and farmers' markets.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Green Building Council, the survey rated Corvallis, Ore., third; Springfield, Mass., fourth; and Wenatchee, Wash., fifth.
Charlottesville, Va.; Boulder, Colo.; Madison, Wis.; Binghamton; and Champaign-Urbana, Ill.; rounded out the top 10.

“We thought to ourselves, ‘If we could live anywhere in the U.S., where would be the best green place to live?”' said Grant Fairchild, managing editor. “That was the kicking-off point. We thought it would be a fun thing for the readers and fit right in with our theme.”

The survey will be published in the magazine's April issue, which hits newsstands March 20. Country Home, with a circulation of about 1.25 million, is a sister publication to Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal.

“It reflects efforts on the part of the city and the people who live here to move in the right direction in terms of being green,” said Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss. “It's great to have third parties making those assessments recognize it.”

Burlington got high marks for the way its people, businesses and government value a green lifestyle and make it a priority, the magazine said.

Among its green assets:

* A compost facility that collects food scraps from restaurants, supermarkets and food manufacturers and sells the compost to farmers, gardeners and landscapers.

* The Burlington metropolitan area's 16 farmers' markets, five organic producers and three food co-ops.

Although mass transit use isn't big, car pools are — 12.3 percent of Burlington-area commuters use them, according to Bert Sperling, a research consultant who worked on the rankings for Country Home.

About 5.6 percent of the work force walks to work, and 4.6 percent work at home, which also played into the city's high ranking, Sperling said.

“It's certainly an honor to be called the greenest city in America,” said Betsy Rosenbluth, project director for Burlington Legacy, the city's sustainable city initiative. “Burlington, for many years, has worked hard on many, many fronts, whether it's preserving open space or helping to clean up our beaches and Lake Champlain to preserve our environment.

“Burlington, like Vermont as a state, really understands the connection between our environment and our economy and our social health,” she said.






Originally published March 8, 2007

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[Visiteur]

Well, there's something else to give to the chamber of commerce...it's nice that Ithaca gets some recognition, as long as it eqautes to more tourism, and therefore more money and jobs coming into the area.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hey, the old Alma Mater (IHS) pulled through and won the state hockey championship (division 1).




IHS boys' hockey team triumphs in state final
Seyler scores winner in second OT; title is Ithaca's fifth
By Brian Delaney
Journal Staff

UTICA — Sean Seyler scored on a tremendous individual effort midway through the second overtime period Sunday to lift the Ithaca High boys' hockey team to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division I championship with a 2-1 victory over top-ranked Williamsville North at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

The state crown was Ithaca's fifth, and second under head coach Rich Armstrong. It was an extraordinary win for a team that needed a shootout victory over Suffern in Saturday's semifinal — after four scoreless overtimes — to advance to the title game against a potent Williamsville North (23-4-3) club.


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“This is one of the top three Ithaca High School teams ever,” said Armstrong, who was named the state's Coach of the Year in the postgame ceremony.

Ithaca won its last state championship in 2000 with a 4-0 win over Saratoga.
“The last time, I had hockey players,” Armstrong said. “You can print that. I had hockey players. I had seven or eight players that went on to play Division I, Division II hockey. I don't have any this year — not with my seniors. They're just kids who come to the summer workouts and do whatever it takes for each other.”

Ben Lantz-Subtelny and Tim Kozen were credited with assists on Seyler's goal, which sent the Little Red faithful, including an overflowing section of students who call themselves the “Red Zone,” into a frenzy.

Freshman Bobby Yale, decked out in red and gold face paint, savored the victory with his friends while each Little Red player was acknowledged and awarded a medal.

“I'm very happy about Ithaca winning, because two of my friends played,” Yale said. “I was just happy to see them play. It was just great.”


bdelaney@ithacajournal.com




Originally published March 12, 2007

A pic from The Ithaca Journal after the winning goal:




Don't ya just love those uniforms?

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

Hey, the old Alma Mater (IHS) pulled through and won the state hockey championship (division 1).




IHS boys' hockey team triumphs in state final
Seyler scores winner in second OT; title is Ithaca's fifth
By Brian Delaney
Journal Staff

UTICA — Sean Seyler scored on a tremendous individual effort midway through the second overtime period Sunday to lift the Ithaca High boys' hockey team to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division I championship with a 2-1 victory over top-ranked Williamsville North at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

The state crown was Ithaca's fifth, and second under head coach Rich Armstrong. It was an extraordinary win for a team that needed a shootout victory over Suffern in Saturday's semifinal — after four scoreless overtimes — to advance to the title game against a potent Williamsville North (23-4-3) club.


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“This is one of the top three Ithaca High School teams ever,” said Armstrong, who was named the state's Coach of the Year in the postgame ceremony.

Ithaca won its last state championship in 2000 with a 4-0 win over Saratoga.
“The last time, I had hockey players,” Armstrong said. “You can print that. I had hockey players. I had seven or eight players that went on to play Division I, Division II hockey. I don't have any this year — not with my seniors. They're just kids who come to the summer workouts and do whatever it takes for each other.”

Ben Lantz-Subtelny and Tim Kozen were credited with assists on Seyler's goal, which sent the Little Red faithful, including an overflowing section of students who call themselves the “Red Zone,” into a frenzy.

Freshman Bobby Yale, decked out in red and gold face paint, savored the victory with his friends while each Little Red player was acknowledged and awarded a medal.

“I'm very happy about Ithaca winning, because two of my friends played,” Yale said. “I was just happy to see them play. It was just great.”


bdelaney@ithacajournal.com




Originally published March 12, 2007

A pic from The Ithaca Journal after the winning goal:




Don't ya just love those uniforms?

Congrats to the team, may their coach burn in hell (I had him as a HS student, many bad memories)

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ On a related note, I went to HS with one of his brothers. As I recall, the family is tough as nails.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Big project proposed, but it's outside the city limits. I wish they'd move about 100 of those units to a high-rise downtown.


Developer seeks rezoning for West Hill housing units
Town board forms committee to study Northeast drainage
By Jennie Daley
Journal Staff

ITHACA — The Town Board was considering rezoning parcels on West Hill to allow a 400-unit condominium development as The Journal went to press Monday evening.

Earlier in the meeting, after hearing from a number of the nearly two dozen residents who attended, the board decided to form a committee to look at hiring an independent engineer to examine stormwater issues in the Northeast section of the town.


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Developers of the 400-unit neighborhood, which would be across from the entrance to EcoVillage at Ithaca, are looking for “planned development zone” status. This zoning regulation allows for individualized zoning constraints to be created for a parcel that could allow, for instance, agricultural uses in an otherwise residential setting. EcoVillage was built using this zoning status.

Called Carrowmoor, the development is the brainchild of property owner John Rancich and designer Steve Bauman. Rancich helped develop the Linderman Creek apartments just east of the proposed development and is looking to develop a site in Enfield for wind-power generation.
At this newest site, designers aim to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, known as LEED. The facility would include rain harvesting, underground parking and non-toxic building materials. The site would also offer a gym, pool and community gathering space, as well as square footage for retail and office uses that would allow people to avoid commuting.

Rancich estimated that the project would be built in two phases with the first one costing at least $70 million.

Prior to the Carrowmoor presentation, the majority of the board's time was taken up with discussion of the proposed Briarwood II development, near the Sapsucker Woods sanctuary. This was the latest in a series of public meetings where residents of the area have approached the town about severe drainage issues in the neighborhood. Many of those residents believe that further development would exacerbate the issues, despite new state laws dictating that any new building cannot allow greater stormwater flows than existed before the construction began.

“That area has a really, really high propensity to generate stormwater,” said Todd Walter, a Cornell University hydrogeologist who has been doing studies in the area.

Jane Marie Law, who lives on Muriel Drive, said the stream that is in her backyard has seen so much water that it's turned from a creek into “ripping culvert” so powerful that she recently pulled a neighbor's lawn furniture from it.

To deal with these assertions, the town is looking to define the scope of work and perform interviews to hire an independent engineer to evaluate the situation. The goal is to have the subcommittee recommend someone at the next town board meeting.

The board also voted Monday to charge the town's public works committee with looking into capital projects and other plans that could mitigate stormwater problems in the town's northeast area.


jdaley@ithacajournal.com

[Visiteur]

Hmmm. Carrowmoor, eh? Definitely something to keep an eye on.

[Visiteur]

March 13, 2007
Bailey plaza groundbreaking scheduled for March 19


Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
An artist's rendering of the design for Bailey Plaza by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Construction will begin March 19 and be completed by mid-August. The current parking area will be replaced by a forecourt featuring a patterned blue stone surface for pedestrians.


By Franklin Crawford
Groundbreaking for the $4.5 million Bailey Hall plaza project is scheduled for Monday, March 19, weather permitting. Completion is expected by Aug. 17.

Fencing will enclose the existing parking island in the Bailey forecourt, and pedestrian traffic will be rerouted around the project. Approximately 50 parking spaces in the forecourt area are being removed permanently. During construction there will be two-way vehicular traffic in front of Bailey and also at the west side of the project to allow access to the Malott loading dock parking area. Buildings north of the site will not be affected.

During the initial phase of the project, fencing will be installed at the sidewalk in front of Malott Hall, but the north entrances will remain accessible.

Construction of the Italianate plaza, designed by offices of Michael Van Valkenburgh, a 1973 graduate of Cornell's Department of Landscape Architecture, is sponsored by the Office of the Provost. The actual construction will be carried out by Lechase Construction Inc.

Once the site is prepared, the plaza will be landscaped with ornamental evergreens, Kentucky coffee trees, red-twigged dogwoods and a large rock outcrop thrusting upward at an angle complete with gently seeping waters that mimic the nearby gorges. Natural cleft and thermal finish bluestone, a more resilient type of Llenroc, the locally quarried shale-dense stone, will line the pedestrian pathways, and wooden benches hewn from large timbers will offer ample space for taking in the scenery.

[Ex-Ithacan]

The campus needs projects like this to enhance the beauty. Look forward to seeing the completed plaza.

[whit_x]

The question I have about the project on West Hill is the size of the lot that this project is going on, since I really don't want to see this thing be sprawling. As far as the Bailey Hall project, anything that forces people to park and walk isn't so bad.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Don't know anything about the area of the land it's going on, but I did find another project called Carrowmoor in Dublin, Ohio (next to Columbus) which had condos for sale. Looked like the 2 story small townhouse type to me. May be no connection, but who knows (not a common name). The main force behind the project is a big investor in wind power. I think he's checking out an area in Enfield for a possible windmill farm (tall ones too). Not sure I'm crazy about that idea.