Some Ithaca news

[Ex-Ithacan]

Good to see this project moving along. But really, how can 2 more stories destroy the neighborhood when the final height of the buildings with parking underneath (and not on the buildings near the main street) will be 5 to 7 stories, and on a very steep slope away from the main street. Not exactly a sea of skyscrapers. (From the Ithaca Journal)


Collegetown Terrace variance clears hurdle in IthacaZoning board endorses height difference
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • October 26, 2010, 9:50 pm

The Collegetown Terrace Apartments proposal took three steps forward Tuesday night.

A majority of Ithaca's Planning and Development Board recommended that the project receive a height zoning variance and not be required to preserve a building labeled historic by another city board.

The board also voted 6-0 on the last piece of the environmental review for developer John Novarr's 16.4-acre project on East State/Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

The city Board of Zoning Appeals is set to consider, at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. next Tuesday, whether to grant Novarr a variance to build taller buildings than allowed by zoning.

The project, which would double residential density in the area between Valentine Place, Quarry Street, State Street and Six Mile Creek, would meet zoning height restrictions on State Street. Novarr is seeking a variance to allow up to two extra stories as the project slopes downhill toward the creek.

Five of the seven planning board members said Tuesday they would recommend that the BZA grant the variance, on at least most of the site, based on the desirability of increased density in the city, the fact that the additional height is set back from the road and doesn't impact views, and the unique topography of the site.

Two board members, Tessa Rudan and Jane Marcham, opposed the variance, saying it would allow for too much density and would negatively impact a nearby home.

Novarr proposes to put all on-site parking beneath buildings. Planning Board Chairman John Schroeder said this allows for more green space and better buffering between the project and the Six Mile Creek gorge.

Marcham said the request amounted to "a rezoning of the site."

"What's being proposed is over-development of this site and it's being presented in the guise of putting parking underneath the buildings," she said. "I believe that the project vastly exceeds what should be allowed on that site."

The density Novarr has proposed is within allowable zoning limits; the height is not.

"If we were talking about two extra stories on the street, I would be on your side," Schroeder told Rudan and Marcham. "The site topography drops substantially towards the south, and thereby allows taller buildings to occur ... without impact on views by other residents."

Common Council must ultimately vote on whether to uphold or reject the historic designation placed on Novarr's property at 113-115 Valentine Place by the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The board voted 6-1, with Rudan against, to recommend the council not uphold the designation. The other board members -- and Novarr -- support instead restoring the home at 901 East State St.


Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...rdle+in+Ithaca

[Ex-Ithacan]

I'm not sure this is the time to make a large financial commitment. Maybe some opet to the public meetings about the future of the Commons is in order. I will admit the Commons needs something (and not the panhandlers and drifters who often congregate). From the Ithaca Journal:

Business owners, residents comment on Ithaca Commons redesignCouncil supports project
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • October 25, 2010, 9:55 pm


Public comment at a hearing on the 2011 city budget Monday night focused exclusively on the $800,000 slated toward final design for a complete overhaul of the Ithaca Commons.

Eight people -- Commons business owners and staff of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance -- spoke in favor of the project, and two South Hill residents spoke against.

The city has already spent $250,000 on a conceptual design plan developed by Boston-based Sasaki Associates. The $800,000 will provide final design, engineering and construction drawings -- no actual construction has been scheduled or funded.

Construction for the Commons re-design has been estimated between $8.5 million and almost $10 million.

Kristen Lewis, owner of Morris' Men's Wear and chairwoman of the city's Commons Advisory Board, said an upgrade of the Commons would help not just retailers, but the entire community.

In the past year, the city issued 146 permits for events on the Commons, encompassing everything from Girl Scout cookie sales to musical acts, to the large downtown festivals, Lewis said.

Scott Miller, co-owner of Madeline's and the former Wildfire Restaurant on Cayuga Street, said he and his wife "have invested quite a bit in Ithaca," and the city needs to do the same with the Commons.

"The Commons is the face of Ithaca and that face is old and tired," he said. "It needs a facelift, desperately."

Coddington Road residents Stephen and Marian Rogers said Ithaca taxpayers are stressed to their limits, and the city cannot afford another $800,000 during a recession.

"There are people I know who've talked about moving away from the city because they can't afford the property taxes anymore," Marian Rogers said.

"Investment in one's future is a good thing, but there's also such a thing as cash flow, and right now the city does not have the cash flow to spend $800,000 to hire another outside consulting firm," Stephen Rogers said.

Nine of the ten members of Common Council support going forward with the Commons re-design project. Alderwoman Maria Coles, D-1st, opposes it.

The council had planned to vote on its changes to Mayor Carolyn Peterson's 2011 budget Monday, but had not received final information on a request to increase the salary of one employee in the engineering office. Another public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall, 108 E. Green St.

The last vote on the budget is slated for the council's regular meeting, 6 p.m. Nov. 3.


Here's the link(with quite a few readers comments): http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...mmons+redesign

[Ex-Ithacan]

Another new building for Cornell (from the Ithaca Journal):


Cornell Plantations Welcome Center set to open soon
November 2, 2010, 1:45 pm

The Cornell Plantations' Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center is essentially completed and will open to the public in December.

The building is designed to be certified to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold standard of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Other improvements will include new parking and a bus drop-off area.

Cornell Plantations welcomes visitors free of charge, year-round, from sunrise to sunset (the arboretum is closed to vehicle traffic in the winter).


Pics of the new facility: http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...1010802&Ref=PH


The article link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...t-to-open-soon

[Ex-Ithacan]

New store opening in my old hood. From the Ithaca Journal.


Nail salon opens in Collegetown
November 3, 2010, 5:25 pm

Ithaca Local nail technician Jennifer Russler has opened Nail Candy Salon at 210 Dryden Road in the Collegetown business district at the entrance to the Cornell University campus.

The Nail Candy Salon will operate as a full-service nail salon providing manicures, pedicures and gel nail services. Beauty products such as Dashing Diva, OPI and Hempz will be featured and offered for sale. The store will be open Monday through Saturday, including evening hours. Appointments can be made online at www.nailcandysalon.com or at 319-5138. Walk-ins are also welcome.

To submit items to Briefly in Business, send information with the name, date and place, phone numbers and e-mail contacts at least one week before publication to: ijnews@gannett.com


Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...in+Collegetown

[Ex-Ithacan]

Some disheartening news for a downtown project (from the Ithaca Journal):




A rendering of the proposed six-story apartment building that would replace the Women's Community Building at the northwest corner of Cayuga and Seneca Streets in Downtown Ithaca. (Photo provided)



Affordable housing plan hits funding snag in Ithaca
Apartments planned at women's facility
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • November 5, 2010, 6:00 pm

Plans for a new affordable housing apartment complex at the site of the Women's Community Building are on hold for a year, after expected state funding for the project fell through.

Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services has proposed to build a six-story, 52-unit apartment building for low- and median-income renters at Seneca and Cayuga streets, replacing the existing Women's Community Building. Units would be available to people earning between 48 and 90 percent of the county median income, based on family size. This year, for example, the median income for a family of four is $71,300, based on guidelines issued by the federal government.

But between New York state's budget woes and continuing difficulties in the banking industry, the major funding sources for the project did not come through, INHS Executive Director Paul Mazzarella said.

"It was actually a very difficult year for state funding. They only approved 30 projects over the whole state," he said, adding that none of the three applications submitted from Tompkins County was approved.

There were two major sources of funding INHS was counting on -- a state grant and low-income housing tax credits, Mazzarella said.

"Tax credits are something that fluctuates under different market conditions, and the problems that a lot of financial institutions are having right now are affecting the pricing of that. The problem was that each dollar of tax credit is worth a lot less than it used to be. So they have to use more of them for each project, and that meant fewer projects," he said.

The project has already received local support: a three-party Housing Fund with money coming from Cornell University, the City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County committed a $75,000 loan toward the apartments. And last December, Common Council voted to rezone the parcel in response to INHS' request.

Mazzarella said the plan is to apply again with the state; next year's funding deadline is in February.

If the money is approved in 2011, Mazzarella anticipated that construction on the new apartments would begin in March 2012.

[RJMcReady]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

Some disheartening news for a downtown project (from the Ithaca Journal):




A rendering of the proposed six-story apartment building that would replace the Women's Community Building at the northwest corner of Cayuga and Seneca Streets in Downtown Ithaca. (Photo provided)



Affordable housing plan hits funding snag in Ithaca
Apartments planned at women's facility
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • November 5, 2010, 6:00 pm

Plans for a new affordable housing apartment complex at the site of the Women's Community Building are on hold for a year, after expected state funding for the project fell through.

Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services has proposed to build a six-story, 52-unit apartment building for low- and median-income renters at Seneca and Cayuga streets, replacing the existing Women's Community Building. Units would be available to people earning between 48 and 90 percent of the county median income, based on family size. This year, for example, the median income for a family of four is $71,300, based on guidelines issued by the federal government.

But between New York state's budget woes and continuing difficulties in the banking industry, the major funding sources for the project did not come through, INHS Executive Director Paul Mazzarella said.

"It was actually a very difficult year for state funding. They only approved 30 projects over the whole state," he said, adding that none of the three applications submitted from Tompkins County was approved.

There were two major sources of funding INHS was counting on -- a state grant and low-income housing tax credits, Mazzarella said.

"Tax credits are something that fluctuates under different market conditions, and the problems that a lot of financial institutions are having right now are affecting the pricing of that. The problem was that each dollar of tax credit is worth a lot less than it used to be. So they have to use more of them for each project, and that meant fewer projects," he said.

The project has already received local support: a three-party Housing Fund with money coming from Cornell University, the City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County committed a $75,000 loan toward the apartments. And last December, Common Council voted to rezone the parcel in response to INHS' request.

Mazzarella said the plan is to apply again with the state; next year's funding deadline is in February.

If the money is approved in 2011, Mazzarella anticipated that construction on the new apartments would begin in March 2012.

Interesting. Do we have any idea who did the designs? I hate it when these stories leave out that sort of info.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Sorry RJ, I don't know. And the Journal didn't give credit for the rendering.

[Visiteur]

I could've sworn that the architecture firm that designed the new apartment building was a local firm --- either HOLT architects, or Trowbridge and Wolf.

Kinda disappointing about the delay. Also, The Cornell Sun online reported the Hotel Ithaca is on delay due to the tight market for bank financing.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Good to see you back Vis. And good call on Holt being the architecture firm for the INHS project: http://www.holt.com/projects/view/ne...g-project.html

Also, IJ put out an article about the financial issues with the Rimland Hotel project. Check out post #1279 in this thread.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Looks as if Ithaca is holding its own during the tough economic times the country is experiencing (from the Ithaca Journal):



Local economy showing more gains
November 9, 2010, 6:20 pm

The Ithaca College Index of Economic Activity in Tompkins County improved 2.17 percent in September to a level 156.78 from a revised mark of 153.44 in August. The advance was fueled by gains in employment, retail sales, building permits, and home sales. Help wanted advertising increased only modestly while air traffic fell slightly. Comparing September 2010 to September 2009, economic activity was up 1.98 percent.

The number of jobs in Tompkins County increased by 700 in September. It is understandable that a college town would put on jobs in September, but this gain is after seasonal adjustment. The unemployment rate improved to 5.4 percent compared to 5.8 percent a year ago. The unemployment rate in New York State was 8.0 percent and 9.2 percent nationally.

Retail sales in Tompkins County took it on the chin during the previous recession and have been lackluster during the recovery. That's why it was good to see an improvement in September. Retail sales were up 3.13 percent over August and 6.57 percent compared to a year ago.

Air traffic has been strong throughout the recession and on into the recovery. September, however, showed a decline of 8.71 percent. Still, the number of passengers taking off and landing at Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport was 16.02 percent higher than a year ago.

Residential building permits issued in Tompkins County vaulted 110.35 percent in September. Building permits have a tendency to swing widely from month to month. In 2010 building permits are running ahead of their pace last year.

After declines in July and August, home sales in Tompkins County increased 22.04 percent in September. Compared to September 2009, however, home sales were down 15.49 percent. Home prices have been on the rise and that trend continued. The average sales price of a home in Tompkins County was $200,600 compared with $176,200 in September 2009. The median sales price was $172,500 compared with $158,000 in September 2009.

Help wanted advertising inched ahead 3.34 percent. Compared to September 2009, help wanted advertising was up 9.31 percent. These increases are a good sign for the labor market.

As the recession began in January 2008, Tompkins County had nearly 65,000 jobs. That figured ebbed to a low of almost 63,000 during the recession. Currently, the number of jobs in Tompkins County stands at 64,800.
Elia Kacapyr is a professor of economics at Ithaca College. His economic report on Tompkins County is published monthly in The Ithaca Journal.


Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...ing-more-gains

[Ex-Ithacan]

Looks like West Hill is going to continue to grow/develop. It's inevitable. (From the Ithaca Journal)


Town of Ithaca Planning Board approves two projectsEcoVillage complex, Lick Brook addition get green light
By Rachel Stern •rstern@gannett.com • November 18, 2010, 6:50 pm

Two projects in the Town of Ithaca have received a green light.
The town planning board voted unanimously to subdivide an approximately 6-acre plot of land at Town Line and Sand Bank roads. The plot, said Director of Planning Jonathan Kanter, will go to the Finger Lakes Land Trust and become a part of the Lick Brook nature preserve.

The second project that received final subdivision and site plan approval with a 5-2 vote Tuesday night was the Third Residential EcoVillage Experience. Located off Rachel Carson Way, the project involves the development of a new neighborhood at the EcoVillage at Ithaca.

The neighborhood, said Kanter, consists of 30 additional units -- 22 single-family homes and eight apartments.

There will be about 14 garages, about 23 parking spaces and a common house. The apartments will be in the common house, along with two visitor rooms and four offices for residents.

The project will also include a village green, additions and improvements to Rachel Carson Way and new stormwater facilities and utilities.

Two board members opposed the project, said Kanter, because they wanted more specific information on materials being used and color selections.

"The five in favor were comfortable with what was provided, though," Kanter said.


Here's a link to the EcoVillage website:
http://ecovillageithaca.org/evi/


Here's the link to the article:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...s+two+projects

[Ex-Ithacan]

UH-oh, the Canadians (Tim Hortons) are invading Ithaca (from the Ithaca Journal):


Board to review Hortons, State Street apartments
November 22, 2010, 10:30 pm

The City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board will discuss a proposed Tim Hortons restaurant, progress on the Collegetown Terrace apartments, and an update on the Ithaca College Boathouse at a meeting today.

The Tim Hortons Restaurant is proposed for 411 Elmira Road, a lot that is currently paved parking near the entrance to Buttermilk Falls State Park.

The board will also hear an update and zoning appeal from the developer of Collegetown Terrace Apartments. The project will add 589 bedrooms to the area.

Other reports and updates planned for the meeting include an update of a redesign of the Ithaca College Boathouse, a sketch plan of Seneca Way, an update on Cornell University's Milstein Hall, and consideration of reconstruction of a portion of University Avenue.



Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...eet+apartments

[Ex-Ithacan]

Ithaca ranks high on another list (though I'm not sure these lists really mean anything), from the Cornell Daily Sun:



Gallup Poll Lists Ithaca as City With Highest Well-Being
November 17, 2010
By Cindy Huynh
Ithaca has the highest well-being in the nation, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, a poll of numerous standard-of-living indicators in 357 metropolitan areas released earlier this month.

City of Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson attributed the high well-being rating to the variety of services that are offered by Tompkins County.

“I believe that … our many municipal, educational and service organizations, our dedication to sustainability… and our diverse residents and cultures all contribute to a top ranking,” Peterson said.

The index, launched by Gallup in Jan. 2008, measures the overall well-being of Americans by evaluating six domains: life evaluation, emotional health, physical health, healthy behavior, work environment and basic access to necessities.

In addition to having the highest score in the well-being index, Ithaca also ranked sixth on the life evaluation index, eighth on the physical health index, and ninth on the basic access to necessities index.

According to Michael McLaughlin, a member of the Tompkins County Board of Health and the owner of Pudgie’s Pizza and Subs in Ithaca, Ithaca’s high ranking is an accurate representation of the city. McLaughlin said Ithaca has not been as strongly affected by the nationwide rise in unemployment, credit tightening and foreclosures, unlike other areas in the state.

“Ithaca offers many opportunities and huge diversity to its residents that I feel set a good foundation for people to just plain feel good about their community and themselves,” McLaughlin said.

Dr. William Tyler, another member of the Tompkins County Board of Health, cited the presence of such stable employers as Cayuga Medical Center and Borg Warner, an automotive industry parts supplier, as reasons why Ithacans are generally not as stressed as other people.

Tyler also expressed his appreciation for the educational institutions in the city — including Cornell, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College — which are also major employers.

“The colleges are most important because they attract people with great intelligence and vitality,” Tyler said.

Tyler said citizen trust in their political leaders is high in Ithaca — another factor he attributes to the high ranking.

“I believe Ithacans and surrounding folks generally trust their government and leaders. Most of [those] leaders are in politics to serve their constituents rather than themselves,” Tyler said.

Mayor Peterson expressed interest in continuing to improve all aspects of the city, adding that continuing to offer the services currently available and promoting healthy behaviors would help Ithaca’s general well-being.

“We become a stronger Ithaca when we understand the makeup of our entire community,” Peterson said.

McLaughlin said he remains cautiously optimistic about Ithaca’s future well-being, although he cited New York State’s nearly $1 billion budget deficit as one factor that has city leaders across the state worried.

“This is the area of my greatest fears. With the state of the state, I worry that we might not be able to continue to offer all the great things that have helped to keep Ithaca’s well being so great,” McLaughlin said. “Hopefully all the resources that make [up] the well-being of the people of this community will be available in the future.”


Here's the link: http://www.cornelldailysun.com/secti...est-well-being

[Ex-Ithacan]

An innovative development in an Ithaca suburb (from the Lansing Star online):

Innovative Development Mixes Affordability and Green
Friday, November 19, 2010 00:00 | by Dan Veaner | |
You hear a lot in Tompkins County these days about the need for affordable housing. You also hear a lot about green building. But it never seems like anybody is doing much of anything about it, in large part because of how expensive building is -- especially building green. One Lansing development is innovatively merging an unlikely combination of elements from home building in Ecuador and market-rate house building in Lansing to volunteer builders and reforestation and a free starter solar panel. That will bring down the price considerably for four houses in Farm Pond Circle, a mixed-income community.

"We've discovered that one of the barriers to green building is cost," says Lansing Developer Jack Jensen. "There is pressure to spend your money on square footage, gross size rather than quality. If it appraises for more it's worth more and you get more. There hasn't been an ethos that says it's better to have a 1,400 square foot house that costs no energy than a 5,000 square foot house that costs $10,000 a year to heat. God knows how many BTUs of junk that puts in the atmosphere."

Read more: http://www.lansingstar.com/business-...#ixzz16zqjtDuU

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not good news for Ithaca. I'm sure this will have a negative affect on downtown development. From the Ithaca Journal:

BPW eliminates free first hour of parking in Ithaca city garages
Change driven by city seeking more parking revenue

By Liz Lawyer •elawyer@gannett.com • December 8, 2010, 8:15 pm

The first hour of parking in Ithaca parking garages will no longer be free in 2011, after the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works was forced to eliminate it Wednesday to come up with $200,000 in additional revenue called for in the city's 2011 budget.

The first hour, and each hour thereafter, in the garages on Seneca, Cayuga and Green Streets will cost $1.

Board members were reluctant to eliminate the popular free first hour, and debated it over several meetings. However, they concluded it was a necessary portion of the solution after Common Council directed the board to come up with additional parking revenue.

Parking meter rates on Stewart and Thurston avenues will also increase from 25 cents to 50 cents an hour and special-event parking rates in the garages will increase from $3 to $5.

Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, urged the board not to eliminate the free hour, saying it encourages shoppers to patronize downtown businesses.

"It's not a made-up thing," he said. "It's something that's used all across the country."

However, board members said there were no other feasible options to raise the necessary amount.

The board estimates that the increase in meter fees alone will bring in $25,000 to $30,000, with the total changes amounting to $180,000 to $200,000.

The board has yet to vote on a resolution to implement parking fees in four city-owned lots in the West End but plans to at an upcoming meeting.




Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...a+city+garages

[Ex-Ithacan]

Some projects in the town of Ithaca (which surrounds the city) are moving forward. From the Ithaca Journal:


Rendering of Cayuga Medical Center addition

Cayuga Medical Center addition gets town's OK
Hospital plans new lab
By Rachel Stern •rstern@gannett.com • December 8, 2010, 8:00 pm

Cayuga Medical Center is about to get a bit larger.

The Town of Ithaca planning board voted to approve the Cayuga Medical Center lab addition project Tuesday night. This involves the construction of a 15,985-square foot laboratory and associated mechanical room addition.

The new laboratory will be one story and the associated mechanical room two stories. The addition also includes the relocation of the helipad and cooling towers, construction of a new service entry, extension of a walkway and additional landscaping treatments. Part of the project will be constructed below grade. Town Director of Planning Jonathan Kanter said the board unanimously voted in favor of the plan.

In addition, the board voted unanimously in favor of passing the preliminary site plan for modifications to the Holly Creek Townhouse development on Holly Creek Lane, off West King Road.

The proposal involves changing the design of the buildings and increasing the number of units from 20 to 22 in six buildings. The units would be sold to moderate-income buyers as part of the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services Community Housing Trust program, Kanter said.

"It will be an interesting project," Kanter said. "There was a similar project approved that would have been rental apartments in 2004. This changes the configuration into town house form. It is a nice change from a rental situation to an ownership one."

In other business, board members began to comb through the final environmental impact statement for the Holochuck Homes Subdivision proposed for a site behind the Museum of the Earth between Routes 96 and 89.

The proposal involves the construction of 106 town home units in a neighborhood development with two entrances from Route 96.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation proposed acquiring most of the eastern portion of the property to go along with the development of the future Black Diamond Trail.

Kanter said going through the statement is a long process and will again be on the schedule for the board's Dec. 21 meeting.


Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...gets+town+s+OK

[Ex-Ithacan]

I think there's a ton of potential for the West End & Waterfront commercial districts to continue to develop. I think some residential projects mixed in with the commercial would be beneficial to the city as well. I believe there is are incentives in place in the zoning of the areas which would promote some taller buildings, I like that.

Article from the Ithaca Times.

Business leaders in Ithaca's West End Consider Joining Forces

Joseph Murtagh
Reporter

A few months ago, a group of urban design professionals visited the city of Ithaca as part of a competitive grant from the American Institute of Architects. Consisting of a small cohort of planners, economists and architects, they made up what is known as an "SDAT" team -- short for Sustainability Design Assessment Team -- whose job it was to visit the city for a few days, take some notes and give some recommendations on the best way to move the city forward from an urban planning standpoint.

What they found is what many city residents already know: that Ithaca may be a small city, but it's composed of regionally distinct neighborhoods, each with a unique cultural feel -- Downtown, Collegetown, Fall Creek, Southside, the West End, the Waterfront. But they also found some things to criticize. Whether through traffic patterns or simple geography, they noted, some city neighborhoods have been cordoned off from each other, creating a need for links between Ithaca's disparate parts.

In particular they singled out the west side of the city -- the area including Inlet Island, Route 13, and West State Street/West Martin Luther King Street -- as deserving of attention. This area has seen quite a change in recent years, as businesses have sprouted up on both sides of Meadow Street. It's a change that has business leaders throughout the area thinking about ways that they can work together to raise the profile of the west side, including forming a business association that would focus on shared goals and interests.

"We're definitely still in the exploratory stages," said Steve Flash, part-owner of the Boatyard Grill. "But the idea would be to form some kind of association that would give ourselves an identity from a marketing and political standpoint. It's tough to say what the eventual possibilities might be, whether marketing or transportation, for instance, moving people from the downtown core to the West End and Waterfront areas. But however we defined ourselves, our goal would be to coalesce around the sense of a large and diverse group of businesses that can improve our lot by working together."

Here's the full article: http://www.ithacatimes.com/main.asp?...55&TM=28070.41

[Ex-Ithacan]

Even though this is a bit of a ways from the heart of town; it is near a commercial area, state park, and one of the bus transit lines passes in front of the proposed building. From the Ithaca Journal:



TCA to build 14-unit building for homeless women
By Shawnee A. Barnes •Correspondent • December 16, 2010, 5:20 pm

ITHACA -- Tompkins Community Action will begin soliciting bids this month for the construction of a 14-unit facility that will provide permanent housing for homeless women in recovery.

The facility, called Magnolia House, will join its counterpart, Chartwell House -- a 12-unit facility for homeless and disabled men built in 2000 -- on an adjacent lot at 701 Spencer Road, south of downtown.

Lee Dillon, executive director of the nonprofit organization, said bids are open to area contractors and a contract will be awarded after Feb. 1. Construction is expected to begin this winter with a goal of a December 2011 occupancy, Dillon said. The NYS Homeless Housing and Assistance Program, which helped fund the project, will oversee the bidding process.

Demolition of an existing house on the lot is slated for January and will be performed by Finger Lakes Re-use, which will salvage much of the building, Dillon said.

Last March, Tompkins Community Action received a $2.7 million grant from the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance as part of its Homeless Housing and Assistance Program to fund the construction of Magnolia House. Since then, the project received site plan approval from the city. The required environmental testing was conducted and the design phase completed.

According to Dillon, the multi-story facility consists of 14 "enhanced" studio apartments with a common living area, laundry facilities and space for onsite classes. The support services include building life skills, financial literacy, work readiness and setting personal goals.

Rents will be subsidized by an additional $174,000 grant received in September from the New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal to allow prospective tenants with low incomes to qualify. The DHCR grant is part of a $119 million effort to help communities across the state develop affordable housing, revitalize downtowns and upgrade water and sewer systems.

Tompkins Community Action oversees 28 programs that serve 6,000 low-income individuals and families each year. For more information, call 273-8816 or visit www.tcaction.org.


Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...homeless+women

[Ex-Ithacan]

Here's a few articles about potential development in the Ithaca area. First, in Dryden about 10 miles outside Ithaca (where the the community college is located) is a decent sized project. Right now it's put on hold. From the Ithaca Journal:

Dryden planning board delays vote on development near high school
By Aaron Munzer •Correspondent • December 22, 2010, 8:20 pm

DRYDEN -- The village planning board postponed to Jan. 6 a vote on the proposed Poet's Landing subsidized low-income housing development.

The development would comprise 10 apartment buildings and a larger seniors' complex with a total of 144 units. It is proposed for a site at 111 Freeville Road, on 11 acres of a 45-acre parcel that includes wetlands across from Dryden High School.

Board members said during Tuesday's special meeting they need more time to assemble conditions for the developers, Rochester-based Conifer Realty, after concerns were raised about safety, flooding, traffic calming and other issues.

Board chairman Gene German said a flashing light will be installed on Freeville Road, a fenced stormwater pond will be dug, active wetlands will be maintained, and a school bus stop will be within the development for children's' safety.

But more than a dozen residents weren't convinced problems had been addressed.

"Traffic is a safety concern, and flooding is a real issue in town, but most of all it's the proximity to the school. There's a high correlation between poverty and social issues, and to gamble with our kids is not what I want to do," parent and resident Brad Rauch said.

John Caruso of developer representative Passero Associates said there will be on-site management who operate housing developments with strict rules.

Parent Paul Simonet said the location issue couldn't be resolved.

"The traffic when I'm dropping my kids off is horrendous already; cars are in and out all the time," he said.

Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...363/-1/ARCHIVE



Here's one dealing with historic designation in the Town of Ithaca (not the city), also from the Ithaca Journal:


Ithaca town planning board endorses special historic designationsMeasure aimed at allowing more uses for buildings
By Rachel Stern •rstern@gannett.com • December 22, 2010, 8:15 pm

A new zoning designation intended to allow new uses for certain historically significant buildings has won endorsement from the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, planning Director Jonathan Kanter said.

The designation, called a limited historic commercial floating zone, yielded several supportive comments at a Tuesday public hearing and then unanimous support from the board. The proposal will now go to the town board, which will hold a public hearing in early 2011.

A new floating zone will create a zone for properties that are of some historic significance, Kanter said. The process started about a year ago, when owners of the Hayts Chapel and Schoolhouse came to the town and indicated they had historic buildings in residential areas that could not be used for residential purposes any longer, Kanter said.

The owners were having trouble finding buyers who wanted to use the buildings for residential purposes. That got the town thinking about a new zone, Kanter said.

"This is a zone where properties of historic significance could be rezoned to new historic commercial designation and certain uses will be allowed that otherwise would not be," Kanter said.

That list includes restaurants, coffee shops, retail, museums, art studios and antique stores limited to 4,000 square feet, he said.

"Really the whole purpose is to help preserve significant historic places in the town, while also protecting the surrounding residential areas," Kanter said.

Once the new zone is in place, individual property owners would have to apply for the rezoning. There are three ways a property would be considered historically significant -- if it is listed on the state or national register of historic places; if it was determined eligible for such a listing; or if the property was identified by the town a few years ago as having historic significance.

In other business, board members continued to comb through the final environmental impact statement for the Holochuck Homes Subdivision proposed for a site behind the Museum of the Earth between Routes 96 and 89. Kanter said the statement will again be on the schedule for the board's Jan. 4 meeting.

The proposal involves building 106 town homes in a development with two entrances from Route 96. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation proposed acquiring most of the eastern portion of the property to go along with the development of the future Black Diamond Trail.

Here's the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...362/-1/ARCHIVE


Finally, hope is still alive for a BJ's store in the Village of Lansing (mall & apartment complex area just outside of Ithaca). Again from the Ithaca Journal:

Developers ask Ithaca school board to reopen rejected deal for BJ's project
Board tables discussion until January
By Rachel Stern •rstern@gannett.com • December 22, 2010, 8:00 pm

When Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency and Ithaca Common Council member Dan Cogan, D-5th, cast the swing vote against the BJ's Wholesale Club store in the Village of Lansing on Dec. 13, he thought that was the end of it.

"I didn't anticipate that it would keep going. We already decided we do not want to have it happen," Cogan said.

The IDA board voted 4-3 to reject a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes incremental financing agreement for Arrowhead Ventures to develop a site next to the Shops at Ithaca Mall.

The agreement would have allowed Arrowhead to bring a BJ's Wholesale Club store, senior housing and a created wetland to the site.

On Tuesday night, mall developer Eric Goetzmann and project adviser Andrew Sussman tried to get the Ithaca City School District Board of Education to vote in favor of the project as one of the four affected taxing entities -- along with the county, the village and the Town of Lansing. The other entities voted in favor, Cogan said.

The deal would have lasted 20 years, and for five years, all increased property taxes on the BJ's site and half of the new taxes on the housing would be diverted from the county, the village and the ICSD and used to finance the housing. The tax abatement would decline by 5 percent each year.

Sussman told the board the project still can happen.

"The IDA does not hold the final trump card. If all four taxing entities vote in favor of this, there are processes to explore to try and make this project successful," Sussman said.

In a 6-2 vote, the board decided to table the discussion until meeting Jan. 11.

"We need more details on what the possible deal is and who the issuing authority may be and then we can vote on the merits," board President Rob Ainslie said.

Board members said they were bothered to have not been included until now and that the school district does not stand to gain much, as it does not get sales tax revenue.

Board member Brad Grainger was not even sure why the item was on the agenda. "Is this just about symbolism? The IDA turned it down, so why do we want to go out there and support a process I disagree with?" Grainger said.

Both board member Jay True and vice president Seth Peacock opposed tabling the discussion because they saw potential benefits.


And the link: http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...361/-1/ARCHIVE

[Ex-Ithacan]

The developers of this project have way more patience than I would. From the Ithaca Journal:



Collegetown Terrace plan stirs concerns by Ithaca residents
Potential traffic problems, visual aesthetics cited
By Raymond Drumsta •rdrumsta@gannett.com • December 21, 2010, 10:25 pm

ITHACA -- About a half-dozen Ithacans commented on the site plan review of the Collegetown Terrace Apartments project during the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board meeting Tuesday evening, raising concerns ranging from safety to the final look of the project.

The project will add student housing to the East State Street area, doubling the residential density in the 16.4-acre property between Valentine Place, Quarry Street, State Street and Six Mile Creek, and adding 589 bedrooms. The project has moved forward incrementally since it was first presented to the planning board in April 2009.

Pending approval of the site plan, the developer must have the height variance approved and receive a certificate of appropriateness from the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission before applying for a building permit.

Catherine Wolf of Trowbridge and Wolf LLP, applicant for Collegetown Terrace Apartments LLP, and Alan Chimacoff of ikon.5 architects gave a presentation showing how the project would look -- with and without foliage -- from places like State Street, Mitchell Street, Giles Street and Valentine Place. According to the presentation, the intent is to blend with the landscape and existing buildings incorporating design features, specific trees and Lenroc stone, which is unique to the area.

South Hill Civic Association President John Graves said questions were voiced at a recent association meeting and as president, he's neither for or against the project, but is concerned about the lack of data for residents to make informed decisions. He said issues include a lack of simulated views from Giles Street and the draft environmental impact statement did not address light pollution, particularly on the Six Mile Creek viewshed.

Cheryl Smart of Mitchell Street voiced concerns about light and on the safety of the State-Mitchell intersection.

"You can't cross the street there now," she said, "and I don't understand how you're going to cross the street there when you've doubled the density of population crossing there."

Resident Susan Blumenthal asked for more simulated views and said the abundant use of metal in the buildings makes them look like tin cans and incompatible with the surrounding buildings.

Wolf said updated site plans will be submitted by Jan. 12. The developers and architects are looking for the board to consider preliminary approval on the site plans and final approval for phase 1 of the project at the January meeting.

A link to some drawings: http://www.theithacajournal.com/asse...1680801217.PDF


The link to the article: http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...D=201012210363