Some Ithaca news

[Ex-Ithacan]

Something to add to Collegetown's nightlife (from the Cornell Daily Sun):




Green Café, on the corner of College Ave. and Dryden Road in Collegetown, will now serve alcoholic beverages at its new full-service bar.





Green Café Set to Provide Alcohol at Full-Service Bar
September 1, 2009 - 12:00am
By Dan Freedman

After less than six months since its grand opening, the Green Café is already making a major addition to its offerings. This Thursday, Green Café, at the corner of College Avenue and Dryden Road, will be opening a full-service bar and adding alcoholic cocktails to its burgeoning selection of upscale food and drinks. According to staff, the bar will offer over 200 varieties of liquor, beer on tap and a special bar menu prepared by a new chef.

Bar manager Luis Kim described the venue as a “place for students” with a “new atmosphere” for Collegetown. “Green Café has an excellent reputation with our fresh food. What will make [the bar] unique is our variety of drinks. There will be great food and cocktails, but we want to keep the prices low while maintaining the quality,” Kim said.

The bar area — which will emerge nightly out of the café’s current dining area — will house a laser show, fog machines and room for patrons to sit or stand. While there are no immediate plans for a D.J., music will play “at a level where you can communicate and chill,” according to Kim. “If things go well, in the future we will have karaoke and live music. Our main goal is to bring happiness to students here and we want to expand.”First call: Green Café, on the corner of College Ave. and Dryden Road in Collegetown, will now serve alcoholic beverages at its new full-service bar.
But plans for expansion may be hindered by several issues Kim and others foresee. “One problem we’re expecting is the [interruption of] the buffet line,” Kim said. “If we get 250 or 300 people in [the bar area], it’s going to get really big” and impede on those wishing to utilize the buffet.

This concern was shared by a first year engineering graduate student diner who asked to remain anonymous because he did not want to publicly offend the Green Café. “Having drunk people walking around will negatively affect the food business. Being a [non-consumer of alcohol], I frequent places where there is less alcohol, so when they start serving alcohol, I’ll probably come here less.”

Others however, were less agitated by the potential intrusion. Meredith Donnan ’10, acknowledged that although Green Café’s intrigue had “gone down since its opening,” if the bar had good music and wasn’t expensive, she “would be there.” Nina Maydenova ’10 concurred that while cost was a factor; if the space was “trendy and chic” she would be “all about that.”

Collegetown bar owners voiced an air of casual indifference to the Green Café bar’s possible encroachment on their business. “I’m not terribly concerned about it,” said Stella’s General Manager Aaron Piccirilli. “[Stella’s] is trying to provide a more upscale offering for people who are trying to learn about alcohol. It’s something we’re passionate about. Green Café’s bar will probably affect The Palms and Johny O’s more than us,” Piccirilli said.

But in the midst of this skepticism, Kim remained stolidly optimistic. A graduate of business school in Brazil, Kim is the nephew of the owner of Green Café and plans to attend Columbia University after this foray into the hospitality industry is over. “Stella’s and other bars have a different feeling [than the Green Café],” Kim said. “Ours will be for people looking for some excitement and a new atmosphere.”

The bar-area of Green Café, which will begin serving alcohol at 5 p.m. on Thursday, will be closed to those under 21 beginning at 10 p.m., at which point identification will be required to enter the newly apportioned space.

[Ex-Ithacan]

If you ever make it to Ithaca, here's a nice (but possibly tiring) walking tour spelled out in the Cornell Daily Sun:



Walking Ithaca
September 3, 2009 - 12:00am
By Munier Salem

Ithaca is known for many things, including gorges, gardens, woodland trails and architecture. Freshman year can be a dizzying blur of parties, exams and new friendships, but it can be a smart idea to take a couple Saturdays to get to know the town in which you’ll be spending the next four years.

A day hike is the perfect way to truly experience Ithaca and Cornell. Grab a pair of comfortable, broken in sneakers and set aside five or six hours to explore your new home! Here’s a neat walk to get you started, taking you down into Ithaca and some of its prime public spaces, as well as through the famous gorges: Cascadilla and Fall Creek.

Gates of paradise: Ithaca offers many beautiful sights to see if you're in the mood for a leisurely walk.
This walk will expose you to that gorge you don’t get to cross every day on your way to class, and then take you down through Ithaca to the Farmer’s Market before bringing you past some adorable “cottages” in Heights, where you might just run into your chemistry professor.

Start by crossing the Triphammer Bridge on Thurston Avenue towards Central Campus. Stop off on the left side to check out the crumbled remains of an enormous hydraulic lab whose façade once dominated the gorge. After the bridge, dip onto the Arts Quad and bear right towards the Johnson Museum (a.k.a. the cement sewing machine). When you hit the museum, walk left towards Uris Library, along the crest of Libe Slope. Below you are the Gothics.

Walk around the back side of Uris Library, where you’ll see a glass-encased staircase coming out the building into the ground beneath you. You’re standing on top of the library’s crazy Hobbit-hole addition, “The Cocktail Lounge,” where many Cornellians pull all-nighters before papers and exams. Stop here and be sure to take in the views of the leafy upstate town you’re about to explore.

Head straight down Ho Plaza past the gothic-inspired Willard Straight Hall, then cross the road, passing the also Gothic-inspired Law School. The road will bend slightly and head down hill, and you’ll cross a stately yet rustic stone bridge into Collegetown. Right as you cross the C-Town bridge, take a sharp right down a path besides a white marble building and the gorge. Look out for a small entrance to a trail on your right, a dozen meters or so down the way.

This is the Cascadilla Gorge trail, a lengthy stone staircase that takes you straight to downtown Ithaca. A chain and orange tube alert you that this trail is closed. It would be irresponsible of me to tell you that this stops absolutely no one from enjoying this safe, scenic descent into town. So I’m not going to tell you that. If I were to give you this irresponsible advice, you’d descend into the gorge and take plenty of time to admire the cliffs, waterfalls, foliage and impressive stonework beneath your feet. The bridge halfway down the trail is probably the climax of this short trip towards town. Feel free to draw parallels to Lord of the Rings. Watch your steps, please.

You’ll be deposited on Linn Street near downtown Ithaca. Turn left and follow Linn around the bend for a block, where the road becomes Court Street (unlabeled until the end of the block). Then make a left onto Aurora Street. Check out the adorable William Henry Miller B&B on your left, which was designed by the same guy who designed the clock tower and Uris library.

Head down Aurora, past Seneca, until you hit the Commons (State Street). My personal shop recommendations are House of Shalimar, Evolution and the hemp stores. If corporate culture is more your style, a block further on Green Street you’ll find the new indie movie theater and an Urban Outfitters and a block back on Seneca is Starbucks. Aurora Street has great outdoor dining, particularly for those over 21 looking to for an alternative to the Collegetown scene. There are lots of grad students here at night. My restaurant recommendations are Moosewoods, The Mate Factor and Taste of Thai.

For now, ignore the food and find a large black marble monument that says “Our Sun” at the T-intersection of the Commons. This is the beginning of Carl Sagan’s Planet Walk, which ends at the Science Center. The point of this tour is to give you a look at what’s in our solar system while highlighting how far everything is from everything else. There is a free cell phone tour, narrated by Bill Nye ’77 the Science Guy. The sun is about the size of a soccer ball, and Pluto is a tiny pin prick, and to get between them takes about 15 minutes. Everything is to scale. You’ll see all the inner planets in the Commons. Head towards the Starbucks, out of the Commons on Tioga Street to begin the planet walk.

Hit Seneca Street and turn right past the Hilton. You’ll see the Jupiter monument by the end of the block. Cross the street and turn right on Cayuga, and you’ll soon see Saturn by the Tompkins County Library. Turn a diagonal left off Cayuga into a small park, following a stream, and past Uranus. You’ll head a ways down this small, shaded avenue (Willow Avenue) where you’ll find the babbling Cascadilla Creek to your left, and some of Ithaca’s best cottage gardening to your right. Then you’ll cross a shiny steel pedestrian bridge to your left marked with astronomical symbols. Neptune greets you as you step off the bridge, and to the right, the path becomes sunny with flower gardens. Turn right following the roadway, where you’ll reach Pluto and the Ithaca Science Center.

Head down this small street, Franklin Street, a rather industrial looking roadway parallel to Route 13, until you reach the end on Third Street. Turn right, to cross Route 13 (carefully) and head down Third Street past the water treatment plant. Right when things start looking the sketchiest, you’ll hit rows of parked cars in a dirt parking lot with overgrown bushes dividing the parking lanes. Cross these hedges and through the lot and you’ll reach a large, open, wooden pavilion — the Ithaca Farmers’ Market.

When I say “Farmers’ Market,” if you’re thinking of white tents in a strip mall parking lot selling a small batch of fresh produce, you’re on the completely wrong track. This large wooden pavilion has dozens of stalls selling prepared food, organic produce, arts and crafts and local wines, ciders and cheeses. Definitely try lunch here. I recommend the burritos, the flat bread pizza and the Cambodian food. Try Purity Ice Cream while you’re there.

The market closes at three, and the entire approach from North Campus as I’ve described it can take about two hours at a leisurely pace, stopping in a shop or two. I’d definitely leave the commons before 1:30 p.m. if you want to play it safe. The market is only open on weekends.

As you face the waterfront, beyond the pavilion, turn right, and you’ll find a small, well shaded dirt path besides the inlet that takes you past a marina. Towards the end, you’ll see the backside of the Haunt, an Ithaca biker bar.

Cross the water on a small footbridge by the railroad, and head left down the Road (Willow Avenue), away from Route 13 and past the Haunt. On a good day, you’ll see tons of motorcycles parked outside and hear classic rock from inside. You’ll pass the TCAT headquarters where you should see lots of buses parked. You’ll then hit a golf course.

Here, the adventurous have the opportunity for a half-mile detour. You can head left, along the western edge of the golf course, onto a gravel road along the waterfront. The road continues, around the back of a small cement building, into the woods, terminating at a cement breaker on the lakefront. If you walk out to the lighthouse on the end of this breaker, you’ll be treated to views of Cayuga Lake, Stewart Park and the Cornell campus above you. You can then tack across the tip of the golf course back onto the main route by the twin suspension bridges.

Lake gazing: After a moderate walk from the Cornell campus, you will be treated to spectacular views of Cayuga Lake.
Otherwise, turn right, on Pier Road and walk alongside the eastern edge of the golf course. The road will loop around the course for less than a quarter mile, into the woods by a waterway, and past a training facility for the Ithaca Fire Department. Peel off the road after this onto a broad gravel path, along the waterway. The woods are peaceful, with a fisherman or two on a Saturday. I have yet to take this path without seeing a majestic heron on the waterway. There are also plenty of geese. You’ll cross two pedestrian suspension bridges (made of green painted steel with wooden planks), into Stewart Park. Jumping up and down on these bridges is highly recommended.

Continue ahead over a large grassy field to the shore of Cayuga Lake, one of the two largest Finger Lakes in New York. Turn right and walk beneath elegant willow trees along the lake, and check out the summer barbecues and picnics. Recline on one of the swinging benches and enjoy the lake. You’ve been walking a lot today.

When you’re ready to leave, follow the road, across a railroad bed, and turn left on James L. Gibbs Drive (before Route 13). There’s a bus stop, and some careful coordination with the TCAT website can prevent the climb back to North Campus that awaits you. Keep in mind, this bus runs infrequently. I personally enjoy the hike back to campus.

Turn right on East Shore Drive, and cross underneath Route 13 (there’s only one underpass, so if you’ve found it, you’re near Boynton Middle School. You’ll see a small street climbing into the woods on your right called Renwick Drive. Ignore both turn offs onto Renwick Place. Head up Renwick Drive, round a sharp turn, and continue straight up on Wyckoff Road. You’ll start passing some nice homes in this leafy neighborhood, as you gain altitude.

To the left, just before Cayuga Heights Road is Sunset Park, which is particularly beautiful, oddly enough, at sunset. Stop off here for some excellent views of Cayuga Lake and the town below (much of which you just walked). This brief detour is about a dozen yards out of your way, and a good place to rest after climbing 200 vertical feet (with another 200 ahead of you). This first leg of the climb is much steeper than the second leg.

When you hit Cayuga Heights Road (first major road with a yellow line), turn right and Caygua Heights Road will eventualy turn into Stewart Avenue. There’s a sidewalk on the right side, and some seriously impressive views just before Fall Creek Gorge. Check out Ithaca Falls and the tallest cliffs in town. If you see a TCAT bus thunder by you, don’t be alarmed. They’ve never fallen into the gorge on this windy road … yet. Portions of the road are paved in old, rounded bricks, providing an older charm to this overgrown gem of a knoll.

You’ll cross the Stewart Avenue Bridge over Fall Creek and hear the roaring waterfall. Check out the fraternity house, Rockledge, precariously placed on the cliff.

Immediately after the bridge, cross the street to the left, onto a path in the woods along the top of the gorge.

If you have any energy at all left in you (and I always do), there’s a fenced off fork halfway along this trail down into Fall Creek Gorge. Old stone staircases, like in Cascadilla Gorge, take you down to a wonderful swimming hole, where you’ll see well over 50 sunbathers on a hot, summer’s day. There are no bridges to jump from, like on Beebe Lake, but there is a fun waterfall to slide down, and plenty of room for sun bathing on the rocks. Fall Creek is a much larger gorge than Cascadilla, with much more water running through it, and both gorges can be very dangerous after heavy rain. Unlike Cascadilla Gorge, much of Fall Creek’s bottom is technically not walkable. Nevertheless the adventurous can definitely climb their way through from the top of Ithaca Falls all the way to the Thurston Avenue Bridge.

Whether or not you choose that fork, head along this upper trail until you hit the Fall Creek Suspension Bridge, and you’re back on campus. Cross the bridge and turn right up Fall Creek Drive, and then right on Thurston Avenue, and you’re home.

Try this walk in the fall. Fall is upstate New York’s best season. New York and New England own autumn, and no one could convince me otherwise. But this walk also works well in late spring. Winter is a bad time for this walk, since the Ithaca Farmers’ Market is closed, and the gorge trail in Cascadilla is downright deadly, with massive icicles and rockslides.

There are many more walks to explore in and around our beautiful campus. You could spend just as much time trying to explore the vast Cornell Plantations, further up Fall Creek well into Varna. Or, find transportation out to Taughannock Falls State park to see a waterfall taller than Niagara. Thrill seekers should also head up, past Collegetown to Six Mile Creek for some serious cliff jumping. Whatever your cup of tea, Ithaca’s got an outdoor adventure waiting for you.

So get out and enjoy Ithaca! Even if you lack the time or energy to attempt this grand tour of downtown, you should definitely check out all the locations I’ve described here. This town is well known for its breathtaking scenery and intimate public spaces. So get out there and get walking!

[Ex-Ithacan]

Some good news for a couple of buildings on the downtown Commons (from the Ithaca Journal):



$1.15M in grants to help Ithaca renovation projects
Restore NY money targeted for Commons apartments
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 2, 2009

A state grant is expected to help create 22 jobs and 13 apartments on the Commons, and to turn the empty dollar store building into a new restaurant.

State officials announced Wednesday that Ithaca will receive $1.15 million through the state's Restore NY program. The program is the same one the city is using to demolish and redevelop the Ithaca Gun factory site on East Hill.

The money will help renovate two buildings: the Petrune building, owned by husband and wife Justin Hjortshoj and Domenica Brockman, and the former Plantations/dollar store building at 132 The Commons, recently purchased by husband and wife Sunit Chutintaranond and Flaminia Cervesi, the restaurateurs behind Madeline's, Za Za's Cucina, and Just a Taste.

The upper stories of both buildings are uninhabitable based on building and fire safety codes, meaning prime real estate that contributes to the city's downtown economic development goals is being underutilized, city officials argued in their grant application.

The Petrune building will get $250,000 of state money to underwrite creation of three apartments, one of which will qualify as affordable housing, and to upgrade and expand Petrune's on-site clothing manufacturing, which is expected to create two new jobs, said Nels Bohn, director of community development for the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency. The building's owners will cover the rest of the estimated $545,000 cost, he said.

The dollar store building will get $900,000 to help create 10 upper-story apartments, two of them affordable, and to rehabilitate the vacant ground floor into a new restaurant, expected to create 20 new jobs, Bohn said. The full project cost is $2.539 million, he said.

The city also requested money to renovate and create apartments in the upper stories of the Benchwarmers building, but that request was turned down by the state, Bohn said.

Dependent on financing and paperwork with the state, Bohn said he was hopeful construction on both buildings could start by spring 2010 and be finished six to nine months later.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I'm glad this project may still move forward in these tough economic times (from the Ithaca Journal):



This is an artist's rendering of the planned Hotel Ithaca, depicted at night as seen from the northeast corner of Aurora and State streets, with The Commons to the viewer's right.




Hotel Ithaca developer drops request for tax abatement
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 3, 2009

The Hotel Ithaca developer has dropped his request for local property tax abatements.

The proposed $27 million hotel on the Commons is still asking for breaks on the mortgage recording tax and on sales tax for building materials, but the developer is no longer asking for the much more controversial local property tax abatements, according to Michael Stamm, president of Tompkins County Area Development.

The not-for-profit TCAD manages the county's Industrial Development Agency, which decides whether to give tax breaks as incentives to lure development. The agency is scheduled to discuss Hotel Ithaca at its meeting Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the Old Jail, 125 E. Court St.

Long Island developer Jeffrey Rimland proposes to build a 130-room boutique hotel at the southeastern edge of the Commons on a spot that's currently a parking lot.

Hotel Ithaca was the first project to request tax breaks since the city revised its criteria for deciding whether abatements are warranted. The project received Common Council's endorsement for property tax abatements, but several members of the Industrial Development Agency were wary of the idea at the IDA's August meeting.

The president of the Ithaca City School District Board of Education was among the people who spoke against granting the abatements.

When Rimland received Common Council permission last spring to purchase a small strip of land on Aurora Street, he said he would not seek any tax abatements. Then in June, citing the bad economy, he said he would seek abatements, but only for sales tax on construction materials, not for property tax.

Then in July, at the urging of TCAD staff members, the developers said they would also seek property tax breaks, but only in the event their state Empire Zone tax incentives fell through.

Thursday, Gov. David Paterson announced the state is scrapping the much-criticized Empire Zone program.

Hotel Ithaca had already been certified in the Empire Zone program, and certified projects will continue to be eligible for agreed-upon tax benefits, according to Elizabeth Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Empire State Development, the agency that oversees the Empire Zone program.

The total value of local property tax abatements would have been about $4.6 million.

Abatements for sales tax would apply only over the 1.5-year period when the hotel is being built -- it's an exemption for sales tax on building materials, furniture and fixtures. The total value of those abatements is estimated at $929,500.

The developer is also seeking a $115,000 break for his mortgage recording tax.

Once built, the hotel is expected to generate $172,000 annually in room occupancy tax and $137,000 in local sales tax, said Fred Bonn, director of the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Good news for my old hood (this place is a block from my old apartment building). Article from the Cornell Daily News:



The café formerly known as ABC: A new café is being opened in the former location of ABC Café on Stewart Avenue later this fall.



New Owners Set to Reopen ABC Café
Revamped locale will retain much of old flair under new leadership
September 4, 2009 - 12:00am
By Shirley Zheng

It appears that students will not be the only ones returning to Ithaca from summer vacation. After closing its doors in June, ABC Café, Ithaca’s longtime vegetarian restaurant and music venue, is returning this fall under the management of three new owners.

Sean Lunny and the two other owners, who have asked to remain anonymous for personal and business reasons, purchased the café’s menu and restaurant equipment in August after the former ABC Café was forced to close due to financial problems.

Lunny and his partners recently acquired the lease and are in the process of renovating the café. They anticipate the grand opening to be sometime in late September or early October. The café formerly known as ABC: A new café is being opened in the former location of ABC Café on Stewart Avenue later this fall.
“Our goal is to have more options in the line of organic, local, vegan, vegetarian, raw and gluten free food. Together we can go beyond what was the ABC Café and create Another Beautiful Café,” the owners stated on the café’s Facebook page.

Returning patrons and new customers can expect to find the café renovated with new windows and floor tiles and the menu expanded with more vegetarian and vegan dishes.

“I’m a vegan and I’ve been cooking for a lot of years,” Lunny said. “We’re definitely going to have more variety and price options so that there’s something for everyone.”

In addition to the former café’s menu of themed international fare, a supplement of late night snacks such as pizza will be served to attract college students. The café will also offer fresh-squeezed juices and other health foods.

“We’re turning the focus on local foods. We’ll serve local, New York state beer and Fingerlakes wine,” Lunny said. “We’ll also be working more with eggplant, which will give more variety to the vegetarian and vegan dishes.”

The list of changes to be made to the establishment includes the café’s name.

“We can’t keep the name [ABC Café] because it’s in a lot of debt and behind on a lot of taxes,” Lunny said. “It’s just too expensive to keep.”

Although the new owners have not agreed on a new name for the café located at 308 Stewart Ave., they are temporarily calling the café “Beyond ABC.”

“We had an idea to call the café the Sweet Beets Café, but not all of us like that. We’re still working on finding a good name,” Lunny said.

The owners hope to enhance the artistic and musical atmosphere of the former ABC Café by building a stage and clearing out the tables at night to accommodate shows.

“We want to be even more oriented around local music,” one of the owners said. “We hope to bring in D.J.’s every Wednesday night and continue to have Jazz Night every Thursday, which was really popular with the college crowd.”

Several student patrons expressed surprise upon hearing of ABC Café’s closing, but were happy that Beyond ABC is picking up where it left off.

“I really enjoyed ABC Café. All of my friends have been there, and a few of my good friends played there often,” John David Minnich ’10 said. “It was a nice environment to sit and have a beer or a cup of coffee and chat.”

“It was cozy and really personal,” Carol Chiu ’12 said of ABC Café’s atmosphere. “I lived nearby during the summer and was really sad when I heard it was going to close. It’s a good alternative for Collegetown dwellers, so I’m glad it’s reopening.”

[Ex-Ithacan]

Of course there will be another delay on this project, it's Ithaca.

From the Ithaca Journal:



Hotel tax break decision delayed
IDA addresses living wage issue
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 4, 2009

ITHACA -- Amid protests by living wage advocates and pleas from city planners, the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency has opted to delay for a month a decision on whether to grant tax abatements for the Hotel Ithaca.

Long Island developer Jeffrey Rimland proposes to build a $27 million, 130-room boutique hotel on the southeastern edge of the Commons.

Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, urged the IDA to grant the abatements and help the project move forward.

"This hotel is doing more for wage equity than any other hotel in Tompkins County," he said. "It may not be everything everybody wants, but it is setting a new standard."

Rimland has agreed to pay housekeepers a living wage, defined as 156 percent of the New York state minimum wage, but a dozen community members asked Friday that all hotel workers be paid a living wage.

Judith Van Allen, widow of former Ithaca Mayor Ben Nichols, said the IDA should require that all workers be paid a living wage in exchange for any tax credit on any project.

"For me it's all in the context of what kind of community we want to have, not just how much they're (developers) going to make," Van Allen said.

Responding to the rapidly shifting economy and to concerns about the reliability of the state Empire Zone program, Rimland has gone back and forth on asking for no tax breaks and asking for everything the IDA can offer: local property, sales and mortgage tax abatement.

As of Friday, Rimland had dropped his request for the most controversial aspect -- $4.6 million in requested local property tax breaks. Hotel Ithaca project manager Scott Whitham said of the decision: "It looked like it was creating so much anxiety, we figured we might as well just back off."

IDA members Friday debated how strict they should be in assessing the hotel, now that the developer is no longer asking for property tax abatements. The sales tax breaks on building materials, furniture and fixtures are expected to be worth just under $1 million, and the one-time mortgage tax abatement would be worth $115,000.

City Alderman Dan Cogan, D-5th, argued that the hotel offers far more community benefits than required to get the sales and mortgage tax breaks. Creating jobs, providing local sales, room and property tax, and building in a downtown location that would otherwise likely remain a parking lot are all benefits to the community, Cogan said.

Tompkins County Legislator and IDA Chairwoman Martha Robertson, D-Dryden, argued that the IDA should continue to assess the project critically and ensure that there will be penalties if the developer doesn't maintain the promises he makes in exchange for tax abatements.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hmmmmm, maybe I should try to get a job at Cornell (when the hiring freeze is over). From the Ithaca Journal:




AARP: Cornell top employer again
Ranking comes despite early-retirement incentives offered earlier in the year
By Liz Lawyer • elawyer@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 8, 2009

Cornell University's second award from the American Association for Retired Persons reinforces the university's efforts to provide services for older employees, said Lynette Chappell-Williams, director of Cornell's workforce diversity program.

For the second year in a row, Cornell tops the AARP's list of 50 best employers for workers aged 50 and older, the first organization to receive the top award twice.

Chappell-Williams said the award is significant as a highlight of the school's commitment to workforce diversity.

In 2007, Cornell was in 24th place on the list. In the years before that, it landed in 32nd and fifth.

"Winning this recognition from the AARP for 2009 is particularly gratifying, as we have worked aggressively to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse workforce while addressing our financial challenges," said Mary Opperman, vice president for human resources at Cornell. "This honor illustrates our ongoing efforts to make Cornell the best employer for all of our staff and faculty."

This year, Cornell was noted by the AARP for policies such as phased retirement for both faculty and staff, an on-site wellness program, flexible work options like telecommuting and compressed work weeks, paid days off for family care giving, a university-subsidized prescription drug plan and the ability for retired employees to access a Cornell education at no charge.

Chappell-Williams said it is unclear whether the early retirement incentives offered last March either helped or hurt the school's ranking. She said the AARP's review may have been completed by the time the incentives were offered.

Layoffs that occurred throughout the university likely had little impact on the review, since they affected all workers and not only older employees, Chappell-Williams said, and because the university made several efforts to find ways to trim the budget without cutting staff.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Ithaca on another "Best Of...." list. I'm just not sure how they figured this one out. I think the reporter could have found an easier way to explain the criteria.

From the Ithaca Journal:





Ithaca tops list of best college towns
By Liz Lawyer • elawyer@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 8, 2009

As far as college towns go, Ithaca tops the list, according to a Massachusetts-based economic research group.

The American Institute for Economic Research ranked 360 cities and towns, divided into groups based on size, claiming hometown status of a college, resulting in a list of 75 best cities for college students.

Kerry Lynch, a senior fellow with AIER, said the list was put together to help college students.

"Mainly it's to help students when they're choosing a college," she said. "There's a lot of information on colleges, but not as much information on the metropolitan areas where colleges are, and those influence the college."

Cities were judged on academic environment, quality of life and professional opportunity.

Ithaca ranked first among college towns, which were defined as metropolitan areas under 250,000 residents and greater than 15,000 college students.

Lynch said Ithaca did especially well in their measurements of academic environment. Ithaca has 310 college students for every 1000 residents, 11.5 percent of the student body is from overseas, and 64.4 percent of the population between 25 and 34 having completed a degree. Student concentration, degree attainment, and research spending were the highest among the top 20 college towns, as determined by AIER.

It also had among the highest average rent rates for a two-bedroom apartment, behind only Burlington, Vt., and Flagstaff, Ariz. Ithaca had 51.5 establishments per capita in arts, entertainment and recreation, again falling behind only Burlington and Flagstaff. City accessibility, meaning the percentage of workers who use public transportation to get to work, was the highest among the top 20 college towns, at 12.8 percent.

In the professional opportunity area, Ithaca's brain drain, measured as a year-over-year ratio of the population with a bachelor's of arts living in the area, was 0.995.




Here's a local TV news report:

http://news10now.com/content/top_sto...ionCookie=1045

[Ex-Ithacan]

Ithaca area landmark gets recognition (from the Ithaca Journal):


pic from loopnet.com


Rogues' Harbor Inn gets National Register listing
Staff report • September 9, 2009

The Rogues' Harbor Inn, a South Lansing landmark at the corner of Routes 34 and 34-B, has achieved listing on the National Register of Historic Places, Historic Ithaca and owner Eileen Stout announced Wednesday.

Built in 1830, the inn was a rumored stop on the Underground Railroad, and local legends tell of its role as a speakeasy during Prohibition. Today, the inn, restored by Stout, serves as a restaurant, tavern, bed and breakfast and meeting hall in the restored ballroom.

Historic Ithaca staff researched and wrote the nomination last fall, and it was accepted at the New York level in December.

According to Stout, Rogues' Harbor was built as the Central Exchange Hotel as a stagecoach stop, then later served train traffic and steamboats at nearby Meyers Point. Among guests have been Harriet Tubman, William Henry Seward, author Grace Miller White and notorious Ithaca fugitive Edward Rulloff, kept in the basement in lieu of a jail cell. It was also called the Elm Grove Hotel for trees on its grounds, and is said to have acquired its name when a patron smashed a bottle of whiskey on an outer wall and shouted "here's to a harbor of rogues!"

Stout acquired it in 2001.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Nice to see more activity on this once parking lot filled street in downtown (from the Cornell Daily Sun):



Develop me: Green Street east of Cayuga Street will be the home of a new Gimme! Coffee, pharmacy and TCAT bus stop



Green Street Corridor Sees Growth, Despite Recession
September 11, 2009 - 12:00am
By Brendan Doyle

Despite the economic recession, downtown Ithaca continues to expand. The corridor between Green Street and Cayuga Street is fast becoming a trendy consumer complex, with a new Gimme! Coffee, pharmacy and TCAT bus stop sprouting up alongside the recently opened Urban Outfitters.

The point of the development, according to city officials, is to make the area a destination spot in the same vein of the Commons.

“I think we’re creating a fun city,” said Alderperson Svante Myrick ’09 (D-4th ward). “Green Street now is a major improvement on Green Street four years ago. We want to make [the area] a destination and extension of the Commons.”

The development is part of the “Cayuga-Green Project,” a name given by developers several years ago to plans for the area. The new TCAT bus terminal augers well for the new local businesses, as buses will bring an influx of consumers to and from the area every day.

“TCAT leases the space from Cayuga Green,” said Dan Tome, purchasing and project manager for TCAT. “At one point TCAT did have a bus stop at that location, but with construction of new Cayuga Green facilities they eliminated it.”

Efforts to get the bus stop back up and running have been extensive. Tome noted that the facility is funded by the Federal Transportation Administration, and is “an entirely different project for us.

“The process to get it fully opened has taken quite some time,” said Tome. “This facility we have is about 1,400 square feet, and we went through a request for proposal process.”

Especially noteworthy about the spot is that the “shelter” for the stop will be in the Gimme! Coffee establishment, a bold innovation that Tome hopes will pay off with more riders for TCAT and more customers for the coffee shop.

“They’re a well-respected vendor in Ithaca, and they can provide coffees and quick drinks to our customers,” Tome said. “Nowhere else have we integrated a food vendor with a bus stop.”

TCAT buses had chosen Gimme! Coffee from among a list of potential partners for the bus stop, and hopes to coincide the opening of the stop in mid-October with the opening of the coffee shop. The shop will be Gimme! Coffee’s fourth in Ithaca. Myrick noted that there was going to be another high-end apartment complex opening in the area, complementing the recently developed Cayuga Green apartments.

[Dr Nevergold]

I'm still amazed at how much is going on for a small dinky town like Ithaca.

BTW Tom, please accept my apologies for misspeaking when we met. How DARE I mistakenly say you were from UTICA! Ithaca is SO much more cultured! LOL

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ No problemo, just don't let Jmancuso hear you say that about Utica.


I think I'm going to do a small thread about the last decade of development in Ithaca.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Oh well, another project proposal that will probably gather a ton of dust while studies/surveys/meetings/etc. are done to determine if it should move forward.
from the Ithaca Journal



106-unit development proposed for West Hill
Holochuk Homes would cluster complex near hospital
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 15, 2009


The Holochuck Homes development on West Hill would add roughly 106 units near Cayuga Medical Center while donating 65 acres of land to New York state parks.

The Town of Ithaca Planning Board held a preliminary discussion Tuesday night on the environmental impact statement for the proposed development.

Long Island developers Mark and Matty Holochuck own 109 acres between routes 96 and 89 on West Hill. They propose the construction of approximately 20 buildings, with two to six units per building, on 29 of the acres. The 65 acres proposed for donation to state parks could be used for the Black Diamond Trail, according to town planning documents.

Another 10 acres between the development and the hospital are slated to remain as open space, with a walking trail connection to the hospital, where residents could have access to a bus stop.

Subdivision entrances are proposed on Route 96 and Bundy Road.

The Holochuck proposal is one of several large-scale development proposals that have raised concerns among some West Hill residents.

In April, a group of residents asked the town to enact a moratorium on development on West Hill until the town completes a revision of its comprehensive plan, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010.

The request came largely in response to a Tompkins County planning study on Route 96 and to Carrowmoor, a proposed 400-unit, high-end, zero-carbon development proposal on Route 79 west of Linderman Creek and north of Ecovillage.

The county's Route 96 corridor management study looks at the potential for development and conservation from the Ithaca city line to Trumansburg, and recommends encouraging clustered development near the hospital, in Jacksonville and in Trumansburg.

The town's planning committee debated the moratorium idea for several months but eventually decided to table it.

An environmental impact statement on the Carrowmoor project is being written.

In reviewing the Holochuck Homes environmental review Tuesday, planning board members asked for more information on water and sewer capacity and affordable housing.

Board member Hollis Erb questioned the developers' claim that they were providing affordable housing because homes were slated to be affordable to people making between 120 and 160 percent of the Tompkins County median income. County median income in 2007 was $44,379, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Three-quarters of the identified need in the county's affordable housing needs assessment is for housing affordable to people making 120 percent or less, Erb said.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Another new apartment building possible for downtown (from the Ithaca Journal)
The new building is on the left.



HOLT Architects/Provided

A rendering of the proposed six-story apartment building that would replace the Women's Community Building at the northwest






Affordable housing project proposed
6-story structure would replace Women's Community Building
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 17, 2009

ITHACA -- Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services has proposed a plan to demolish the Women's Community Building and replace it with a six-story, affordable housing apartment complex, with community meeting space on the bottom floor.

Plans were first presented to Common Council's planning committee Wednesday night.

The move would require the city to change zoning on the lot. Current zoning allows four stories and requires one off-street parking space per unit.

INHS is asking that the lot be changed to match the zoning on the other three corners -- the Clinton House, the Masonic Temple and the DeWitt Mall -- which allows six stories and requires no off-street parking.

Planning committee members were supportive of the change, saying it would help the city meet goals for downtown density and affordable housing. They also urged INHS to maintain the community meeting space currently provided in the Women's Community Building.

INHS Executive Director Paul Mazzarella said it's certainly the organization's intention to keep the space, but that financing and other issues may make it difficult.

One of the reasons the property's current owner, the City Federation of Women's Organizations of Ithaca, has agreed to sell is because they make so little money renting the meeting space, he said.

"They're empty probably 90 percent of the time," he said. "Quite honestly, it costs money to build and maintain that space."

If built as proposed, the property would come back onto the tax rolls, based on a state formula for affordable housing complexes, Mazzarella said. The entire property is currently tax exempt.

As proposed, INHS would build 25 one-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom units, with rents ranging from $300 to $1,000 per month.

City Planning Director JoAnn Cornish said the zoning change "makes sense" and Alderman Dan Cogan, D-5th, said the proposed project is "ideal."

Though parking wouldn't be required under the proposed zoning, Mazzarella said INHS plans to build 15 spaces on site.

Planning Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Dotson, I-1st, supported the zoning change and encouraged INHS to create green space rather than on-site parking.

To meet state funding deadlines, Common Council would have to approve the zoning change, and the city Planning Board would have to grant site plan approval, before next February, Mazzarella said.

The planning committee agreed to circulate a memo with more information on the project, and address the issue again next month.

[Ex-Ithacan]

An Ithaca institution (as far as the performing arts goes) is going full time. This theatre was a hanger for the old municipal airport near Cayuga Lake (on the flats). From the Ithaca Journal.



An architectural rendering of the planned renovation of the Hangar Theatre


A theater for all seasons
Hangar Theatre raises enough money to pay for upgrade to year-round use
By Stacey Shackford • sshackford@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 20, 2009

Many lofty ambitions have been tied to the old airport hangar at the corner of Cass Park, which has been transformed several times over the past 70 years.

The landmark is now ready to embark on its next lease of life -- a $4.6 million overhaul that will not only jazz up the theater's interior and exterior look, but also allow it to be used in all seasons.

Hangar Theatre staff, supporters, patrons and politicians plan to gather at the site today for an official groundbreaking ceremony.

They were encouraged to "dream the impossible dream" during a short rendition of songs from the musical "Man of La Mancha," the Hangar's inaugural production when it first opened its doors in 1977, and the first scheduled performance when it reopens again in July.

The day may have seemed like a dream to directors, who first started planning for the capital project six years ago and began raising funds for it two years ago. Their efforts have generated nearly $4 million so far and will continue through December.

That amount is enough to cover the costs of the renovation, and an additional goal of $600,000 would go toward the organization's endowment.

The work, which is expected to be completed next June, includes winterization, storm-water management, lobby re-design, new auditorium seats, upgraded and expanded public restroom facilities, a better backstage area and improved access and safety, both indoors and outdoors.

Originally built as a Works Progress Administration project in the 1930s, the former airplane hangar served as a skating rink, storage site, and rock music hall until it was re-claimed as a community theater in the early 1970s by a group of idealistic Ithacans dreaming of a cultural hub for Tompkins County.

It now serves more than 60,000 patrons annually through its extensive artistic and education programs, and Executive Director Lisa Bushlow hopes the renovation will allow it to attract even more people with an extended production season.

"We are committed to providing quality theatrical experiences and educational programming to every single person in this community," she said. "The renovated, year-round Hangar facility will help to make our dream possible."

[vasiliymeshko]

Hotel Ithaca looks very good on the night render.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Yeah, I'm excited about the possibility of that one going up. It will really be a solid anchor building for that end of the Commons.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I think the Nimbys are right about this one. In fact, I think the moratorium should be taken a step further. I say all the existing homes in the area be torn down and let nature take the whole area back.

From the Ithaca Times.



Ithaca town residents fight development

Taryn Thompson
Reporter

It has been an ongoing issue for almost 25 years.

Residents of Ithaca's North East corner continue to fight for the preservation of their neighborhood the way it stands now - without further development. But builder Rocco Lucente has been planning for the past two decades to construct a sequel just east of his Briarwood I, a strip of homes at the crossroads of Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary and Hanshaw Road.

The planned Briarwood II - currently no more than a preliminary sketch - has been the recipient of opposition from Lucente's neighbors, who argue that another development would wreak havoc on the environmental sensitivity of the area.

The North East Ithaca Neighborhood Association, specifically, has expressed contention regarding drainage problems and the preservation of wetlands as they related to Briarwood I and the earlyplanning stages of Briarwood II.

In the 1993 Town of Ithaca Comprehensive Plan, the whole area was held out as a possible conservation zone. In 2004, the Town Codes and Ordinances Committee visited this issue about whether a conservation zone should be implemented there and decided to cover the Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary - not including the rest of the North East.

"At that time, I don't think most of us in the North East even knew that this was under consideration," said Bill Sonnenstuhl, a NEINA member. "If we had been, we probably would have weighed in on the issue."

In 2006, the Town of Ithaca Planning Board held public hearings on Briarwood II, at which point North East residents provided testimony against the proposal.

"The chair said, 'I've got the votes for letting this go ahead,' and after that we kept appealing to the Town Planning Board without much recourse," Sonnenstuhl said. "So we did take our concerns to the Town Board, who graciously listened to us for several months."

The Town Board decided to commission a study of whether the conservation zone should be extended, the final report of which was submitted and discussed in the Fall of 2008. The research and report was conducted by LeCain Environmental Services, Inc.

"The study showed how much of this area has habitat that is of moderate to high ecological value, and goes beyond simply the borders of the wetlands," said NEINA member Adrian Williams said. "Putting in these houses would annihilate that portion of woodlands."

Since then, there have been two extensions of a building moratorium. Town Supervisor Herb Engman said the latest moratorium has been extended until Dec. 20 in order to allow the board more time to review new information about the ecological nature of the North East area, which continues to mount.

NEINA member and landscape architect Patricia Page said the North East problems of water retention and storm water runoff lie deep within the soils native to this area. According to the Tompkins County Soil Survey, a resource that defines soils and their characteristics, these soils are not appropriate for housing.

NEINA also argues that the health and vitality of wetlands in the area is also under dire threat and that woodland destruction is due to the continuous implementation of housing units over the past few decades.

Earlier this month, the Town Board presented to NEINA possible solutions to mitigate the damage done to personal property. But the costs were hefty, and Sonnenstuhl said the construction tug-of-war endures.

"While the $9.3 million price tag for addressing problems was a shocker, the retention costs of the Town and neighborhood should convince any skeptic that our water problems are serious," he said.

"In addition, the $9.3 million price tag to solve our water problems also highlights the need to ensure that any future development in the North East not contribute to existing problems," Sonnenstuhl added. "For this reason, we continue to support the extension of the existing conservation zone, as recommended in the LeCain study.

An extension of the conservation zone would permit very low-density housing while preserving the area's ecological features, "which are essential for mitigating water problems in the rest of the neighborhood," he said.

"We would like to continue working with the Town to find less costly solutions," Sonnenstuhl said. "We also support exploring other options for preserving the woodlands and wetlands in this area."

This spring, Cornell University engaged Lucente in discussions regarding how a land swap would actually achieve this goal. Those negotiations were inconclusive, so NEINA hosted a meeting with Cornell, Lucente and the town board last Wednesday to try and move the university and Lucente back to the table. Again the discussions were inconclusive.

On Thursday, NEINA gave a presentation to the Town of Ithaca Planning Committee with their thoughts on the extension of the conservation zone. The result was a decision of the Planning Committee to move a recommendation to the Town Board to consider a conservation zone.

"You could have the moratorium expire while we're working on the conservation zone or amending our zoning laws," said Town Attorney William Goodman.

Planning Committee Chair Rich DePaolo said the LeCain study provides justification for pursuing the conservation zone in this area. But the committee is still wrestling with the issue.

"I want to dispel the myth from my own opinion that the conservation zone was ever off the table," DePaolo said. "In my mind it certainly remains an option. We've had three possible solutions available: one is a land swap that would have prevented development, one is a conservation zone and one is a development. Any of those three things could happen."

[Ex-Ithacan]

I remember the days when Ithaca had a whole lot more blue collar jobs. I guess the city is trending the way the country has been. At least there's some hi-tech and a ton of education/research to keep the local economy going.
Some info listed in the Ithaca Journal:

Tompkins County wages 2008, fourth quarter
* High-tech sectors average: $61,370
* Manufacturing sectors average: $49,750
* All sectors average: $41,700




Interesting article from the Ithaca Journal:


Business Campus growing jobs on South Hill
Local developer re-invents old factory for high-tech start-ups
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • September 25, 2009

In 2004, the Axiohm factory on South Hill was a fairly depressing place.

Years of outsourcing and job losses left the factory only 15 percent occupied, while environmental contamination beneath the building cost time and money, scaring away potential buyers.

Sound familiar?

The current outlook certainly looks bleak for Emerson Power Transmission, whose owners recently announced that they will close the iconic plant within a year. But at least according to one Tompkins County economic planner, those needing inspiration for the facility can just look up the road.

The National Cash Register factory was built in 1957, producing cash registers and adding machines on a site just across Route 96B from Ithaca College, and south of what is now Emerson.

"I mean, originally NCR was all about manufacturing everything. They made their own screws," said long-time South Hill Business Campus Property Manager Linda Luciano. "Steel bar stock came in and it went out as a finished unit."

By the mid-1990s, the building had been sold twice and Axiohm took over, by that time manufacturing receipt printers, such as the kinds used at ATMs and gas pumps, Luciano said. But like many U.S. manufacturers, NCR and then Axiohm slowly outsourced much of the factory's manufacturing overseas, and the South Hill work force declined.

By 2004, Axiohm had outsourced all of its manufacturing and wanted to sell. But the environmental contamination left from previous operations meant that not only would potential buyers have to bear the cleanup expense, they wouldn't be able to get a bank to loan them money on the property either.

That's when Ithaca developer Andy Sciarabba became involved -- "purely by accident," he said -- and agreed to buy the factory. Over the past several decades, Sciarabba has helped develop properties such as the five-story office building at 200 E. Buffalo St. and Center Ithaca on the Commons, as well as a dozen commercial and Collegetown properties.

Sciarabba and his investors agreed to put $6 million of their own money on the line.

"So if things went bust, we were all on the hook," he said.

Five years later, the Axiohm factory has been re-invented as the South Hill Business Campus. Once nearly empty, it's now 85 percent rented, and peopled by an assortment of manufacturers, architects, lawyers, high-tech start-ups, piano rebuilders, cabinet makers, radio DJs, and not-for-profit agencies.

The largest space Sciarabba leases is to Goodrich, a company that produces orientation systems that help pilots position their aircraft. The smallest space is a closet-sized room that somebody rents for storage.

The engineering and administration side of Axiohm -- now called TPG -- still rents space in the building. Therm, a company whose main manufacturing plant is on the other side of South Hill, rents expansion space in the building, as does Novomer, a research and development start-up that manufactures polymer from carbon dioxide. Another high-tech company, Primet, recently earned an $8 million federal grant to develop new lithium ion battery technology.

Sciarabba credits much of his success to the fact that there is little manufacturing capacity in Tompkins County, especially of the sort that allows small start-ups to rent only as many square feet as they want, in a custom-built space.

The president of Tompkins County's development agency points to South Hill Business Campus as a model that's working.

"The project, I think, has performed beyond expectations," said Michael Stamm, president of the not-for-profit Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD). "Novomer and Primet (are) perfect examples of where we think future good jobs will come from in Tompkins County -- companies that in some way or another are using technology, often from Cornell, and start here, stay here, grow here."

In the past, many good jobs in Tompkins County came from the kind of traditional manufacturing done at Emerson.

In 1962, manufacturing accounted for 36 percent of all private-sector jobs in the county, according to Martha Armstrong, director of economic development and planning at TCAD.

By 2008, manufacturing accounted for only 7 percent of private sector jobs, about 3,700 positions -- and that sector had already been outpaced by technology and high-tech service jobs, which accounted for almost 4,000 positions, according to Armstrong.

"I think our strategy has to change with how the economy has changed," Stamm said. "We've clearly seen major changes in the U.S. economy, and what is staying here, and what we've seen in Ithaca, is companies that utilize technology."

The nationwide loss of manufacturing jobs to outsourcing overseas is likely to continue, said Garrick Blalock, an associate professor of applied economics and management at Cornell. Blalock is an economist who studies the relationship between trade and productivity.

As overseas workers become better educated, infrastructure in developing countries improves, and information technology eases coordination with remote factories, more companies will decide to move manufacturing abroad, he said.

The companies and jobs most likely to remain local are those "that depend on highly educated labor, firms that have demanding infrastructure requirements, and firms for which activities associated with manufacturing, such as protecting intellectual property, are difficult overseas. A university technology spin-off, for example, fits all three criteria," Blalock said by email.

At South Hill Business Campus, Sciarabba is proud to point out that there are 280 employees in the building, with 80 more coming when Challenge Industries moves in early next year.

At 65 years old, Sciarabba considers himself "retired" because he no longer works at the financial services and accounting firm he helped found, though he still oversees his own seven employees at South Hill Business Campus and he has visions of expanding the factory by as early as 2012.

He also continues to plant trees in the nursery he started at his home 12 years ago.

"My wife says, 'You're not gonna be here when they're big enough.' I say, 'I'm gonna be here.' "

[Ex-Ithacan]

At least the process for the new hotel is moving, and in a positive direction:

(From the Ithaca Journal)



This is an artist's rendering of the Hotel Ithaca, depicted at night as seen from the northeast corner of Aurora and State streets, with The Commons to the viewer's right.




IDA moves forward with Hotel Ithaca tax breaks
Public hearing to be scheduled
By Krisy Gashler • kgashler@gannett.com • Staff Writer • October 2, 2009, 8:05 pm


Defeating a resolution that would have required all hotel employees to be paid a living wage, the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency has taken the next step toward granting roughly $1 million worth of tax breaks for the Hotel Ithaca.

The IDA voted 5-1 at their Friday meeting to hold a public hearing on the issue. The date and time haven't been scheduled. IDA member Jeff Furman voted against.

The $27 million luxury hotel is proposed for the southeast corner of the Commons. Developer Jeffrey Rimland is asking for just less than $1 million in state and local sales tax exemptions for building materials, furniture and fixtures, and $115,000 in mortgage recording tax abatement. He dropped his request for local property tax breaks.

The IDA spent more than an hour listening to public comment in a room packed with 40 members of the public.

Furman offered a resolution that would have required Rimland to pay all workers a living wage in exchange for tax abatements. Rimland has agreed to pay all housekeepers a living wage, but not all employees.

Rimland estimates that he'll charge an average of $195 per night for rooms in the hotel. Furman argued that if he charged $197 per night, that would cover the extra needed to pay everyone a living wage.

"This is a million dollars," Furman said. "That's 50 years of being a housekeeper to make a million dollars."

"I need flexibility," Rimland said. "That type of inflexible obligation has made Detroit and the American auto workers uncompetitive."

Furman's resolution failed 4-2, with Tompkins County Legislature Chairman Mike Koplinka-Loehr, Common Council Alderman Dan Cogan, D-5th, Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler, and IDA member Larry Baum voting against. Furman and IDA Chairwoman Martha Robertson voted in favor.

"I see this resolution as an appeal to stretch, to make this even better," Robertson said.

"He's trying to pull off a project that most communities in New York state would kill for and we're giving him this much grief?" Baum said.

Downtown business owners, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and an Ithaca Common Council member spoke to urge the IDA to grant the tax breaks. Mayor Carolyn Peterson couldn't attend, but sent a recorded message supporting Rimland's project as "a huge investment in the downtown and the Ithaca Commons."

Before and during the IDA meeting, roughly 25 people from the Tompkins County Workers' Center rallied to ask that any tax abatement be tied to a guarantee that all hotel employees be paid a living wage.

Two months ago, the president of the Ithaca City School District Board of Education spoke to oppose property tax abatements. Friday a board representative spoke in favor of the sales and mortgage tax abatements, citing the potential for new property and sales tax in the community, if Rimland's project is built.