Some Ithaca news

[Visiteur]

"At this newest site, designers aim to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, known as LEED. The facility would include rain harvesting, underground parking and non-toxic building materials. The site would also offer a gym, pool and community gathering space, as well as square footage for retail and office uses that would allow people to avoid commuting.

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

Underground parking? Retail and office space? something tells me we have a big fish at the end of this rod.

[whit_x]

I don't mind windmills, since solar power isn't going to work so well in a place like Ithaca, since most of the year is grey there. As far as the condos themselves, I'm struggling to find the demand for much of the product that is going up, much less this project. Hopefully the developer has a very long scale outlook, since the projects similar to this here in Florida are being hastily redrawn as regular single family subdivisions, since market demand has cooled.

[Ex-Ithacan]

A story with a happy ending (I guess).


CU police save man from 120-foot fall
By Raymond Drumsta
Journal Staff

ITHACA — It's a long fall from the top of College Avenue Bridge to the bottom of Cascadilla Gorge, and two quick-thinking and acting Cornell University Police Officers prevented one such plunge by an allegedly suicidal man early Saturday morning.

Officer Anthony Tostanoski and Officer Ronald Rogers attributed their split-second grab of the man — made as he was about to leap into the gorge — to the strength of their partnership.


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Tostanoski and Rogers said they were parked at a DWI checkpoint half a block from the College Avenue Bridge around 2 a.m. when they heard a radio report of a man preparing to jump from the bridge. They immediately drove the short distance to the spot and saw several students standing around the elderly man, who was sitting on the nearly yard-wide stone wall which acts as the bridge's railing.

The man had one leg laying on the wall and the other dangling over the wall's edge — into the gorge, the officers said. Both had handled suicide situations before, they added.
“This was different,” Tostanoski said. “You could tell this guy meant business.”

As they approached, the crowd of students parted and the man put his other leg over the side, the officers said, so that he was now sitting, fully facing the gorge, with his palms flat on the wall on either side of him.

“Once he saw us, he put his other foot over the edge and assumed a push-off position,” Tostanoski said.

While Rogers gained eye-contact with the man, Tostanoski worked his way around the man in order to get closer to him.

“As soon as he saw Ron, he rose up,” Tostanoski said.

The man then leaned forward and attempted to jump into the gorge.

Rogers is a veteran of the Army, Tostanoski a veteran of the Marines, and Tostanoski credits Rogers with training him when he joined the Cornell University Police. The drop to the bottom of the gorge they estimated, is about 120 feet.

On the bridge, in that moment, the training — and their partnership — paid off.

“We both, simultaneously, in synch, grabbed him,” Rogers said. “We yanked him down quick, placed him gently on the ground and handcuffed him.”

The officers said the man, who was intoxicated, was transported to Cayuga Medical Center.

The subsequent investigation found two coats belonging to the man, the officers said.

One coat, lying on the other side of the bridge, held the man's identification. The other, which was on the stone wall next to him, had his name along with an apology for leaving a “mangled body” scrawled in black marker on it.

Several witnesses confirmed that the man “was determined to end his life,” according to a letter by Cornell Police Sgt. Scott R. Grantz, the shift supervisor at the time of the incident.

“The situation that Officers Tostanoski and Rogers faced was difficult, and the actions that they took were alert, quick, decisive, rational, and displayed performance under stress that we can all be proud of,” Grantz's letter reads.

In his letter, Grantz nominated Tostanoski and Rogers for a Cornell University Police Department Life Saving Medal.

According to the department, the Life Saving Medal is given to a department member, who, in a non-combative situation is directly responsible for preventing the imminent death of a victim.

“We knew what to without saying anything to each other,” Rogers said.


rdrumsta@ithacajournal.com

[Visiteur]

Well, "Ithaca is gorges", as they say...

and going back to today's copy of the IJ, note that Ithaca was rated one of the top ten small cities for gay couples in Advocate magazine.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Yep, I caught that one Vis, and I posted it in skybar.

[Ex-Ithacan]

This should have been done years ago, Glad to see the local merchants realize what is good for them as well as the pedestrians.

Elmira Road to get new sidewalks
Property owners to pay for walkways; Deadline for project completion not set
By Jennie Daley
Journal Staff

ITHACA — This spring the City of Ithaca will be installing sidewalks along the southern end of Elmira Road within the city limits.

The Uniform Sidewalk Improvement project, directed by the Board of Public Works, will be done under city contract and billed to the 38 property owners in the affected area. The work will extend from just north of Commercial Avenue to the city line.


At last week's Board of Public Works meeting, it was noted that plans for this sidewalk extension have been discussed, on and off, for over 10 years.

“Looks like they're finally ready to make sure everything is done,” said Mike Whitaker, son of Jim Whitaker, the owner of Tallmadge Tire.
Mike Whitaker said he supports the work that will help with increased pedestrian traffic, even though it is causing some headaches for the business. Under the city's proposed project, the mechanic shop would lose all of its parking in front of the store, which is about 30 percent of the business' total, according to Whitaker.

He hopes that, by working with a city engineer, they will be able to find a compromise that provides a few spots out front for handicapped or elderly customers to drop off their cars.

Lynne Yost, assistant civil engineer for the city, said that of the properties that installed sidewalks under a similar program last year, all but one contracted out the work themselves.

“I heard they saved on order of half of what they would've paid the city,” she said.

Tallmadge Tire is one of 15 properties where meeting the mandated 10-foot setback adopted as a design standard for the area would put the sidewalk partially or totally on private property.

“If you are bulldozing the site and starting over, this is the rule. It gets a little trickier when the site is developed and you are updating some item,” said Bill Gray, superintendent of public works for the City of Ithaca.

Gray said the setbacks are important because “if we make them much less, it affects the ability to maintain and use the sidewalks.”

There are three main problems that arise if setback distances shrink, according to Gray. First, there is insufficient space for snow storage in winter, causing plowed snow to cover shoveled sidewalks. There's also the issue of having pedestrians near cars that are traveling at 35 to 40 mph, as well as the concern that pedestrians are much more likely to be splashed during warm months if they're close to the road.

Wherever the sidewalk goes, Tallmadge Tire will have to repave the area in front of the store, part of the reason that Whitaker said he plans to contract out the work and pay for it, instead of using city contractors. For this to be approved by city officials, the business will have to show reasonable progress and meet city-set deadlines.

Deadlines were much of the conversation last week and again Wednesday as the property owners noted that the original mid-May goal for project completion didn't allow much time for businesses to comply.

A resolution under consideration at Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting would have required sidewalk completion by early August, but the resolution was put off until next week. The delay was created by concerns about how long it might take to negotiate with property owners where the sidewalk could be on private property.

“It's a choice between getting it done quickly and getting it done in what you hope will be a better way,” City Attorney Dan Hoffman said.


jdaley@ithacajournal.com




Originally published March 15, 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

The Ithaca area does have poverty issues.


Poverty by the Numbers

Living wage

Living wage in Tompkins County is $9.18 an hour or $19,102 a year, according to Alternatives Federal Credit Union. Only 37 of the 2,321 employers in the county are certified as living wage employers.


Minimum wage

The New York minimum wage increased from $6.75 to $7.15 an hour in January. If a New York employee earned minimum wage and worked 40 hours a week for an entire year without any unpaid holidays or vacation days, he or she would be paid $14,872. The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour.
Tompkins trend

The poverty trend in Tompkins County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates:

11,834 at 13.5 percent in 2004

11,406 at 13 percent in 2003

11,249 at 12.6 percent in 2002

10,980 at 12.5 percent in 2001

10,350 at 12 percent in 2000 (Distinguishing this from the full Census data)

9,977 at 11.7 percent in 1999

11,412 at 13.1 percent in 1998

11,884 at 13.7 percent in 1997

Neighboring counties

Neighboring county data on poverty for 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates:

6,193 at 13.6 percent in Cortland County

9,094 at 11.7 percent in Cayuga County

3,690 at 11.4 percent in Seneca County

4,842 at 9.4 percent in Tioga County

Facts and figures

* The U.S. government measures poverty using the cost of food based on a diet model created in the 1960s. Each year the government accounts for inflation associated with food cost and changes the poverty threshold, but how poverty is measured has not changed since the 1960s despite drastic changes in the everyday financial lives of Americans.

* Of the 5,621 students enrolled in the Ithaca City School District, 1,753 are on free or reduced lunch plans. That's 31 percent of the district.

* 35 percent of households in Tompkins County have incomes less than $25,000, and one quarter of the population makes less than $20,000 a year.

* Nearly 1 out of every 3 households in Tompkins County has housing affordability problems, according to the Tompkins County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment.

* More than 500 households in Tompkins County use more than half of their income on housing, according to the Tompkins County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment.

* More than 10,000 households, or 40 percent in Tompkins County, use more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to the Tompkins County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment.

* One in 8 children in Tompkins County lives in poverty, according to Tompkins Community Action.



Originally published March 17, 2007



Here's another related article (including reader comments): http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...WS01/703170313

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

The Ithaca area does have poverty issues.


Poverty by the Numbers

Living wage

Living wage in Tompkins County is $9.18 an hour or $19,102 a year, according to Alternatives Federal Credit Union. Only 37 of the 2,321 employers in the county are certified as living wage employers.


Minimum wage

The New York minimum wage increased from $6.75 to $7.15 an hour in January. If a New York employee earned minimum wage and worked 40 hours a week for an entire year without any unpaid holidays or vacation days, he or she would be paid $14,872. The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour.
Tompkins trend

The poverty trend in Tompkins County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates:

11,834 at 13.5 percent in 2004

11,406 at 13 percent in 2003

11,249 at 12.6 percent in 2002

10,980 at 12.5 percent in 2001

10,350 at 12 percent in 2000 (Distinguishing this from the full Census data)

9,977 at 11.7 percent in 1999

11,412 at 13.1 percent in 1998

11,884 at 13.7 percent in 1997

Neighboring counties

Neighboring county data on poverty for 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates:

6,193 at 13.6 percent in Cortland County

9,094 at 11.7 percent in Cayuga County

3,690 at 11.4 percent in Seneca County

4,842 at 9.4 percent in Tioga County

Facts and figures

* The U.S. government measures poverty using the cost of food based on a diet model created in the 1960s. Each year the government accounts for inflation associated with food cost and changes the poverty threshold, but how poverty is measured has not changed since the 1960s despite drastic changes in the everyday financial lives of Americans.

* Of the 5,621 students enrolled in the Ithaca City School District, 1,753 are on free or reduced lunch plans. That's 31 percent of the district.

* 35 percent of households in Tompkins County have incomes less than $25,000, and one quarter of the population makes less than $20,000 a year.

* Nearly 1 out of every 3 households in Tompkins County has housing affordability problems, according to the Tompkins County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment.

* More than 500 households in Tompkins County use more than half of their income on housing, according to the Tompkins County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment.

* More than 10,000 households, or 40 percent in Tompkins County, use more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to the Tompkins County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment.

* One in 8 children in Tompkins County lives in poverty, according to Tompkins Community Action.



Originally published March 17, 2007



Here's another related article (including reader comments): http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...WS01/703170313

A related issue is that in the city the price of housing has forced low and medium wage workers to the outskirts of town, relying on the practical necessity of a car to get around. An example, recently I was looking at housing prices just in case I had gotten the planner job I applied for with the County (didn't work out ) I couldn't find anything for less than 700 a month in the city and that was in the GIAC area. For someone that's a professional, that's workable, but for the vast majority that work in the service industry, that isn't workable unless they have 2 or 3 people living in that one bedroom apartment, or instead winding up in Danby, Lansing, or in Brooktondale, living in a singlewide.

[whit_x]

I agree with you. I've had the rough task of trying to walk from the tire shop to Manos' on more than one occasion. Not the safest thing in the world.

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

This should have been done years ago, Glad to see the local merchants realize what is good for them as well as the pedestrians.

Elmira Road to get new sidewalks
Property owners to pay for walkways; Deadline for project completion not set
By Jennie Daley
Journal Staff

ITHACA — This spring the City of Ithaca will be installing sidewalks along the southern end of Elmira Road within the city limits.

The Uniform Sidewalk Improvement project, directed by the Board of Public Works, will be done under city contract and billed to the 38 property owners in the affected area. The work will extend from just north of Commercial Avenue to the city line.


At last week's Board of Public Works meeting, it was noted that plans for this sidewalk extension have been discussed, on and off, for over 10 years.

“Looks like they're finally ready to make sure everything is done,” said Mike Whitaker, son of Jim Whitaker, the owner of Tallmadge Tire.
Mike Whitaker said he supports the work that will help with increased pedestrian traffic, even though it is causing some headaches for the business. Under the city's proposed project, the mechanic shop would lose all of its parking in front of the store, which is about 30 percent of the business' total, according to Whitaker.

He hopes that, by working with a city engineer, they will be able to find a compromise that provides a few spots out front for handicapped or elderly customers to drop off their cars.

Lynne Yost, assistant civil engineer for the city, said that of the properties that installed sidewalks under a similar program last year, all but one contracted out the work themselves.

“I heard they saved on order of half of what they would've paid the city,” she said.

Tallmadge Tire is one of 15 properties where meeting the mandated 10-foot setback adopted as a design standard for the area would put the sidewalk partially or totally on private property.

“If you are bulldozing the site and starting over, this is the rule. It gets a little trickier when the site is developed and you are updating some item,” said Bill Gray, superintendent of public works for the City of Ithaca.

Gray said the setbacks are important because “if we make them much less, it affects the ability to maintain and use the sidewalks.”

There are three main problems that arise if setback distances shrink, according to Gray. First, there is insufficient space for snow storage in winter, causing plowed snow to cover shoveled sidewalks. There's also the issue of having pedestrians near cars that are traveling at 35 to 40 mph, as well as the concern that pedestrians are much more likely to be splashed during warm months if they're close to the road.

Wherever the sidewalk goes, Tallmadge Tire will have to repave the area in front of the store, part of the reason that Whitaker said he plans to contract out the work and pay for it, instead of using city contractors. For this to be approved by city officials, the business will have to show reasonable progress and meet city-set deadlines.

Deadlines were much of the conversation last week and again Wednesday as the property owners noted that the original mid-May goal for project completion didn't allow much time for businesses to comply.

A resolution under consideration at Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting would have required sidewalk completion by early August, but the resolution was put off until next week. The delay was created by concerns about how long it might take to negotiate with property owners where the sidewalk could be on private property.

“It's a choice between getting it done quickly and getting it done in what you hope will be a better way,” City Attorney Dan Hoffman said.


jdaley@ithacajournal.com




Originally published March 15, 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by whit_x

A related issue is that in the city the price of housing has forced low and medium wage workers to the outskirts of town, relying on the practical necessity of a car to get around. An example, recently I was looking at housing prices just in case I had gotten the planner job I applied for with the County (didn't work out ) I couldn't find anything for less than 700 a month in the city and that was in the GIAC area. For someone that's a professional, that's workable, but for the vast majority that work in the service industry, that isn't workable unless they have 2 or 3 people living in that one bedroom apartment, or instead winding up in Danby, Lansing, or in Brooktondale, living in a singlewide.

My brother lives on S. Plain street, and has seen a stabbing & a shooting as well as a pretty big gang fight (doesn't seem like the same old Ithaca). Anyway, he works in a factory, not making much money, and that's the only place he found in the city he can afford. btw, his landlord doesn't do much when repairs are needed or when there's a problem (ie. no heat). He can walk to work if need be (Emerson factory on south hill) so I think that factors into his decision not to look out in the sticks for a place.

[whit_x]

The being able to walk thing is important, and that is the only thing that can help some people afford to live in town (no car= less bills). As for me growing up, although my dad works at the same place your brother does, my family had been out in Brooktondale for 3 or 4 generations, and getting my dad away from there is impossible.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Seems like a small world sometimes doesn't it? 3 or 4 generations, eh. Your family must make up at least 1/4 of the residents in Brooktondale.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I know the numbers aren't big, but for a small place like Ithaca, every little bit helps.


Teachers’ event a boon for Tompkins tourism
From Journal Staff Reports

ITHACA — Winter is no longer the dead period in Tompkins County’s otherwise growing tourism industry.

The credit is being given to two events: Winter Recess, the special program of discounts on lodging, dining, shopping and activities to public-school teachers on holiday; and Light in Winter, the late-January festival celebrating the arts and science. Both are said to be generating visitors and revenue.


According to the Ithaca/Tompkins Convention and Visitors Bureau, visitors came from all areas of New York and several outlying states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont, according to the bureau. In all, 1,304 guests attended Winter Recess, including 591 educators and 713 family members. The event attracted 724 out-of-county attendees, injecting an estimated $75,000 into the local economy.

The event followed the seventh annual Light in Winter, Jan. 26-28. A study by students and faculty in the Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning estimated it brought more than $200,000 to the local economy.
An article in The Journal Tuesday may not have made clear that Visitors Bureau officials were referring primarily to Winter Recess in assessing the season’s tourism results.

Winter Recess drew 308 Winter Recess guests to hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts, leading to record-breaking February occupancy at several properties, according to the Visitors Bureau.

While overall tourism is growing in Tompkins County — county revenue from the tax on accommodations grew from $855,477 in 2002 to $1.35 million in 2005, according to a February report to the county Legislature — winter remains a slow period. But the two events, when combined, indicate that needn’t remain the case, and that winter tourism in Ithaca has potential, Visitors Bureau Director Fed Bonn said Tuesday.

Winter Recess was held Feb. 17-24, a week when most public schools in New York, and many in other Northeastern states, were closed for the winter break. The event gave discounts to eligible educators on hotel rooms, meals, shopping, and attractions and events at participating businesses and venues. Several events were held specifically for educators as well.

The results exceeded the Visitors Bureau’s expectations by a third, and it will repeat the event next year. The Winter Recess Web site, Ith¬acaLovesTeachers.com, recorded more than 42,000 page views before and during the event.
The event also was apparently a hit with people who didn’t have to travel to it, as the Visitors Bureau said about 40 percent of attendees were local — which Bonn said is fine, as it was intended to benefit local teachers, as well.





Originally published March 21, 2007

[Visiteur]

www.ithacatimes.com/business

My comments are in blue. This article talks about the abatements used in downtown developments, and the CURRENT MORATORIUM that has stopped any new proposals at this time. I'm vexed, oh and look, Jason Fane is complaining about the abatements...it's rant time!

The Waiting Game
By: Jake Bakkila
03/21/2007

A moratorium on tax abatements in the "density zone" of the City of Ithaca, meaning the very core of downtown, went into effect April 7, 2006, and remains in effect to this day. In the five years prior, from 2000 to 2005, projects utilizing abatements represented about $62 million in private investment in the downtown core. Since then, of course, there has been none.

Gary Ferguson looks at tax abatements designated for development in the city's downtown core as sort of investment into the future. And, with the moratorium presently holding up possible abatement approvals, he thinks some misperceptions about the municipal economic strategy need to be cleared.

"You have to understand: abatement is like a tool - it's not an end product," explains Ferguson, executive director of the Ithaca Downtown Partnership. "A good abatement policy allows you to bring in large, complicated projects that need a little bit of help to get off the ground, and once they're going, they're fine."

Tax abatement is the lessening or modification of taxes for new development projects, approved in order to entice developers to choose one area - in Ithaca's case abatements have been applied to encourage growth in the immediate downtown area. For example: a business wants to build a new hotel, and one city offers space in their downtown, and another city offers a similar space, but also promises that the developer will have to pay fewer taxes for five years; that's abatement.

Among the projects in Ithaca Ferguson says wouldn't have happened include the Hilton complex, the Cayuga Green projects, the Gateway Commons, and more. Tax incentives are used throughout the country as a way of stimulating growth. In particular, they are often the only way to get particularly large or expensive projects going - it's much easier to open up a corner store than a nine-story mixed-use project with high-rent condominiums and retail space. Proponents of abatement policy say proper abatement can bring in projects that would otherwise go elsewhere; abatement acts as an initial financial boost. Opponents to abatement have many arguments, often saying that, if not carefully regulated, abatement can be shortsighted, costly and biased against smaller developers.

Tax abatement throughout Ithaca and the rest of Tompkins County is a tricky issue. Abatement policy is controlled by the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency. The IDA is staffed and managed by Tompkins County Area Development, or TCAD. Although the two are legally distinct entities, 5 of the 7 voting members of the IDA are also on the Board of Directors at TCAD. Together, the two organizations represent what most would say are county-wide interests - they use abatement to bring in factories, industrial projects, hotels and the like to areas throughout the county, usually outside of Ithaca.

Representing the interest of continuing development in Ithaca, especially downtown Ithaca, is the Ithaca Downtown Partnership. Along with the Department of Planning and Development for the City and the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, the IDP fought for the specific abatements in Ithaca that allowed for projects, such as Cayuga Green, and Gateway I & II.

As something of a third side to the issue are people - citizens and members of government alike - who want to see future abatement adhere to standards more immediately beneficial to the community. Many of them are in a group called the Community Investment Incentive Program, or CIIP, which is proposing a list of "Benefits and Processes." This list would normalize, as much as possible, the process of awarding abatements to developers; that is the "Processes" part of the list. Further, and most importantly, it would also create a "score sheet" that would need to be passed in order for a proposed project to get approval; that is the "Benefits" part. The score sheet contains a list of 36 benefits, ranging from questions like "Does this project create local jobs?" to "Will this project use Union labor in its construction?" In order to be approved for an abatement, a proposal would have to get 18 out of a possible 36 points.Interesting idea...

Proponents of a Benefits and Processes clearance for abatement say it brings greater consistency to development, and that it also forces developers to make projects that better "fit in" with the eco-friendly, labor-friendly atmosphere of Ithaca, and then demonstrates clearly the different ways that the project intends to do so. On the other side, many claim that forcing developers to adhere to so many demands will drive them away. In addition, most of the benefits listed cost additional money to meet - Union labor, for instance, adds cost to a project - which in turn will force developers to ask for larger abatements.

Needless to say, there has been debate on what type of abatement, if any, is best for the future of downtown Ithaca. Since there was disagreement on the specific institution of a Processes and Benefits list, TCAD and the IDA placed a moratorium on abatements in downtown Ithaca until something is worked out.

Ferguson is one of the people in the City most responsible for bringing in new developers. It was under Ferguson's watch that Cayuga Green and Gateway were brought in. He primarily wants the moratorium on downtown lifted and a workable abatement policy back in the city's hands.

"Abatement doesn't take anything away from what we have currently," he adds. "A common misconception is that abatement takes away money we have right now, money we promised to other things. That's not the case. Abatement is the promise that, down the road, for the next few years, that the city won't collect something, or won't charge something. It's good, because this is money that hasn't been promised to anything."
Ferguson adds that he wants to see the moratorium lifted as soon as possible, as it has affected only the city, while abatements have been continued throughout the rest of the county.

Michael Stamm, President of TCAD, says that both his organization and the IDA are in support of continued abatements for downtown Ithaca, but also want to see the installation of a Processes and Benefits list.
"[The TCAD and the IDA] would like to see more controlled abatements for the future of development in Ithaca," says Stamm. "And we are working on getting a [points] list that will be manageable and useable for future development."

Stamm emphasizes that the moratorium was placed on the city in part because no future developments were in the works. He estimates that a unified abatement policy for the city will come into effect within 4 or 5 months, at which point the moratorium would be lifted.
TCAD and the IDA also are aware of the risks associated with a Processes and Benefits list, Stamm adds, and believe in talking to past and current developers about their feelings about changes in the abatement process.
"We think it's a simple step of talking to developers and asking them if changes [like a points system] would cause them to change their mind about development," Stamm says.

Another change TCAD and the IDA would like to see would be the use of dynamic abatement for future projects, or an abatement policy that would allow for reevaluation during its term. As an example, suppose a developer asks for abatement on property taxes for a planned building. While a standard abatement would offer a specific discount on taxes for a specific period of time, a dynamic abatement would allow the IDA to check in with the project every year and either increase or decrease the level of abatement based on what the developer needed.

While this type of abatement can lessen the financial burden on the IDA, Ferguson says that it can also dissuade developers, as well as their financial supporters.

"When a developer goes to a bank, the bank wants to see, in writing, how much everything is going to cost," Ferguson explains. "And if you tell a bank that, well, this year your project is going to get a million [in abatement,] but the next year it might get nothing, the bank is just going to say 'No thanks' and walk away."

One thing both Stamm and Ferguson agree on is the need for an abatement process that doesn't force developers to have to go though the city and the IDA separately.

"It's not a unified process," says Stamm, "because the City and the IDA are different. But we'd like to make it so that we're working closely with the City, in tandem, so that Developers don't have to fill out similar paperwork or answer the same questions over and over." At least you guys are doing something right...

"You want to make it as easy as possible for the developers to do what they need to do," says Ferguson. "You don't want to make them have to jump through hoops."

Lastly, of course, are the developers themselves. While some developers are in favor of abatements, others, such as local developer Jason Fane, see the incentives as biased and flawed. Like you have a right to talk, Fane. You didn't put up those high-rise towers in Collegetown with your own cash. You depended on a huge chunk of cash from Cornell, plus an abatement from Ithaca back in the 80s'.

"Tax abatements to selected taxpayers to subsidize development, overall, accomplish little and damage the economy," according to Fane. "It helps the favored project, but then takes the market away from other projects that are then not built."

Fane blames high property taxes on abatementsWell, of course Fane would complain about taxes, he owns two-thirds of Collegetown, not to mention the student slums surrounding it, and says the incentives often go to out-of-town companies and developers. He believes a better approach to development would be for developers to have more carefully-crafted projects that do not require economic help.

The next few months will determine the fate of tax abatement in the City of Ithaca. The CIIP is expected to bring their proposal for Processes and Benefits before Common Council in either April or May, and, if approved, the IDA would be expected to adopt these standards into law and lift the moratorium.

Until then, new abated projects in Ithaca are at a standstill. But the construction of previously passed projects like Cayuga Green continues. Perhaps in five years, when Cayuga Green is finished and has either grown in to the skeleton of the city or sat underused and become financially burdensome, the success or failure of recent abatement law will be more clear, more obvious. But for now, the opinions are as varied and many as the parties involved, and all anyone can do is wait.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Jason Fane is a slum lord indeed. He grew wealthy by forcing out the litle landlords with price inflation of the properties in Collegetown. In order to pay for the new properties he bought out, he raised rents and deferred maintenance (btw, not all Cornell students are rich, so he has affected many people negatively).

I've heard of the CIIP plan before, and it does have some merit. But whatever is chosen, there seems to be the stigma that abatements "cost" the city/county money. If you don't have any tax money coming in on undeveloped property, but know you will after the property is developed (gradually increasing to full payments), doesn't it make sense to develop that property with as valuable (read more tax money) projects as possible? After all, something like 1/4 to 1/3 of the property in Ithaca is tax exempt(mostly belonging to Cornell).

[Ex-Ithacan]

Cool (literally) video of a waterfall in an Ithaca gorge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onese4Xf4HA

Not sure I'd want to be in that rascal with all that ice around.

[Visiteur]

As I have promised...progress pics from the Gorges city.

Cornell Life Sciences and Tech Bldg:


320 Dryden...as you can see, the house wan't THAT special...


The completed Gateway Commons


Green Parking Garage and Cayuga Green site prep


A poignant picture, if I may:

[Ex-Ithacan]

Love the last one Vis.

Great to see Gateway II finished. Just curious if you're gonna try to get in on a tour (may be able to get some cool shots from the penthouse ).

I can't wait for Cayuga Green 2 to get that apartment building up also, fill in that hole on Green Street.

320 Dryden doesn't look bad, but a new taller building will add to the streetscape in C-town.

Thanks for the pics.

[Ex-Ithacan]

OK, I know this wouldn't be a big deal in most places, but for upstate New York, it's opposite of the general trend.


Tompkins grew 4 percent since 2000 Census

While New York state's population has grown about 1.7 percent since the 2000 census and much of central and western New York have lost population, Tompkins County has grown about 4 percent, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Tompkins County had an estimated population of 100,407 in July 2006, according to Census estimates.

The estimates are based on records that reflect births, deaths and migration from within and without the United States and are made annually. The Census Bureau estimates Tompkins County's population grew about .30 percent from July 2005 to July 2006.

The gain for Tompkins was fueled in part by the 5,302 people who, the Census Bureau estimates, moved from other countries to Tompkins. That helped offset the estimated 2,906 who left the county for somewhere else in the United States.
Among surrounding counties, Tompkins is joined in estimated growth by Seneca and Schuyler counties at population increases of about 4 and 1 percent, respectively. Others are declining, according to Census estimates.

Cayuga County, 81,243, down 0.9 percent

Chemung County, 88,641, down 2.7 percent

Cortland County, 48,483, down 0.2 percent

Schuyler County, 19,415, up .39 percent

Seneca County, 34,724, up 4.1 percent

Tioga County, 51,285 down 1.0 percent

Tompkins County, 100,407, up 4.0 percent

Yates County, 24,732, up .5 percent






Originally published March 23, 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

New addition to downtown (going into the new Gateway Commons building which Vis posted a pic of up above.



Local coffee company opens downtown location
By Jim Catalano
Journal Staff

ITHACA — Local caffeine crazies now have another place to sate their java jones, as Ithaca Coffee Company opened its downtown store Thursday.

Located at 311 E. Green St., in the new Gateway Commons building recently developed by Mack and Carol Travis, the 2,100-square-foot store sits at one of Ithaca's busiest intersections.


“We were interested in going downtown, maybe not quite this quickly, but I think it's a good location and a good fit for our products,” said Julie Crowley, president of Ithaca Coffee Company. “It's not just a little convenience store. It's in this higher end apartment complex. We also wanted to get our coffee into the downtown market, which I think is very different than up here on the hill.”

The Crowley family, which has owned Triphammer Wines and Spirits in Lansing's Triphammer Plaza for more than 60 years, purchased Gourmet's Delight in 2004 and turned it into the Ithaca Coffee Company, located next to the liquor store.
The products offered in the new location are similar to the Triphammer Plaza store, with a couple of major differences.

“This has a bigger espresso bar, and we expanded the food selection to serve the area,” she said. “But we'll still have the selection of cheese, gourmet food and candies, more specialty food, and beers, once we get our liquor license.”

Professionals who work in the area are excited to have another store in the area.

“It's always lovely to have more food and beverages close to home,” said Judy Dietz, community liaison for the History Center at Tompkins County in the adjoining Gateway Plaza building. “People can come over and do their research or look at the exhibits, then go next store to pick up something.”

Crowley is not necessarily trying to attract students to the new store.

“I'm not banking so much on them, though you can't discount the student population because it's so big,” she said. “But there are a lot of residents in that area, and a lot of professionals driving past to work. There's some parking out front, which is a plus downtown, but it's going to be Mack's challenge to regulate it.”

Café manager Chris Ganger has been working at the Lansing store for nearly two years, and has a familiar customer base.

“I can go two or three hours in the morning without talking, just handing out drinks,” he said.

But he's looking forward to building a new clientele. “I expect to attract a slightly different group of people, but this location is a lot more visible,” he said. “The busier we are, the better the drinks will get.”

Several other cafes, including Juna's, Gimme! Coffee and Starbucks, already serve downtown Ithaca. But Crowley says Ithaca Coffee Company is taking another approach.

“We've got a different business model than the other coffee places in town,” she said, noting the long history and success of the Lansing store. “The espresso bar is going be emphasized a bit more, due to the traffic. And I'm sure the product mix will develop for the market; maybe we'll add more convenience items. People will tell you what they want.”

Call 273-7800 or visit www.triphammerwines.com for more information.


jcatalano@ithacajournal.com




Originally published March 23, 2007


Here's the one posted comment

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starting to get the feeling that this will turn into another collegetown debacle, where 5 different places start serving the exact same thing on the same block, and follow the exact same model, in an area with ridiculous rents, and they just devour eachother's profit margins. any bets on which one of the downtown coffee shops closes first?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:53 am

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