Some Ithaca news

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

^ I thought about the look of some "functional" 60s hi-rises dominating East Hill, and came to the same conclusion. From what I've read, Thys Van Cort is actually one of the better city employees. I think he's generally pro development, and from what I've also heard, fairly accessable. Might give it a shot to contact him Vis. Anyway, I think I've seen parts of that researc paper before too. Good stuff, and thanks for sharing. Now if we can just get a decent parking facility in C-town, I'm confident some hi-rises will follow shortly thereafter.

All I can think of is the twin towers at IC, with the dumpy cafeteria building between them when I think of late 60's skyscrapers. As far as the retail goes, right now, there's difficulty filling what's there right now, especially in the first block of Collegetown.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I think the retail would improve quite a bit if there was enough parking. A retail center based solely on bars, eateries, and copier shops isn't going to make it. Collegetown needs a wider assortment of retial options; clothing, a drug store, food market, and more services. The extra parking would help the retail centers get through the times when the students are out of school. Locals would not be so hesitant to stop in C-town if they knew they could park (and I know there's decent bus service there, but the truth is most folks don't take the bus). I'm probably waaaay off on this, but something drastic has to be done to get retail going again in the neighborhood.

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

I think the retail would improve quite a bit if there was enough parking. A retail center based solely on bars, eateries, and copier shops isn't going to make it. Collegetown needs a wider assortment of retial options; clothing, a drug store, food market, and more services. The extra parking would help the retail centers get through the times when the students are out of school. Locals would not be so hesitant to stop in C-town if they knew they could park (and I know there's decent bus service there, but the truth is most folks don't take the bus). I'm probably waaaay off on this, but something drastic has to be done to get retail going again in the neighborhood.

There still is a drug store there. It would be good to bring a full scale grocery back to the neighborhood. The problem is who would build it. Wegman's isn't building stores of the size that would go in here anymore, Tops will just build what's there, and P&C is broke.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I know Vis posted something in his Syracuse development thread about a new urban grocery store opening in downtown Syracuse. If they succeed, maybe someone (developer, broker, city official) can convince them to give ithaca a try. btw, where's the drug store in C-town, I can't place it in my mind.

[Visiteur]

The Kinney pharmacy in C-Town closed for good two weeks ago. Lack of business, they blamed it on Gannett hadling prescriptions now.

Pyramid and Bob Congel developed the C.L Evers store in the Amos Lofts. Do you really want Congel messing with Ithaca though?

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Probably not, but sometimes it's better the devil you know.

[nova86]

hey guys, awesome thread. native (and current) ithacan here.

[Visiteur]

Gasp, another Ithacan!

anyways, I was down in the southern part of the city today (more like the southern part of the town) and I couldn't help but notice the sprawl is increasing. At least two small-box stores (a Tractor Supply Store and a second one on a site appx. 250 by 250 feet) are currently being built, as well as a small strip mall. major renovations are currently underway on many of the older buildings out there (except Titus Tower...sigh), but you can tell most of the stuff there has been built recently.

Here's a thought. Ithaca's population is growing, but economy is stagnant. Syracuse's economy is growing, but population is relatively flat for the amount of growth. Therefore, is it reasonable to think more Ithaca-area residents are commuting to Syracuse (and, vice-versa, more Syracuse-area workers hail from the Ithaca area?)

[Ex-Ithacan]

^^ Another Ithaca forumer?


Welcome to SSP nova86.

As far as the commute issue Vis, Ithaca (Tompkins county) actually gains about 6,000 people each workday. More folks commuting in than out. But I'll be damned if I know where they're working (besides Cornell).

[Visiteur]

They work with the Hobbits underground. It's why Ithaca is so in tune with the environment. I do remember hearing many Cornell employees actually live outside the county. Otherwise, no clue.

From the Syracuse development briefs:

The new store called Morgan's in downtown Ithaca is a dress shop its owner hopes would stop folks from driving to Syracuse to find a good selection of dresses. Now some of us might be driving to Ithaca to check out Morgan's, 123 S. Cayuga St., corner of Green Street. Owner Rebecca Kim says customers have been raving about the store's Dress Cove, stuffed with dresses for every occasion plus evening handbags and special-occasion shoes.

[Ex-Ithacan]

How come there's a rave review about that store in Syracuse literature, but no mention (that I saw) in any Ithaca sources? I swear, so many Ithacans would love to put road blocks up at each main road coming into Tompkins county. They want to keep the place all to themselves.

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by nova86

hey guys, awesome thread. native (and current) ithacan here.

welcome Nova. As far as the drug store, I didn't realize the store had closed.

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

^^

As far as the commute issue Vis, Ithaca (Tompkins county) actually gains about 6,000 people each workday. More folks commuting in than out. But I'll be damned if I know where they're working (besides Cornell).

A bunch of that is in the manufacturing that is left in the county, such as at Emerson Power Transmission (Morse Chain) on South Hill and at Borg Warner up in Lansing, since the cost of property is so much less outside of the County for people to live in, plus the zoning isn't as restrictive.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Looks like some businesses are coming to Collegetown, including James Bonds favorite.

http://www.cornelldailysun.com/node/19729

[Visiteur]

At least there are some businesses coming in to replace the restaurants that had left Collegetown earlier this year. Mmm, I'm up for some Caribbean food.

[whit_x]

Just what Collegetown needed, a place to get a tattoo. Good location for the Starbucks, though. BTW, what location on Eddy St is the restaurant, and has anything replaced the Chariot yet?

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ I think that must be in one of the older apartment buildings at the end of the block:



Here's an op-ed piece about Collegetown from the Cornell Daily Sun:

http://www.cornelldailysun.com/node/19799

[whit_x]

The issue at the end of the day is that you are still in a city of 30,000 in a county of about 100,000 people, that is barely growing. Even in places like Tallahassee, where I live, trying to build a Collegetown type atmosphere has been difficult, especially attracting new retail to an area with about 53,000 students within walking distance (40,000 at Florida State and 13,000 at Florida A&M). As far as the drugstores, getting these stores to get out of building their cookiecutter 13,000 square foot store with the drivethru and (I actually saw this at a Kinney's) gas pumps in front) to build in C-town is going to be a tough sell. Look at what happened on the Commons with Rite Aid and CVS.

[Visiteur]

Admittedly, Collegetown has seen several stores move or close in the past several months. Although, I tend to find people like Jason Fane, that "lovely" landlord of Collegetown, more responsible than other factors. He'll charge as much as he can if he can get away with it. The man who said in 1975, and I quote, that "students can do without amenities and have no need for anything more exspensive", and then when Cornell started investing in C-town in the 80s, rushed to throw up some luxury high-rises because he saw a potential goldmine from wealthy students. Now that he's been coddled by high rents for twenty years, he has no problem with letting storfronts sit empty, because he knows that there's a chance that some company, desirable or not, will cough up the cash for one of his sites.

Now, I'm not done ranting. cornell just received a 15 million dollar gift to the Statler School today, and this comment was left on the IJ:

"I wish to see the day when all alumni see how little CU gives back to the city of ithaca. I'm happy that the IJ reports on this. to see how much CU gets is a statement and a reminder how our communty is forgotten by the alumni, CU and our goverment."

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:22 pm

I am so intensely angered by this comment! I'm sorry, I forgot, Ithaca is so vibrant that it doesn't need CU and it can make it on its own like the other upstate cities. How many jobs from Cornell went into Seneca Place! 300! And that's 300 reasons why I want to despise this guy!

[Ex-Ithacan]

Don't get too pi$$ed Vis. It's just Ithacans being whiners as usual, about everything. You get to a point where you can tune them out after a while.