Some Ithaca news

[Ex-Ithacan]

Some good news for a local business and downtown (from the Cornell Daily Sun):





Success of Locally Owned Pharmacy Gives Hope to Independent Retailers
February 8, 2010 - 1:55am
By Juan Forrer

Ever since the downtown CVS closed eight years ago, officials have been looking for a pharmacy to take its place. On Jan. 25, these officials finally got their wish when Palmer Pharmacy opened on East Green St.

Palmer Pharmacy“This has been one of our top priorities,” said Gary Ferguson, director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

On Friday, the Downtown Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony that the mayor, the city planning director and the deputy director for economic development all attended.

The Palmers, who own the pharmacy, opened their first store five years ago in Trumansburg and their second in 2006 in Ovid. While they were in the midst of starting up the Ovid store, the Alliance approached them about opening in the current location, but they turned the offer down. After the Downtown Ithaca Alliance determined from polls of Ithaca residents that a pharmacy was the most desired type of business for the downtown area, it asked the couple again, and this time they said yes.

“We probably would not have expanded for a while without the Downtown Alliance,” Mrs. Palmer said. “We were pretty content with two stores.”

Officials had been looking to recruit larger national chains as well, including CVS and Rite Aid, but all of them declined.

“No big chain will touch a location like this,” Mrs. Palmer said.

The 3,500 square foot store, which is located next to a TCAT bus stop, Urban Outfitters and Gimme! Coffee, hopes to provide customers with a different atmosphere. In Palmer Pharmacy, in contrast to branches of larger chains, customers will be able to develop a personal relationship with their pharmacist.

“That’s what we pride ourselves on, the service in the pharmacy,” she said.

The store also features an old-fashioned soda fountain and ice cream bar, serving Cayuga Lake Creamery ice cream.

“We’re trying to get a little bit of nostalgia going,” Mrs. Palmer said.

The pharmacy has already generated more traffic than the Palmers anticipated. Mrs. Palmer said that she now has to restock the store's already depleted ice cream supply.

“There’s crazy foot traffic,” Mrs. Palmer said. “It’s a really nice location.”

Some Cornell students, however, would continue to use their local stores.

“I happen to live in Cayuga Heights so I would normally go to Tops or Rite Aid,” said Jeff Schreyer '12.

While many stores in downtown are closing, the vacancies are turning around quickly, according to Ferguson.

“We’ve started to make some progress whittling away the 11.1% vacancy rate,” Ferguson said. Ferguson said that two stores have decided to open a downtown location in the last month.

“It wasn’t difficult to open,” Mrs. Palmer said. “Healthcare is in its own realm. People are always going to be sick. People are always going to need medication no matter how the economy is.”

The pharmacy is just one aspect of the changing landscape of downtown Ithaca. The Common Council approved a layout for a Commons redesign plan last month, which will move seating areas and provide a more open viewing space for pedestrians. In the near future, the Council is expected to allocate a budget for repairing the street's failing underground utility system.

While their pharmacy enjoys its opening months, the Palmers are now looking forward to finally taking their honeymoon. The couple married in June and have been putting off their special trip to focus on the business.

“It’s been chaos,” she said.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I wish they'd allow some taller buildings.





More foot traffic, office space sought downtown Ithaca
By Liz Lawyer •elawyer@gannett.com • February 9, 2010, 12:00 am


A fixed-rail trolley line between downtown and Collegetown, a combined city and county building, and a teen activities center are possibilities for the future of Ithaca's downtown area, and were parts of a 10-year vision presented by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance Monday.

Executive Director Gary Ferguson and board member Steve Hugo presented the Downtown Ithaca 2020 Strategy. The plan is the result of 18 months of consultation with community members.

"Many argue that we should just let the marketplace drive where we're headed, but we disagree with that approach," Hugo said. "We want to make smart decisions. We want smart growth in our community. If we are not to plan and we're not looking toward the future, we are likely to be at least surprised and probably disappointed with the outcome."

Key points include promoting pedestrian traffic by encouraging more retail businesses to locate in the area and adding entertainment venues and artist studios, increasing the supply of office space by 200,000 square feet, and adding up to 500 more housing units over 10 years.

The plan also points out several sites that could support further development. The Night and Day building on The Commons, for example, could have two floors built above the existing ground floor, replacing the false front. Sites where new buildings could replace current structures include the Trebloc Building on the east end of The Commons, a vacant site on West State Street where a building burned down several years ago, and the site of the Challenge Industries building on East State Street.

Ferguson said, "There really are a number of development options, more than we imagined when we started this process."

Ferguson pointed out that new buildings would not be taller than existing structures, and that zoning would not change in most cases, though the plan suggests a few sites where zoning could be changed to encourage development.

Forming the plan involved visits to downtown areas of several other cities, including Burlington, Vt., Charlottesville, Va., and State College, Pa., as well as surveys and meetings in Ithaca. The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is taking community input and will incorporate it into a final draft, which will be presented to the Downtown Ithaca Alliance board of directors for approval.

A second presentation of the plan is 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the BorgWarner room of the Tompkins County Public Library.

Here's some possible developments:

New State Street Development


The City-County Building


The Trebloc Building


The Journal Building (on Green Street)


The Lubens Buildings


The Pritchard Building


Proposals are the white drawn-in buildings.


Brief News10Now spot regarding the plan:

http://news10now.com/tompkins-cortla...owntown-ithaca

[Ex-Ithacan]

Yippee, more eats and apartments too.

From the Ithaca Times online:





City approves grant for downtown restaurant/apartment project, TCAD up next

Kara Cusolito

By the end of the year, there should be another new restaurant downtown.

The project will be carried out by Lex Chutintaranond, a familiar face to downtown Ithaca. Chutintaranond currently owns ZaZa's Cucina and has been on the scene more than 30 years in Ithaca, opening the establishments Madeline's, Just a Taste and Thai Cuisine. ZaZa's and his new project are the only ones he's currently tied to at this time.

The city's Common Council approved a grant to help restore the Plantations building downtown at its February meeting. Chutintaranond said the $900,000 from the city in tax abatements should be a significant help to his restoration effort, which will total around $3 million.

But there's more to the project than the first-floor restaurant space. The second floor will be made into office space, and the upper floors will be sectioned into eight one-bedroom apartments. Two of these apartments will be rented as affordable housing for people with low or moderate incomes.

When applying for the grant, Chutintaranond was asked to list the community benefits; in order for the grant to be awarded, fourteen were required. In the end, there were more than 20 elements of the project which will benefit Ithaca and its downtown, including restoration of a historical building, affordable housing, tax generation and job creation.

The Common Council approved the grant unanimously. Council member Dan Cogan said everyone agreed the project would be a good one, and said Chutintaranond was receptive to any questions and concerns the council had along the way.

Chutintaranond said his goal is to break ground around March, and to open the restaurant around August, though it's hard to tell if things will all go as planned.

"Usually when I open a restaurant, it will be there for a very long time," he said.

In order to apply for the grant, he had to first buy the building. So he bought it last year, and hoped the grant would come through.

"If I didn't get it, then I'd be stuck with this run-down building," he said.

He said he's glad to be restoring it, because of its historical status.

"It's a beloved building," he said.

Next up for Chutintaranond is applying for the grant from Tompkins County Area Development, the county's industrial development agency.

"Now they get to apply," said Martha Robertson, who serves not only as the chair of the Tompkins County Legislature but also TCAD. "The process the city goes through is not the same as us, it's a separate decision-making process.

"The city has the first bite of the apple," she added. "If they approve it, then we consider it."

Chutintaranond said he is looking forward to opening a new restaurant, and that he's excited to get back into the kitchen. The restaurant will be Pan-Asian, which means its menu will include many different styles of Asian cooking.

"If you know you feel like Asian food, but you don't know if you want Indian or Thai or Japanese, we'll have all of those," he said.

He said he is a proponent of the slow food movement, and this restaurant will reflect that.

"It will be the traditional Asian food that I grew up eating," he said. "We'"

He said the restaurant will have limited seating, which will allow for better attention to detail. He'll be bringing in fine ingredients from around the world.

Chutintaranond grew up in Thailand, in a family that was passionate about good food.

"On weekends, my father would drive us a couple of hours to go to a certain restaurant to try their special," he said.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Here's another take on the 10 year vision plan from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (From the online Ithaca Times):




A view of what the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services planned project at the location of the Women's Community Building, on the corner of Cayuga and Seneca streets across from the DeWitt Mall, could look like, according to an image from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance's 2020 Strategic Plan. (Image Provided)



Downtown Ithaca's 2020 Vision Plan looking for eclectic, integrated community

Rob Montana
Managing Editor

Building community.

That's the best way to describe what the Downtown Ithaca Alliance's 2020 vision plan is trying to do for Ithaca. It's apparent in the way each component of the plan needs the others to work well, and achieve what is being sought - a thriving downtown that includes plenty of residential, employment, commerce and entertainment options.

Getting that vision out to the public and in front of those who can make it happen - government and school officials, the institutions of higher learning, business leaders and the general public - was the purpose behind drafting a strategic plan for the next 10 years. That's also why the Downtown Ithaca Alliance set up public information sessions - two have already taken place, more are coming in the future - to disseminate the plan highlights and hear back from the people.

DIA Executive Director Gary Ferguson said that now the draft document has been compiled, they are trying to get feedback from the community.

"We've gotten some interesting feedback so far," he said. "Based on the success of the first two meetings, we're going to be doing some more.

"We want to do enough to reach out to the public to get some serious feedback on the draft," Ferguson added. "Then it will come back to the (DIA) Board of Directors, who've already gone through it, and then we will redraft it and they will look at it again."

While some of the items called for in the draft - things like a trolley system that Ferguson particularly likes and could be one of the items people point to as pie-in-the-sky - seem like they may not be feasible, the DIA executive director thinks anything is possible. And that's why the introductory section of the plan - it's most substantial portion - talks about the history of downtown and the successes it has had both in investment and growth during the last decade.

"We're trying to help people understand how possible this is and what the previous decade meant to downtown," Ferguson said. "It's easy for people so look at this and say, 'Are you kidding me? Is that real'

"But, if you look at what happened over the last decade when there was $110 million spent on downtown investment, that is a lot," he added. "There are a whole lot of things here now that weren't here 10 years ago. There's been a whole lot of positive change."

Ferguson feels that a community effort will make leaps and bounds toward putting what is currently on paper into reality in Ithaca's downtown.

"If you look at any one of these goals, they are attainable," he said, with a caveat, "if we, as a community, decide we want to do it.

"Some will be hard, some will be easier," Ferguson added. "If there are issues the community is not going to buy into, let's hear it now."

The Commons

The Commons is a unique entity in Ithaca, and one currently undergoing a design -Êas well as, and perhaps more importantly, a infrastructure upgrade - phase. That's why the DIA chose not to delve into the details of what it would like to see happen on the Commons, Ferguson said.

"We didn't want to step all over that," he said about the process being undertaken by the city's Department of Planning & Development in conjunction with Sasaki Associates for the Commons redesign.

Instead, the DIA put forth some general ideas for the Commons, such as ensuring a long-term plan is in place for capital replacement, repair and maintenance; identifying and working out the functional and visual shortcomings that currently exist; and noting that any update or modernization plan for the Commons should include specific implementations for needed infrastructure improvements.

"How do we maintain the Commons? We need to think better of how to do that," Ferguson said. "And we need to look at potential expansion of the Commons."

He said other communities with thriving downtown pedestrian malls often have them linked with transportation, something Ithaca's space does well. It could do better, Ferguson said.

"The notion that the Commons is a hub for transportation, I believe that is something that will pay dividends down the road," he said. "It opens up the opportunity to link other parts of the community with downtown."

Retail development

Attracting national tenants is a high priority for the DIA, and something they feel should be a priority for the future of downtown.

"In terms of nationals, we spend a lot of time doing research of who has a track record of locating in urban areas," Ferguson said, adding the businesses also must be interested in locating in a market the size of Ithaca and Tompkins County. "Urban Outfitters fit the profile.

"Any national that wants to come in here has to deal with a market of 110,000 people in the county and 30,000 in the city," he added. "We have to look for businesses that are willing to deal with that. Nordstom's isn't coming here; Neiman Marcus isn't coming here."

Other goals include aiming for a 5-percent turnover and a 5-percent vacancy rate for downtown storefronts; redesigning Commons and pedestrian links for better shopping experiences; creating an incentive program that encourages diversity in downtown business ownership; creating better compatibility between commercial districts; locating food and beverage operations to complement retail; and ensuring that key street level locations remain open for retail use.

Housing units

Downtown could use up to 500 units of housing, according to the plan, something Ferguson said would help build a thriving community.

"Housing is really important to us downtown and for the community," he said.

The 500-unit number could be a little high, Ferguson noted, as it is based on a couple-year-old Tompkins County study that 4,000 new units would be needed in the county within 10 years. Nonetheless, he said, housing would help create community.

"It would create a whole new neighborhood," said Ferguson. "It's also very green and sustainable."

It would be important the housing projects be mixed use and - when financially feasible - mixed income, while using the street level spaces for other needs. That's where cooperation and working together come in, Ferguson said, as incentive programs could help pave the way for projects as developers would likely have to shell out a little more in expenses when building mixed-income living spaces. It also would be important to design well-thought-out transition zones so probably larger buildings would phase into the lower levels of the surrounding neighborhoods in a more visually pleasing manner.

"This would provide a 24/7 environment downtown," Ferguson said of adding housing stock. "It helps create a constituency that is active and supportive."

Office space

The DIA plan calls for an increase of the downtown office space supply by 200,000 square feet and adding 600 more employees to the downtown workforce by 2020. It also opines that downtown could absorb one or two more major office buildings, and that it should be a goal to have at least 50 percent of the region's commercial office space downtown.

Blending of office with retail and other commercial/foot traffic generating operations, working with Cornell and other stakeholders to create a downtown business incubator project for start-up businesses, cooperating with the three institutions of higher education to attract additional offices downtown, and investigating the feasibility of a new, joint city-county administrative office building are the other high points of the plans look at downtown office space.

"By clustering jobs and job growth in a central urban area, it helps build a solid downtown," Ferguson said. "People also like to live close to their jobs, and by creating more office space would help do that."

Entertainment and culture

A larger emphasis on family opportunities is the highlight of the plan's section on entertainment and culture arts. Among the ideas are increasing family entertainment venues and adding family-friendly events, adding and marketing downtown Ithaca entertainment opportunities to and for students, adding iconic art pieces to the entrances to the Commons, financially stabilizing and completing the restoration of the State Theatre, and adding more restaurants, a music club, a brew pub, and 10 new artist studios.

"We need to have a downtown that is reaching out more to all ages," Ferguson said, "and we have a ways to go to really reach out to the students in our colleges.

"We need to have things here that engage all ages," he added. "And, the more you can blend and mix them, the better."

Adding a more comprehensive array of entertainment options for people would help attract them to live and work downtown as well, Ferguson said, which continues the strategic plan's theme of building a real downtown community.

"Good things happen when people interact closely each day," he said.

Non-Commons infrastructure

Expanding the Commons has to be on the radar when looking forward, Ferguson said, especially in light of the fact that State Street's offerings are growing in the non-Commons section. He said extending it into the 300 E. State and 100 W. State street blocks would enhance what is currently in existence.

"It wouldn't necessarily have to mirror the existing Commons, where it's pedestrian-only all of the time," Ferguson said. "It could be open to traffic all the time or pedestrian-only some of the time, but we should think about expansion."

Other items called for include the development of capital repair and replacement plans for all existing downtown parking garages, the secondary Commons, DeWitt Park and creek walk areas; improving crosswalks and curb cuts throughout downtown to better pedestrian access, and completing the Six Mile Creek river walk into the gorge.

"The sidewalks on Seneca and Green streets would benefit from improvements," Ferguson said, "if we want them to be more pedestrian friendly."

Tourism and visitors

Signage is one of the first things Ferguson had to say about what would help visitors in downtown Ithaca.

"Getting around the city and finding your way around the city can be difficult," he said. "That's true not only downtown, but regionally."

Signage that would help connect downtown with areas such as the West End or for people coming in on the highways would be beneficial for those visiting the city. In the same vein, creating and maintaining downtown information kiosks for key visitor destinations would be helpful.

Other ideas include bringing one or more additional hotels to downtown Ithaca to further enhance the idea it's an overnight visitor destination, create a downtown conference/meeting center and promote it as a place for conferences, connect downtown to Collegetown and Cornell University with more frequent shuttles and/or - one of Ferguson's favorites - fixed rail trolleys, connect downtown with Ithaca College for easier accessibility, and create a joint community/Cornell University/Ithaca College/TC3 downtown welcome and visitor center.

"Tourism is really important to us and we need to maintain that," Ferguson said. "What people like about downtown is its uniqueness, it's different shops and restaurants.

"We need to balance that with places to stay and other draws to bring people into the community," he added.

Transportation

This is a major part of the plan, Ferguson said, adding that it ties everything together.

"We need to have a plan to reinvest in our own facilities, to make sure the garages are well kept and that we have a good supply of parking," he said. "As a group, this is the part (of the plan) that was talked about the most."

The plan calls for increasing the number of downtown employees that use alternative, non-automotive means of transportation, exploring the feasibility of different ride programs - park and ride, ride home, shuttles - and incentives for those who use alternative forms of transportation; and contracting for private municipal parking management or create a new parking department/authority to maintain the public parking system.

"It's important to get people out of their cars and into alternative transportation," Ferguson said. "We're only scratching the surface of what can be done and we need to do a whole lot more.

"Wouldn't it be great to have people park in one area and then brought into downtown through another mode of transportation," he added. "But, it has to be convenient and it has to be interesting."

Common threads

Among other ideas spelled out in the plan would be the creation of youth and senior citizen councils to help make downtown a more attractive place for those age groups, fostering greater partnerships with the higher education institutions in town and greater cooperation with other governmental organizations to create a larger community investment in downtown.

All of the ideas put forth are being done with the idea that it would not only strengthen downtown, but strengthen the bond of the community. Living, working, eating, relaxing in close proximity to one another builds the ties that build community. And only through looking ahead can that be done.

"Only a few places do this level of strategic planning," Ferguson said. "This is a great opportunity for Ithaca, and this plan provides a great tool for us.

"When you don't do it at all, you really run the risk of letting the market drive your future," he added. "I'm a diehard capitalist, but you have to manage the market for it to grow."

For more information, or to view the entire draft 2020 Downtown Strategic Plan, visit the Downtown Ithaca Alliance's Web site at www.downtownithaca.com.

[Ex-Ithacan]

C'mon Ithaca, get dense (from the Ithaca Journal):

Issue over housing density grows in Ithaca
Committee studies rezoning options
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • February 26, 2010, 6:00 pm

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ITHACA -- While the city considers a proposal to limit the size of buildings in certain neighborhoods and potentially kill a massive Collegetown development, the Chamber of Commerce and the city's own economic development planner are urging city leaders to support denser housing.

Shortly after developer John Novarr proposed his Collegetown Terrace Apartments project on East State Street, Common Council's planning committee set up a working group to study the idea for a new R-3aa zoning district, which would limit height, density and maximum building size of new developments.

The Board of Directors of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce last week delivered to the planning committee a resolution supporting Collegetown Terrace Apartments and asking that the city "in good faith follow the current zoning regulations."

"Our concern is that we think there's a real need for in-fill housing in the City of Ithaca," said Chamber President Jean McPheeters.

Phyllisa DeSarno, the city's deputy director for economic development, urged the council to provide clear direction about R-3 zoning, but also about development in areas like Collegetown and Inlet Island.

"We have spoken so much about the need for greater density within the city, but it seems that we cannot agree on issues like height," DeSarno said. "We need to be more realistic about density ... if you're not willing to do that, then we'll see more of our outlying rural areas become developed."

The purpose behind the rezoning proposal is to "allow for more dense residential development while protecting the existing character of neighborhoods," City Planner Jennifer Kusznir said.

In addition to rezoning, a city subcommittee is considering making new developments subject to binding design review, and requiring developers to get permission before consolidating properties, she said.

Currently, developers must get permission from the city to subdivide a property. But they don't need permission to consolidate properties -- that's the strategy Novarr used to assemble the 16.4 acres south of Collegetown where he proposes to build 1,260 bedrooms and 860 parking spots. The area currently contains 635 bedrooms and 430 spots.

Existing city code restricts building height, lot coverage and property line setbacks, but not total density or units. For example, the current R-3 zoning district allows four-story buildings that cover 35 percent of the lot with a 10-foot front yard setback. The proposed R-3aa zone could reduce that to three stories, 30 percent lot coverage and a 20-foot setback.

It also could institute a maximum building footprint, calculated by the average square footage of existing buildings on the same and facing blocks.

[Ex-Ithacan]

And just last year there was talk of closing down these airports (from the Ithaca Journal):


Small airports in Ithaca, Elmira flying high
Ithaca, Elmira facilities see passenger growth, while larger hubs decline
By Aaron Munzer •Correspondent • February 25, 2010, 5:00 pm

It's been a bumpy flight for airports and airlines across the country, as passenger boardings decreased from 2007-08 to 2008-09 by almost 7 percent, according to the Bureau of Transportation statistics.

But not at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, or the Elmira Corning Regional Airport. The two facilities have bucked the national trend -- and their past carrier and passenger difficulties -- to come out of 2009 with some of the highest boarding numbers in the airports' histories, following a steady upward trend.

The Elmira Corning Regional Airport saw 113,748 passenger boardings in 2009, which was an increase of 9 percent from 2008.

Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport did extraordinarily well, with a 20 percent jump in passenger boardings in 2009, to reach 109,259, the airport's highest since 1990, and its third-highest total ever.

However, it's not a sure bet that local airports are doing well. Passenger boardings at Greater Binghamton Airport dropped 7 percent, to 100,402, in 2009.

Although fares may be marginally lower at larger, regional hubs like Syracuse Hancock International Airport, airport managers say the data proves that the two little-airports-that-could really do have an advantage when it comes to speeding through onerous security checkpoints and being closer to home.

In the past, they both lost a number of passengers to the larger, regional hub, but now they've seen fliers come home to roost with the decreased ticket prices. Syracuse didn't do so well in 2009; it saw a loss of 8 percent of its passenger boardings, to 1,024,227.

Howard Mann, an air service development consultant with InterVistas, which consults for Elmira, notes that in a situation with small airports in a competitive environment like the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, airlines can leave or reduce flights very quickly, which drives up ticket prices at remaining airlines, so stability is hard to achieve.

"No one's in a 'Hey, let's sit back on our laurels' situation. Small communities have to get the message out there, [that] they're keeping their costs lower," he said. "Many different types of carriers will grow or steal traffic, and affect the dynamics of competing airports."

Ithaca's success story
So what's the secret to their success? In Ithaca, it comes down to a couple of things. First, getting US Airways to remain in the area and encouraging two new airlines to set up shop with direct flights to major hubs like Newark has increased competition and lowered fares dramatically at both airports. The second thing: efficiency and few hassles, relatively speaking.

"A lot of the recent success we've had is as a result of adding Delta/Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines over the past few years," said Ithaca airport manager Robert Nicholas. "What that has done is to bring us a lot of competition, and with the competition, the airfares have come down, and that's helped to keep local fliers flying from this airport instead of other airports nearby."

What also helps keep the airport solvent is the presence of Cornell University and Ithaca College, said Nicholas, because the airport allows the institutions that are far from larger cities "to get people in and out efficiently."

Larry Baum, president of the Ithaca Air Service Board and CEO of the Computing Center, said he remembers the tough times they went through after Sept. 11, 2001, when air travel plummeted.

"It was 2003 when we hit the bottom in terms of passenger counts, (68,224)," Baum said.

"US Airways was going through its second bankruptcy, and that was our only airline. The search was on for additional carriers."

What helped them out was Cornell University, indirectly.

"One of the people we worked with, who is a Continental [Airlines] employee ... understands this little market, because he went to school here," Nicholas said. "The Cornell connection is valuable, because on the face of it, to airlines, 100 thousand passengers isn't all that important. It's a little counter-intuitive."

Then, they had "a pretty good scare" in May 2009, when Continental Airlines announced it was leaving Ithaca because of an issue with its capacity at Newark Liberty International Airport, which is where its Ithaca flight connects.

The Air Services Board came through for them, using financial incentives to grant the airport a reprieve, during which they proved they could put up good numbers for the airline.


"What happened was the air services board, working with all our friends, in this case Sen. [Chuck] Schumer , got Continental to reconsider, and we've been working hard ever since to increase the number of passengers using Continental."

So what's so great about a local airport? First, it's convenient for local residents, industries, and colleges, who often have a need for efficient, speedy and global transportation. Second, and more importantly, airports are constantly bringing in new people, who spend money to stimulate the local economy -- Ithaca's airport estimates that it contributed $30 million to Ithaca in 2008 -- instead of the economy of another city like Syracuse. Plus, it adds about 400 aviation-related jobs to the area, and is a self-sustaining branch of government.

"It is really quite incredible to have such a high level of service and convenience in a community of this size," Baum said. "It is a resource that needs to be protected and the way you protect it is to use it."

In the end, it's the passengers who determine the success of an airport -- and Ithaca passengers seem to be on board with the airport's talking points.

"I grew up here, and it's definitely convenience that's the main factor," says Dhruba Mukhergee, a resident who attends school in Virginia. "I've never gone to Syracuse. Ithaca's small, so you don't have to wait as long, and sometimes the planes are half empty."

"This plane was cheaper than Syracuse, and closer to school," said Susan Freeman, a freshman at Cornell from Omaha, Nebraska.

Shawn Smith, an Ithaca resident, flew into Ithaca for the proximity to home.

"It's really close, not crowded and you can get a fair number of flights," he said. "Really, this is the only one I use."

Fueling Elmira's growth

Starting in 2007, when Elmira's boarding numbers stopped descending and they nosed out of a two-year decline, airport manager Ann Crook says economic development played a large role, with the creation of a Sikorsky Hawkworks that added 700 employees at the airport complex, and Fortuna Energy, which opened a regional headquarters here.

"A lot of industrial development has floated this whole region economically," she said.

Like Ithaca, Crook gets the same benefits of lower ticket prices by having three competing airlines, Delta/Northwest, US Airways and Allegiant Airlines, but also points to the influx of gas-drilling prospectors and workers to the area as reasons for their resurgent boarding numbers.

"Drilling in the Marcellus Shale has been huge for us," she said. "We have jet charters coming directly from Oklahoma City, bringing drillers, and they're filling up our regular flights as well."

She said the workers are all going to Pennsylvania to work on rigs, and energy companies are sending prospectors looking for new well sites in New York.

Crook also said maintaining a relationship with airline executives is crucial to the success of any airport.

"Last June, I went to Delta headquarters in Atlanta, and I was talking about all the natural gas traffic going through, and they were unaware of that," she said.

The next week, the airline told her they were considering adding extra flights to Elmira.

Crook said the addition of a new carrier, Allegiant Air, which offers four weekly direct flights to Orlando, Fla.. has gotten vacationers in the region filling every 150-seat flight down to the sunny beaches and Disney World.

In addition to the new industrial growth and direct flights, Crook pointed out Elmira's answer to Cornell, Ithaca's recession-proofer: "What we do have is Corning Inc., a huge multinational headquartered [here], and they have said they'll be relying on our airport," she said. "That's one thing that keeps us going, that keeps us economy proof."

[Ex-Ithacan]

An Op-Ed piece in the Ithaca Times on-line. Written by Gary Ferguson, director of Downtown Ithaca Alliance:


The Fundamental Big Ideas

Gary Ferguson
DIA Executive Director

Imagine you and your digital camera are transported ten years into the future to downtown Ithaca via a magical time machine. What do you see? How do you feel? How does the center of our city appear to function? The new draft Downtown Strategic Plan paints a vision of the future for our center city in the year 2020. It also provides us with a roadmap to help achieve this vision and contains several hundred action items that need to be tackled over the course of this decade if we want to attain the vision painted in the 2020 Plan.

Underlying all of the goals, objectives and action items contained in the Downtown 2020 Plan are a set of "big ideas" - fundamental concepts that form the bedrock for the entire plan. Our success in implementing the many action elements of the Plan will depend on our ability to appreciate and adopt these basic tenets of downtown Ithaca revitalization. In capsule format here are those 'big ideas":

Downtown projects need to be mixed use. Simply put, downtown buildings and structures need to have multiple uses in them. The era of single use projects needs to end.

Downtown should have a dense urban core. Downtown is different from residential neighborhoods. It is the place in our community where density makes sense.

Downtown should strive to reduce reliance on the automobile. In downtown we will work to implement programs and projects that will help lessen the need for the automobile.

Transition zones are important. The boundary between downtown and surrounding neighborhoods represents an area where there should be a transition from urban density to residential character.

In downtown we have a preference for the pedestrian. Walkability takes precedence over the automobile. If we must choose between the auto and the pedestrian, we opt for the pedestrian.

The retail street needs to define downtown. Retail on the street level is crucial to a successful downtown. We need to commit to sustainability and growth of downtown retail.

The Commons is a transit hub. The Commons is more than a pedestrian mall. It is the connective fiber that links together the bus stops and stations of downtown. It is part of the downtown transit system.

Downtown seeks in-fill development. Future downtown development needs to focus on filling the vacant or under-developed parcels that still exist in the urban landscape. We seek targeted and selected regeneration of specific parcels, not wholesale redevelopment of entire blocks.

Downtown needs clustered destinations. America's most successful small city downtowns have large numbers of pedestrian traffic generating attractions all located within walking distance of each other. The synergy created by this clustering helps to make strong and stable downtowns. We need to commit to locating many of our community traffic generating projects into downtown.

Downtown is our community's center. Every community needs a hub, a place where it goes to celebrate, to mourn, to reflect, to meet one another, and to experience life together. That place is downtown.

Downtown should showcase our community's commitment to green and sustainable life. Ithaca/Tompkins County is a place where people value green and sustainable practices. As our center, downtown should demonstrate and showcase this commitment.

These "big ideas" will not build new buildings, add new jobs, or result in specific projects. Instead, they provide the framework for how our city should develop and grow. They are the "benefits and values" that need to be promoted and advanced if we are to achieve the many recommendations that are part of the Downtown 2020 Plan. As we move forward as a community to tackle growth and development in this decade, let's do so using these "big ideas" as our guiding concepts. It is only by embracing these fundamental "big ideas" that we will be able to create that snapshot of the future that is painted in our draft 2020 Strategic Plan.

---

This guest opinion was written by Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

[Ex-Ithacan]

WICB coverage of the Chili Festival downtown in February:

• Video Link

[Ex-Ithacan]

This sounds like a good idea, and quite typically Ithacan. From the Ithaca Journal:



Ithaca arts panel urges murals for downtown
Up to 30 sites suggested
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • March 10, 2010, 10:00 pm

Comments(1)Recommend
Downtown garages, city court, the police station and the South Hill Recreation Way are among places where Ithaca's Public Art Commission is recommending the city look to install public murals and street art.

Members of the Public Art Commission gave a presentation to Ithaca's Board of Public Works Wednesday evening on their proposal for a long-term public art strategy that would install more public murals like the ones on Alternatives Federal Credit Union, Southside Community Center, and at the Wood Street skate park.

The Public Art Commission has compiled a list of 27 to 30 public and private sites across Ithaca that it believes should be considered for public art.

"We are not, by any stretch of the imagination, suggesting this will happen overnight," said Brett Bossard, executive director of the Community Arts Partnership. "This is a very long-term project."

The commission would act as an intermediary, pairing artists with projects, sites and funding, Bossard said.

Some other possible locations are flood walls along creeks, the Department of Public Works building on Route 13 and municipal electric boxes.

A citywide public art project in Boston chooses artists to paint electric boxes, commission member Caleb Thomas said. One box was painted to look like an aquarium and another like a bookshelf.

Mayor Carolyn Peterson suggested the soon-to-be-rebuilt Columbia Street pedestrian bridge as an art site. Commissioner Cynthia Brock said she supported the concept, "especially in areas with feelings of blight."

Common Council Alderman Joel Zumoff, D-3rd, supported the idea but asked whether there's been any research on safety issues, for example, whether murals distract drivers.

Discussion on the public art recommendations will be scheduled for a future meeting of the Board of Public Works, Peterson said.


I like Brutus' comment too:

Brutus_R_Yates wrote:

I'm all for public art...as long as it is not funded by tax dollars. Allow artist to paint/attach their art on the sides of a building is fine as long as they have a clear contract that says that it won't be permanent, that other artist might be given the same space after a set time, that they have to pay for the work/supplies and they are responsible for the upkeep.

That sounds very fair to me.

3/11/2010 7:35:59 AM

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hope this works out for IBC (from the Ithaca Journal):


Ithaca Beer Co. proposes restaurant, beer garden
Site archaeology deserves study, experts say
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • March 16, 2010, 10:40 pm

Ithaca Beer Company's Dan Mitchell has proposed plans to expand his popular business on Route 13 with a new brewery, pub/restaurant, and beer garden -- but the site may contain Native American archaeological artifacts, Ithaca's Town Planning Board heard Tuesday night.

Mitchell told the board he'll need to expand his brewery by 2012, and he's hoping to buy 81 adjoining acres to build the brewery, a restaurant, a beer garden, a new home for his own family, and possibly other residential development. However, most of the acreage is slated to remain in agriculture, and Mitchell said he hopes to grow some of the food that would be sold through the restaurant or processed into the beers.

The board was supportive of the idea, but agreed with planner George Frantz and archaeologist Sherene Baugher, who said the site should be investigated for Native American artifacts.

The Town of Ithaca did an archaeological study of the Cayuga Inlet valley in 1993, but the current property owner, Earland Mancini, did not want to participate, Baugher said.

A dig bordering the property which Mitchell hopes to develop found an ancient burial ground, and it's possible that remnants of the Coreorgonel village could remain on the site, she said.

"Unfortunately," Baugher told Mitchell, "right where you have your house (proposed) is about 50 feet away from where the burial was found."

State law would likely require a study of cultural resources on the property before development, she said, and the planning board agreed that the archaeology should be studied, at least in areas that would be disturbed. The Town Board would have to re-zone the site to accommodate the development.

The board also:

* Heard plans for a storage building development just north of Ithaca Beer Co. on Route 13.

The All-Around Storage Mall was proposed for 602 Elmira Road -- the triangle of land between Routes 13 and 13A that was once a pancake house and a Chinese restaurant, and has been vacant for several years. Owner Rusty Luce proposed five storage buildings on the 3.6-acre site. Board members asked him to scale it back to three buildings, and work with New York State to get an entrance off 13A rather than 13.

* Gave approval to Tompkins County to subdivide property in anticipation of selling the Biggs Complex, which still houses the county Health Department.

Deputy County Attorney Steve Flash said the county is still negotiating with Cayuga Medical Center to sell the property. "There is progress and we're getting close," he said.

* Learned that Cornell University doesn't want to build a parking lot at the site of the former Courtside Racquet Club across from East Hill Plaza -- at least not right now.

Cornell had proposed to build a parking lot, similar to A-lot near the College of Veterinary Medicine, on the property at 380 Pine Tree Road that once held the Courtside Racquet Club. Cornell demolished that building roughly two years ago.

Cornell Real Estate Director Tom LiVigne said redevelopment plans have been temporarily shelved, "due to financial conditions."

[Ex-Ithacan]

Another step in the process. A big project in my old hood. From the Ithaca Journal:



A site plan of the proposed Collegetown Terrace Apartment complex shows in yellow the footprint of the new buildings that will replace all the buildings in the area bounded by South Quarry Street, East State Street and Valentine Place except the three buildings in gray. Quarry Arms, Boiler Works and Casa Roma are part of Ithaca's East Hill Historic District. (Provided photo)




Ithaca apartment proposal advances
Impact statement near on Collegetown Terrace
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • March 24, 2010, 12:00 am

Collegetown Terrace Apartments proposal on East State Street appears to be moving forward.

Developer John Novarr and his consultants presented an initial site plan review on the project to Ithaca's Planning and Development Board on Tuesday night. Novarr plans to turn in his draft environmental impact statement within a week. The planning board then has 45 days to determine whether it's adequate for public review.

After Novarr presented his plans last summer, a Common Council subcommittee began looking at the possibility of rezoning to reduce allowable building sizes in areas throughout the city, including Novarr's property.

The group has not made its final recommendation, but at this time it is not recommending rezoning any of Novarr's property, City Planner Jennifer Kusznir confirmed. The group submitted a draft map and summary of its work to council's planning committee last week.

Factors the group cited in the past as guiding its decision-making include preserving neighborhood character and urban form. The work summary submitted last week said the group is now also considering whether large-scale development in the city would help "counter suburban sprawl."

Areas that are being considered for more restrictive zoning include Geneva Street, Floral Avenue, West Green Street, South Albany Street, North Titus Avenue and North Cayuga Street.

Novarr's property is among areas identified for potential form-based zoning, a regulation scheme that focuses more on appearance than use of a property and is intended to help foster walkable urban communities. Final decisions on zoning changes are made by Common Council.

At the site plan review Tuesday night, planning board members focused their questions on the visual impact the development would have on East State Street, and whether there would be adequate green space.

Novarr proposes to tear down up to 30 buildings in a 16.4-acre area bounded by Valentine Place, Quarry Street, East State Street and Six Mile Creek, and replace them with seven apartment buildings. Density in the area would double from 650 rental beds to 1,250.

Building height and other zoning restrictions would be met along East State Street -- where buildings up to four stories are allowed -- but Novarr will seek a zoning variance to allow taller buildings as they slope down toward the gorge, he said.

The intersection of State and Mitchell is already considered "failing" based on current traffic congestion, but Collegetown Terrace Apartments is not anticipated to make it worse, said Kathryn Wolf, principal with Trowbridge & Wolf and Novarr's consultant. A traffic study for the impact study determined that between 16,000 and 19,000 vehicles per day pass along State Street, Wolf said.

Novarr already offers a direct shuttle between his Casa Roma apartments and Cornell University, and there's a bus stop along East State Street, so very few students drive to campus, she said. Per requests from nearby neighbors, Novarr's traffic study included recommendations on what the city could do to improve existing conditions, and one suggestion is to install a traffic light at Mitchell and State, Wolf said.

Project master planner Ian Tyndall said one benefit of redevelopment would be removing most of the eight driveways that currently exit directly onto State Street, and instead routing traffic primarily along Valentine and Quarry. The new development would also be set further back from the street, and would be compliant with new, safer building codes, he said.

"Some of these (existing) buildings are firetraps. That's the fact of the matter," he said.

Board member David Kay said he liked a lot of things about the proposal, but was most anxious about the appearance of "big, blocky buildings" on State Street.

Board member Jane Marcham said she wanted to see more grass outside for people to sunbathe or feed birds, for example.

Collegetown Terrace Apartments is expected to come back for further planning board review at a meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. April 27 at City Hall, 108 E. Green St.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Article from the Cornell Daily Sun in regard to the recent rash of student suicides:



Bridge Security: Students walk across the Thurston Avenue bridge on Monday, where temporary fences have been installed. - By: Brian Stern



Students Criticize New Fences on Campus Bridges
University says fences play key preventive role
March 30, 2010 - 2:24am
By Emily Greenberg


The University’s most visible response to the three gorge-related suicides in the past month — the 10-foot tall chain-link fences lining some campus bridges — have received a variety of responses from students returning to campus. Though the University maintains the fences play a key preventative role in campus suicide watch measures, some students have been quick to criticize the fences.

“It definitely has a negative effect on the general emotional well-being of campus,” said Justin Richmond-Decker ’12, creator of the Facebook group “Cornellians Who Don’t Want Bridge Fences.” “It feels like a prison, and that’s not what this campus needs, especially now.”

“All [the fences] do is remind people daily of the tragedies that took place and obstruct the natural view of campus,” Arjun Vinze ’12 said.

In addition to the potentially negative impact on student morale, many students argued that the fences detract from Cornell’s history and legacy. The gorges, some said, are what make Cornell distinctive.

“Putting up fences is sending the message that we wish [the gorges] weren’t a part of our campus,” Jordan Kent-Bryant ’12 said.

Some students also felt that fencing the bridges is impractical. According to Vinze, it would be impossible for the University to fence off the gorges entirely. Other students expressed concern because the University has not explained how long the fences will remain.

Vice President of University Communications Tommy Bruce emphasized that the fences are only a temporary solution.

“I completely sympathize with the concerns that have been expressed,” Bruce said. “However, the fact of the matter is the need to put in a temporary fence and to act in the short run is imperative. We have a situation where we are very much concerned about the welfare and public health of our community.”

The University has been consulting with experts, who all agree that physical barriers can help prevent suicide, Bruce said.

“Impulsivity is a very significant factor in these tragedies, and the research really does show that physical fences and barriers have been effective in preventing suicides,” Bruce said.

However, some students pointed out that three of the University’s six suicides this academic year were not gorge-related. According to Jordan Kent-Bryant, the three most recent suicides, which occurred in gorges, were a statistical anomaly.

“The probability of getting three suicides in a month is rare, but it can happen,” Kent-Bruant said. “No matter what [the University does], suicide rates are going to go down next year simply because of a regression towards the mean, just because six was very unlikely.”

According to April Miller ’13, founder of the Facebook group “Don’t Fence Us In,” the Uni­versity’s controversial decision to erect fences has divided the Cornell community at a time when it needs to be united.

“I think if we’re going to actually put an effective effort toward stopping suicides, the way to do it is not for the administration to make a decision that no one else agrees with,” Miller said. “There needs to be cooperation between the students, the faculty and the administration.”

Bruce echoed Miller’s call to come together as a community.

“We want to make sure that whatever long-term solution that emerges from this process is something that the community finds acceptable,” Bruce said. “I’ve received a lot of feedback from the community [regarding a long-term solution] ... We need to be working together in order to make sure that the long-term solution is agreeable and appropriate.”

Many students commended the other preventative methods taken by the University and by the student body, arguing that these preventative methods were more positive. Richmond-Decker said the greater access to counseling, the well-being checks by residential advisors and the “Lift Your Spirits” program were particularly effective. Other students said the security guards, posters, sidewalk messages and flowers were comforting.

“[The University] should probably do more things like [‘Lift Your Spirits’] to increase the general happiness of the student body, instead of putting up fences, which actually depress people,” Justin Richmond-Decker said.

According to Valerie Roske ’13, the fences send the wrong message.

“I was walking down Thurston this morning, and I saw about ten people look up at the fences with this look in their face of total disgust,” Roske said. “I think the best thing anyone can do is just show in an unconditional way support and love and just that we’re there for each other rather than putting up barriers.”

Bruce assured that the University is doing all it can to create a positive atmosphere on campus.

“We’re using every effort we can to reach out to our students and to get through the very important message that it’s okay to ask for help,” Bruce said.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Thought I'd throw this in. Nice tour of Ithaca (waterfalls, downtown Ithaca College, my old hood-Collegetown(with the steep hills), Cornell). And some pretty decent skatboarding.

• Video Link

[Ex-Ithacan]

Exciting news for the little ones, and good news for the Lansing company.


Lansing company designs innovative heart monitors
Device could prompt business expansion for Transonic Systems
By Stacey Shackford •sshackford@gannett.com • April 5, 2010, 6:00 pm


One of the most reassuring sounds for new parents is the beating of their baby's heart, and for those born with defects, it's also the most crucial to monitor.

But doctors' ability to measure cardiac output -- the amount of blood pumped by the heart in one minute -- and blood volume in some of their youngest patients has been limited by a lack of equipment designed to handle their tiny veins and arteries.

Hospital workers are spoiled for choice in cardiac monitors for adults, but when it comes to pediatric patients and newborns, they often have to rely on secondary cues or imprecise measurements gleaned from pulse or ultrasounds.

A Lansing firm hopes to change that, by offering new external cardiac output monitors designed to handle even the smallest blood flows.

Transonic Systems has started a limited manufacturing run of the new devices at its Dutch Mill Road headquarters after successfully testing the technology in clinical studies at several hospitals.

Transonic President Cornelis Drost, a former researcher at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, hopes the units will become standard in every hospital in the country.

Such demand would in turn fuel a large expansion of the company, which started making ultrasound flowmeters in Ithaca in 1983 and now employs 130 people worldwide, with subsidiaries in the Netherlands, Taiwan and Japan.

"We think that this product could make our company substantially bigger that what it is now. This product line has the potential to outsell all the other product lines that have become the majority of our revenue," Drost said. "It's a very good, very scientifically solid technology. It has the potential to become the new gold standard."

The company that started out measuring volume flow in vessels of sheep and horses has perfected it down to the tiny renal arteries of a mouse.

Nikolai Krivitski, vice president of research and development, said the technologies currently used on adults require that a pulmonary catheter be inserted into the heart, an invasive procedure that cannot be used with small children because their blood vessels are not large enough.


The Transonic equipment, however, connects between existing arterial and venous lines already inserted into many patients in the intensive care unit in order to measure pressure and deliver drugs and fluids.

The cardiac output and blood flow tests can then be performed quickly and easily, by injecting normal saline into the venous line and monitoring its concentration as it gets circulated through the blood system using ultrasound sensors.

Frequent monitoring of cardiac output and blood volume can be crucial for doctors as they try to determine treatment options for critically ill patients, or assess the effectiveness of such treatments as they are being administered, Dr. Krivitski said.

According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect, and nearly twice as many children die from congenital heart disease in the United States each year as die from all forms of childhood cancers combined. Approximately 36,000 babies are born with a heart defect each year -- 9 out of 1,000 births -- and in 2004, hospital costs related to treatment of the conditions totaled $2.6 billion, AHA research indicates.

Dr. Krivitski said other companies have shied away from developing the pediatric technology because it is so complicated and has less money-making potential than similar products in the adult market. Several grants from the National Institute of Health, totaling close to $4 million over several years, made it possible for Transonic to complete the research, he said.

Use of the new technology is not limited to children, he added. It could also serve as a less invasive alternative for patients of any age and size, which could expand its appeal among hospital administrators considering a capital purchase of the equipment, which will not be cheap.

Drost estimated it will sell for around $27,000.

"We're not competing on pricing, but rather how we can best help the patients," he said.

Transonic already has some experience helping to save babies. During extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a life-preserving procedure for infants born without fully developed lungs, Transonic flow meters assure that the proper amount of fluid reaches the infant.

Transonic hemodialysis monitors also allow dialysis staff to directly measure recirculation and shunt flow during treatment rather than waiting days for the results of blood samples or ordering additional tests, an important breakthrough for patients with end-stage renal disease.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hope the trend for new tenants continues, could mean more jobs in the area (from the Ithaca Journal).


Two South Hill expansions proposed
Business Campus, Circle Apartments to increase
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • April 6, 2010, 10:10 pm

Plans for major expansions of the South Hill Business Campus and Ithaca College's Circle Apartments were presented to Ithaca's Town Planning Board Tuesday night.

South Hill Business Campus, at 950 Danby Road, was a 25-percent occupied former factory in 2004 when developer Andy Sciarabba bought it. He's now turned the site into an 84-percent occupied campus that houses offices, light manufacturing, and research and development companies.

The quick success and high demand for existing space led Sciarabba and his partners to develop a master plan for the entire site, he said. The plan calls for three new buildings, one attached to the existing factory, another manufacturing and research and development building below, and a third office building above, near 96B, for a total of 197,000 new square feet. The current building is approximately 280,000 square feet.

"In view of where we are with the leasing at this point in time, our partners felt it was time to start looking toward the future," Sciarabba said. "We don't know if any of this will ever be built, to be totally honest with you. It depends on the market and how our leasing goes."

Sciarabba said he's also been approached by a developer interested in building senior housing on the southern piece of his property, but that there are no firm plans.

Sciarabba anticipates completing an environmental impact statement on the proposed master plan.

The Circle Apartments, at 1033 Danby Road, are privately owned but managed and policed by Ithaca College.

Carl Sgrecci, Ithaca College vice president for finance and administration, spoke about the need for increased housing for IC students. Last year's record-breaking freshman class led IC to install temporary dorms, and competition among juniors and seniors for spots in College Circle is intense, he said.

Plans call for demolishing four existing apartment buildings and building nine new ones for a net increase of 280 bedrooms and 106 parking spots on site. A 2,500-square-foot expansion of the complex's Community Building is also planned.


Business Park Plan:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/asse...CB15514546.PDF

[Ex-Ithacan]

Ithaca's largest shopping mall (actually in suburban Lansing) is expanding.
Article from the Lansing Star (on-line):



Ithaca Mall Builds 82K Sq. Foot Retail Store
by Dan Veaner
Friday, 02 April 2010
Representatives of Triax Management Group, L.L.C. presented a plan Tuesday that will bring an 82,000 square foot stand-alone retail building to the Shops at Ithaca Mall, as well as a bird sanctuary and housing for seniors. The project will be built on land the company owns between the mall and Oakcrest Road in the Village of Lansing. Village Trustees and Planning Board members held a joint meeting to consider the project and whether it will become the first Planned Development Area (PDA) since a new law was passed allowing such plans earlier this year.

"As we all know it's been a difficult time in the economy for everybody, especially retail," said Triax Principal Partner Eric Goetzmann. "We were able to find a retailer and convince them that the Village of Lansing in Tompkins County is the right place to be because there are consumers here that are looking for their goods. We spent over a year finding a way to take no and turn it into a yes."



Goetzmann says he can't reveal the name of the retailer yet, and that the company will make its own announcement when its management feels the time is right. When the store does move in there will be a new 82,000 square foot commercial building, about 2/3 the size of the mall's Target store. New parking lots will accommodate 340 cars. The new lots will be tied into the mall's existing ring road. Triax's Director of Construction James Bold said that the new store should have about the same truck delivery traffic as Target.

The land comprises a little over ten acres directly north of the shopping center, and west of the Ithaca YMCA. Goetzmann said that the tenant has rolled out a new prototype for their stores that requires a free-standing building. He said that they only build a couple per year and that negotiations led to the current plan as opposed to another store attached to the existing mall building.

"The original intention was to use it as an extension of the existing core of the shopping center," he said. "We've had numerous discussions with people about what happens to the shopping center so we don't end up on deadmalls.com. We've made a lot of changes with great input from people in the community."



Bold shows planning board members the new plan


An area of wetlands behind the YMCA will be preserved on 1.4 acres of the the site. Bold worked with consultants including the Army Corps of Engineers, Terrestrial Environmental Specialists (a consulting firm in Phoenix, NY), and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to plan the enhancement of the existing wetlands into a bird habitat and to expand that area to make up for another quarter of an acre that is currently a wetland.

A 20 foot buffer strip between apartments and the wetland will be maintained as an ever-wild area. It will be planted with native grasses that will be free to grow wild. Heavy tree and shrub plantings will provide a place for birds to live, nest, and find food and water. Bold says that the area today is a low-quality drainage path. It will also create a wildlife corridor, connecting to existing wooded land. A walking bridge and an extension of the sidewalk leading to the Ithaca YMCA is being considered to create and enhance walking trails.

"It becomes a vital part of the project," Bold said. "It enhances the community by enhancing the habitat and attracting more wildlife."

About 200 native trees will be planted, with the expectation that at least 50 will survive. They will be supplied by Dryden's RPM Ecosystems, LLC. Varieties include common elderberry, nannyberry, northern white cedar, red maple, bur oak, arrowwood viburnum, bur oak, eastern white pine, silky dogwood, redosier dogwood, speckled alder, swamp white oak, and highbush cranberry.





The elder housing will consist of four buildings with three two-bedroom living units in each. Goetzmann says that residents will be able to walk to anyplace they need for shopping in the area. The residences will be buffered from store traffic and light by the trees, including evergreens. He noted that they will help fill a need for housing in Tompkins County, and that it will be targeted to residents 55 years old and up.

"Our job is to make sure we have the right retail to keep consumers in Tompkins County," Goetzmann said. "By bringing an additional resource that will fill a need, it further increases the viability of what we've had for the past 30 years."

Earlier this year Village Trustees adding a Planned Development Area (PDA) provision to their zoning law. The law allows Trustees to approve developments of five acres or more that go outside the boundaries of current zoning. Projects would be subject to review by the Trustees and the Planning Board, which would be empowered to require strict conditions on a special use project.

Trustees voted to provisionally allow the project to go forward. The next step is for the developer and the Planning Board to work out details of the project, with Trustees becoming involved along the way and ultimately approving it. Goetzmann said that he would like to start construction as soon as possible once the construction season begins next month.




http://www.lansingstar.com/content/view/6004/77/

[Ex-Ithacan]

Good news for Ithaca, but sad for nearly everywhere else ( From http://www.housingzone.com)


Only 10 Metro Areas Add Constuction Jobs Between Feb. 2009 and 2010
230 metro areas experienced double digit declines in construction employment
AGC News Release
April 7, 2010
HousingZone
Only 10 out of 337 metropolitan areas added construction jobs between February 2009 and 2010, the Associated General Contractors of America reported today citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even worse, 230 metro areas experienced double digit declines in construction employment while only two cities experienced a double digit increase, association officials noted.

“In virtually every area, construction workers continued to suffer the brunt of the recession,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Job losses in far too many cities were simply, and sadly, staggering.”


The construction economist said that Houston, Texas lost more construction jobs (25,500, 13 percent) than any other metro area between February 2009 and 2010. Monroe, Michigan, meanwhile, lost the highest percentage of construction jobs (41 percent, 900 jobs). Other areas experiencing a high number of job losses include Chicago, Illinois (25,200, 20 percent); Los Angeles, California (23,000, 19 percent); Las Vegas, Nevada (22,900, 31 percent); and Phoenix, Arizona (20,600, 20 percent).


Among the ten metro areas adding construction jobs during the past twelve months (twelve metro areas experienced no change in employment), three added only 100 jobs (Ithaca, New York; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Bismarck, North Dakota). Eau Claire, Wisconsin added more jobs and a higher percent of jobs than any other city in America (600, 29 percent). Other areas adding jobs include El Paso, Texas (400 , 3 percent); Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, Massachusetts-New Hampshire (300, 9 percent); Syracuse, New York (300, 3 percent); and Lafayette, Louisiana (200, 3 percent).


Simonson noted that the industry continues to suffer from weak demand for new construction activity. Annual construction spending declined to an eight-year low in February. He said that single-family homebuilding and the federal stimulus should help boost construction employment in a number of metro areas this spring, but high vacancy rates and shrinking state and local budgets will keep construction employment from rising in most areas.


In addition to low spending levels, association officials cautioned that federal and state regulatory and spending decisions were having an impact on the industry. They cited confusion about the impact of the health care legislation, unfunded mandates in California and New York forcing contractors to retrofit or replace current equipment and infrastructure spending cuts in states like New York and Florida.


View the latest city-by-city construction employment figures:

http://newsletters.agc.org/datadiges...1002-alpha.pdf

© 2010, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Article from the Ithaca Times ref: how real estate is doing in downtown and Collegetown (my old hood). Ithaca Renting is one of the larger agencies.:




Ithaca Renting agent sounds off on city's business real estate market

Rob Montana
Managing Editor

With development discussion taking place for spots all over Ithaca, it seemed that checking in with a local leasing agent to give their take on the lay of the land was in order. So, we contacted David Huckle, who serves are the commercial leasing and marketing manager for Ithaca Renting Company, an Ithaca developer that operates 21 retail, residential and office buildings in the heart of Downtown Ithaca and Collegetown. The company, which was founded in 1968, employs around 30 people in the Ithaca area. Huckle, a Cornell University graduate with a degree in applied economics and business management, has spent the past 25-plus years working in the Central New York-Tompkins County region with a variety of banking, real estate/property development and high-tech companies. In responding to our questions, Huckle enlisted the expertise and knowledge of John Yengo, Ithaca Renting Company's commercial department manager, who has 30-plus years of commercial real estate experience in this market plus extensive experience in the hospitality industry.

Ithaca Times: What is the commercial real estate market like in Ithaca?

David Huckle: Lately, Downtown Ithaca store rentals are "red hot" plus we've experienced a significant "upswing" in the number of prospective tenants looking for office space in both our Bank of America property and the adjacent vacant space in the former Smith-Barney Space (105 N. Tioga St.) in Bank Alley. We've done more new leases in the past two months than in all of 2009.

We've had a similar experience in Collegetown where we've signed several new leases within the past month as well.

Though we are seeing new store tenants come from the area; an increasing number are from outside of Ithaca to include Corning, Scranton, Oneonta, NYC area and St. Louis. Of these new tenants from outside Ithaca, many have selected Ithaca to expand their businesses with a second or third store.

IT: What challenges do you face in trying to find tenants for your vacant spaces?

DH: Our primary challenge is to match prospects with the inventory of stores we currently have available. A retail prospect may be looking for a store of a different size, type or location than what we have available for rent. Or, the prospect may like the store, but can't afford to comply with all the regulations for his or her specific business. Or, the prospect can't raise the financing necessary to open the store. Retail is a very difficult business and it's our belief at Ithaca Renting that we should place a very high value on the people who devote their working lives to serving the community by operating a local store or restaurant.

IT: What avenues do you use to attract businesses to your properties?

DH: We use traditional advertising & promotional activities to include signs; and, the print media but also rely heavily on referrals; and, word of mouth. In the past 6-plus months, we've also significantly stepped up our Internet advertising and are seeing increasing dividends from this area. In addition we work very closely with the Downtown Ithaca Association, City of Ithaca Department of Planning & Development, Chamber of Commerce, Convention & Visitor's Bureau and Tompkins County Area Development who have all been actively involved in helping us to attract new tenants both from within and outside Tompkins County.

IT: There seems to be a number of vacancies in buildings downtown. Why do you think this is?

DH: There are many reasons. Some people have been concerned about the "down economy" in 2009 causing them to be hesitant to either open a new store or expand their existing business. We have, though, seen more prospects of late feeling better about the economy and therefore making a move. Some people are undercapitalized and can't obtain financing from either traditional banking or private sources. Some people retire and some move to other locations.

With this said, however, we believe that the overriding factor for this both locally and nationally is that there is just too much retail space. You will see high vacancies in just about every neighborhood in just about every town; city; and, mall in the US. Based on our experience in - and knowledge of - other areas outside of Ithaca, it's our belief that Downtown Ithaca actually has a lower vacancy rate and better mix of stores than most areas.

IT: We have heard complaints about high rents downtown. What kind of factor do you think this plays in filling vacant storefronts?

DH: Our analysis is that store rents downtown are actually lower now (relatively speaking) than they were in the 1980s even though the landlord's taxes and operating costs for the retail space have more than doubled since then.

IT: What more does Ithaca need to do to keep businesses open in town?

DH: Lower property taxes; ease up on government regulations; encourage construction of additional apartments; and, continue to actively support local organizations who are vital to the development and success of local businesses such as the DIA, Chamber, TCAD and CV&B.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Article about the need for a "conference" center in downtown Ithaca. From the Ithaca Times.



The Women's Community Building, on the corner of Cayuga and Seneca streets, has plenty of space to offer for community meetings Ñ nearly 400 standing room and almost 200 for sit-down dinners Ñ but the building will be demolished to make way for an Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services affordable housing project, leaving a potential void of meeting spaces in downtown Ithaca. Some officials are calling for a joint venture that would not only bring back some of that meeting space, but also allow them to attract small conventions and conferences here. (Photo by Rachel Philipson)




Ithaca looking at untapped conference market

Rob Montana
Managing Editor

Ithaca's Winter Recess, a promotional event designed to lure teachers here while on their February break, has grown swiftly. The type of energy produced around that week has been a tourist boon for Ithaca and Tompkins County, showing the impact that can be made when a group of like-minded individuals gathers here.

Now, imagine if Ithaca could market itself for that type of thing on a more regular basis, perhaps bringing in small conventions or conferences of professionals looking for a retreat. Not only would it allow new demographics of people to experience all the area has to offer, but it would also generate more revenues in the form of sales tax receipts from the inevitable shopping and dining that would take place as a result.

So, what would it take to do that? Someplace - downtown - for such groups to conduct their meetings that serve as a prelude to the fun waiting to be had here.

That's part of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance's vision for Ithaca in the next 10 years, something DIA Executive Director Gary Ferguson is firmly behind and wants to see happen.

"It is certainly something that is in our strategic plan for a couple of reasons," he said. "One is with another hotel coming downtown (Hotel Ithaca, the Jeff Rimland project slated for the Aurora Street edge of the Commons next to Madeline's), we will have a large number of overnight rooms, but not a commensurate amount of meeting space to handle anything that would go with those rooms.

"There is a feeling that if we wanted to do something here to help, our lodging venues have not provided that meeting space," Ferguson added. "There are overnight rooms, but not the meeting space to go along with it."

He said that there are places on the college campuses - Cornell University and Ithaca College - that could provide for such conferences, but the DIA is interested in seeing something like that downtown - and a venue that wouldn't necessarily compete with the daily education needs of the higher education institutions.

"Right now, if, say, I don't know, the New York State Association of Weekly Newspapers wanted to come to Ithaca and have meetings here, there is no place we could do that," Ferguson said. "That's really an issue. And, if you look at our competition, places like Saratoga, Lake Placid, Oneonta, Corning, they have places for that.

"There are a lot of people who would like to come here, but the reality is you're not going to have something every day of the week, so you need to put something together that would work," he added. "It would need to be something that can do different things, can have dual roles. What you don't want to do is create a space that sits empty more often than not."

Fred Bonn, director of the Ithaca/Tompkins Convention & Visitors Bureau, echoed Ferguson's sentiment, saying Ithaca could be well-suited to play host with the addition of a space for conventions.

"We, as a destination, have long been a very attractive destination for meetings and conferences at about the 250-delegate mark," he said. "More than that, we become very challenged with some of the facilities we have.

"When you start to get events and conferences that exceed that, you begin to hit a different business model for those events. Those require a function space for large meetings, breakout space for smaller gatherings as well as trade hall space," Bonn added. "Right now, it's difficult to have a general session with attendees in one room, plus breakout spaces for smaller meetings."

He added that it is difficult to find a place downtown to host an event of more than 400-450 for, say, a large community dinner.

"Really, we're limited to spaces that are well below the 200-250 person mark," Bonn said. "Emerson Suites has more space available, but logistically it's difficult to sell an event planner on something in a campus setting.

"Whereas, an urban setting is more attractive to them," he added.

Eliminating space

Currently, the Women's Community Building offers a place for larger community meetings and dinners. While the space is larger - and has a convenient commercial kitchen set up as well -ÊDirector of Operations Sarah Johnson said use is limited to a couple of events per week.

During the daytime, New Roots Charter School utilizes the space from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but other than that, it is used maybe two to three times per week.

"I don't know if it's the economics or that there is a fair amount of public space available," Johnson said, "or maybe people don't need as much space as we have."

Those using the Women's Community Building space are typically non-profit groups for annual meetings, or those having private parties or wedding receptions. Johnson said it has been used for things such as Peter DeMott's funeral, activist Cindy Sheehan spoke there this week, and the Ithaca Farmers Market has used it the past two years for their winter market. None of those things help sustain it, though.

"The past two years, we have been lucky the Farmers Market has been having their winter market here," Johnson said. "But, in some ways, they have outgrown the space, it seems like they have more vendors than there is room here for.

"Schools also rent space," she added, offering another alternative for groups looking for places for events. "We had someone who had been using the space here that ended up using Beverly J. Martin (Elementary School) because it was cheaper."

There are different rental rates for the various rooms in the building, but the auditorium costs $40 per hour to rent during the week; $54 per hour on the weekend. Johnson said the auditorium space has a maximum capacity of 374 people, "but that would be people standing around, not seated," with a capacity of around 175 people for a sit-down dinner type of event.

But, the Women's Community Building soon will be going the way of the dodo, as Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services has tapped the location as the site of an affordable housing project - meaning the building will be knocked down and apartments sprouting up in its place. However, Johnson doesn't see the Women's Community Building's absence as a big detriment to the public meeting space market.

"There does seem to be a hew and cry over losing the space, but honestly it's only used a couple of times a week," she said. "I think GIAC's (Greater Ithaca Activities Center) renovation project includes a large space with a commercial kitchen, so for people who like that, that could be an option.

"The hotels do have some fairly large meeting rooms, but I believe you have to purchase their food or pay a higher rate," Johnson said.

Community-conference partnership?

There are places downtown that do have larger spaces available - the Tompkins County Public Library and Community School of Music and Art come to mind - but with the elimination of the Women's Community Building, finding something to replace that could yield a solution for Ferguson's desire to see something for conferences to use in the middle of the city.

Coming up with a space that could both serve the needs of the community for meetings and other events - like those that take place in the Women's Community Building - and provide a venue for conferences to gather participants could not only fill the gaps, but also provide a way to get such a project done.

"There is a need for community meeting space by various groups, there's been a lot of discussion about it, but you would probably not do community meeting space by itself," Ferguson said. "And you would not do conferencing space all by itself, so putting it together might make some sense.

"One of the things we're suggesting is we want to take a look at how such a project could come together and what it would take to make it work," he added. "It wouldn't necessarily make money, we don't need a study to tell us that, but what we do need to do is see what it would take to make this something we, the community, can support."

Ferguson said it would likely take various entities - be it governmental, higher education institutions, community groups and businesses - to make the project work, not something done by just one.

Bonn said any sort of project would have to have community support, and reiterated that such a venture wouldn't result in a windfall for the venue. The benefit would come from the extra money being spent in the community.

"What it requires is an acknowledgement and decision by the community this is something it wants," Bonn said. "The operational challenge with spaces like that is they typically run at a deficit. With operational and overhead costs, you don't have the ability to cover all the expenses with the revenue it would bring in.

"So, the city or community or county or business community has to say, 'OK, in order to bring in that type of business, we will underwite that. We know as a community it will have other benefits,'" he added. "The conversation about scale and level of support needs to take place. It will require some sort of ongoing support."

Bonn conceded it would be a tough time to broach such a subject, particularly with governmental entities dealing with their own budget challenges in the wake of a weakened economy and weaker financial support from the state.

"This would be a very challenging time to advance something quickly to fill that need, but it is also the type of project that takes many years to plan for," he said. "What I, and Gary, have been talking about is we need to begin those conversations today.

"It's (constructing a conference-community meeting space venue) not going to take place in 12 months, in 24 months, in 36 months," Bonn added. "It's something that is years away."

Future spaces

There are a few projects on the horizon that would include larger open spaces, but they wouldn't necessarily fill the need seen by Ferguson and Bonn.

The INHS housing project slated for the Women's Community Building site likely will include meeting space, but Ferguson believes it would be for use by residents of the complex.

"My understanding is this, and we're certainly trying to see if this can be changed, my belief is any space they have would only be for use by the residents of that project, it would not necessarily be public space," he said. "While they might have a meeting room for use by the residents, I don't believe it would be for public use."

The Finger Lakes Wine Center, slated to open in June on South Cayuga Street, will have some space, but, again, not really feasible for use for conferences or community meetings.

"It will be able to be used for receptions and activities such as that, but because the wine education center will be an entity in its own right during the day, that kind of limits that space," Ferguson said. "You wouldn't necessarily close the wine center for a conference.

"After hours, it will provide another venue for a place to have receptions, which will be a welcome addition to downtown," he added.

Asked for his opinion about what might work for downtown Ithaca, Bonn said he didn't really have one in terms of size of a conference/community meeting space. What he does have an opinion on is wanting to be involved in the discussion about what would work.

"I am very interested in being part of the initial conversation about opportunity and scale," Bonn said. "About what we could appropriately support here. I am not advocating building something for the sake of building something.

"There are things coming downtown, like the new hotel, that makes me think the time is right to revisit the idea," he added. "It would be a benefit to the residents of our town and county, and also would enhance our ability to market Ithaca and Tompkins County as a destination."



btw, here's a rendering of the proposed apartment building:

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not sure if this speaks well for Ithaca, or poorly for the rest of Central New York.

From the Ithaca Journal:


Ithaca companies prominent in central New York new-business competition
Staff report • April 19, 2010, 6:50 pm

Four of the five young companies picked as finalists for an emerging-business contest in central New York are from Ithaca.

The competition is the New York's Creative Core Emerging Business Competition, sponsored by M&T Bank and the New York Business Development Corp. The finalists were chosen from 103 applicants, the largest in the competition's history, from a region centered on Syracuse.

The Ithaca-based finalists:

* Floodwatch, developer of an optical water sensor able to detect moisture, leaks or flooding without touching the surface it monitors and is capable of notifying business owners through a security system or e-mail or cell-phone text message.

* GeneWeave Biosciences, which is commercializing a Cornell University-developed system to determine drug-resistance and toxicity of bacteria at a tenth the cost of competitors.

* Microgen, maker of tiny power generators that use vibrations to extend the life of batteries or eliminate the need for them in vibration sensors.

* Sound Reading Solutions, which makes software to improve reading abilities in children and adults by helping the brain match sounds to written symbols.

The fifth finalist is Syracuse-based Brand Yourself, whose web platform enables individuals to manage their online presence in search engines and social media from one hub.

The prize is a $200,000 investment in the winning company. The winner will be announced at the MDA's meeting in Syracuse in May.

The competition is open to companies in Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence and Tompkins counties.