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  #961  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2008, 4:38 PM
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Gotta admit Ithaca is trying very hard to become more ped/bike friendly.



City To Begin Work On Bike Plan Improvement Projects
By: Danielle Henbest
08/27/2008

Thanks to the cost of gas, riding a bike has never been more of a transportation trend. Recently, Ithaca was voted as AARP magazine's most "green" place to commute with approximately 16% of our population either biking or walking to work. With the onslaught of gas prices, that number is expected to increase. With more bikers on the road, how will bike plan improvements adjust?
Two major projects are currently in the works that the city has taken a hold of. The first is an uphill bike land located on East State Street up to Mitchell Street. The second is a series of stencils or pavement markings called "sharrow" that will indicate where bikes should ride in relation to parked and moving cars as a reminder to the driver that bikes belong along Cayuga Street. The projects are slated to start later this year, explained Tim Logue, transportation engineer for the City of Ithaca.
"We're going to do that work in conjunction with some paving work we're doing on Green Street," said Logue. "The package is out to bid that will include pavement markings. We want to combine that with the pavement work on Green Street so we don't have to submit further paperwork and can get started on it sooner rather than later. We need to come out and fix terrible pavement conditions out here and, in turn, get the bike project moving." Logue said the city is expecting to get that done this year.
Jennifer Dotson, Common Council member and executive director of Ithaca CarShare as well as an avid biker, said that both bike improvements have ignited efforts to get bike racks put in various locations around the city. There are several bike parking spaces on Court Street and University Avenue. The locations are expected to increase.
"They're highly used," said Dotson. "I've seen quite a few new racks being installed. The bike lane on East State Street and the sharrow project on Cayuga makes a big difference. The most powerful thing about it is it reminds drivers and potential cyclists that bicycling is really an option. And people are really looking for options right now. Gas prices have gone down just a hair, but very few people are expecting that the prices are really going down in a continued way. I think we're all looking for ways to save money on gas."
Mayor Carolyn Peterson and Logue said that the city has asked the state government for bike lanes on Green Street for the last few years with no movement. Peterson said that Ithaca has literally taken decades to try and get bike lanes throughout the city, but because of homes being split up resulting in a huge demand for parking, the state continually didn't see how there was any room for bike lanes.
"It's a sore spot for bicyclists," said Peterson. "We repeatedly approached the state several times always receiving a 'no.' The state felt the road width was too narrow, even though Green Street is one-way allowing for various uses. The long-term idea is to maintain Green Street's quality, having the bike lane go up into East State Street to accommodate cyclists."
Logue said that for now, the city is going to "piggy-back" the East State Street bike lane on to the pavement improvements to Green Street to not only stay cost effective, but to have it completed in a timely manner. Dotson agreed, adding that the more bikers there are in Ithaca, the more the city and state will have to adjust to bicyclists and drivers' needs. She said that the state didn't want to encourage people to bike on the streets even though it's contradictory to the law that bicyclists have room on the roads.
"It's kind of a permanent reminder," said Dotson. "I've seen more and more people cycle up East State Street. State Street is one of the easiest ways up East Hill because it's fairly gentle in most places. It makes it a more doable bike route from the flats up to Cornell. Having that extra support - with the lane and sharrows - there to remind drivers is really invaluable."



©Ithaca Times 2008
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  #962  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2008, 11:47 AM
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An article from the Cornell Sun. I sure hope the 90 foot limit hold up.


Collegetown Vision Committee Approves Master Plan

By Ben Eisen
The Collegetown Vision Implementation Committee, in its final meeting before an indefinite hiatus, has begun to conclude a master plan that has been a year in the making. Since the moratorium on Collegetown construction went into effect last year to enable consultants to formulate the Collegetown Master Plan, the CVIC — under the direction of Mary Tomlan ’71 (D-3rd Ward) and Svante Myrick ’09 (D-4th Ward) — has been hard at work guiding the planning process.

The result is a master plan that will likely steer the future development of Collegetown. Residents hope that it will improve issues of pedestrian transportation, add mixed-use developments, provide for student parking and open up public spaces.

Boston-based consultants Goody Clancy met with Collegetown residents, students, business owners, landlords and others with vested interests in the neighborhood multiple times during the spring. The consultants solicited input on what should be improved about the neighborhood, and how to begin the revitalization process. Then Goody Clancy created the plan, which the CVIC has been reviewing with the consultants.

Although the CVIC has approved the plan by an 11-2 vote, some members still have concerns regarding parking in the neighborhood. Currently, the master plan calls for a parking limitation in Collegetown, with the implication that students will park their cars in a garage downtown and take a bus up to campus. Some questioned students’ willingness to take the bus every time they want to drive their cars. However, Myrick, who also serves on The Sun’s editorial board, contended that the plan would not be an issue.

“Students are adaptable,” he said. “If we told students to park their cars downtown, they would get used to it.”Came to a halt: Last year, the Common Council approved a moratorium on Collegetown construction in an effort to prepare for a new master plan.
A student who was present at the meeting, however, brought up a similar situation contrary to Myrick’s point. Last year, he lived on West Campus, but parked his car on North Campus, resulting in an unwanted bus ride to his car.

Another, more contentious issue arose a few weeks ago when CVIC members questioned the plan’s allowance of buildings up to 90 ft. tall in the core area of the neighborhood. Much of the meeting was spent arguing over the specifics of height limitations. Some permanent Collegetown residents argued that building heights should remain as they currently are at 60 ft., or be switched to 75 ft.

“I still think 75 ft is too high, and there is plenty more room for 60-foot high developments than there are now,” said Jane Marcham, a member of the CVIC. “There’s an enormous amount of potential, even if 60 ft. is the top.”

Others, however, disagreed. Steven Golding, executive vice president for finance and administration and a member of the CVIC, said that building heights should remain at 90 ft. to prevent the mainly student-inhabited neighborhood from expanding outward towards permanent residents’ homes.

“We talked to Goody Clancy and they said we couldn’t do it with 60 ft.,” Golding said. “[Switching to 90 ft.] would accomplish several policy initiatives, one of which is to stop seepage [into other neighborhoods] by providing more housing within the core.

Dan Kathan, a CVIC member, added that a 60-ft. building limit would be a “deathblow” to Collegetown, in effect stopping all development in the neighborhood.

Two weeks ago, Tomlan created three sets of alternatives to the 90-ft. building height, including a 75-ft. height limit and a possible 90-ft. limit if the building meets green certifications. The solutions were discussed by the CVIC. The consultants also wrote a letter in response, saying that the best scenario would be to keep the 90-ft. limit, but that a 75-ft. limit would be the second best option.

Myrick, who led the meeting, halted the conversation by noting that there was no consensus among members of the team. Thus, the decision on building height will be passed to the Common Council along with the resolution from the CVIC approving the plan.

Looking toward the future, if the plan is ready to be presented, in the near future it will go on the agenda of a Common Council meeting and be discussed by the Planning Board,­ according to Tomlan. Afterwards, Lee Einsweiler, the zoning consultant on the team, will create a first draft of zoning guidelines, using the completed Master Plan. Tomlan speculates that the entire plan could be done in four months.

However, the 12-month moratorium on building in Collegetown will end in October, allowing developers to begin construction once again. In order to prevent development from taking place under the old guidelines, the CVIC hopes to extend the moratorium for another four months. This issue will also be discussed at the Sept. 17 Common Council and could be voted on in October.

Though the work towards a new Collegetown has just begun, members of the CVIC expressed their contentment that the neighborhood — once forgotten by the city — has received some much-needed attention.
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  #963  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2008, 12:17 AM
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Here's what doesn't make sense to me about Tomlan's logic. The woman wants a 60-foot height limit, but also doesn't want to see heavy development spread from the current midrises in Collegetown. And she wants the moratorium extended four months.

First of all, she's lucky she's not doing this for a business, otherwise she'd be fired for failing to finish a project in time. When you were supposed to come ot a decision in one year, and you ask for a four-month extension, then you aren't doing your job well enough.

Secondly, being an elected official, she has to be aware of our voters' concerns. So tell me, what would be preferable: the few lesser-developed parcels in inner Collegetown being redeveloped, or seeing develop enroach down the street, replacing the "historic: houses with more midrise apartments? If residents are so concerned about development, they'd let developers have a little more freedom to develop the parcels in the heavily utilized areas, rather than force them down College and Eddy Streets and further into the old housing stock. Watch the remaining voters give her the boot as more houses become student-occupied (what other option will they have? Cornell only continues to add to its academic population, and students prefer to live close by).

She's obviously proving herself to be anti-business, anti-development. Too bad it can't stay that way forever; The Stewart Avenue corridor has fewer desirable parcels of land, and they're bordered to the north by a historic district (Cornell Heights), so develop is nearly null in that neighborhood. Since the student population continues to grow, and students prefer to live close by, my bet is that she'll be voted out if she can't make a compromise here on development.
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  #964  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2008, 3:46 PM
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^ Sounds about right to me Vis. I've wanted to see the open parking lot at Stewart & Williams streets made into a garage (and maybe a residential tower), and some taller buildings along the two blocks of Stewart before the bridge.
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  #965  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2008, 1:50 AM
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Funny you mention that Ex, Cornell is considering that land for a future dorm(the parking lot).

Not, Ithaca proper, but still good:

http://www.cnybj.com/index.php?id=394&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=8795&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=7e6e283778

Greek Peak obtains financing for hotel-water park projectBy: Kevin Tampone


09/05/08 04:09 PM
VIRGIL - Greek Peak Mountain Resort has wrapped up financing for construction of its Hope Lake Lodge and Indoor Waterpark Resort.

The resort is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.

The $33 million package of loans includes $23 million for construction of a hotel-condominium complex from a consortium of lenders including Tennessee Commerce Bank of Nashville as the lead. M&T Bank will administer the loan.

Other participating lenders include Mid Atlantic Financial Partners of Germantown, Md.; Green Lakes of Tully, First Community Financial of Franklin, Tenn.; and HSK Funding of Binghamton.

Tennessee Commerce Bank is providing an additional $10 million loan for the indoor water park.

A further $9.5 million in funding is coming in the form of grants from organizations including Empire State Development, the Cortland County Business Development Corp. and Industrial Development Agency, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and National Grid.

Corporate Fuel Advisors, LLC of New York City was an advisor on the project financing.

Greek Peak employs 600 part-time and seasonal employees. The expansion will add another 250 full-time jobs and 270 construction jobs.

The lodge and water park project is the first part of an expansion that also includes plans for new ski trails, lifts, a mountaintop lodge, a golf course, upgraded snowmaking equipment, and additional hotel and condo units.

When finished, the current project will add a 106-unit, hotel-condo facility, an 8,500-square-foot conference center, and the 40,000-square-foot water park.
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  #966  
Old Posted Sep 9, 2008, 10:22 AM
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^ Yep, Greek Peak is definately in the Ithaca/Cortland metro. Nice find Vis, thanks.




Here's an interesting article about the future of Ithaca's downtown(?).



Downtown's past presented to help plan for its future
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • September 9, 2008

ITHACA — Ithacans want their downtown to look classic and unique, to feel open and clearly signed, and to be more inviting to a diverse group of people — though less inviting to loitering hooligans.

A presentation and public input meeting hosted Monday night by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance drew roughly 40 people to the Tompkins County Public Library.

Developers, business owners, residents and elected officials learned about the changing history of downtown and provided their input on what they want to see in downtown in the future. The information will be compiled as part of the Alliance's Downtown Ithaca 2020 Strategy.

Downtown Ithaca Alliance Executive Director Gary Ferguson provided a brief history of downtown Ithaca, from its founding just after the revolutionary war up to the impact of Route 13 chain stores and investment in projects such as Cornell's Seneca Place development.

“Oftentimes you hear, ‘I want to maintain a certain historical character of the community,' ” Ferguson said. “The question is, which one?”

The first settlers in Ithaca came to Cascadilla Creek to 1789, but the first store and post office didn't open until 1804, Ferguson reported.

“I don't know what they did between 1789 and 1804,” Ferguson said.

“Planning,” a member of the audience responded, jokingly referring to the deliberate pace of many city planning decisions.

The original center of civic life in Ithaca was DeWitt Park, Ferguson said, then State Street emerged as the commercial hub of downtown.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, before Cornell was founded, Ithaca settlers slowly filled in swamp land. Ferguson said people regularly ask him why Ithaca's downtown isn't on the water, and he responds that it was — everything between the current downtown and the waterfront has gradually been filled-in swamps.

Ithaca became an industrial hub, with big factories creating things such as clocks and cigars, and in 1868, Cornell was founded.

In an economic downturn that saw industry fall off sharply, Cornell began its role of stabilizing Ithaca's economy, he said.

“Education as an industry was really the salvation of this community,” Ferguson said.The period between 1900 and 1950 was the “heyday of downtown,” Ferguson said, with no competition for downtown retail.

In the late 1940s, the first large-scale peripheral shopping plaza began drawing customers away from downtown. The Ithaca Shopping Plaza was built as a large grocery store at the site currently occupied by Northside Wine and Liquor, Ferguson said.

In 1950, Route 13 was built as an arterial to bypass downtown, and ever since has become the primary draw for new commercial development, he said.

Participants at the meeting provided their opinions on maintaining and preserving downtown.

Suggestions ranged from re-designing the Commons to remove central features such as pavilions to pulling out the Commons entirely and returning it to vehicle traffic.

Eldred Harris, who with his wife owns Diaspora art gallery on the Commons, said the center of the Commons “has to be reclaimed.”

“It attracts every ne'er do well in the four-county area,” he said.

Creating positive attractions for kids to come downtown, such as an arcade or a skate park, could discourage kids from just hanging out, he said.

Making entry ways more safe and inviting and creating better signs so people can see what's available down the Commons should also be priorities, Harris said.

Tanya Vanasse, a member of the Alliance's Board of Directors, said the comment she heard most often was that people want downtown to be “clean and safe.”

“People don't come to the Commons because they don't feel safe,” she said.

Successful pedestrian malls can be designed in ways to “make it less comfortable to hang out,” and encourage a greater cross-section of shoppers, she said.

kgashler@ithacajournal.com



What a place. and it's not like there's a huge amount of crime downtown, but this article was just a few away from the one above:

Police seek suspects in Commons assault, robbery
From Journal Staff Reports • September 9, 2008

ITHACA — Police are looking for three men in their late teens who they believe assaulted and robbed a victim Sunday in the 100 block of East State Street.


The trio confronted the victim around 6 p.m., Ithaca Police said. Two of the males assaulted the victim while the third stole the victim's bike, which was described as a red men's Road Master mountain bike.

One of the suspects fled on foot, and the others fled on bikes, police said. The victim reported the crime to an officer patrolling The Commons, and Bangs Ambulance Personnel treated the victim at the scene, they added.


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Last edited by Ex-Ithacan; Sep 9, 2008 at 10:37 AM.
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  #967  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 12:00 PM
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Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to imbed the News10Now broadcast. So here's the item in written form. (Probably won't happen anyway )





Ithaca could become a podcar city
Updated: 09/15/2008 06:49 PM
By: Allison Lazarz

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Could the automobile become a thing of the past?

Transportation enthusiasts say Personal Rapid Transit, or PRT, is the future for getting from point A to point B.

"It's a crossover between public transit and the private car driving, so it's a bit confusing for the mind to grasp it," said Kjell Dahlstrom with the Swedish Institute for Transportation and Communications Analysis.

A podcar system, which is currently being tested in Sweden and Poland, would look a bit like a monorail. It works electronically. Individual pods take users to the destination of their choice without making any stops in between, navigating on a system of specially-built guideways and Ithaca may have a podcar system in place in the future.

"If we do our homework and engage the stakeholders, we think we can do this in less than 10 years," said Frost Travis, the Connect Ithaca chairman.

Ithaca could become a podcar city
First, the car. Now, the podcar? Cornell University is hosting an international podcar city conference. Podcars are a form of Personal Rapid Transit, or PRT. The idea is to eliminate traffic through this revolutionary new way of travel. Allison Lazarz has more.

The cost isn't cheap, at least not yet. Travis says that, per mile, the systems can cost between $3 million and $20 million, but he says people are excited about the idea of moving away from the fuel-based system of automobiles.

"The question we get asked is not, you know, 'what does this cost?' They say, when can you build this? How close can you build this to my house? It generates an enormous amount of interest and excitement and people, I really think, see the possibilities for it in Ithaca," said Travis.

Those spreading the word about PRT networks say government backing will be important in getting such projects off the ground.

"What's lacking is my bosses! The politicians in the governmental layer of the United States, or the European Union or so on. So I think we have to go on and address the governmental organizations of Europe and America," said Dahlstrom.

A podcar system is being built at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. It will be up and running in 2009.

For more information about Podcars, visit podcar.org.
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  #968  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 12:05 PM
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^ I did find this on youtube:

Video Link
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  #969  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2008, 10:46 AM
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A neat little festival for the Fall Creek neighborhood:

Porchfest 2 to showcase Fall Creek neigborhood's musical talent
September 18, 2008


Newsvine
Buzz up! On Sunday, Sept. 21 from 2-6 p.m., the streets of Fall Creek will be filled with acoustic music as many of Ithaca's finest musicians sing and play on their porches and front stoops.


To hear them, grab a map at one of three pickup locations (Greenstar, Guitar Works, and Gimme Coffee on Cayuga Street) or online at www.porchfest.org, and then walk or bike around the Fall Creek neighborhood to take in the sounds of this free event.

Like last year, Porchfest features a wide range of musical styles. Performers will include bands Jennie Lowe Stearns & the Fire Choir, Nate & Kate, Hubcap, Sim Redmond Band, Teachers Lounge, and the Yardvarks; electronic music legend Mother Mallard; and musicians Dave Davies, Vikki Armstrong, Rick Manning, the Aceto brothers, Kevin Kinsella, Hank Roberts, Juge Greenspun, and Jan Nigro.

The festival offers musical styles ranging from roots rock to Dixieland jazz, and from operetta to acoustic heavy metal! There are also chances to join in: Irish band Traonach will host an open Irish music session, and Emoretta Yang is professor for the required course “Ukulelese as a Second Language,” your chance to learn to play the uke. Still another highlight is long-lost Burns sister Terry performing with her husband Ron Kristy, recent transplants to the Fall Creek neighborhood.

When the music is done at 6 p.m., grab a picnic dinner and your instruments and head to the Auburn Street “triangle” park for more fun and music, led by the incomparable Johnny Russo. If you have questions or want to get involved, contact festival organizers Gretchen Hildreth and Lesley Greene at magooblue@hotmail.com.
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  #970  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2008, 4:29 PM
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Well, at least there is hope for something to happen downtown:



20/20 vision for 2020 downtown
By: Danielle Henbest
09/17/2008

Ithaca is looking for its image. What should downtown Ithaca be like, look like, act like, smell like by the time 2020 rolls around?
What would happen if...
Dances occurred every night in the Bernie Milton Pavilion?
A grocery store not unlike Wegmans was added to The Commons?
There was a McDonald's in Restaurant Row, reminiscent of The Commons circa 1980s?
The Commons became a two-way street again?
Those are just a few of the ideas being kicked around by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, which last week offered a presentation on downtown's past and a discussion of its future.
The DIA is hoping to become part of the City of Ithaca's comprehensive plan, according to DIA Executive Director Gary Ferguson. Breaking down the numerous suggestions and input from the public into eight focal points - housing, diversity, linking downtown to other areas, arts and entertainment, historic preservation, commercial and retail development, future growth, and transportation - would help center further discussion, he said, adding it's a great place to start.
At last week's session, stations were set up for each of the eight focal points, with questionnaires for each. Individuals were able to give their input anonymously, unless they wished to make their names known. The data gathered then is in the process of being compiled by the DIA, which will offer suggestions to the city based on the feedback given.
"Hopefully this will serve as a basis for downtown," said Ferguson. "That's why we want a lot of community input on it. We want to make sure everybody is thinking in the same direction as possible.
"That's why we try to engage the public at this point in time," he added. "There will be other opportunities as well as we get further down the line."
While more dancing, a grocery store that's unlike Oasis, a drug store and putting the street back were just a few of the suggestions spoken by many.
Another called for incorporating one or all of the colleges - Ithaca College, Cornell University and Tompkins County Community College - into a local bookstore nestled downtown was one observer's way of bolstering the retail book market and keeping colleges involved. Other suggestions included having a late night menu served past 10 p.m., keeping stores open for extended hours, offering packages with cooperation between restaurants, shops and theaters, and inviting a retail chain such as Banana Republic, Gap or J.Crew open up shop downtown.
Jim Tull, retail and operations director for the DIA, said incorporating more ethnic foods like Ethopian, Latin and soul food whet the appetites of many responders.
"Everyone can clearly see that our restaurants have a uniqueness that's something they like," he said. "But they requested more ethnic food. They want a rich dining experience.
"They don't want national food because it's not diverse. Whereas with clothing there are a lot of standard, national brands that they don't currently have access to that they'd like to see downtown," Tull added. "It was nice to get confirmation that I've been talking in the same direction as a lot of people have."
As for arts and entertainment, one person offered having an annex of the Johnson Museum located downtown, a "greater representation" of the Discovery Trail downtown and including gardens under the term "the arts." As for making downtown more inclusive, suggestions included opening a multicultural night club or some sort of dance location that provides entertainment for all ages and backgrounds. Providing programming for specific groups - including senior citizens, African American youth, and gay and lesbian communities - projects aimed at blended incomes, incorporating the public schools into events and activities, and re-opening the Youth Center were other ideas. Handicap accessibility, adjusting rents on a sliding scale with income and welcoming back places like Juna's for social gatherings also were on the list of wants.
"Affordable housing!" one person proclaimed on their sheet. "Who can live downtown these days?"
And, opening up State Street to traffic not only seemed to be the most popular suggestion, but also the most controversial.
"I truly believe that the key to downtown and specifically, The Commons, is to return State Street to its previous incarnation," offered one responder. "Bring the street back with diagonal parking. The Commons could still be closed for specific events once in a while. At the present, one has to search for parking. Accessibility is key and vibrant street life is key. The Commons does not offer this."





©Ithaca Times 2008
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Old Posted Sep 20, 2008, 1:28 AM
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Here's a News10now link for the podcar story:

http://news10now.com/content/all_new...y/Default.aspx
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Old Posted Sep 30, 2008, 10:18 AM
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Tax revenue up, but so is spending. (My response included)


Ithaca tax revenue from '01-06 outpaces other cities in region; development cited
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • September 30, 2008

ITHACA — Expenditures by the City of Ithaca rose 30 percent in six years, while revenue generated from property tax jumped 79 percent.


Budget data available through the New York State Comptroller's Office shows that between 2001 and 2006, the most recent data available from the comptroller, Ithaca saw bigger growth in revenues, expenditures and property tax than Elmira, Binghamton and Auburn.

A big reason for this jump was Ithaca's investments to spur development downtown and on Route 13, City Controller Steve Thayer said.

Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson is scheduled to announce her 2009 budget Wednesday at a meeting of Common Council.

Peterson said earlier this year that she was aiming for no more than a 5 percent increase in the tax levy. Common Council last year voted for a 4.71 percent increase in the levy.

Infrastructure development such as road and bridge improvements on Route 13 began in 2002, and debt from that project would have been reflected in the city's 2003, '04 and '05 budgets, Thayer said.

As intended, property tax revenue from the new Route 13 development began off-setting the city's project debt and resulting in a net positive for the city in 2007, he said.

“It certainly has made a positive impact on our budget,” Thayer said.

Later city investment in downtown projects, including $14 million for the Green Street garage alone, will also impact the city's budgets for years to come, he said.

The increase in the city's expenditures far outpaced its neighbors Elmira and Auburn, which are both roughly the size of Ithaca — all three have between 27,000 and 30,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Over the same period that Ithaca's expenditures increased 30 percent, Elmira spent 5 percent more, and Auburn spent 9 percent more.

Ithaca's total 2006 budget was $58.2 million. Auburn's was $45.5 million. Elmira's was $39.3 million.

Binghamton, with roughly 45,000 people, saw its expenditures rise 25 percent over the same period to $87.4 million in 2006.

Ithaca similarly saw the highest increase in revenue, and in revenue collected through property tax.

Paradoxically, all four municipalities increased revenue more than they increased expenditures, while at the same time all spent more than they brought in in 2006.

For example, during the six-year period, Ithaca increased expenditures by 30 percent while it increased revenues by 47 percent. Yet in 2006 the city raised $52.8 million and spent $58.2 million.

Cities fund their budgets through a variety of means, including state and federal aid, fees, sales tax, and property tax.

Between 2001 and 2006, the amount of money Ithaca collects from its residents through property tax rose 79 percent.

Binghamton came in second in this category, increasing its property tax revenues by 52 percent.

Elmira and Auburn both increased property tax revenue by 23 percent during the period.

Increases in property tax collection can come from new development and from tax increases on existing property, said Jay Franklin, assistant director of Tompkins County's assessment department.

Because of changes to the assessment department's database in 2004, it was not possible Monday to determine exactly how much of the city's property tax revenue increase came from new building versus additional tax on existing homes and businesses, Franklin said.

However, typically a 2-3 percent increase in the tax levy can be attributed to new construction, he said.

The 4.71 percent levy increase approved by Common Council last year was the lowest tax levy increase since 2000, Thayer reported last November.

kgashler@ithacajournal.com

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exithacan wrote:

OK, so if the city had greater revenues to offset increased expenditures for 2001-2005, why spend more in2006?

Good thing those nasty RT 13 and downtown developments were built, eh nimbys? Could have been a lot worse tax increases.


Sorry, just trying to stir things up ( ' \_/ ' )
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  #973  
Old Posted Oct 1, 2008, 11:38 PM
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New apartment complex in the Town of Ithaca for old folks. Maybe I should get on the list, eh?

http://news10now.com/Video/video_pop...=1001&rid=1045





New housing facility for mentally disturbed adults in the city's north side. And the above project is also mentioned in the article at the end.




Lakeview celebrates new facility
Apartments will house mentally ill adults
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • October 1, 2008


State and local officials celebrated Tuesday the completion of a new apartment building for adults with psychiatric disabilities at 320 Third St.

The three-story, 38-bed building for adults with mental illness is “95 percent complete” and should be open for occupants next week, Lakeview Executive Director Mark Wickham said.

Geneva-based not-for-profit Lakeview Mental Health Services will manage the new single-room occupancy building in Ithaca's Northside neighborhood.

Two New York state commissioners, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, D-125th, Sen. George Winner, R-53rd, and a dozen county and city officials attended Lakeview's ribbon cutting on Tuesday afternoon.

State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Michael Hogan made short but passionate comments about what public buildings like this one say about the communities that build them.

“This building will say that the residents of this community care about people (with mental illness) ... and that somehow they set about to make this happen,” Hogan said. “I wish we could be here to see the people when they know, many times for the first time in their adult lives, that they have a home — a home — which is the foundation of a good life and certainly, in mental health, the foundation of recovery.”

The building is surrounded by commercial development, a New York State Electric & Gas substation, and Northside public housing.

Deborah VanAmerongen, commissioner of the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, said the funding for the project was made possible through the close collaboration between her division and the state office of mental health.

VanAmerongen said that since their appointments, she and Hogan have made a concerted effort to combine their projects and their funding.

Lakeview's project, seven years in the making according to Lifton, had stalled when it lost federal funding.

In April 2007, a $7.5 million grant from the Department of Housing and Community Renewal allowed the project to go forward.

At that time, Wickham said the total project cost would be $9.4 million and that the Office of Mental Health was funding the rest.

Hogan said that “compared to the cost of homelessness or incarceration or long-term institutionalization,” the new apartment building is “far less expensive.”

Marc Williams, director of clinical operations for Lakeview, said the apartments and the services provided by Lakeview are meant to help people with mental illness work toward a higher level of independence, with the goal of people being able to live on their own.

Lakeview staff will help residents develop skills like managing medications, finding transportation, cooking and cleaning, Williams said.

The 38 single-resident rooms each have a living/sleeping area and a full bathroom. A dining room, commercial kitchen and activity room on the first floor will accommodate organized events and group activities, according to information provided by Lakeview at the ribbon cutting.

The building was also built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, with emphasis on energy efficiency and natural daylight.

State officials Tuesday also held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new complex in Linderman Creek, the low-income housing development on Ithaca's West Hill.

Conifer Village is a 72-unit complex targeted to low-income seniors, according to a press release from the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal.

kgashler@ithacajournal.com
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Yippeee, can't wait to see what the renderings look like:



Planned downtown hotel gets management, name
From Journal Staff Reports • October 2, 2008

ITHACA — The 100-room hotel planned for the east end of The Commons will be run by luxury property manager Gemstone Hotels and Resorts of Park City, Utah, and called the Hotel Ithaca, developer Rimland Equities announced Wednesday.


Plans for the hotel are under review before the Ithaca city Planning and Development Board. It's planned for a parcel of land at the corner of State and Aurora streets that Common Council voted in April to sell to Rimland Equities of Long Island. The company hopes to break ground in 2009 and open the hotel in 2011.

It will have nine stories and be a full-service boutique hotel with about 100 rooms and suites and 2,000 square feet of meeting space, Rimland said. Gemstone also plans an on-site dining and beverage establishment called Zinck's Bar, using a name that was on a series of Ithaca taverns in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The name of the $25 million hotel is tribute to the Ithaca Hotel, which stood on the same general site before being torn down in the 1960s.

Gemstone specializes in managing and marketing luxury and upscale hotel and resort properties and was named by Entrepreneur Magazine one of the 500 fastest growing companies in 2007.

“Gemstone is a name that downtowns across the country would like to have among their hotel managers,” Downtown Ithaca Alliance Executive Director Gary Ferguson said.
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Old Posted Oct 9, 2008, 5:18 PM
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^ A more detailed article about the new hotel.



Downtown hotel, still in final review stage by city, will blend new and old
By: Danielle Henbest
10/08/2008

After years of working with the city to secure land downtown to develop a new hotel, Long Island developer Jeff Rimland has completed the next phase. In April, the infamous Ithaca wind blew Rimland's way when the Common Council approved the sale of a parcel of land on Green Street set for the construction of a 102-bed, estimated $17 million dollar branded hotel. At the time, Rimland told the Ithaca Times how pleased he was to have that stage in the lengthy process finally come to a close.
"We're very pleased," said Rimland of the vote back in April. "We're very happy that the community leaders voted for the project, supported the project...and now we're anxious to move forward."
And as they say, on to the next. Rimland Equities announced last week that the new boutique hotel will be managed by Gemstone Hotel and Resorts, a well-known full-service hotel management company that specializes in managing luxury and upscale hotels. Among the many notable hotels include the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia, the Hotel ZaZa in Dallas, and the Mosaic Hotel in Beverly Hills. Rimland promised to bring some class to the new hotel as well as make it small and exclusive, catering to Ithacans as well as tourists. Gemstone Hotel and Resorts seems to fit the bill quite nicely being an 80-year veteran in the hospitality and service industry who prides themselves on luxury service in unique and diverse environments catering to the clients' needs as well as the customers.
The partnership seems to benefit not only Rimland and Gemstone Hotel and Resorts, but the local downtown economy as well. Rimland is good to his word. He's kept his promise to make a hotel Ithacans will be comfortable with that isn't a big box. After all the confrontation and uphill battles Rimland faced to secure the spot for the hotel, Ithacans should be pleased by the fact that Rimland is reviving Ithaca's history. It's no longer out with the old; it's about reviving the old with the new. The new hotel will be named after the old one that stood adjacent to the current hotel's location. The old Hotel Ithaca was demolished during the city's period of urban renewal in 1963, to the dismay of many Ithacans. The new Hotel Ithaca will be located on the corner of State and Aurora Streets breathing life into that area of The Commons.
Another piece of history that's of importance to many Cornell alums is the fact that Rimland is including a modern version of the infamous Hotel Ithaca's Zinck's Bar for dining and drinks. According to Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Zinck's Bar was an Ithaca institution to many Cornell students and professors back in the day.
"It was a landmark bar here in Ithaca for many years," said Ferguson. "It was the watering hole of Cornellians. In some of the Cornell songs it's actually mentioned. He (Rimland) is very much thinking about the historical aspects of the site and the history of that location."
Another promise Rimland made was to make it a "green" hotel. Rimland Equities will build the hotel in accordance to LEED guidelines that are seen in other local buildings like Ithaca College's Business School and Gateway Commons. After construction, the Hotel Ithaca will operate off of eco-friendly standards. The nine-story full-service boutique hotel with 2,000 feet of flexible meeting space is expected to break ground in 2009 to open in 2011. The planning and development board of the City of Ithaca is in the process of undergoing final reviews for the space. In the meantime, Rimland is working on specific design elements.
"I think (the hotel) will meet expectations," said Ferguson. "Jeff was looking for an upscale operator that had an excellent track record and was well-respected in the industry. (He wanted someone) who really worked in the boutique product that he was committed to trying to do. Gemstone is among the best in the country in being able to do that. A lot of the products and projects that they have around the country are in really upscale markets and will put us in some pretty interesting company. I think it will be a nice additional part of the market place, especially for downtown."



©Ithaca Times 2008
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This really ticks me off. There are already 8 & 9 story buildings in the neighborhood (my old hood where I grew up), so what's the problem with adding more?

This is an Op-Ed piece from the Ithaca Time (10/8/08)

When is high too high?
When you're talking about 60-feet tall, what's another 30 feet?

Well, it would be one-third of a building, if the redevelopment plan for Collegetown is enacted with a new maximum height for buildings in the College Avenue-Dryden Road core area listed under the revised plan.

That buildings could be as high as 90-feet-tall in the already congested area seems impossible to fathom. Permanent residents of the area are concerned that if developers decide to go for the maximum height it will create a canyon-like effect, and they are right to be concerned.

In fact, the height issue is so debatable the Collegetown Vision Implementation Committee only approved it by a 9-7 vote in July. In August, however, the committee voted 11-2 to send the plan on to the Common Council - with the height allowance still intact.

To be fair, raising the height is only one of three scenarios laid out in the June 14 revised draft of the Collegetown Urban Plan and Design Guidelines for making it attractive for developers to build or acquire property in the College Avenue-Dryden Road area - the others call for reducing or eliminating parking requirements at the site of buildings, to be replaced by payment of an annual in-lieu of parking payment.

But, with congestion and parking already a concern in Collegetown, why is this plan proposing actions that will only exacerbate the problems?

Money.

According to the revised June 14 draft of the plan, it states in the College Avenue-Dryden Road redevelopment section that "even without land costs, the economics of development fail to satisfy normal investment thresholds; the return-on-cost should be a least 7.5 %."

Sure, the return-on-cost may be most desirable at 7.5 percent, but that doesn't mean it has to be. It doesn't mean it should be a primary concern, especially if the city cares about what it looks like.

Before we allow eight- or nine-story buildings to dominate the College Avenue-Dryden Road portion of Collegetown, it's important to look at the impact it might have - beyond making it more cost-beneficial for developers who, as they should be, are only looking out for themselves.

Let's not forget that most upstate New York municipalities have at least one horror story about what was done in the name of progress during the 1960s and 70s. Such as when parks were paved over to create four lanes and historic homes were torn down for shopping plazas. Think about the debate that rages on still about whether or not to keep The Commons closed or extend State Street through it again.

It's unrealistic to live in the past, but shouldn't we take a moment to look at what our actions now might create for our future.

It's understandable that developers won't go where they can't make a profit, but aren't there more creative ways to entice them to build here? Some may say this is naïve and a rose-colored glasses way of thinking, but hasn't that always been an element of the mindset of the City of Ithaca? Haven't the residents of this city looked for alternative ways to do things? Haven't trends been bucked here?

This is another time when the creative and problem-solving abilities of our residents need to shine through the status quo.

That's exactly the opportunity the city now has, with the extension of the moratorium on development in Collegetown. While some have opposed the extension, even saying the six-month delay could have a long-term effect on development there, this reprieve gives the committee and the city a chance to eliminate the possibility of 90-foot-tall buildings.

This delay is just the opportunity needed for the City of Ithaca to prove its progressive nature is still thriving.



Pic from Amber Rhea at Flickr:




Pic from jlaux42 at Flickr (Collegetown is the lower half of the pic, Cornell Univ is the upper half)>

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Darn double posts.
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So, I discovered I can see the Conifer @ Ithaca development from Cornell.

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Old Posted Oct 21, 2008, 11:12 PM
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Where did you take that pic from vis? Heckova shot.


Tompkins County (Ithaca) wins Green Award:

http://news10now.com/content/top_sto...-/Default.aspx
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Old Posted Oct 30, 2008, 12:04 PM
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Not a huge project, but every job helps: this is in Groton, a small town about 10 miles from Ithaca.

http://news10now.com/content/top_sto...k/Default.aspx
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