Any renovations to the Commons is probably a long way off. One way to revitalize the downtown would be to attract some more retailers who would attract the students off East & South hills. Article from the Ithaca Journal:
Plans for a Commons re-design are headed back to Common Council's agenda next week. (File photo)
Ithaca Common Council discusses Commons redesign proposal
Seating, pavilions, maintenance at issue
By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • December 29, 2009, 6:35 pm
The future of The Commons will be back for Ithaca Common Council's discussion next week.
At their December meeting, council members held off on accepting a committee recommendation on re-designing the downtown pedestrian mall.
Concerns ranging from cost and utility replacement, to the number of public versus privately controlled seats on The Commons, were raised by council members.
A city client committee has recommended re-designing The Commons to place amenities like benches and planters in an "eclectic" pattern across the State/Martin Luther King Street portion of The Commons.
In public presentations the city's consultants, Boston-based Sasaki Associates, said this design could include features such as diagonally strung lights to mimic gorges, and an open central walkway that could accommodate portable pavilions and seating for various events. On the Tioga Street Bank Alley section of The Commons, the client committee recommended a water play area and a large, permanent pavilion at the northern entrance near Seneca Street.
Ithaca's musician community was troubled by the potential loss of the four small pavilions, Alderman Dan Cogan, D-5th, said during a discussion at the council's planning committee earlier this month.
Under the current design, only one permanent pavilion would remain, and it would be located near the loudest intersection. On the other hand, Cogan noted that public feedback has repeatedly described the pavilions as "dark and gloomy" and encouraging to loiterers, so removing the pavilions could be a tradeoff.
Alderwoman Mary Tomlan, D-3rd, said she was concerned with having just one, "very impressive" pavilion as opposed to multiple small ones. A large pavilion is great for big concerts and events, but small groups signing petitions or holding bake sales "want something less dramatic," she said.
Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Dotson, I-1st, said she likes having multiple pavilions because they encourage "the kind of loitering we want to see, (such as) people eating their lunch out of the rain."
The committee's recommendation calls for movable chairs and pavilions that could be set up around The Commons in a variety of ways to accommodate those uses, said Joe Wetmore, Autumn Leaves bookstore owner and a member of the client committee.
The areas of The Commons with movable chairs are already the most popular, and movable chairs allow people to establish their own group dynamics rather than being limited to two people sitting next to each other on a bench, he said.
Alderman Eric Rosario, I-2nd, said he likes the idea of fostering community on the Commons, but he's worried about making a change that will require more human resources to maintain. Presumably city staff will have to move, set up, and store movable chairs and pavilions, he said.
"Frankly, I don't think we do a great job of maintaining The Commons as is, and now we're raising the complexity," he said.
Another concern is the amount of overall seating. There are 1,009 seats on The Commons, including benches, planter walls, 50 movable chairs and 56 private restaurant seats.
The recommended redesign would have 1,075 total seats, including 450 movable chairs, and a predicted 400 private restaurant seats.
Cogan said he thought the estimate of 400 private outdoor dining seats may be overly optimistic, but that if possible, it would create "an intense sense of vibrancy on The Commons and everyone would benefit from that."
Rosario said he didn't like that so much of the planned seating would require people to buy something in a restaurant.
Alderman Joel Zumoff, D-3rd, said he thought council members shouldn't focus too much on the number of seats, because the only time there's 1,000 people on The Commons is during big festivals, and at those events, people are typically standing.
Ultimately, City Planning Director JoAnn Cornish asked council members not to get too wrapped up in specific details at this point. The council is spending $250,000 for its design contract with Sasaki, a "world-class landscape architectural firm," she said.
"It would be a shame to be paying this amount of money and then dictate the creativity," Cornish said.
The council has not yet allocated any money toward construction, and it may be some time before it actually takes place, but with a plan in hand, "we won't be working at cross purposes" if repairs come up that necessitate construction, Cogan said.
Having a plan also gives the city greater opportunity to apply for grants, or potentially future stimulus funds, Mayor Carolyn Peterson said.
The committee voted unanimously to authorize Sasaki to move forward with preliminary designs. The issue comes back to Common Council at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 in City Hall, 108 E. Green St.
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