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  #941  
Old Posted May 23, 2008, 4:29 PM
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This is kind of hard to believe. My folks owned a shabby little apartment building in Collegetown which they sold for $20,000 back in 1970. I stopped by to see the place acouple of years ago and it's a pit. Hard to believe it's probably worth $250,000 now (and maybe more). Oh well, maybe someone will get some taller rascals in the old hood.



Consultant finds Collegetown land nearly as expensive as L.A., San Diego
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • May 23, 2008


ITHACA — Land in Collegetown is worth $4 million to $10 million per acre — that's comparable to downtown Los Angeles and San Diego, though not as expensive as Boston or Washington, D.C.


Sarah Woodworth, a market and economic consultant with W-ZHA, reported to Common Council's planning and economic development committee Wednesday night that because land is so expensive, “there's actually a risk that there may be very little new development.”

The committee also voted in favor of requiring anyone doing work that requires a building permit to carry liability insurance beyond the standard included in most homeowner's policies.

Outside developers may be unlikely to come into Collegetown and build because costs are so high, Woodworth said. Rather, any new development will likely come from existing land owners, she said.

“Development that does happen will likely happen by locals, i.e. existing land owners,” Woodworth said. “Anything we can do to reduce construction costs and or enhance the productivity of the land will help to get new (development) into Collegetown.”

That means increasing allowable height of buildings and getting rid of as many cars as possible, she said.

Woodworth is a sub-consultant with Goody Clancy, the group hired by the city to help create a new urban plan and design guidelines for Collegetown.

Increased height at the intersection of College Avenue and Dryden Road, and increased density all along College Avenue will create better investment opportunities for developers and a better living environment for students and for long-term residents in the surrounding historic neighborhoods, the consultants said.

Within 200 feet of the intersection of College and Dryden, buildings should be allowed up to six stories or 90 feet, with setbacks above 60 feet, the consultants have recommended. The current height limit is 60 feet, said Leslie Chatterton, historic preservation planner for the city.

Most other height limits would remain the same, under the consultants' proposal.

Both Josh Lower, a Collegetown land owner and developer, and Alderman Svante Myrick, D-4th, a Cornell undergraduate student, said the city should allow even higher buildings than those proposed by the consultants to create more incentives for development and more living spaces for students close to campus.

The city needs to alter incentives and costs to solve the continual parking problem in Collegetown, said Jason Schreiber, a transportation consultant from Nelson/Nygaard, another sub-consultant working with Goody Clancy.

This could mean considerably higher costs at metered parking and more meters in surrounding neighborhoods to prevent students from parking out beyond the meter limits, Schreiber said.

Revenue from these changes should be re-invested in improved infrastructure for bikes, pedestrians and mass transit, he said.

Students could park in the downtown garages and take buses up and down the hill when they need their cars, he said.

To view the full 180-page consultant report, contact city planner Megan Gilbert at mgilbert@cityofithaca.org.

Submit any comments about the proposal to Chatterton at lesliec@cityofithaca.org.
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  #942  
Old Posted May 23, 2008, 5:24 PM
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^You know what's a good candidate for redevelopment under these guidelines? The old Kraftees Building. With the proposed changes in height, I think it would be worthwhile to tear the shop/house down and redevelop the plot with a fair-sized apartment building (7 or 8 floors)...


And the Cornell construction parade continues...

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps.../-1/NEWSFRONT2

CU breaks ground on new animal health center
By Megan Saucke • Special to The Journal • May 23, 2008

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ITHACA — The sun came out Thursday afternoon as ground was broken for the new Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University.


University leaders and state officials spoke about the importance of the center, which will be built in the northeast corner of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine complex.

The new center will benefit everybody, said Director Bruce Akey.

“The testing that we do doesn't protect just dairy cows in Wyoming County,” he said. “It protects the dog and the cat in the Ithaca Commons, it protects the people that buy the milk that's produced on these dairy farms, so it has really tangible benefits for everybody that lives in Ithaca as well as all over the state.”

The new center, expected to be completed in 2010, will have three floors and 126,000 gross square feet. It will cost $80 million, $50 million of which is covered by a grant from New York state. The center is a partnership between the veterinary school and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The center is the only full-service multidisciplinary animal disease diagnostic facility in New York state, according to a press release.

The current center, dedicated in 1976, performs around a million tests on 150,000 samples each year, said David Skorton, president of Cornell University.

Akey said the new building is essential because the current center is overcrowded.

“It does give us some room to do some things we haven't done enough of in the past,” he said. “Things like new method development, doing research to develop those new tests and the new reagents that are needed out there.”

Former diagnostic lab director Donald Lein said the new building will help the school keep up with ever-advancing technology, and pointed out that it will house several disciplines, including microbiologists, chemists, toxicologists and pathologists.

“We deal in all sorts of recreational situations,” he said. “Especially with pets and with wildlife, and with food problems and health diseases.”

Lein said the diagnostic lab also benefits students because dozens are employed by the lab.

“They do get a very practical education through that sort of thing,” he said.

Michael Kotlikoff, dean of veterinary medicine, said the center is instrumental in promoting the health of animals and humans. The center tests milk from every dairy farm in the state and regularly visits the farms, he said.

The new building will have labs with biosafety level three. The biosafety levels are designations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set in terms of precautions taken to keep diseases contained within laboratories. Level three deals with “nastier bugs,” Akey said, like the West Nile Virus.

Security includes showering before entering and exiting, and putting air through specialized filters, he said.

Biosafety level four labs deal with deadly diseases and viruses, and are usually only at places like the CDC, he added. Cornell has no plans to construct labs at biosafety level four.






Concept Systems celebrates downtown relocation
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • May 23, 2008

ITHACA — Planners and politicians in City Hall spend a great deal of time talking about how important it is to bring and keep businesses downtown, to strengthen the urban core and prevent sprawl.

Mary Kane is doing it.

Kane, the president and CEO of Concept Systems Inc., held an open house and ribbon cutting Thursday evening in her new location on the second and third floors of 136 The Commons.

When asked why she decided to keep her business downtown, Kane responded, “The question really is why Ithaca? And if I'm going to be in Ithaca I'm going to be down here.”

Concept Systems is celebrating its 15th year in business, all of them downtown. The business began in the former Babcock Hall on Aurora Street and was previously in Gateway Commons.

Gateway and its landlord, Mack Travis, were wonderful, Kane said, her company just outgrew the space.

Kane and her husband, Cornell professor Bill Trochim, decided to invest their own money to purchase the 100-year-old building on The Commons and invest more than $330,000 to renovate the second and third floors of the building.

“What we believe in is neighborhood and community and building things from the ground up,” Kane said. “Almost literally.”

The mixed-use building — another city hall catchphrase — contains retail on the ground floor, office space on floors two and three, and rental apartments on the fourth floor.

Commons neighbor and Autumn Leaves bookstore owner Joe Wetmore said the building looks “amazing.”

“I think they did an absolutely wonderful job with this building, taking older elements and mixing them in with new and creating a beautiful space,” he said. “This is the very kind of thing that downtowns all over are looking for: someone to take those walk-up second floors and turn them into something vibrant, useful, and exciting to be in.”

Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, said Kane and Concept Systems should serve as an example to businesses in Ithaca and throughout Upstate New York that re-investing downtowns is good for cities and good for businesses.

“Concept Systems' willingness to take on this location, Mary's willingness to ante up and buy the building and do all the renovations, it's a really great example and case study for anybody else in this community or really in Upstate New York,” he said. “There aren't many places that have actually accomplished this.”

Concept Systems is a 15-employee software development and consulting firm. They consult with state and federal governments, not-for-profit organizations and some businesses, Kane said. Clients have included the National Institutes for Health and the Centers for Disease Control.

A music historian and librarian by education, Kane said her company helps large organizations determine goals and values and make better organizational decisions.

Last edited by Visiteur; May 23, 2008 at 5:37 PM. Reason: stare/tear...um, yeah, they SOUND the same...
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  #943  
Old Posted May 26, 2008, 1:59 AM
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"You know what's a good candidate for redevelopment under these guidelines? The old Kraftees Building. With the proposed changes in height, I think it would be worthwhile to tear the shop/house down and redevelop the plot with a fair-sized apartment building (7 or 8 floors)..."


I think there's several buildings on College ave & Dryden Rd which could be replaced. Parking is still going to be a problem though.


As far as Cornell goes, there's plenty of small cities in upstate which would love to have as much building activity going on as just Cornell has.

Thanks for the tip-in articles Vis.
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  #944  
Old Posted May 29, 2008, 11:47 PM
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Inlet Island has soooo much potential, but much of it sits unrealized. Typical Ithaca.



For Inlet Island businesses, city hesitation means uncertain future
By: Danielle Henbest
05/28/2008

Live free or die hard. Develop business on Inlet Island or watch as parking decreases, property taxes sky rocket and developers create sprawl drawing attention away from one of the most popular destinations in Ithaca. This is the worry most business owners, city officials and concerned residents face as the Common Council stays mum during discussions regarding development on the waterfront.
Last week the Community and Organizational Issues Committee met to discuss development on Inlet Island, an ongoing hot button topic among the community. JoAnn Cornish, interim director of planning and development for the City of Ithaca, gave a presentation about the history for the plans for Inlet Island and where the current plan stands today. Common Council member J.R. Clairborne described the meeting as "a review presentation, summarizing the vision for development...getting everyone on the same page with the same focus on what we want to see for Inlet Island."
Cornish said that plans for the waterfront started long ago, as early as the mid '60s, but since then there have been several plans that have gone forward with "one plan building upon the other plan." One of the very first plans for Inlet Island fell under a general plan for the city describing the Inlet as being a unique area slated for development.
"It's always been in the thinking of every committee and group that's formed to talk about this that there would be development on that waterfront property because we have so little waterfront property that can be developed," said Cornish. The most recent and popular proposal on the table for Inlet Island was given by Boatyard Grill developer Steve Flash. Flash is still the preferred developer for Inlet Island regardless of the fact that his hotel project, slated to bring in $539,000 annually in property tax alone, was denied by Common Council. The plan as it stands right now is that any additions to the waterfront would be urban, high density development with buildings between three and five stories.
The real question is: What does Common Council think about the plan? Are members on the same page as the city's planning and development department and Inlet Island business owners?
"Council needs to have a collective vision, something they can agree on," said Cornish. "Steve won't come back until he knows what is acceptable. And we don't know what they're thinking. My question to them is: where do they want to go? We didn't start that conversation yet."
Joe Perry, vice president and regional executive for Chemung Canal Trust Company, worried that the longer the city waits to develop Inlet Island, the worse the parking situation will be for businesses currently on the Inlet as well as any businesses to come.
"I noticed this morning that our entire lot was full, the Island Health lot was full and the city municipal lot they created on Taughannock Boulevard only had about 20 cars in it when it can easily handle over 100 cars," said Perry. "People are still choosing the quickest alternative. Right now I think we're OK because of what the city did with that lot, but that's a temporary solution at best. The east side of Taughannock has virtually no parking. The city promised they were going to do 1-2 hour limit parking, but they haven't done that yet. We have employees parking on the street for the entire day because there are no limits, no enforcement."
Cornish said that the city knew parking would be an issue with the urban design plan. If a developer wants to build a parking garage on the city reserved surface lot, they're welcome to do so.
"Every alternative is on the table," said Cornish. "Whatever we can do to solve the problem then we're certainly open to suggestions and willing to consider all possibilities."
As for Flash or any other developer bringing a new project to the table, time will tell. As for knowing where the Common Council stands on any new development...your guess is as good as ours.



©Ithaca Times 2008
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  #945  
Old Posted Jun 7, 2008, 7:09 PM
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I probably won't live long enough to see this ever happen:



Coles: Development to eliminate economic segregation
By: Danielle Henbest
06/04/2008
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Living behind Wal-Mart may not sound appealing to everyone - and understandably so - but don't judge a book by its cover. The city is pushing to develop approximately 600-700 mixed-use housing units in the 61 acres located in the Southwest Area Urban Neighborhood off Route 13.
"There is no intention whatsoever of duplicating the big-box development," said Common Council alderman Maria Coles, D-1st. "It's quite the opposite, but there could very well be small shops or work-at-home kind of situations. That is preferable. There could be doctor's offices, cafés. It will be built green."
Recently, the county has undertaken various studies on the area's housing needs will be over the next 10 to 15 years. According to Coles, it's estimated that approximately 1,000 housing units will need to be built over the next decade just to keep up with the City of Ithaca's growth trends. Mixed-use includes both high-end apartments as well as affordable housing, so that the tenants aren't from just one economic sphere. The lack of separation between economic classes makes the project all the more appealing, Coles said.
"This particular area of the city, which includes 61 acres owned by the city, is just a prime location where to put housing if we can possibly do it," said Coles. "There were several studies and one commission to see if housing can be erected on the 61 acres, but it would be very costly to build there because the soil is not ideal. It had been concluded 15 years ago that it would be too costly so let's forget it. We recently revisited the issue because of the cost to live in the city has gone so high. It is now a feasible project to do."
Building in the southwest received a boost in 1998, when the Common Council determined that a Generic Environmental Impact Statement was required to test the land's soil. So far, level one of the statement has been completed. The geological survey stated that a good part of the land has very sandy soil, a difficult foundation on which to build both physically and financially. Many houses in the City of Ithaca itself have been built on this sandy soil, often causing cracks in the structural walls. According to Coles, improvements in builders' methods now allow housing to be constructed properly on this kind of soil. The next phase is level two of the Environmental Impact Statement, which will cost the city $280,000.
"The city has seen huge cost overruns because as everyone has noticed everything is costing more money," said Coles. "We had to come up with $280,000 to do the level two [portion of the] Environmental Impact Study. The city controller realized that $280,000 had been set aside in the budget two to three years ago to build a parking lot on the West end of the city adjacent [to] Route 13, but it was not city land. It was privately owned and the owner has since sold the lot so even if it were needed it's not available anymore. The $280,000 was found in that budget line and the city controller has decided to use that money so we may proceed to level two."
While the land undergoes the second phase of studies, the Department of Public Works has been using the area for a clean fill, filled with construction debris that has been deposited in the area. While a clean fill is not garbage or sludge, the DPW will have to find a different place in or around the city because it's a fairly high amount of construction debris.
In the meantime, the city has favored the firm McCormack Baron Salazar as its developer of choice after having interviewed three candidates. The firm prefers to build affordable, mixed-use housing as well as having a stated commitment to build green, Coles explained.
"They much prefer developing neighborhoods where both affordable housing and high-end housing are in the same neighborhoods as to eliminate some of the economic segregation that we generally see in our society," said Coles. n



-Danielle Henbest




©Ithaca Times 2008
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  #946  
Old Posted Jun 9, 2008, 2:01 PM
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I hope Cornell will take a portion of this money and help Ithaca a bit. All their property is tax-exempt (about half the property in the city), so a few million would sure help.

(From the Cornell Daily Sun)

Cornell Wins $184 Million in Lawsuit Against Hewlett-Packard
Print: Email: Share: June 5, 2008 - 11:20am
By Donial Dastgir
For the past two decades, Cornell has been embroiled in a tense legal conflict with Hewlett-Packard, Co., over a dispute involving HP’s use of technology developed in Cornell’s processors to dramatically increase the performance of their computers. On May 30, the jury hearing the case in a Syracuse court found in favor of Cornell, awarding the University $184 million in damages for HP’s violation of intellectual property.

The technology, developed and patented by former Prof. Hwa Torng, engineering, in 1989, allowed for computers to conduct multiple actions at once, thus increasing the speed of the computers.

“Dr. Torng made a true discovery when he made an identification that could allow computers to conduct several instructions at once,” said Thomas W. Bruce, vice president of communications. “Hewlett-Packard basically went and built a whole bunch of computers on this discovery in such a way that it was an infringement.”

According to Bruce, when Cornell learned of the infringement by HP, the largest maker of personal computers in the world, they spent several years trying to come to an agreement with the company before resorting to a legal channel.

“Cornell tried for a friendly resolution,” he said, adding that they finally decided to file the lawsuit against HP, in December 2001.

According to Newhouse News Service, the patent infringement suit, in which Cornell sought $900 million in damages, took nearly seven years of preliminary preparations before it could begin in mid-May.

The supercomputers built with Torng’s invention were used by the federal government to work on its nuclear program, as well as by Boeing to design and develop airplanes. Cornell claimed that HP earned $36 Billion from Torng’s invention.

Bloomberg News reported that HP said in an e-mailed statement, “we respect the jury’s decision, though we don’t agree with it.”

The award is the 10th largest in the United States and the fourth largest for patent cases, an outcome which pleased Bruce.

“Cornell is satisfied that it had its day in court,” he said. “Most importantly, we are satisfied because the decision is vital for universities to have the ability to advance knowledge.”

Despite the ruling, the dispute between HP and Cornell does not appear to be over. On June 3, the Ithaca Journal reported that HP had decided to file an appeal against the ruling, hoping to reverse the verdict.

Speaking to the Journal, John Allcock, an attorney for HP, said, “we obviously are going to be engaging in an appeal to hopefully get what is the true and correct result.”

However, Ed Poplowski, one of Cornell’s lead trial attorneys from Sidney Austin Brown & Wood law firm, told the Journal that HP was intent on “making things as difficult as possible.”

Cornell appears ready to continue the dispute as far as necessary.

“They have the right to appeal,” Bruce said. “ We expect this to go through the full appropriate legal system.”

Should Cornell end up winning the appeal, Torng will receive $46 million. He has said that he will donate at least 80 percent to a charity, likely one that is based in the Ithaca community.
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  #947  
Old Posted Jun 23, 2008, 3:56 PM
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Quite a place, eh?





Rain-soaked Ithaca Festival ends with attempt at Guinness World Record
By Aaron Munzer • Journal Staff • June 23, 2008


ITHACA — As one, close to 6,000 Ithacans stood up on Sunday — each with two fingers thrust to the sun-drenched sky — in support of world peace, and in the shape of a peace sign.


The massive human peace sign, which stretched from one end of the field in Stewart Park to the other, was composed of 5,814 festival-goers who stood for 20 minutes as volunteers recorded the crowd's attempt to set a Guinness World Record by creating the largest human peace sign.

“These people are walking away inspired,” said Ithaca High School sophomore Trevor Dougherty, the organizer of the attempt. “We're not going to trash any weapons because of this, but if everyone has the same idea in their mind, that they are for coming together in peace and unity, then there's a community started.”

As far as he knows, the largest human peace sign so far was a gathering of 2,500 people at the University of Michigan, so unofficially, Ithaca has set the record. They still have to wait on the Guinness World Record's official decision, though.

A video of the event will be released on Youtube.com within the next few weeks, Dougherty said. A viral video he made last year for the site promoting world peace was watched more than 700,000 times and inspired him to organize this event, he said.

“We were just hoping to get into the thousands,” he said. “I'm totally ecstatic.”

The attempt capped off the three-day Ithaca Festival, which was dampened by rain at times and hampered by a change in date and location but largely still successful, according to organizers.

Throughout the day, flying discs whizzed through the air as bands played across Stewart Park, and children and adults alike wrote about what peace meant to them. Colorful community murals adorned the festival grounds, and drummers kept people on a rhythm.

First-year festival director Jacob Roberts, enjoying the sun with his shirt off Sunday, said success was marked by a number of different benchmarks: at least 1,700 people marched in Friday's parade — the largest turnout ever; at least 3,000 people showed up to dine on The Commons even as the world record attempt was occurring; and everyone seemed to be having fun in Sunday's good weather.

“To a lot of the changes, people are saying, ‘You're doing the right thing, it'll take a few years for people to pick up on it,'” he said.

Roberts addressed the fact that food vendors operating at Stewart Park were disappointed on Friday and Saturday because rain drove their customers away, saying he sympathized, but Sunday should make up for it.

“The festival is dependent on Mother Nature,” he said. “That's [the vendors'] livelihood, but you know what, they're doing gangbusters rights now.”

Avtar Singh, who was cooking at New Delhi Diamond's tent, said the rain earlier in the weekend left them with about half their food uneaten.

“I think the [vendors] on The Commons did more business than people did [in Stewart Park],” he said.

Godfrey Higgs, who was one of the thousands of Ithacans making up the peace sign, said the world record attempt was a chance to make a statement as a community.

“It's a great thing to say with a lot of people,” he said.

amunzer@ithacajournal.com
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Old Posted Jun 25, 2008, 4:08 PM
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This is not the news I wanted to read today(from the Ithaca Journal)


Ithaca among communities most likely to lose airline service
June 25, 2008

RADNOR, Pa. — Ithaca’s air service could become an unwitting victim of high fuel prices, as multiple U.S. airlines are likely to default and fail in the coming months while other airlines retrench, according to a recent study,


“Oil Prices and the Looming U.S. Aviation Industry Catastrophe: A Hole in the Transport Grid,” conducted for Business Travel Coalition (BTC). In fact, Ithaca was identified as one of the 100 regional markets most likely to lose some or all service, according to subsequent analysis by BTC.

With airlines unable to rely on Chapter 11 reorganization due to a tight credit market, it’s very likely that at least one — and perhaps several — major airlines could be liquidated entirely this year and early next, joining the growing list of smaller U.S. airlines that have already ceased operations in 2008. This could happen even sooner if fuel prices rise further.

This crisis does not bode well for the economies of communities at risk across the U.S., including Ithaca. Moreover, with the overnight loss of major airlines, numerous local businesses will be impacted, from restaurants and manufacturers to florists, jewelers and grocery stores — all of which rely directly on air cargo somewhere in their supply chains for fast movement of their essential goods. A study released earlier this week, “Beyond the Airlines’ $2 Can of Coke: Catastrophic Impact on the U.S. Economy from Oil-price Trauma in the Airline Industry,” thoroughly analyzes the impacts of a failed airline industry on the country.

“Liquidations at major airlines would have catastrophic effects on the economy, drastically reduce service in cities large and small, and impact people in Ithaca whether they work at the airport, rely on air service for business or leisure travel, work in one of many industries that use air cargo for their livelihoods or serve local offices of national companies that have located in Ithaca because of its easy airline access,” said BTC Chairman Kevin Mitchell. “The fuel crisis is having an impact beyond the gas pump and is now likely to cause irreparable harm to businesses large and small through a significant reduction in air service.”
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Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 12:06 PM
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^ After the above article, the Ithaca Journal came out with a surprise today:



Continental coming back to Ithaca
Local airport will have direct flights to Newark
By Tim Ashmore • Journal Staff • July 2, 2008

ITHACA — The Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport will increase its flight service this fall when Continental Airlines returns to town.


The addition of Continental service from Ithaca to Newark Liberty Airport bucks the national trend of airlines cutting services as they cope with the spike in fuel costs, which Ithaca airport officials said now cost airlines more than labor.

The arrival of Continental service to Newark is surprising to many. Earlier this month airport manager Bob Nicholas said it was “unlikely” Ithaca wouldn't be affected the same way other airports were as airlines trim costs.

Larry Baum, president of the Ithaca Air Service Board, announced Tuesday to the Tompkins County Legislature that the new flight will begin in October.

Baum also said the 6 a.m. Northwest flight to Detroit will be served by a larger plane for one calendar quarter starting in August to determine if increased capacity is necessary.

Continental used to serve Ithaca but left town in 1996. The decision to bring service back to Ithaca is the result of a recent move by the airline to increase international travel, Baum said. In Upstate New York, Ithaca beat out Elmira and Binghamton in terms of international travelers to lure the airline here.

Baum attributed the amount of international travelers out of Ithaca to a relatively stable economy and the large student population.

Continental will offer four non-stop, 37-passenger flights per day to get to Newark where there's “access to Continental's substantial hub,” Nicholas said.

“Newark of course is the hub for Continental if you fly out of Syracuse. From Newark you can basically go anywhere, and at least Newark isn't one of these overcrowded airports (like) Kennedy,” said Ruth Kiraly-Meyburg, a travel agent with AAA Stone Travel Agency Inc. “I think it's a more modern airport that has more conveniences than Kennedy. Kennedy's really outdated, I think.”

Kiraly-Meyburg said she knows travelers who have flown to LaGuardia Airport from Ithaca and then taxied to John F. Kennedy International Airport for their international flight.

The new service means Ithaca will be served by three airlines — U.S. Airways, Northwest Airline and Continental — and Nicholas said he hopes this level of service reaches the “delicate balance” necessary to maintaining a small, regional airport. He explained that while he welcomes new airlines to the airport, when a market like Ithaca is saturated, airlines will leave, creating a gap in service.

Baum told the Legislature that about half of all county fliers depart out of Ithaca, and the added 16 seats to Detroit and four daily flights to Newark they expect to see that percentage rise.

Nicholas explained that when supply increases in the airline industry demand often follows. He pointed to 1988 when Ithaca had six airlines and enplanements were at their highest.

When Continental left 12 years ago, Nicholas said the airport lost roughly 25 percent of its revenue. At the time Continental was one of two airlines in Ithaca.

Enplanements increased on average 11.8 percent per month from the first five months of 2007 to 2008. January had the largest increase, nearly 24 percent, and enplanements were down in May by just over 1 percent.

Kiraly-Meyburg said she's been selling more flights out of Ithaca despite prices often being higher.

“We hope that more people don't have to go to Syracuse and Elmira adding more costs to gasoline and their parking. It's so much easier to fly in and out of Ithaca. I mean, I prefer it myself,” she said. “The only thing is it's always been the price difference. If we get good tickets out of Ithaca, definitely we would try that first. And surprisingly sometimes, especially on international tickets, we find that they're very competitive now.”

Nathan Shinagawa, D-City of Ithaca and vice chairman of the air service board, addressed the high prices by comparing the Ithaca airport to Elmira's, where there is no landing fee and the airlines can keep prices down as a result.

Michelle Berry, a consultant for the Ithaca airport, said Elmira receives a $750,000 subsidy from its municipalities. Tompkins County does not provide the Ithaca airport with any funds.

Shinagawa said the reason for the larger flight to Detroit was because of complaints from passengers getting bumped from their morning flights.

tashmore@ithacajournal.com
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A bit of development news.



Chemung Canal Trust Company breaks ground for new branch
By Laura Brandt • Special to The Journal • July 2, 2008

Chemung Canal Trust Company broke ground Tuesday as part of a plan to open a larger, more customer-tailored Community Corners branch in the Village of Cayuga Heights.


The new branch, relocated from 903 Hanshaw Road to 909 Hanshaw Road, will host four to five employees, have more indoor space than Chemung's current location and will feature two drive-up lanes and a 24-hour ATM drive through.

“It's all part of an effort to provide better service to our clients,” said Community Corners Branch Manager Jennifer Sczepanski.

According to chief architect Rose Catalano, the new building is valued around $1 million. Construction will be completed by the end of the year and the new location should open for business in January 2009.

“This investment is an outgrowth of the success we've had,” said Ronald Bentley, president and CEO of Chemung Canal. “We now find it necessary to increase the size of (the 903 Hanshaw) office to meet the needs of our expanding customer base.” Chemung Canal currently features 21 offices in seven counties in New York State.

“It was always in our plans to establish a larger full service facility here,” Bentley continued. Due to time constraints with building permits, Chemung Canal had been unable to build initially at 909 Hanshaw, so the trust company constructed their branch slightly north of the future location with plans to move once all the paperwork was completed.

Chemung Canal is also in the process of evaluating other locations in Tompkins County, Bentley added. “We believe the potential for further market penetration is considerable,” he said.

The new site, covering 2,700 feet in the Community Corners Shopping Center on the corner of Hanshaw and Pleasant Grove Roads, will provide “greater visibility and improved convenience and accessibility for customers,” said Chemung Canal Vice President Joseph Perry.
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Lansing Builders Favor High End, But No Drastic Changes
Dan Veaner
Friday, 04 July 2008
There is a lot of talk about the future of Lansing, how development will change the town, about whether the rural character of the community will remain. But the fact is that the face of Lansing has changed markedly from the original farming community to a bedroom community for Ithaca and Cornell. And despite panicked cries about development gone wild, actual development in the town has not been rising. "We average a couple of hundred building permits per year, pretty close to two hundred, says Code Enforcement Officer Richard Platt. "But housing is 35, 40, somewhere in that range. It hasn't changed too much."

In fact the number of single and two-family homes has been down in the past few years. "Around 2001, 2002 we were in the high 40s in permits," says the town building inspector Lynn Day. "Now we're down. Last year we did 33 and we're down in the low 30s. I believe it will be about the same this year. We're up to 13 so far this year."

Despite pressure from Tompkins County to rezone and encourage affordable housing, most new houses in Lansing are mid to high end homes. Platt says that new building in the Hillcrest, Tiger Lily, area tend to sell for between half a million and a million dollars. He says that most new homes are built in that area, which is zoned for residential building. Developments like the Lake Forest subdivision off of Myers Road and other more northern areas go for less. "We get a pretty good range of the high end houses, say $500,000 to close to a million," Platt says. "Of the more normal houses that range from say $150,000 to $300,000."



Lansing Code Enforcement Officer Richard Platt

Day says that there is some construction in the North Lansing and Lansingville. A family is doing the work themselves on a 4,000 square foot house on Holden Road. Day says they will save a lot of money on construction, but a house that size will probably be appraised at $500,000 once it is completed. He says that there is also some building on the Lansingville side. "We've had quite a few houses over the last few years over on the Emmons Road area," he says. "I believe there is going to be one built this summer on Lansingville Road. They haven't come in for a permit yet. Up in that area the range is probably $175,000 to $250,000."

While the number and mix of building permits has remained about the same over the past six or seven years, there are some potential projects that could drastically change the character of parts of the town. One project in the initial planning stages would bring 138 condominium townhouses to what is now a Triphammer Road field between Michaeleen's Florist and Asbury Road. The developers have told the planning office that sewer would have to be part of the project in order to build to the level of density that would make the project cost effective. At the moment the project is projected for 2014, and Platt says it would be built in phases.



The new Wheaton Sheet Metal building on Peruville Road


Another is the 500+ acre Kingdom Farm, owned by the Jehovah's Witness Watchtower Society. Last year they approached the town planning board to discuss rezoning the farm to accommodate potentially more than 500 new residences, in what would amount to a village within the town that could include a small retail business center and other businesses, as well as a mix of different housing solutions.

Both of these projects seem ambitious in a town that typically builds thirty to forty new residences per year. But with over 14,000 people commuting to Tompkins County from more than ten other counties every day to work here, the Tompkins County legislature sees Lansing as a prime spot for affordable housing. They asked the town to adjust its zoning to accommodate that and have been encouraging town officials to do what it can to get affordable housing built here.

To do that the town will have to convince builders that it is worth their while to build affordable (defined at approximately $150,000) housing here. But builders say that may be hard to bring to reality with the prices of building materials and everything else so high. "To build affordable housing now is almost impossible because the land is so expensive," said local developer Ivar Jonson in an interview last May. "The County and everybody makes it so expensive."

There is some new business building in Lansing, but not a lot. This year Wheaton Sheet Metal began work on their new Peruville Road building, and last year Global Phoenix built in Lansing. Day says that some businesses have built additions to existing buildings, and that others have converted buildings for business use, such as the Sincredible Pasteries kitchen that was converted from an auto repair garage. He notes that IMR has built two additions since they originally constructed their building in the business park just south of the town ballfields. And Transonics Systems plans to double the size of their plant if the Warren Road sewer project passes this summer.



New homes are going up on Tiger Lily Lane


The Warren Road sewer is likely to pave the way for new apartment building in the Lucente and Springbrook complexes. But Day says that there havn't been new multi-residences (three or more family structures) in years. He says some two-family homes have been converted to three, but otherwise apartment building has been stagnant.

Platt says that the current Lansing building trend probably won't change any time soon. "I can't see it," he says. "With the way the economy is right now we're glad that we have as much as we do this year. I think people obviously like Lansing. People want to be here for the schools and the proximity to Ithaca is nice. But it's still nice country, too. You can get away. I can't really see it changing unless somebody invests a lot of money."

Day agrees that the challenging economy is holding back any acceleration in building here. He notes that a lot of homes in town are for sale now, an upward trend over the past year and a half. And that affects both current and future building. "I just went down to a house where a gentleman had a building permit for two or three years," he notes. "He said because their taxes had gone up so high in the last couple of years they decided not to finish the project. So they want to close out their permit."

He says that the mix of houses being built isn't changing. But he notes that the high-end houses in the R-1 zones sell well. "I think it's about the same mix," he says. We've had houses come up in every part of the town, but when you're in the R1 area you're always up into the high end, at least the $500,000 range. Right now we have one on Bolton Point Road off of Eastlake that is almost $1,000,000. A lot of these builders are always around the six or seven hundred thousand range. They seem to sell well."
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^ Interesting article Vis. I know the county desperately needs affordable housing. I know the builders aren't going to build for free. I know land prices aren't going to drop. Quite the dilemma.



Here's an Op-Ed about the Ithaca Commons vs. Charlottesville's downtown ped-mall.


Ithaca's Visit to Charlottesville
By: Gary Ferguson
06/25/2008
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A group of downtown, city and community leaders traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia last week to learn more about why their downtown is considered one of the best small city downtowns in America. We learned a lot while we were there and the trip also deepened our conviction that downtown Ithaca is a truly unique and special place that we can all be proud of.
One might ask why Charlottesville rather than Boston or Indianapolis? Ithaca and Charlottesville are very similar. Both have pedestrian malls. Both are small city college towns located in predominantly rural areas, with campuses about a mile away from their city centers. Both are regional tourist destinations. These factors, combined with the recognition Charlottesville's downtown has received, make it an ideal location for a fact-finding and idea-sharing visit.
Other than Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, the other major attraction in Charlottesville is their historic Downtown Pedestrian Mall. Built in 1976, the mall was designed by world famous designer/planner Laurence Halperin. In its early years the Mall struggled. But thanks to some aggressive downtown development and planning on the part of the City, today the project is regarded as one of America's most successful pedestrian malls.
Charlottesville's pedestrian mall is twice the length of the Commons but what is most noticeable is how they chose to program the public space, especially the public walkway in the center. There are virtually no large permanent fixtures such as pavilions, playgrounds or planters. Instead, the city leases much of the space to restaurants for additional outdoor seating. The impact of this was clearly visible in the evening as seating area after seating area was full of diners and the mall itself was full of people well into the evening. Our conversations with Charlottesville officials revealed that the restaurants are considered one of the main attractors that drive shoppers into the many galleries and stores on the mall.
Like the Commons, the Charlottesville pedestrian mall has plenty of shade trees, some of which have outgrown their intended size and are scheduled for replacement. Unlike the Ithaca Commons, the Charlottesville flower planters are large, round movable pots instead of permanent fixtures. This gives the city some added flexibility when planning for various fairs, festivals and events on the mall.
These differences help the Charlottesville Pedestrian Mall exude an open, airy sense. Sight lines to stores and businesses are maintained.
The mall is anchored at one end by a 2,300 seat outdoor amphitheater, a Visitors Center and public transportation hub. The other end is anchored by a 208-room upscale Omni hotel. City officials indicated to us that the hotel has done a lot to help rejuvenate that end of the mall, a consideration we also took here in Ithaca as evidenced by the new downtown hotel proposed by developer Jeff Rimland. That same end of the Charlottesville mall is also home to an indoor ice skating rink and first-run movie theater. We learned that both of these attractions generate additional foot traffic, particularly from parents who will spend a couple of hours shopping and dining while their children skate or go to the movies.
Downtown Charlottesville has done an excellent job clustering attractions into their downtown pedestrian mall area. These attractions provide the daily foot traffic that help keep the retail shops afloat. As Ithaca renews its planning efforts for our downtown it will be important to consider what other attractions and traffic generators we can co-locate downtown to help fuel our downtown retailers.
Tourism plays an important role in downtown Charlottesville, just as it does in downtown Ithaca and our group was struck by the scope and prominent location of their Visitors Center. It is located on the pedestrian mall, near the outdoor amphitheater. One end of the building houses a public transportation hub. The project was built, in large measure, using federal public transportation funds.
Like Ithaca, there are bus stops on all sides of the Charlottesville pedestrian mall. Charlottesville would like to attract more college students to its downtown, just as Ithaca would. One Charlottesville solution that caught our attention was a free trolley loop between the mall and the University of Virginia campus. The trolleys are free for everyone (not just students), and they run until 11:00 p.m. six days a week and until 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. City officials say the downtown/campus run shuttle has the most riders of any route on their transit system and has helped in their efforts to bring students into their downtown. The campus/downtown shuttle is a corner stone of the community's efforts to link their university with their downtown.
The Charlottesville pedestrian mall will be completely reconstructed next year, with an entirely new brick surface and extensive infrastructure work being planned. The project was approved by the city council the night we were there. City officials told us during meetings with them the day of the vote that numerous public meetings had already been held and merchants told the city to "keep it simple and do it fast". The entire project is expected to begin next January and be completed by the end of May.
As the City hires a consultant to plan for the renewal of the Ithaca Commons, it will be important for us to carefully look at places such as Charlottesville which have experience operating pedestrian malls.



©Ithaca Times 2008
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I know these lists are useless, but it's nice a little place like Ithaca can make these once in a while:



Ithaca makes Outside’s best-places list
July 8, 2008
The Ithaca Journal

Ithaca has made Outside magazine’s 2008 best towns list, coming in at No. 6 on a list of communities that have revived themselves and beckon to outdoor-sports enthusiasts.


The magazine used the theme of revival in the list, focusing on communities that have overcome adversity. Washington, D.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Ogden, Utah; Portsmouth, N.H.; and Tacoma, Wash., are listed ahead of Ithaca, and New Orleans, hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is cited in an accompanying article.

The magazine cites Ithaca’s lost of manufacturing jobs since the 1960s followed by building of The Commons, the Ecovillage at Ithaca, the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, and reuse of old industrial buildings, including the former Wilcox Press site and Gateway building, the planned redevelopment of the former Ithaca Gun factory and the transformation of the former Woolworth store into the Tompkins County Public Library.

Attractions mentioned include cycling around Cayuga Lake, hiking in the gorge at Robert Treman State Park and the Moosewood Restaurant.

The article is in the August issue.

In 2003, Outside ranked Cornell University No. 14 on its list of the 40 best colleges and universities for outdoors opportunities.
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Not good news for upstate NY, but there are a couple of "bright " spots.



Census: NYC grows as Upstate cities shrink
Ithaca one of few to grow
By Michael Hill • The Associated Press • July 10, 2008


ALBANY — The Big Apple is getting bigger as the largest cities in Upstate New York continue to lose more people, according census estimates released Thursday.


New York City grew by 23,960 people in the 12 months ending July 2007 for a population of 8.27 million, according to the yearly estimates from the U.S. Census. The city has been steadily growing for years and remains a magnet for immigrants and young people.

Population growth in New York has been centered for years in the metropolitan area. Some suburban villages north of the city in the Hudson Valley were among the fastest growing in the state over the 12 months, including Wurtsboro (7.9 percent), the Hasidic enclave of Kiryas Joel (5.2 percent) and Wappingers Falls (4.8 percent).

The story was different around much of Upstate New York, where the largest cities showed slight losses in the annual estimate. Buffalo's population of 272,632 was down 0.93 percent over the year; Rochester, at 206,759, was down 0.49 percent; Syracuse, 139,079, down 0.78 percent; Albany, 94,172, down 0.46 percent, according to the estimates.

The numbers reflect a long-term trend of population losses in upstate areas as manufacturing jobs dry up and people settle in the South and the West. California and Texas each had five cities among the 25 fastest-growing cities in the census estimates released today.

Politicians in New York are particularly concerned about the exodus of young people just out of college, the so-called “brain drain.”

Among the Upstate cities that grew over the year were Saratoga Springs (up 0.68 percent), Plattsburgh (0.16 percent) and Ithaca (0.14 percent).

Census estimates released earlier this year showed the state's population nudged up over the period by 15,741 to 19.3 million people.


And here's the rest of the Ithaca area:

Tompkins County Populations
Town Pop. (2000) Pop. (2006) Pop. (2007)

Tompkins County 96501 100509 101055

Cayuga Heights, village 3273 3677 3674

Dryden, village 1832 1824 1825

Dryden, town 13532 13936 14068

Freeville, village 505 506 505

Groton, village 2470 2411 2408

Groton, town 5794 5856 5857

Ithaca, city 29287 29933 29974

Ithaca, town 18198 20044 20221

Lansing, village 3417 3422 3441

Lansing, town 10521 10924 11011

Trumansburg, village 1581 1588 1592

Caroline, town 2910 3012 3012

Danby, town 3007 3172 3198

Enfield, town 3369 3541 3566

Newfield, town 5108 5150 5170

Ulysses, town 4775 4941 4978

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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News I like to see.

http://www.cnybj.com/fullstory.cfm?a...=frontpage.cfm

Advion BioSciences sees rapid business expansion
Three acquisitions in the past year
by Kevin Tampone, Journal Staff


: ITHACA — Advion BioSciences, Inc. has seen its business grow 30 percent in the past year and the company has been hiring to keep pace.
Since April 2007, the firm has added about 40 employees, growing from 142 workers to more than 180. Advion expects to add another 25 jobs over the next year.

The Ithaca–based company, founded in 1993, does not release its annual revenue, but business has been rising steadily, says Thomas Kurz, co-founder and president of commercial operations.

(cont.)
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^ Always ggod to read news like that. Thanks for the info Vis.


Here's another bit of news on the development front. Sounds kinda sprawlly, but it's within the city limits, so the additional tax revenue will help:

Wal-Mart expansion faces little resistance
Panel approves pared down Cayuga Green
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • July 23, 2008

ITHACA — A downtown project is shrinking and two Route 13 projects are expanding.


Ithaca's planning board saw initial sketch plans Tuesday night for an expanded Wal-Mart and two new buildings on the corner in front of Kmart: a Walgreens and a multi-tenant building.

The board also granted approval for the downtown Cayuga Place Residences condominium project to shrink from 44 to 30 units.

The Wal-Mart expansion would make the store a Supercenter, including a full grocery and a drive-through pharmacy, said Neal Madden, a Wal-Mart attorney with Rochester-based Harter Secrest and Emery LLP.

The expansion would add another 39,000 square feet to the current 149,000 square feet.

The expanded Wal-Mart is essentially a done deal because Ithaca's planning board granted approval in 2003 to a bigger project than Wal-Mart initially built, said both Madden and Acting Planning Director JoAnn Cornish.

Environmental review and traffic studies were also conducted at that time and cover this expansion, Cornish said.

In stark contrast to the heated meetings about Wal-Mart in the 1990s and 2003, only one resident spoke to the board about the project, and he was in favor of the expansion.

Newfield resident and regular city meeting attendee Joel Harlan said he was “speaking out for thousands of people ... who want the Super Wal-Mart.”

Harlan said those opposed to Wal-Mart belong to “the CAVE organization: Citizens Against Virtually Everything.”

Al Norman, founder of the Web site sprawl-busters.com, wrote to Mayor Carolyn Peterson on Tuesday to voice his opposition to the expansion.

Norman came to Ithaca during the 1990s when the initial Wal-Mart proposal was abandoned. His organization opposes “big box” development, especially Wal-Mart, because of economic, environmental and quality-of-life reasons, he said.

“This is not an expansion that Ithaca needs, this is an expansion that Wal-mart needs,” he said.

No one on the planning board voiced opposition to the expansion, and board member Robert Boothroyd said he “would welcome a Super Wal-Mart in Ithaca.”

Madden said Wal-Mart's goal is to start construction on the expansion next spring. Construction could take a year or more, and the store would not close during construction, he said.

Walgreens
In a last-minute addition to the agenda, architect Peter Trowbridge and developer Richard Franco presented to the board on a proposal to build two buildings at the corner where Elmira Road becomes Route 13.

The buildings would go in front of Kmart and to the left of the Bank of America.

The building to the north would become a Walgreens pharmacy and the building on the south would be a multi-tenant building similar in look and function to the Route 13 stripmall that houses Aspen Dental, Trowbridge said.

The developers hope to start construction by late winter or early spring, Franco said.

The board took no votes on the project and when it actually comes for site plan review, the process will include public hearings, said Chairman John Schroeder.

Cayuga Green
The Planning Board granted unanimous approval to a re-worked site plan review for the condominium portion of the Cayuga Green development.

Cayuga Place Residences was initially granted approval for a six-story structure with 44 units. They asked to reduce that to 30 units but raise the height to seven stories.

John Snyder, a planning board member and also an architect on the project, said the reduction was necessary because of “market conditions.”

Snyder recused himself from the vote.

The proposed condos range in size from 900-2,000 square feet and cost from $200,000-$400,000.

kgashler@ithacajournal.com
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Here's a bit of a rah-rah article on the nearly complete Cayuga Green Apartments:

Cayuga Green Apts Support Downtown Vision
By: Danielle Henbest
08/13/2008
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In light of additional downtown housing being marked as one of the top priorities for city and county officials over the next ten years, developer Ken Schon of Bloomfield/Schon & Partners has built 68 units of housing on Green Street.
As of last week, 50 to 55 of the studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom apartments were rented out. All spaces are for lease, not for sale. While the building remains under construction, most of the 68 apartments will be finished by the end of August. Residents on the second and third floors have moved in already while tenants on the fourth and fifth floors will move in later this month. Rent for a studio apartment is $620 a month while a one bedroom is $900 and a two bedroom is $1200. Considering the fact that the building is new with brand new appliances, floor to ceiling nine and half foot windows, and warm earth tone colors, the quality you receive for the price paid seems pretty understandable. And Schon kept in mind this year's theme of sustainability: the hallway of each apartment uses recycled tires for the floor.
"It will take a little while for it to all finish up," said Schon. "By the end of the year some of the other tenants will start to move in. The apartments are a mix, having the feel of big old loft buildings, but a modern interpretation. The one bedrooms have eight feet wide sliding barn doors to get as much of an open feel as possible during the day time. Each apartment is full of light. We tried to liven up the space for when it's cold and cloudy in Ithaca during the winter time. That's the other reason why we did the big windows, too, to get as much natural light in the space and take advantage of the urban view and creek views. They are the coolest apartments I've seen in a long time."
While the apartments are crucial to downtown's economy as well as to the needs of quality housing in Ithaca, the 18,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor has eyebrows raised. Who will fill in the bottom of the building? Schon explained there are three different sections of the ground floor space, divvied up into as many as six tenants. Schon said one good sized retailer may take a good chunk of the space, but could not disclose who the retailer is.
"They might also take half of it," said Schon. "It's a national small department store kind of place with a multitude of products. It's perfect for Ithaca is all I can say. If we get them in there it'd be great for downtown, to bring them here as opposed to out at the mall. We're hopeful."
Schon said there have been discussions about having a brew pub or two fill the space as well as a couple of restaurant ideas and offices. There's been some interest from a few different entities, but Schon said that because people aren't sure what the end product is going to be with the movie theatre across the street many interested tenants are putting the site on hold.
"Green Street has been a thoroughfare with a parking lot and garages," said Schon. "Now we're trying to make it a pedestrian place so I think it's going to take a while for people to understand what the end result will be. It will take shape as the movie theatre gets in and the dust settles on Green Street. I think people will start to rise to the occasion."
Schon's development firm is also responsible for the revitalization of Cinemapolis, transforming Ithaca's beloved downtown theatre into an updated 5-theatre complex. Independent and obscure films will still be shown there. Schon prides himself on focusing on "Ithaca-sized" buildings, catering to the whole idea that downtown needs more face time with residents. Schon is also responsible for the condominium project that will have approximately 24 to 26 units.
"Hopefully later on this fall we can get started with a condominium project," said Schon. "They will cover up the back of the Cayuga Garage. The triangular garage behind the garage is for the condo building. There's a lot of work to do before we can get started. We're currently working on all of that with drawings and engineers and financing. We haven't forgotten about it and we haven't forgotten about them."
As for Green Street's apartments, Schon isn't the only one excited about supplying downtown Ithaca with additional housing. Phyllisa DeSarno, deputy director for economic development for the City of Ithaca, said that the fact that the apartments are being leased to a mix of people is an incredible asset. Graduate students, young professionals, professors from both Cornell University and Ithaca College, and empty nesters who no longer want the responsibility of a home have all taken out leases on Green Street.
"I know all the people here at city hall are really pleased with the project," said DeSarno. "We feel if more people can choose to live in Ithaca in downtown the better. We're excited they're filling up so quickly because it shows the need for additional apartments downtown."
Common Council member Mary Tomlan agreed.
"I am delighted to see additional housing options available downtown, where residents can be within walking distance of many goods and services, and enjoy convenient access to transit service," said Tomlan. "In addition, given the investments already made in public infrastructure - roads, sidewalks, parking facilities, water and sewer lines, etc. - it only makes sense to use these on a 24/7 basis and not just during the workday and special events. Since it has been several decades since that block of East Green Street has seen any residential use, the apartment dwellers there will have a new perspective on life in the city."


For more information regarding Schon's Green Street apartments as well as the movie theatre and condominium project, please visit www.cayugaplace.com.






©Ithaca Times 2008
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I'm hoping this bit of news benefits the whole area and not just Ithaca College.


Ithaca College gets approval to build new events center
From Journal Staff Reports • August 20, 2008

ITHACA — Ithaca College has received final approval to build its Athletic and Events Center.


At a Tuesday night meeting, the Town of Ithaca Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the $35 million project.

Ithaca College officials have described the 300,000-square-foot Athletic and Events Center as the biggest project ever undertaken on campus.
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Old Posted Aug 27, 2008, 12:43 PM
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Seems to me 90 feet would be more than 6 stories in residential buildings.
Things may be looking "up" in my old neighborhood.


Collegetown committee approves urban plan
By Krisy Gashler • Journal Staff • August 20, 2008


ITHACA — The Collegetown urban plan, which includes buildings up to 90 feet high in the core of Collegetown and increased density with less parking, was overwhelmingly approved by the Collegetown Vision Implementation Committee Tuesday.


The committee, composed of elected officials, developers and students, voted 11-2 to recommend the plan to Common Council.

The plan was created during a year-long moratorium on construction in Collegetown that's scheduled to expire in October. The city will consider extending the moratorium by four months at a meeting tonight.

The primary issue that has held up approval of the plan, and that led two committee members to vote against it, is the 90-foot or six-story allowable height in the core of Collegetown: within 200 feet of the intersection of Dryden Road and College Avenue.

Current zoning allows up to 60 feet in that area.

Alderwoman Mary Tomlan, D-3rd, and Susan Blumenthal were the two votes against recommending the plan. Both felt 90 feet was too high.

Blumenthal said such tall buildings on such narrow streets would create a “canyon effect.”

Tomlan said required setbacks above 60 feet won't help because existing buildings that tall in Collegetown already cause this effect.

Thys Van Cort, former director of planning for the city and a continuing consultant on the Collegetown plan, said the “canyon effect” can be mitigated by things like taking parking away to make wider sidewalks.

When the city's consultants presented their plan in May, they said greater height allowances were necessary to provide economic incentive for new development.

Tomlan, who is chair of Common Council's planning committee, also argued that the urban plan did not help achieve the vision of mixing different types of households within the core of Collegetown.

Alderman Svante Myrick, D-4th and the Collegetown committee chair, said it wasn't reasonable to expect a mix of households in Collegetown's core because of economic pressures toward undergraduate housing close to campus.

Ed Strong, a representative from Cornell's Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, said grad students generally don't want to live in the core of Collegetown with undergrads and are instead more attracted to areas like Eddy Street.

The urban plan and design guidelines were created by a group of consultants headed by Boston-based Goody Clancy.

kgashler@ithacajournal.com
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Old Posted Aug 28, 2008, 4:51 PM
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More info from a previous post.


Downtown Buildings To Get Facade Facelifts
By: Danielle Henbest
08/27/2008


For those who sent Mayor Carolyn Peterson a flurry of emails praising and complaining about the current construction going on downtown, you will have to brace yourselves for more action to come.
Downtown's makeover continues with further renovations, tweaks, pulls, and improvements thanks to a $200,000 façade and building improvement grant from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal to the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. The grant was received through the DHRC's Main Street Program.
Governor David Paterson made the announcement last week. The renovations are expected to effect the 22-block area of downtown's Business Improvement District. Gary Ferguson, executive director of DIA, said that the series of façade renovations done to various buildings will be determined by applications submitted from local businesses and organizations.
"The process is pretty straightforward right now, but will get more complicated as we proceed," said Ferguson. "We're taking applications now until later this fall. The improvements will start later next year sometime in the spring." Ferguson said that the DIA will work with New York State to get a contract.
"Once that's done and we have all the rules of the game laid out then we can start taking applications and get going on this," said Ferguson.
This is the second time since 2006 that the DIA has applied for and received grant funding from the Main Street Program. The DIA was also rewarded $200,000 previously which benefited eight downtown Ithaca buildings and the Finger Lakes Wine Center. After a competitive application process, the DIA buildings benefited included 120 The Commons (where Benjamin Peters calls home); 126-128 The Commons where you can get the finest German chocolate pretzels at Brotchen; 130-132 The Commons, home to the People's Dollar Store; 142-144 The Commons where House of Shalimar sits; 222 The Commons including Titus Gallery; 123 S. Cayuga Street where Morgan's is located; 330 E. State Street which houses the Community School of Music and Arts; and the State Theater on State Street.
"Right now we're talking about façade improvements, looking to see if we can expand the improvements to do a bit more to the buildings who have applied," said Ferguson enthusiastically. "But that's a question I have for the state right now though. The primary use of this grant money is to make a major statement with the exterior façade downtown. To see how downtown looked before and to see how it will look this time around. We're very excited (at the DIA) about the grant and upcoming renovations."
Ferguson said that over the course of the new few months the DIA will make various announcements about the application process and what buildings will eventually be chosen to be included in the improvements.
"This is a very positive impact that this has downtown," said Ferguson. "Quite a few buildings would be eligible, but we don't know which ones specifically yet. There is an application process. We are asking people to give us their thoughts and ideas."
Anything from a brand new coat of paint to repairing ancient windows to fixing cornices to giving fronts a facelift and "sprucing up the place" is set to be covered under the grant.
"We want to make our buildings look more attractive," said Ferguson. "They need to be more functional. This program does it in a way that's considered historic, staying true to the character of the buildings as well."
Considering downtown has buildings that have been standing since the early 19th century back when the Hotel Ithaca was booming on the Aurora Street end of the Commons and the State Theatre was a popular cinematic and vaudeville destination, maintaining the historic integrity of downtown's building is of the utmost importance. Ferguson and the DIA are well aware that keeping Ithaca alive through our history is imperative to implementing improvements to sustain our future.
For more information about the grant or to apply for building improvements, please contact the Downtown Ithaca Alliance at 277-8679.



©Ithaca Times 2008
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