Some Ithaca news

[Ex-Ithacan]

^If only it were to be built downtown or on Inlet Island.

[whit_x]

Originally Posted by Visiteur

Looks like a short meting for the town of Ithaca on Tuesday...

Consideration of Preliminary Site Plan Approval and Special Permit for the proposed Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center located off Caldwell Road in the northeast corner of the College of Veterinary Medicine Complex, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No.’s 67-1-10.2 and 67-1-10.4, Low Density Residential Zone. The proposal includes the demolition of several small cinder block buildings for the construction of a new +/- 126,000 square foot, +/- 70 foot tall, facility to include laboratories (rated with Biological Safety Levels of 2 and 3) and office space.

The primary use of the facility will be for veterinary disease diagnostic programs associated with necropsy and histopathology, and will also include teaching programs and other research and support activities. The building will be physically connected to the existing Schuman Hall, associated with the Veterinary College. The project will consolidate 70 existing parking spaces currently scattered throughout the site, and add approximately 8 new spaces (4 handicapped spaces and 4 short term drop off spaces). The project will also include development of new stormwater management facilities.

I hope the height pisses off some of the Ithaca NIMBYs.

Not so much, since it is at that end of Cornell and there are a couple of buildings of this size already there. Put this building next to East Hill Plaza, say where the back parking lot for Ide's or where Courtside was, and all sorts of s$*t would be flying.

[Visiteur]

Originally Posted by whit_x

Not so much, since it is at that end of Cornell and there are a couple of buildings of this size already there. Put this building next to East Hill Plaza, say where the back parking lot for Ide's or where Courtside was, and all sorts of s$*t would be flying.

Remains of the proposal for a hotel and an outparcel last year. see how far that went...

So Ex, I watched the youtube video of the guy's house next to 320 Dryden, and hey, you can't help but feel bad for him. I bet I know why it's so bad though. The house was built on a hill. When I visited the site today, not only was the house gone- so was the entire frickin' hill it was built on! It's neighbors sit twenty feet above the ground level for the new building!

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Yeah, he has a right to gripe, but think of how tall the new apartment building would have looked if they would have kept the hill.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Maybe the NIMBYs will let this one go through (the last proposal was too tall; 5 stories ). Gotta love the comments at the bottom. Ithacans love to argue, on both ends of the political spectrum.


New hope for Ithaca Gun site
Developer joins city in pursuing factory clean-up, redevelopment
By Krisy Gashler
Journal Staff

ITHACA — The City of Ithaca is taking another shot at redeveloping the former Ithaca Gun site.

If all goes according to plan, the former gun factory will be demolished and replaced with 33 high-end condos and permanent public access to “one of the best locations to observe and enjoy the Ithaca Falls,” said Nels Bohn, director of community development for the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency.

Before anything can be built, however, the site will have to undergo extensive environmental remediation of lead and asbestos contamination — cleanup cost is estimated at $2.4 million — left over from the factory that closed in the 1980s.

To that end, the city is considering applying for two state grants to cover the cost of environmental cleanup: Restore NY to remediate and demolish the building, and the Environmental Restoration Program to remediate sub-surface lead contamination. Previous attempts to redevelop the site have caused “a lot of fits and starts and frustration from neighbors and elements of the city,” Bohn said.
Most recently, that has included a 160-unit site and an 80-unit site, which neighbors decried as much too big.

“We've looked at projects that had to be pretty large scale to cover cleanup costs and be financially viable,” Bohn said. “With the assistance of Restore NY, we think we can accomplish cleanup, restore access to the falls, and develop a project that is in-scale with the rest of the neighborhood.”

The contaminated site was purchased by Fall Creek Redevelopment, LLC, in November 2005. For this project, the owners have teamed with Ithaca developers Travis & Travis, HOLT architects, and landscape architects Trowbridge and Wolf — the same team responsible for the downtown Gateway project.

Frost Travis said he's had his eye on Gun Hill ever since he moved back to Ithaca in March of this year.

“I had been walking my dogs every day in Cass Park for two months when we first moved to town, and I'd look across the valley up at Gun Hill and say, ‘Somebody ought to do something,'” he said.

Travis said current plans call for 33 condos, split into five separate blocks of townhouses.

“It wouldn't just be this monolith,” he said.

Previous, defeated development concepts called for rental units rather than owner-occupied units. The current development calls for 100 percent for-sale units at “market-rate” — $300,000 to $400,000 per unit.

“The advantage is to attract stable residents who want to remain in place,” Bohn said. “They have an ownership interest in the house and the surrounding neighborhood.”

They would also pay city and school taxes, Bohn said.

Another concern raised by residents over previous plans was the issue of height. The 160-unit proposal, for example was going to be five stories.

Travis said his team's development proposal will be no higher than the current factory, and will not obstruct neighbors' views of the lake or the gorge.

Plans also call for creating a public walkway from Lake Street to the gorge overlook, which is currently inaccessible to the public.

The owners have even agreed to gift the overlook to the city of Ithaca.

All of these plans, though, are dependent upon Ithaca's Common Council applying for, and receiving, the two separate grants.

The city applied for a Restore NY grant last year, the first year it was offered, to renovate the Greater Ithaca Activities Center building and to remediate and demolish the Ithaca Gun site. They did not receive the funding, but Bohn said state funders told him unofficially that the Ithaca Gun proposal had promise and was fundable.

GIAC restoration would no longer qualify for a Restore NY grant because the program disqualifies projects that are municipally owned.

Last year the state offered $50 million through Restore NY; this year $100 million is available.

“There's a lot of ways for this to go wrong and only one way for it to go right,” Travis said. Even so, the developers believe the project is “achievable.”

Common Council's Planning and Economic Development committee will host a public hearing on whether the city should apply for the Restore NY grant at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall, 108 E. Green St.


kgashler@ithacajournal.com




Originally published August 21, 2007

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Here's the Ithaca real estate rule book:

If you price it for higher-end, people say you're an elitist snob.

If you price it lower-end, Ithacans will accuse you of making a slum or a ghetto.

If you make it middle-rung, Ithacans accuse your project of

-being ungreen
-being too tall
-being too suburban
-being out of character (mostly from the left)
-having no repsect for previous residents (usually from the right)
-being government funded
-being private, i.e. selfish
-disregarding the local way of life, i.e. bitching to the grave
-being unattractive
-not jumping through the fifty loops it takes something to get built here
-not bribing the city, county town or village with enough money
-marketing to students
-being a pawn to Cornell or IC
-not doing enough for "them (apparently, a private developer must serve the cvommon good---in fantasyland, maybe)
-being a conservative
-being a liberal
-being a whiner when you complain about the behavior of people of Ithaca.
-when you quit because you can't please people, they blame it on the city, colleges, county, economy, region, the left, the right, the weather, hippies, rednecks, God...but never a word of blame on themselves.

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 4:27 pm

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Maybe some of the nea-sayers should look into current real estate market prices. $300K-$400K, althought a hefty price tag is not out in left field for new condos. And the buyer will have almost a guaranteed supply of students ready and waiting to snap up rental of the condos. It sounds like a good thing actually and the city has a right to build higher priced housing every bit as much as it does lower priced (projects) housing. Why should new housing in the city all be for the low lifes? Heh, they could rent one of these newly built units and pay for it with their public assistance! Frankly ANY new construction on top of that hill is far superior to what is there now. a toxic dump. Let the bulldozers roll!!!

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 1:08 pm

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Will Travis "remediate" - what a euphemism! - the site's presumed toxicity with HIS own money?

Or will we taxpayers do that for him so that he can pour a foundation for his new BANK?

Rhetorical question.

But, I suppose we'll get remunerated with the taxes the residents of the new building will pay.

La, la, la, la, la!! All is well ... the same, that is ... in Tinytown.

LoyalOpposition

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:54 am

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YAY! Even more outrageously priced housing!! I can hardly wait for move in day!

$300,000 - $400,000 COME ON!?!! I think we should change our bumper sticker(s) to read: ITHACA GORGES ON HOUSING PRICES.

*sigh*

Affordable housing? WHERE?

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:24 am

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As for Ithacan's comments, do you really think that average people are gonna want to live in a former toxic site, or that being that close to fraternity row they are gonna want to deal with the nonsense from that type of student?

Ithaca your rant is a bit of a long winded nothing, at least we know these will be filled with students and will add a parcel to the tax roles.

Maybe you need to start turning that venom you spew towards the city and cornell as it is their fault taxes are so high that you will not see ANY of what you consider affordable housing here in the city. Ask anyone wh pays taxes on property here about that one.

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:53 am

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[Visiteur]

I'm waiting for them to say they want a park on THAT site as well.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ I wouldn't be a bit surprised.


Here's another take on the announcement of the developer for the big SouthWest project from one of Ithaca's alternative newspapers.



Pick to build Southwest hypes community focus
By: M. Tye Wolfe
08/14/2007

We believe in the future of urban America.
That is the last line in the mission statement of McCormick Baron and Salazar, which is soliciting preferred developer status for a 600-unit complex in the city's southwest. Late last week, Common Council met in a joint-session with the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency to hear the developer's presentation for creating housing in the southwest. And, the developer seemed to have learned from other would-be developer's past mistakes.
The group has had help had help. Scott Whitham, a former director of Historic Ithaca and of the Planning Board, began the meeting by describing eight months of deliberation that led the Southwest Selection Committee to be "excited" about recommending McCormick Baron and Salazar, which has its headquarters in St. Louis.
The site would be developed east of the Cayuga inlet and west of the large big-box developments in the southwest.
Representatives of the company used all the terms the prototypical Ithacan would love to hear. They also had the benefit of being considered for a housing development, rather than retail structures that might hurt local businesses. "Our communities are characterized by diversity," said Vice President Stan Mulvihill, describing one company development of which one half the residents are people of color.
"We're not just developers who come and hand in the plan," Mulvihill told local officials and a large crowd who came to see a preview in City Hall. Mulvihill spoke frankly of the problems associated with creating a housing development that connects succinctly to the mile-away downtown. "It's tough to do well," he said. But he prioritized the maintenance of green space and the potential use of bike paths to facilitate connecting the large development with Ithaca's downtown. One concern is that residents of the new development will simply confine themselves to the strip of large corporate retail outlets, rather than contributing to the vitality of Ithaca's downtown retail core.
In citing its credentials, Mulvihill said the company prioritizes helping distressed areas, including East Los Angeles, "helping low-income [families] and advocating growth in a new and smart way."
Mulvihill said New Urbanism and sustainability are also part of its development principles. New Urbanism is a 20-year-old urban design movement, of which the goal is to reform real estate development and urban planning by revitalizing and densifying city cores instead of promoting suburban development. Neighborhoods are designed to contain mixed-income, diverse housing, and to be walkable.
The developer claims to be "the industry leader in turning complex development concepts into reality - and we have worked in every type of housing market: affordable and market rate rental housing, historic rehab, senior housing, and home ownership."
The developer claims to manage its properties to the highest standards, saying its commitment extends beyond housing as "we work to strengthen neighborhood social structures in partnership with community organizations."
"We don't just build and go away," Mulvihill said, adding that, while his company was for-profit, its strategy is not inherently lucrative, at least in the short term. Common Council will vote whether to grant the developer preferred status at its September meeting.
- M. Tye Wolfe



©Ithaca Times 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

When it rains it pours. Another downtown rehab from commercial/office to residential. Sorry, no pics.



New Rentals
By: M. Tye Wolfe
08/14/2007

Ithaca Renting Co. has announced new residential space will soon be open on South Cayuga Street, just off The Commons.
Formerly an office building and long-time home to the Ivy Broadcasting Company, local developer Jason Fane says the building has been renovated into 1,250 square-foot apartments, with only one apartment per floor.
"No other rental building offers this much storage and closet space, even at twice the rent," Fane said.
Fane said the idea came to him in the beginning of the year. "Before that, I did not give it that much serious thought."
Asked about the Ithaca Downtown Partnership's desire to make downtown an office core, Fane said there already is a surplus of office space in the area.
"The city subsidized the construction of approximately 200,000 square feet of new offices," Fane said. "I didn't see where there 200,000 square feet of new tenants coming to Ithaca. ... Then there's a surplus of office space; somebody was going to have vacant space, and it would probably be older offices. The decision I made was to convert my older offices to apartments."
Added residential tenants, he said, will be a boon to downtown.
"There is no question that whenever you have another tenant it adds activity," he said.
He noted his other properties, including the The City View at 102 Prospect St., has 85 apartments at 100 percent occupancy.
Ithaca Renting Co. also maintains several commercial spaces in the downtown, but it has struggled to maintain a consistent commercial tenant at 109 South Cayuga Street. He said it can be difficult to anticipate which tenants will be successful.
Regarding again the stated goal of the Ithaca Downtown Partnership to make the area a center for office space. Fane said Cornell is the primary force in renting future space in the area.
"As far as downtown becoming a bigger office center, you should ask Cornell; that's where the increase is coming from," he said. "... I thought there was an opportunity for Cornell in the Cayuga Green ... that was a good location to build new offices. ... If you figure out how many parking spaces are available in downtown [Fane estimates], there are about 1,500 for employees. It's a theoretical discussion ... but Cornell would be the most likely option for those spaces."
- M. Tye Wolfe



©Ithaca Times 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

Follow-up to post #785 about the Ithaca Gun factory site (of course there's opposition, it's Ithaca for cryin' out loud):



Ithaca Gun project gets preliminary approval
By Krisy Gashler
Journal Staff

ITHACA — Ithaca Common Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee approved redevelopment of the Ithaca Gun site Wednesday night.

Committee members voted unanimously for the project, which is designed to remediate environmental contamination at the site, demolish the dilapidated gun factory and build 33 high-end condos on the site.

“This project is so exciting and offers so much,” said alderperson Maria Coles, D-1st. “I'm delighted.”

The Ithaca Gun site has a long and unfortunate history of toxic lead contamination, left from the former gun factory.
In 2000, Walter Hang of Ithaca-based Toxics Targeting alerted the community of the extent and severity of lead contamination on the site.

Lead exposure is particularly toxic to children; it can affect brain development and cause behavioral and cognitive problems.

The site was placed on the federal Superfund list in 2000 and underwent a $4.8 million cleanup between 2002-04.

EPA officials cleaned only the portion of land in the gorge owned by the city. The portion owned by private owner Wally Diehl, through Fall Creek Redevelopment, LLC, was the private owner's responsibility to clean up.

Independent research by The Ithaca Journal, Toxics Targeting and Cornell University students in 2006 showed toxic levels of lead were still present at the site.

To cover cleanup costs, which city officials estimate at $2.4 million, Diehl proposed large-scale proposals, including 160-unit and then 80-unit condominiums.

Neighbors, including Sarah Adams and Peter Bloom, who attended Wednesday night's public hearing, helped derail those plans as too large and out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood.

Adams and Bloom both spoke at Wednesday night's meeting in favor of the current proposal.

“The plan that's been put forward is very progressive,” Bloom said.

“It's by far the best proposal we've seen as far as the development, once it's clean,” Adams said.

Because large-scale projects that could cover the site cleanup costs have been repeatedly defeated, the city is considering applying for two state grants to remediate the contamination: Restore NY to remediate and demolish the gun factory and Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) to clean sub-surface lead contamination on city owned land.

Both grants require a 10 percent local share contribution. The developers, Travis & Travis, in conjunction with Fall Creek Redevelopment, have promised to pay that local contribution, potentially leaving the city with no cleanup cost.

Hang opposes the proposal.

“The Developers are proposing to reimburse the city for its share of the ERP cost. That's an inherent conflict of interest,” he said, arguing that the developers have an incentive to minimize cleanup cost. “The city would obviously want to make sure that all the pollution is cleaned up with all applicable standards.”

Nels Bohn, director of community development for the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, said the ERP grant requires the city to hire an outside consultant to ensure that environmental remediation is done properly.

The developers also propose to gift to the city a strip of land from Lake Street to the currently inaccessible island overlook to become a handicap-accessible city park. Much of this land is also contaminated with lead, and when property changes ownership environmental remediation becomes the sole responsibility of the current owner.

City attorney Dan Hoffman said the city would not take possession of the land unless the city receives the ERP grant, which would cover that cleanup cost.

Common Council will ultimately have to vote on whether to enter into the agreement with the developers and apply for both of the state grants. They would have to vote at their Sept. 5 meeting to meet the Restore NY grant application deadline of Sept. 28.


kgashler@ithacajournal.com

[Visiteur]

Well, 33 upscale townhouses are better than an abandoned factory. Damn NIMBYs ran away with that one-now they complain about the project being too upscale (300k-400k/unit). But then, if it was affordable, they'd complain about it bringing in undesirables, like the complaints we've been seeing for the SW redevelopment project.

From the planning board meeting- the rest of the stuff was old news, but this little density-booster caught my eye:

"D. Apartment Building, 121 Oak Avenue, Jagat Sharma Applicant for William and Josh Lower, Owners. Declaration of Lead Agency, Public Hearing, CEQR Determination, and Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval. Applicant is proposing to construct a 3-story plus basement apartment building with a building footprint of 2,937 SF on a vacant 8,400 SF lot. The proposed project will have 6 units and a total of 20 beds and will include 10 off-street parking spaces, landscaping and interior bike storage."

It may not be big, but at least it takes the space of a vacant lot.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Nice find on the new apartment building proposal. I believe Jagat Sharma is one of the fellows who's been a big time player in the Collegetown development projects in recent years. I googled him once and got some good info. I think he also owns one of the most expensive houses in Tompkins county. It's overlooking the lake and several levels.

**edit** here's Sharma's site, there's some pics in the catagories to the left:

http://www.sharma-arch.com/index_rev...h_website.html

[Visiteur]

^The problem with Sharma's website is that it hasn't been updated in about two years, by my guess.

Fane's work with the Ivy Broadcasting Building is a pleasant surprise. Still don't like the guy, but it seems he knows what he's doing.

Here's an interesting article from the Ithaca Times:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=511675&rfi=6
City on track to 'redeem' Southwest
By:
08/22/2007
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There is Ithaca, and then there is the Route 13. It's time for Route 13 to become something more than a glob of chain stores with conflicting color schemes. The Southwest Development project is an opportunity for that to happen.
A lot of Ithacans prefer to block Route 13 out of their minds. It is not friendly to bikers, pedestrians, or people with eyes, ears, and noses. It is not even friendly to cars. It is a confusing array of stop lights, exhaust, one-way streets, and chain retail sores. Each store has its own aesthetic; its design is meant to conform to a national corporate scheme, not to the store next to it. As a result, there is a hodgepodge of different looks, each one an island to itself. Most of Route 13, and we're mostly speaking about the southwest here, does not feature the charming old houses found on the flats or the hills. One of the few community-oriented parcels of land is the skate park.
Former Mayor Alan Cohen "basically created a new city" during his time in office, a politico from the Town of Ithaca recently told the Times. And, he did not mean this as a compliment. Opponents regularly insinuated - but never proved - that Cohen had some back-door benefit in his dealings with Widewaters and other retail developers of the southwest. But Cohen went on the record saying he wished he never heard the term Widewaters. He also said he is not particularly thrilled with stores like Wal-Mart, which have made headlines for their poor treatment of workers. His reasoning for the development of this land is that he wanted tax dollars for the city that would otherwise go to the Village of Lansing. That, he argued, would preserve city jobs and keep the tax rate lower. And, he tried to make up for the suburban-like sprawl of the southwest development by doing everything he could to bring Cornell downtown - which he did.
We are neither apologists nor supporters of Cohen's plan. The results of this massive change to the city - the biggest since former Mayor Ed Conley developed the Commons in the 1970s - will not be fully known for years. But, at the very least, a well-done housing project, incorporating the concepts of New Urbanism, green space, bike paths, and walkability, can turn the southwest into something more than it is: A "retail-hood," designed only for those with cars.
As one potential designer noted, it is important to make the housing project somehow connected to downtown, despite being roughly a mile away. This will require efforts on the city's part to make a bike- and pedestrian-friendly route to the Flats and the Commons. The biggest potential for risk is making a neighborhood that is merely an island surrounded by retail stores, with no connection to the community at large.
If Cohen's vision for the Southwest needs to be redeemed, this is one way to begin doing it.

[Visiteur]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=546876&rfi=6

The old Ithaca Gun Factory is contaminated, dangerous and what is often called an "attractive nuisance," that is to say, prone to attract children and those who are otherwise ignorant of its perils. Since shutting down, it has also been an eyesore for anyone living nearby.
But it's also a prime piece of real estate over-looking Ithaca Falls, one of the most beautiful natural areas in the city.
Plans to renovate this monument to Ithaca's manufacturing history have been attempted and thwarted for years, but that may be changing. The Ithaca planning and economic development committee gave preliminary approval to a current design proposal featuring 33 upscale condos, no larger than three stories including basements. It would also include public access to views of the gorge, and retain the famous Ithaca Gun smokestack.
Previous proposals for developing the site, which underwent a major, $5 million clean-up by the state and federal governments after they became aware of its extreme lead contamination, were dissuaded by neighbors concerned about the heights of proposed housing. Walter Hang, an environmental activist and owner of Toxics Targeting, made national news when he first discovered the contamination. Apparently, guns would be tested by workers who would fire lead buck shot straight into the Ithaca Falls gorge over many, many decades. People living near Ithaca Falls who had made a habit of swimming and even fishing in it, were furious; some neighbors even had their children tested for poisoning.
At the committee's meeting last week however, nearby residents, including Peter Bloom of Lake Street, expressed support for the new proposal, which would involve a public-private partnership including the City of Ithaca, developer Travis and Travis, and demolition engineers. The city would apply to the state for up to $2.5 million from the Restore New York grant program to mitigate the costs of demolition and renovation, making the project feasible for the developers.
Despite the thumbs up from lawmakers, not everyone who spoke at the meeting expressed enthusiasm for the plan, however.
During the public speaking portion of the meeting, Hang, a Fall Creek resident, said a fire at the site last year made it apparent that lead contamination remains dangerously high at areas by the site, and it was best to let state officials finish the job, rather than put the site in the hands of the city and its partner to undertake the potentially hazardous process of demolition and reconstruction. He urged the alderpersons not to approve the design proposal.
Other residents expressed dismay that the city was engaging in another project, potentially using state funds, in support of upscale housing.
But Shane Seger (D-1st Ward), who vehemently opposed the inlet island hotel project as unsuitable for the city, said Ithaca was achieving a balance. He pointed to the current efforts to create mixed-income housing in the city's southwest.
Ithaca Gun, founded in 1880, has been famous among hunters for its shotguns, but has gone in and out of bankruptcy and had several locations, including an old King Ferry school house. The shotguns were used in a famous shoot out in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Kind of surprising articles from the Times. Sounds like they too are sick of nothing happening on the two parcels of land. The city could certainly use the tax dollars generated by the developments.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I think this should be a way to help eliminate one of the many layers of beauracracy in local government in NY. And maybe Ithaca would have a population approaching 50,000 in the near future. Of course the way things operate up there, this is at least 10 years away.




Consolidation may be best in certain areas
Cathy Valentino / Guest Column

Reducing the cost of government and promoting efficient delivery of needed services are much discussed these days. My tenure as Ithaca Town Supervisor has been governed by these principles, and so I was pleased to join Mayor Carolyn Peterson in forming a committee to study consolidation and shared services.

This committee, charged with researching opportunities and compiling information that can lead to informed decision making, should have a report ready by the end of the year. Peterson and I are both dedicated to this project and hope to find ways for the town and city to strengthen our relationship.


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One proposal unlikely to make the list would be merging the town and city into a single municipality. That is impractical for several reasons starting with a disparity in our tax structures. The city property tax rate is $13.58 per $1,000 of assessed value; the town's $1.68 per $1,000 of assessed value and $3.74 per $1,000 for fire protection services, bringing the town-levied property tax to $5.42. In addition, the city has a very high debt burden — almost at its legal limit — while the town has very little debt. Consolidation might mean that the town would have to share the city's debt load, an obvious disadvantage to the town. Town residents would have to pay exorbitantly higher taxes or city residents would have to give up many services. Neither is acceptable

A second issue concerns the Village of Cayuga Heights. Traditionally, residents who share an interest in services and policies that exceed those provided by town government form villages within towns. They may want a separate police force, stricter zoning regulations, local speed limits and the like. These can reflect an aura of community pride I have come to value and respect as supervisor of a town that encompasses a village. The Town of Ithaca and Village of Cayuga Heights co-exist very well, and I am proud to represent each.
One option short of merger but important to efficiency is shared services. Some good examples have been established and/or expanded during my tenure. These include:

* The Bolton Point Water Commission, with its five partners, provides a model for inter-municipal cooperation.

* The Recreation Partnership, which I helped found, provides many opportunities for youth.

* Two fire protection contracts — one with the city, one with the Village of Cayuga Heights — provide responsive and economical services to town residents while allowing the city and village to offset some costs.

* A joint sewer agreement among the Town of Ithaca, the city, and the Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing as well as joint ownership of the Ithaca Area Wastewater plant by the city and the Towns of Ithaca and Dryden.

All of these inter-municipal agreements provide efficient and cost-saving services and allow for financing of important infrastructure, such as water and sewer districts that the municipalities alone would not be able to afford.

The newly formed Tompkins County Council of Governments shows great promise of facilitating new shared-service agreements. This is not to suggest that reaching such agreements will be easy. My years as a labor union leader negotiating difficult contracts that improved wages, benefits and the rights of workers has served me and the town very well. I have been very successful in facilitating agreements that benefit the town and its partners. These agreements always involve compromise by all parties. Gaining something important for your constituents usually means understanding that you will have to give ground on something else. It is difficult for some to understand that people have to be able to accept that compromise is a given in any working relationship.

Finally, the state has formed a committee on local government efficiency and competitiveness. That sounds positive and innocuous enough, but many of us who represent towns and villages suspect we may be seeing the camel's nose under the tent. We are wary of state efforts to eliminate local option and control and move toward large bureaucratic entities to govern and provide services. Regional governments with regionally elected representatives would never understand our local needs or replicate the close connection many citizens enjoy with local governments and the services we provide. That kind of consolidation inevitably separates a government from its constituents. We would lose a little bit of ourselves if we were swallowed up by such a system and no longer feel any direct ownership. We'd get lost in that shuffle. In contrast, the kind of shared services I have pursued for the past 12 years allow each locality to maintain its identity and increase efficiency.






Originally published August 31, 2007

[Visiteur]

And the beat goes 'round...


Planning Board declines moratorium
By Krisy Gashler
Journal Staff

ITHACA — Emotions ran high at a public hearing Tuesday night on a proposed moratorium in the northeast corner of the Town of Ithaca near Sapsucker Woods.

After hearing arguments, the town's planning board voted 4-1 to recommend that the town not impose a 270-day moratorium on construction. George Conneman was the only board member to vote in favor of a moratorium.

The planning board could make only a recommendation on the moratorium. The town board would have to vote whether to enact it.

The town board will meet Sept. 10 for an additional public hearing, according to Town Supervisor Cathy Valentino.
The planning board hosted the public hearing to help inform its decision on a proposed moratorium on construction while board members study issues related to drainage and the site's designation as a Unique Natural Area.

The only current development that would have been affected by the proposed moratorium is Briarwood II, a 47-lot, 76-dwelling subdivision along Sanctuary Drive, Birchwood Drive North and Birchwood Drive.

Briarwood II, which has been in the town's planning process since 2001, is proposed by Rocco Lucente, the same developer who built the 26-home subdivision Briarwood I.

“It's not surprising, this board really pays attention to the facts,” Larry Fabbroni, project manager and engineer for Briarwood II, said after the vote.

He spoke at length during the hearing about his frustration with what he called the Town Board “beating us up for five and a half years.”

“We were misled for five and a half years by the town board if the intention all along was to zone this conservation zone.”

One result of the proposed moratorium could be for the town to change the zoning on Lucente's land from low-density residential, which allows four houses per one acre on new developments, to conservation zoning, which allows only one house per seven acres. This would essentially make the development impossible.

Patricia Page, a resident of Muriel Street in the northeast corner of town, argued in favor of the moratorium and the eventual conservation zoning.

“There are reasons why this site hasn't been developed yet,” she said, citing concern about drainage issues and storm water runoff that neighbors argue has worsened since the completion of the Briarwood I development.

Resident concerns about drainage prompted the town board to commission a drainage study evaluation of the area, which was completed in July.

The report is part of the reason town board members support a moratorium — they favor even further studies of the drainage and don't want Briarwood II approved by the planning board while they complete these studies.

The board also hopes to get more information about the impact of development on the Sapsucker Woods Unique Natural Area.

This issue was raised because of a recent letter to the town board from members of the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council.

Members of the EMC compiled a list of wildlife and vegetation in the Unique Natural Area that they felt could be threatened by Briarwood II.

Fabbroni questioned the scientific validity of the EMC letter.

“I shouldn't be sitting here pleading with you when somebody writes a letter with no backup and casts a dark cloud over everything,” Fabbroni said. He accused the writers of “professional and intellectual dishonesty.”

Bernard Carr, a private consultant hired by Lucente to study wildlife, said he reviewed the EMC letter and walked again over Lucente's land and found gross errors in the letter.

Conneman said, “Why are we in such a hurry? I think a little more information doesn't hurt.”

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...WS01/709050341

In other news, this woman next to me just let out the most tremendous fart, and I couldn't help but stiffle my laughter by biting my left hand. I'm not sure who's more embarassed right now, her or me.

[whit_x]

I have to agree with you, in the sense that there is way too many levels of government in NY. However getting a town to disband is not likely to take place.

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

I think this should be a way to help eliminate one of the many layers of bureaucracy in local government in NY. And maybe Ithaca would have a population approaching 50,000 in the near future. Of course the way things operate up there, this is at least 10 years away.




Consolidation may be best in certain areas
Cathy Valentino / Guest Column

Reducing the cost of government and promoting efficient delivery of needed services are much discussed these days. My tenure as Ithaca Town Supervisor has been governed by these principles, and so I was pleased to join Mayor Carolyn Peterson in forming a committee to study consolidation and shared services.

This committee, charged with researching opportunities and compiling information that can lead to informed decision making, should have a report ready by the end of the year. Peterson and I are both dedicated to this project and hope to find ways for the town and city to strengthen our relationship.


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One proposal unlikely to make the list would be merging the town and city into a single municipality. That is impractical for several reasons starting with a disparity in our tax structures. The city property tax rate is $13.58 per $1,000 of assessed value; the town's $1.68 per $1,000 of assessed value and $3.74 per $1,000 for fire protection services, bringing the town-levied property tax to $5.42. In addition, the city has a very high debt burden — almost at its legal limit — while the town has very little debt. Consolidation might mean that the town would have to share the city's debt load, an obvious disadvantage to the town. Town residents would have to pay exorbitantly higher taxes or city residents would have to give up many services. Neither is acceptable

A second issue concerns the Village of Cayuga Heights. Traditionally, residents who share an interest in services and policies that exceed those provided by town government form villages within towns. They may want a separate police force, stricter zoning regulations, local speed limits and the like. These can reflect an aura of community pride I have come to value and respect as supervisor of a town that encompasses a village. The Town of Ithaca and Village of Cayuga Heights co-exist very well, and I am proud to represent each.
One option short of merger but important to efficiency is shared services. Some good examples have been established and/or expanded during my tenure. These include:

* The Bolton Point Water Commission, with its five partners, provides a model for inter-municipal cooperation.

* The Recreation Partnership, which I helped found, provides many opportunities for youth.

* Two fire protection contracts — one with the city, one with the Village of Cayuga Heights — provide responsive and economical services to town residents while allowing the city and village to offset some costs.

* A joint sewer agreement among the Town of Ithaca, the city, and the Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing as well as joint ownership of the Ithaca Area Wastewater plant by the city and the Towns of Ithaca and Dryden.

All of these inter-municipal agreements provide efficient and cost-saving services and allow for financing of important infrastructure, such as water and sewer districts that the municipalities alone would not be able to afford.

The newly formed Tompkins County Council of Governments shows great promise of facilitating new shared-service agreements. This is not to suggest that reaching such agreements will be easy. My years as a labor union leader negotiating difficult contracts that improved wages, benefits and the rights of workers has served me and the town very well. I have been very successful in facilitating agreements that benefit the town and its partners. These agreements always involve compromise by all parties. Gaining something important for your constituents usually means understanding that you will have to give ground on something else. It is difficult for some to understand that people have to be able to accept that compromise is a given in any working relationship.

Finally, the state has formed a committee on local government efficiency and competitiveness. That sounds positive and innocuous enough, but many of us who represent towns and villages suspect we may be seeing the camel's nose under the tent. We are wary of state efforts to eliminate local option and control and move toward large bureaucratic entities to govern and provide services. Regional governments with regionally elected representatives would never understand our local needs or replicate the close connection many citizens enjoy with local governments and the services we provide. That kind of consolidation inevitably separates a government from its constituents. We would lose a little bit of ourselves if we were swallowed up by such a system and no longer feel any direct ownership. We'd get lost in that shuffle. In contrast, the kind of shared services I have pursued for the past 12 years allow each locality to maintain its identity and increase efficiency.






Originally published August 31, 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

This sounds like a bit of good news.



CU presents outline of master plan
Most development will be kept on main campus
By Aaron Munzer
Special to the Journal

ITHACA — Build up, not out.

That was the theme of the conceptual version of Cornell University's Master Plan that was presented last night to the city's Planning and Development Board for revision and comment.


Since April 2006, the university has sought input on the plan from different Tompkins County communities. Mina Amundsen, the university's planner, said the outreach process has been largely successful and has been important in identifying how to best limit potential impacts.

“The idea is to not just look at planning inside our (university) cocoon, but engage our communities,” she said. “We're trying to do better than we have in the past.”
The broad tenets of the university's 10- to 25-year-long plan involve keeping most of the development within the sprawling 750-acre core campus and replacing older facilities with higher-storied, more efficient buildings, Amundsen said.

Major emphasis will also be placed on mitigating the impact of transportation on the campus and reducing the amount of traffic. Conserving natural areas around the campus is also a priority in the plan.

The plan calls for expanding the campus' network of pedestrian and bike trails, and creating a public transport loop that will wind through central campus to limit the amount of parking needed. Amundsen said the university will keep parking lots “at existing levels” and will instead rely on alternative transport and parking garages to fill university needs.

The plan outlines the creation of a larger athletic field complex between Game Farm and Ellis Hollow roads and broadening housing options close to campus. It encourages the development of the East Hill Plaza as a new town center and encourages residential growth there.

The planners, Urban Strategies Inc. of Toronto, identified 230 acres of possible development space in the east and south of the campus, but Amundsen cautioned that the university had in no way approved or endorsed those ideas.

David Kay, a member of the board, said he's positive about the plan.

“The breadth and scale of the thinking makes a lot of sense,” Kay said. “Knitting it all together in terms of implementation is where the trick is going to be. The devil is in the details.”






Originally published September 12, 2007

[Ex-Ithacan]

Damn Dp, sorry.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not a big deal in most places, but the additional sales tax will help the city. I wish the donation money would be given to a local charity (not trying to begrudge the one in Syracuse), there's plenty of need in the northside and southside neighborhoods.



Kohl's announces grand opening of Ithaca store

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. – As part of its largest grand opening in company history, Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) will officially open its Ithaca store Oct. 3. One of 95 stores to open nationwide this fall, the Ithaca store will create approximately 130 jobs in the area. Located at 414 Elmira Road, the store is one of two opening in New York this October, bringing the state total to 44.

The new store is one of nearly 200 nationwide featuring Kohl’s newly enhanced look. An inviting exterior welcomes customers with outdoor seating and music. Glass storefront entrances with showcase windows display the latest Kohl’s fashions and automatic doors allow for hands-free entry into each store. Interior amenities include an expanded Juniors’ department, spacious fitting rooms with lounge areas, updated restrooms, and redesigned customer service and checkout stations.


Kohl’s supports the communities it serve

To uphold its longstanding tradition of supporting the communities served by its stores, Kohl’s has made a commitment to Ithaca through its Kohl’s Cares for Kids' program which is focused on improving the lives of children.

Golisano Children's Hospital at University Hospital, Syracuse, is a beneficiary of Kohl’s Cares for Kids local fund-raising efforts from the Ithaca store. Throughout the year, Kohl’s sells special Kohl’s Cares for Kids merchandise, with 100 percent of the net profit supporting health and educational opportunities for children. Through 2006, Kohl’s has raised more than $85 million for children’s health and education.


Originally published September 13, 2007