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| 1/27/2010 10:37:00 AM Email this article • Print this article |
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JoAnn Cornish, the City of Ithaca's director of planning and development, talks about the upcoming projects her office expects to be undertaken in 2010. (Photo by Rachel Philipson) |
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Developing Ithaca
Rob Montana
Managing Editor
It seems as though the City of Ithaca always has development on its mind and, with a large slate of projects set to get underway in 2010, that impression appears to be accurate.
JoAnn Cornish, the city's director of planning and development, recently sat down to discuss what is anticipated to be taking place in Ithaca - in terms of development projects - this year. Here is what she had to offer, in no particular order:
n Construction of a low-income housing complex where the Women's Community Building is currently located - Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services is in the process of purchasing the building, where it hopes to build a complex with about 50 units to serve low-income housing needs.
"It would be right in the center of the city," Cornish said, adding the units would be market rate apartments. "We're hoping it will help our workforce housing, for example, for restaurant workers who don't make a lot of money."
n Expansion of the McGraw House on Geneva Street - An expansion of the site has been slightly delayed due to neighborhood concern over what it might look like, but Cornish said the city and developer are working with neighbors to ease those fears.
"We're working with the community for some common points of agreement," she said. "It would be more senior housing, affordable housing that is needed.
"We got pretty far this year, but didn't quite get it started," Cornish added.
n Luxury apartments located behind the Cayuga Street parking garage - There will be approximately 30 luxury apartments constructed at the site, which had been slated for about 30 luxury condominiums. Due to banks wary of funding condos, the developer - which also constructed the Cayuga Place complex - switched the plans to apartments.
"They will be very high end apartments," Cornish said, adding that they may be turned into condominiums once they are built and tenants begin residing there.
n Hotel Ithaca - A project developer Jeff Rimland has been working on with the city for some time, Cornish said they would really like to see -Êand expect to see - the project get underway this year. It calls for between 100-130 rooms at the hotel, which would be located where the Rothschild Building stands on the edge of the Commons.
"In this market, there is a need," Cornish said, adding there are also new market tax credits available for the project that would aid the financing. "We got a letter from the manager of another hotel in town supporting building this hotel, they said they'd like to see another hotel in town.
"That also will have a restaurant on the first floor," she added.
n A new restaurant in the former Plantations location - Also on the Commons, the restaurant will be undertaken by Lex Chutinaround, who owns ZaZa's Cucina, at the former Plantations site - which last served as this winter's Holiday Spirit store. In addition to the restaurant, there will be offices on the second floor and three or four apartments located in the upper stories.
"It will be nice to have another restaurant in the center of the Commons (the other is Benchwarmers, almost exactly across the Commons)," Cornish said. "We have the handlebars of Restaurant Row and Cayuga Street."
Originally slated to contain all apartment units above the restaurant, the project changed to include offices due to historic remnants - a tin ceiling - left in the first floor restaurant space.
"Preservationists would like to see that maintained and asked for a buffer between the restaurant and the apartments, so the offices will accomplish that," Cornish said. "I think it makes sense. As more housing is developed downtown, I think, I hope, offices are going to be in higher demand downtown."
n Expansion of Petrune - The vintage clothing store, which also houses Volume Records, is expanding its manufacturing side of the business, as well as adding upper story housing units in the form of apartments.
"They sell vintage clothing and also recreate vintage clothing," Cornish said, noting they do the recreation work in the store. "They're expanding their manufacturing business and needed more space."
There will be two housing units in the upper floors, she said.
"There will be two upper-story housing projects taking place on the Commons," Cornish said, "which is something we hoped for."
n Restaurant slated for Cayuga Place apartment building - A substantial number of seats - around 160 - are envisioned for a new restaurant that will be opening on the first floor of the Cayuga Place apartments.
"There is one large space in the back, and we're going to see a restaurant there," Cornish said, adding it will be opened by a local restaurateur. "There will be outdoor dining, and it overlooks the green space and creek walk area."
n Opening of the Finger Lakes Wine Center - Located next to the Merrill Lynch building at the Cayuga Street parking garage, Cornish said the city is hopeful that will open its doors this spring.
n Boutique Inn at former Unity House site - Philly DeSarno, the city's deputy director for economic development, noted this project, which is located on East State Street and would have about 12-15 rooms.
"They are developing a business plan for a boutique inn," DeSarno said, adding the person developing the project also owns the property.
n Panera Bread and Olive Garden - In the Southwest portion of the city, which is the big box corridor entering Ithaca, work is ongoing on the Panera Bread building. The city, Cornish said, is continuing discussions with Olive Garden for their location, centering on the design of the layout in accordance with what Ithaca requires.
"Ithaca has always been such a homegrown retail market, so one of the ways to ease big boxes into Ithaca was to create an area just for them, which we have done on Elmira Road and Meadow Street," Cornish said. "But, we have specific design guidelines that include adding sidewalks, tree lines, things that big boxes generally don't do because it costs more.
"Everything we do in the Southwest, we're trying to do to a higher standard," she added. "We want it to be more urban than suburban, so we want the corner of Meadow and Elmira to be anchored by a building, not a parking lot. They have come around on that."
Cornish also said there is a requirement for masonry-constructed buildings, dumpsters to be screened and other provisions for making the appearance better than is normally seen with big box stores and restaurants.
She added that the old Salvation Army building is expected to be demolished - with several developers interested in the site - but doesn't know what will replace it.
"We also have several fast food chains interested in coming - or coming back - to the city," Cornish said, adding they would be slated for the Elmira Road area as well.
n Collegetown - This makes the list more for the lack of activity in this area of the city, as Ithaca continues to work out its Collegetown design and zoning requirements. Cornish said there are a number of interested parties, but the holdup is over what the parking requirements will be for new development.
"We've gotten a lot of calls, a lot of interest," she said. "We're working hard to get Collegetown resolved.
"It's one of the biggest areas for housing, but we need more retail," Cornish added, although she isn't hopeful of any projects starting in Collegetown in 2010.
n Ithaca Gun project - While cleanup isn't yet completed, Cornish is eagerly anticipating the housing phase of the project getting underway.
"We're hopeful to see the cleanup completed in the next year," she said
n Waterfront Trail - With Phase 2 still in the quagmire of legal wrangling due to property owners along that proposed portion opposed to having their land infringed on, the city is moving forward with the development of Phase 3. That will connect the Ithaca Farmers Market to the Ithaca-Tompkins County Convention and Visitor's Bureau, also known as the home of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.
"We will start construction in the spring," Cornish said.
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