Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

IURA’s Cherry St Parcel

July 2, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) has officially announced that it is accepting Requests for Expressions of Interest (RFEIs) on its 6-acre agency-owned Cherry St. Parcel that was divested from the City of Ithaca (whom retained ownership of 2.25 acres of the original 8 acre site for the preservation of wetlands). The surroundings are an industrial park, the railroad, and a future extension of the Black Diamond Trail.
I’m not aware of any solid proposals or developers interested in this development opportunity, but I’m sure it’s been on the back-burner for some. Industrial parks can be a difficult environment to develop: zoning is I-1, so one could conceivably build a 40 foot high building on 50% of the 6-acre lot (getting you to 1/2 million SF at 4 stories), but who would fill it? There’s a lot of enthusiasm in Upstate NY about a resurgence in local manufacturing, local goods, etc., but the growth of these industries will obviously be quite subdued compared with the past. However, it will be interesting to see what comes of this, particularly because it will trigger conversations about the future of this area of Ithaca.

Cherry-St-Parcel-GM

Cherry-St-Parcel2