Bloomfield/Schon’s 45-unit Cayuga Place Residences project looks set to break ground this year, as the Ithaca Times has reported that the team has come up with a foundation system addressing the poor soil conditions, and financing for the project has been secured. The land purchase option will be extended by the City and a $10,000 payment by the developer so that the bank financing the project can finalize their review of the Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment and subsequently provide proof of financing.

The design and engineering team came up with a plan to use “shallow depth augur grouted steel core displacement piles,” probably from IDEAL, a company based out of Rochester, NY that manufactures a system called STELCOR. The drilling auger goes into the soil, creates displacement in the soil, then the reservoir gap is filled with grout, water is poured in for the mixture to cure, then the interior core of the steel auger is filled with grout, and topped-off. The steel auger core stays in the ground as part of the structure of the pile.