Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

Project Updates

Thurston Ave Apartments Late April Photo Update

April 28, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

RABCO Highland House’s Thurston Avenue Apartments project has continued framing progress, as all three Buildings have topped-out to their final storeys, and Buildings B and C have complete trusses and plywood roofs. Building D is being trussed this week, which will conclude the framing that can be seen from the exterior. The exterior walls have been fully wrapped with Tyvek water barrier wrap, and roofing tiles began install last week.

The general contractor on this project is G.M. Crisalli, with framing by Compass Builders, and design by HOLT Architects.

Photos from April 24th:

Building C:

Building D:

Photos from April 10th:

TC3’s Coltivare Build-Out Begins

April 25, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

TC3’s Farm to Bistro space Coltivare will be big: the plans are to take up the space of the former Finger Lakes Wine Center and the adjacent vacant first floor commercial space, which comprises the rest of the available retail space in the Cayuga Street Parking Garage. The former Wine Center has been demoed-out, along with the partition wall, so beyond the raw concrete ceilings, walls, and existing utility runs, the space is totally bare. The ceiling towards the eastern half is slightly angled due to the slopes of the garage ramps.
The general contractor is Turnbull-Wahlert Construction, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, and sub-contractors will include several local and regional companies.

CrossFit Pallas Cherry Street Photo Update

April 24, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

The CrossFit Pallas project is moving right along: additional sections of exterior metal siding have been installed, along with the windows, electrical rough-ins, insulation batts in the wall and ceiling cavities, interior vapor barrier, and corrugated sheet metal ceiling.

The project is being constructed by Fingerlakes Construction Co. (Clyde, NY, founded in 1969), which specializes in post frame construction (also referred to as pole building framing), and was acquired by Energy Panel Structures, Inc. last year.

7 Ridgewood Road Proposal: April Site Plan Review Meeting

April 22, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Ithacating picked up this project in the initial planning stages this past December, and throughout the planning stages the project has been re-worked, and has also been the subject of an online petition, and a withdrawn re-zoning proposal that would have eliminated the project altogether.

The revised 105,790 square foot project shows three 3-story buildings (plus underground parking) with a total of 45 units and 114 beds with 57 parking spaces on the 2 1/2 acre parcel. There are also four loading spaces, 36 covered bicycle spaces and 6 uncovered. In the latest site plan, Building One’s footprint has been altered to accommodate the 25′ setback under the R-U zoning. The updated slides were also presented in a public meeting on April 15th to local neighbors, where questions and comments about this project, housing development in Ithaca, zoning, and the Thurston Avenue Apartments project were discussed.

The City of Ithaca Planning & Development Meeting focused on the updated landscaping plans, the green roofs, cladding materials (stone selections, lapboard, fiber cement board) and project considerations included in the Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF), which includes exhibit sections on the impact on land, flooding, plants and animals, aesthetic resources/community character, cultural resources, transportation, and human health.

The project is being developed by CA Student Living, LLC (a CA-Ventures project, formerly Campus Acquisitions), and designed by architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch out of Boston, with local design assistance by Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects, Elwyn & Palmer Consulting Engineers, and legal representation by Phillips Lytle LLP out of Rochester.

Project Render:

Site Plan:

Photo Simulations of Views from Nearby:

Zoning Analysis:

Building One Elevation:

Floor Plans:

Collegetown Terrace Mid-April Photos

April 22, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

I was invited to take photos on the Collegetown Terrace site last week through Welliver the General Contractor, so here’s a selection of photos from the south side of the site, and a few taken from the north on the 21st. Building 5 and 6 still have sections of fiber cement panels to install (mostly along the north sides), but the southern facades seem complete minus the areas for synthetic stucco, which are applied with a grey base layer, then a tan-colored finish coat.

Concrete forms and rebar rods have been set for the outside stair section at the west end of Building 5, and very large landscaping boulders are being assembled along the hillside just south of the workout facility. Building 5’s eastern stairwell has also been fully-clad in glass panelling. I was mistaken in earlier posts about the timing for Building 7: due to the appeal to reduce planned parking and increase housing units before the City of Ithaca Board of Zoning Appeals, and the fact that the building is still in design phase, the timing for the project will probably fall into next year for starting excavation and sitework.

Buildings 5 then 6 (left to right):

Building 5 south face:

Building 5 north face (on right):

Site Plan:

My thanks to Welliver for the site visit

New Tenant for Press Bay Alley & Future Mural

April 21, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Amuse Press Bay Alley at the end of Green Street across from Life’s So Sweet will be hosting a new tenant Amuse: Modern Cottage Industry starting July 1st, in addition to Boxy Bikes, which was announced back in February. Amuse will be a gift shop (photos here), and both retailers will be open during Ithaca Festival May 29th-June 1st so you can check them out.

In addition to the added retailer debuting this Summer, the building now has complete metal coping along the roof edge, and a fresh paint coat base in preparation for a talented mural artist to bring this canvas to life.

Cornell Law School Expansion & Renovation Project

April 18, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

This project was out of public view for the majority of it, but I think it’s definitely worth the visit. The barricades have been removed, so I took a few photos. The new wing is underground, and hosts a lobby space, studying areas, and three new classrooms, along with a re-landscaped Purcell courtyard, and a renovated entryway to Myron Taylor Hall. The project started back in the summer of 2012.

There’s still a live camera feed to the project area, and the Law School hosts an information page with design renders and layouts. Birdseye view of the layout is below:

The original announcement indicated that this project is actually the first expansion for about 25 years, since the Jane Foster Library Addition was added in 1987. The feed from the live cam has been condensed into a time-lapse video of the entire duration of the project.

The project was built by Welliver, and designed by Ann Beha, an architect that specializes in new additions that blend with traditional architecture.

New Wing:

Purcell Courtyard:

Myron Taylor Hall (renovated entryway):

Cornell_Law_School_Expansion_Ithaca_0416147

Cornell_Law_School_Expansion_Ithaca_0416146

Cornell_Law_School_Expansion_Ithaca_0416144

Cornell_Law_School_Expansion_Ithaca_0416143

Renders and Time-Lapse Images property of Cornell University Law School

Planned Parenthood Project Photo Update

April 14, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Photos of this Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes project taken last week, but exterior siding and fiber-cement facade panel installation look complete, as well as recently-placed granite curbing along the drive entry and Seneca Street. It’s hard to tell from the outside, but it looks as if the walls are all framed, and electric, plumbing, and mechanicals are roughed-in, but finish-work like drop ceiling grids and drywall are continuing. Once the remaining windows, shades, signage, doors, lighting fixtures, and roofing fascia boards are installed, the building itself should look relatively complete on the outside.

This project is being constructed by LeChase Construction, and is designed by Chiang O’Brien Architects.

Longest Night Solstice Towers Utility & Roof Work Photos

April 13, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Tower one has made progress on interior electric rough-in, sanitary plumbing rough-in (water supply lines will follow-up shortly), and insulation, while tower two is finishing-up interior framing. On the exterior, new lateral utility services have been installed on the eastern 5′ setback, including buried sprinkler and domestic ductile water lines, a 1/8″ to 1/4″ pitched PVC sanitary sewage lateral (green), 1 1/2″ diameter electric conduit for power, 3/4″ diameter pipe for data and telephone (grey lines wrapping around wall footer), a gas line, and new NYSEG electric meters mounted on both tower side walls. The service trench was backfilled with crushed #2 gravel, layered between blankets of soil.

Plumbing by Warden Plumbing, excavation and backfill by Kirksway Farm, and electric by Shisler Electrical Contractors.

Hale Roofing Inc has completed the roofing installation by applying a Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) single-ply roofing membrane over gypsum fiber roof board underlayment:

Typical cross-section (with steel decking):

The black aluminum gutter and downspout will collect roof water runoff out of the open slot in the parapet wall, which then funnels underneath the drive lane through a drain pipe, then to irrigation drip lines along fencing to provide water to plantings along the fence:

Project by Architect John Barradas and Partners, construction by Ciappa & Marinelli Builders

Purity Ice Cream Construction Photos & Final Interior Design

April 12, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

The Purity Ice Cream project is reaching drywall-finish stage as demolition finished-up back in February, then the bathrooms, former entry, new entryway, seating, and serving areas were re-framed by Strawbridge and Jahn Builders and outfitted with mechanicals. A new trench was dug and filled across the parking lot for an improved underground power service, while all the electric was re-wired by Richardson Brothers Electric. New lighting fixtures, an entirely new HVAC system, and plumbing have been roughed-in. Drywall and cement boards have been hung, taped, mudded, and the seams were being sanded down this past week.

Stop by Purity this weekend to take a look, they’re serving 12-6