Here’s the original site plan review application for those interested in taking a look. Probably the most obvious exterior difference from what is actually being built is the north elevation, which now has hipped roofs, and a different appearance (presumably to blend better with surrounding houses on that end where Seneca Street makes its way down the hill). Also, the rooftop terrace on the southern end was shifted from east to west, and appears to be slightly smaller now. Overall, the initial plans aren’t broadly different from what will be the final product.
Seneca Way Initial Site Plan Review Application
July 9, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Magnolia House Site Photos
July 8, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
I wish I knew more about the schedule for this project; the exterior isn’t lending any clues. Here are some recent shots, and also some images from Taitem Engineering’s project page on Honest Buildings.
Klarman Hall Second Site Plan Presentation
July 6, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
This one is a larger file, and was presented to the City of Ithaca Planning Board back in April. It further clarifies the connections between Goldwin Smith and the planned building (in renders and within the elevations), has additional interior renderings, full-plate floor plans per each level, explains future accommodations of artwork, and lots of exterior renders viewing the spaces between Goldwin and Klarman, and outside Klarman on East Ave. All in all, it’s quite impressive- these slides provide a good indication of what the building will look like, and how it will interface with Goldwin Smith Hall.
Maguire Fiat Site Photos
July 5, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Well, not sure when this will get going, but probably quite soon. Their website is already up.
Breckenridge Place Site Photos
July 5, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
About half the brick facade looks complete. I haven’t seen any drywall going in, so they’re probably still finishing up plumbing, electrical and HVAC on the interior. There’s a new layer of material on the roof as well, looks like sheets of EPDM or some other membrane.
Seneca Way Site Photos
July 4, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
There’s been some brick facade-work put in along the Seneca Way and western sides of this project (you can see the cement funnel on the western side), and now there’s deck-framing all along the northern portion of the third level. Pre-fab walls are loaded up on a couple trailers in the eastern lot area, so I bet we’ll see them put up once the decking gets further along for the fourth level. Exciting project to watch; it will really change the perspective of Downtown Ithaca coming in from East Hill.
Collegetown Terrace Site Photos
July 3, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
The western portion of Building 5 is clearly underway, so they must’ve been working on that foundation for the past few months where the rigs were situated. Stone facade on Building 3.3’s western face is complete, just needs more windows and the doors framed in- I think they were going for a cubist-waterfall look. I suppose the entry pavilion’s exterior is complete, now that the glass panels are all done. Building 3.4 is showing some additional facade work on the southern face as well.
Planned Parenthood Site Photos
July 3, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
All the recent rain has added a pond to this site, but now there’s a sign up for LeChase Construction, a large General Contracting firm out of Western and Upstate NY, as well as North Carolina. They acquired Northeastern Construction a couple years back, which significantly added to their prominence in the area (Northeastern built Gateway Commons). Hopefully we’ll get a break from this rain soon; wet weather can really put a damper on construction, especially this early on in a project.
Breckenridge Place to start accepting rental applications July 15.
July 2, 2013 // by James Douglas
Per Tompkins Weekly, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services will begin accepting rental applications for Breckenridge Place on July 15, continuing to July 30. If you’re at all interested in securing a unit here, applications are available online. Applicants are being selected via a lottery due to the high demand the apartment complex is expected to generate, so good luck to all those who do apply.
Breckenridge Place is scheduled to be completed by fall 2013. Hopefully this news is a signal that everything is on schedule.
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.
