Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

Holiday Inn Site Plan Renderings

June 26, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

I missed posting this document a while ago, but here it is now. This is the original rendering and site plan first submitted to the City of Ithaca for this project. Still not sure of the start date, but there’s definitely a lot of support for this project. It may have been pushed back a year.

Proposed Hampton Inn Downtown Site Photos

June 26, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

I don’t suppose this will be a reality anytime soon, but I was in the area and thought I’d snap a few shots of what these parcels look like now, as the proposed project is “being re-worked”. Ithacating picked up on this in December when it was first proposed, and since then the project has largely fell flat due to criticisms of design character, the Carey Building’s relative historic significance, and the current owners’ ability and/or objections to sell these parcels (the City selling that parking lot would obviously be a major hurdle, since the plan and impact would have to be extensively reviewed).

339 Elmira Rd- Sold at Auction

June 16, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Well, well, we’ve got a change of hands on this parcel- there were three registered bidders, and it sold for $143k. There was a surveyor out there when I was taking pictures. This was a former one-story commercial building that contained a thrift store for the Salvation Army, but they sold it in 2009 for $175k. Not sure what the plans are, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Site is .59 acres, zoning is SW-2, so the developer could conceivably go as high as 60 feet.

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Holiday Inn Project Description

May 21, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

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Hart Hotels of Buffalo, NY submitted a site plan review for and announced an expansion of the current Holiday Inn back in early 2012. If you’ve ever been to a conference downtown, you’ll probably appreciate this project. In addition to knocking down most of the one-story guestroom wings, current ballroom, and building a sizeable new hotel tower, this project will be building out a 15,000 square foot conference center, plus a swanky restaurant/bar on the roof of the new tower. The current ground-level ballroom is about 4,000 square feet, and the new one will be 6,000 square feet, seating about 350 people at maximum capacity.

The new tower plans show nine stories (including the roof level) with 115 guest rooms, although the current guestroom wings (built in 1972) to be demolished total 100 rooms, so net gain is 15 rooms. Initially the project was slated to begin November 2012 and end March 2014, but we’ve yet to see shovels hit the ground.

Fairfield Inn & Suites

May 19, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

So I’ll admit, a new hotel on Route 13 isn’t all that interesting to me, but it’s still worth a post. The Marriott website for this Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel has a render of what the main entrance (southwest-facing) will look like, and it’s opening for business in August. The hotel sits right next door to Manos Diner, a popular fixture for many locals and also college students looking to eat breakfast at 4am. It looks like the facade work will be coming to an end soon.
There was also an accident on this site back in January when two brick-layers fell through an elevator shaft they were working near. I haven’t seen anything further on that.


Argos Inn Photos

May 16, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

We’re a bit late to the party on this one, but it’s quite a triumph of a project. The original building was started around 1831, and this renovation has been two years in the works to transform this building (the former Cowdry House) into a LEED-certified boutique hotel.

There’s even a Youtube video showing the original stone treads being replaced, and the Facebook page is packed with nice photos of the entire renovation.

 

 

Also, Historic Ithaca’s Kristen Olson provides a nice write-up here:

 

Hotel Ithaca Marriott Project Description

May 9, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

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The long awaited Hotel Ithaca Marriott project adds 160-guest rooms, a restaurant, and meeting space to the east end of the commons. Operated by Bethesda, Maryland based Urgo Hotels, the project has gone through several iterations involving design and ownership in order to secure financing.  The new hotel will be located on a small triangular lot off of Green street, adjacent to the Green Street Parking Garage and the Rothschild’s Building.  The Marriott was recently granted a 10-year PILOT by Tompkins County Area Development, as part of the City of Ithaca’s new, streamlined version of the Community Investment Incentive Tax Abatement Program (CIITAP), to secure the necessary financing to begin the project.