Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

Collegetown Terrace Buildings 5 & 6 Updated Photos

October 25, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Novarr-Mackesey’s Collegetown Terrace project is showing good progress on Buildings 5 and 6. Building 5’s facade panels on the north face are up on the west end, and the rest of this side is almost fully sheathed. I’m not entirely sure what the middle section opening on this side will be- possibly a common room with large windows [found out- it’s for the bridges between the buildings]. The east end floor has been poured and floated, and a new stairwell/elevator tower is being assembled block-by-block at the end. Building 6 has begun framing-up another level (fourth floor now), and the exterior walls and sheathing has been hung on both the north and south faces. Quite amazing progress every time I swing by- I see no reason why the majority of the exterior work on these buildings won’t be done before it starts getting into the dead of winter.

Building 5:

Building 6:

Harold’s Square Moves Forward with City CIITAP Process

October 22, 2013 // by James Douglas

Harold’s Square moved closer to fruition as the developer held a public information session, as required by the project’s application for approval under the City of Ithaca’s density tax abatement incentive program (CIITAP).

Relative to the public information sessions for the Marriott and Holiday Inn projects, the Harold’s Square session was sparsely attended. Approximately five members of the public were present, as well first ward common council representative Cynthia Brock. Developer David Lubin fielded questions pertaining to how residential tenants would secure parking, the potential impact of construction on the loading area for adjacent business, and whether the project’s commercial and retail tenants were planning on paying a living wage to their employees. Mr. Lubin indicated that the wages paid by tenants were not under his control.

Council member Brock also asked about the labor Mr. Lubin intended to use for the construction, specifically whether plans had been made to utilize local union laborers, or firms that had apprenticeship programs and/or paid a prevailing wage. Mr. Lubin’s response was that he would attempt to use local labor, as long as the bids were competitive.

As to the general timeline of the project, Mr. Lubin stated that they are still working on bids for site remediation and demolition, and that further construction will be contingent on securing tenants and financing, meaning that an exact start date is still up in the air.

Now that the public information session has been held, the City will approve and forward their recommendation to the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency for review, and the agency will make a determination on whether to grant the project a seven year partial property tax abatement. Expect a county level public hearing on the matter to be scheduled within the month.

Magnolia House New Sidewalk and Fencing

October 20, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The Tompkins Community Action Magnolia House has a new sidewalk poured along Meadow Street, and there’s some new wood fencing being put up along the entryways and back side. Pavers have been installed on the north and south side entrances, and will continue along the back to form a patio area with flagstone benches. I’m not sure when the building is going to be completed, but there are still materials and tools on the inside.

Tompkins County Draft RFEI for The Old Library

October 20, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Tompkins County administrators are set to release a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) this December on the Old Library property that has been largely vacant and under-utilized ever since the new library building was built at the corner of Cayuga Street and Green Street. The responses will be due the following April, at which point every proposed and submitted project application will be reviewed. Embedded below is the draft RFEI document that was presented in the context of a $1.5 million plan to renovate and expand the Human Services Building so that the Community Justice Center can move out of the Old Library’s lower level by the first quarter of 2015 (meeting minutes also embedded below).
The Old Library’s site is .88 acres, and the building is 38,630 square feet. As soon as the current library was completed back in 2000 on the former Woolworth Department Store site, there have been plans by various developers to re-configure the Old Library for private use. At this point however, it may be less desirable or even feasible to renovate the existing building. The parcel (along with two adjacent parcels) was actually re-zoned by the City of Ithaca back in May to CBD-50, meaning zero side yard and front yard setbacks, and any new structure could go up to a 50 foot height as of right. The rezoning with adjacent parcels seems like a sign that the current structure may not be deemed suitable for reuse, and the draft RFEI is clearly stating that the county prefers development plans that will create housing for the aging, so a proposal like a new CCRC facility (Continuing Care Retirement Communities) would make sense.

Psychedelic exterior upgrades from Spring 2013:

Seneca Way is looking more and more like Seneca Way

October 17, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The Seneca Way EIFS facade is almost entirely complete, with the exception of that one section on the eastern face that was passed-over when that side was being assembled and coated around a month ago. I imagine it’s staying unfinished until all the building materials have made their way inside through those windows from the lifts. The terrace looks due for its railing soon, and we’ll probably see the EFCO Sunshades go in above the windows as well. The second story bay windows for the office level have been installed, and the sidewalk stretching around the curve has been fully poured and floated.

…And they’re signing leases- move-ins begin January 2014, less than 3 months away.

Collegetown Terrace Buildings 5 & 6 Updated Photos

October 16, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Novarr-Mackesey’s Collegetown Terrace project is still moving right along, with the enormous Building 5 (stretching the length of about two football fields) showing northern-face western facade installation, eastern-end additional wall stud framing, exterior wall wrapping and window installation.

There’s also fresh concrete poured over the ground level floors, additional wall sheathing and wall stud framing in the middle section all the way to the top level, and we have a full level of precast concrete planks laid out for the eastern section of Building 5 with wire mesh being set in place, perhaps for screed then a concrete floor float (see floor section detail below for a typical assembly).

Building 6 sits at the far north-eastern section of the site and I’m seeing steel framing for what may become an elevator/stair tower on the closest end, but also wall stud framing on the third level where apartment units will be built out. The levels below will be for parking, and there’s plenty of wire mesh on the floors since last visit.

Building 5:

Floor Section Detail:

Building 6:

Cayuga Place Two Site Still Clear

October 10, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

No action here yet- the latest plans are for 45 units at seven stories high, which would conceal this side of the parking garage. The project ran into soil problems, so it became much more expensive to build and engineer, thus the need for additional units in order to make the building project financially feasible. They may use something like micropiles to secure the foundation. There’s probably more to this story, but I think it would be a great addition to the Six Mile Creek walk area.

Seneca Way Updated Facade Photos & Paved Lot

October 10, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Seneca Way’s EIFS facade is still coming along, with most of the faces either fully finished, or installed and base coated, and the eastern parking lot has been curbed and paved with asphalt. The future commercial office second story has new bays of windows on the east and west sides (you can see the grey steel frames), and the curved side will have full top to bottom windows.

Collegetown Terrace Updated Project Photos

October 5, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Building 6’s ground and second level floor decks are in the process of being poured, and the stair and elevator tower is going up on the east end. Building 5’s ground-level parking section in the east looks just about ready for the second level floor assembly, as the majority of the ground floor has been poured with concrete, and most bearing columns are up. There’s just the start of facade installation on Building 5 towards the north-western face, but the rest is either bare and wrapped sheathing, or exposed framing- the middle section looks structurally framed-out now, and exterior wall studs and plates are being installed on the northern face.

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Seneca Way Facade Progress Photos

October 4, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Seneca Way is looking more and more like Seneca Way as the weeks go by. Facade installation has been going at great pace, and I imagine the interior is shaping up since all the windows have been in since early September. There’s a shot of the sidewalk view from the steep section of Seneca St in the tiled photos below showing little public visibility of the northern facade.

Seneca Way’s site also has some new interior render images of the apartments: see the bottom of the floor plans page here.

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