Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

323 Taughannock Boulevard Waterfront Project

June 20, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Rampart Real, LLC (managed by Steve Flash) and Architect Noah Demarest of Stream Collaborative have submitted site plan review materials for the upcoming City Planning & Development meeting this Tuesday, June 24th for what may become the first waterfront inlet project of its kind in Ithaca. Picked-up by Ithacating a couple weeks ago (just turned six years old!), the plan calls for a $3.5 million mixed-use building consisting of 23,000 square feet, with ground-level office, 18 covered parking spaces, and 20 apartment units on the three stories above (total of four stories, 50′ height). The existing parcel contains an asphalt lot and a one-story building, between The Dock (former Castaways) and Kelly’s Dock-Side Cafe, photos below.

Full PDF here

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323 Taughannock Boulevard - SPR Application Submission - 06-02-14
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Photos of the surrounding area:

New Park Foundation Offices in the Seneca Way Building

February 7, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

park-foundationroyparkI was kindly invited to take a tour of the future office space for the Park Foundation in Seneca Way, and here are some photos and descriptions of the space, which is being finished-up near the end of this month.
For a brief history overview: The Park Foundation was established by Roy Hampton Park, Sr. in 1966. Roy H. Park had humble beginnings, as the son of a tenant farmer in North Carolina. He had a knack for writing, and began reporting for local newspapers at the age of 12, finished high school, and went to study at North Carolina State University. He worked his way up to a reporter’s position at the local Associated Press bureau by the time he graduated, and also editor-in-chief of his college paper. He pioneered ways of promoting cotton as public relations director for the North Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative Association, then in 1942, moved to Ithaca to work for the Grange League Federation (which later became Agway). In the late 1940s, he teamed-up with food critic Duncan Hines to launch Hines-Park Foods, and their runaway success product “Duncan Hines Cake Mix.”
The company was acquired by Proctor & Gamble, and Park stayed on until 1962, around the time he began building a communications business, “Park Broadcasting, Inc.”, which was renamed Park Communications for a public offering in 1983. By the time of his passing in 1993, the company owned 21 radio stations, seven television stations, and 144 publications. He developed close relations with Ithaca College (Roy H. Park School of Communications), Cornell’s Johnson School, and North Carolina State University, serving in board and advisory roles. He left 70 percent of his holdings to the foundation, which provides support through scholarships in higher education, quality media that heightens public awareness of critical issues and protection of the environment.
I’ll gladly admit, I’m a big fan of Bill Moyers/ Moyers and Company and PBS FRONTLINE, both of which the foundation has supported over the years, along with hosts of scholars, public broadcasting agencies, environmental, social justice, and policy groups.

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The move into this new space is a big upgrade for the foundation team, and I particularly like the work that has been done to design and lay out the space. LeChase Construction is working on this project, HOLT Architects is providing the design services, and the space is aiming for LEED Platinum Commercial Interiors certification. The HVAC system is a combination baseboard hot water and cooling units (above the drop ceiling), with LED lighting, occupancy sensors, and variable air volume duct fanning. The duct sizing is huge- ideal for saving energy since operating and circulation time is drastically reduced.

 

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The main arterial hallway drives through the space, with offices and a couple meeting rooms along the outside walls, mainly work, utility, and bathrooms along the inside walls, and the reception area is in the middle of the action, providing visitors with a wide open space and view of the outside, opposed to many waiting room layouts that can feel tucked-away. The tile will be going in over the weekend, with carpeting following-up next week. The walls are mostly complete, and there are beautiful sets of wooden door and light-box/clerestory window frames that are being installed. All the glass should help light shine through the space, eliminating the need for electric lighting on sunny days. A total of twelve thermostats control the air service in the space, only kicking heat or cooling at the appropriate time to the areas necessary.

 

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Shot of the layout here:

 

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All in all, it’s going to be quite a nice office space once completed, and the location is impeccable. I should be following-up with photos from a tour of the apartment interiors next week.

 

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Seneca Way Landscaping & Photo Update

November 10, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The Newman Development/ Warren Real Estate project at 140 Seneca Way is set to open less than two months from now. There’s been considerable landscaping progress since I last swung around- new concrete poured for the western lot and ground-level parking beneath the building, as well as soil and plantings. Besides the fill-in of the missing section of facade, I doubt we’ll see much more change on the outside beyond this point. It’s been nice watching this one go up- definitely a swift pace. Browse the first project page here for photos going all the way back to the demolition of the former Challenge Industries building.
Not long from now, Ithaca will be welcoming 32 new one-bedroom apartments, six two-bedroom apartments, and 8,600 square feet of office space for Warren Real Estate and the Park Foundation.

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Seneca Way Updated Photos

October 27, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Here are some updated photos of the Seneca Way project from last week. The render below doesn’t show the window shades, and they haven’t been installed yet, so I imagine that they’ve been dropped. The steel support columns on the exterior will be wrapped to form a cylindrical shape, and the western lot will be due for walls shortly.
The website contains some nice interior renderings of what the apartments will look like (one shot attached below). The sidewalks have been in place for a while now, so they may open-up once all the work along the exterior has been completed.

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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.