Phase Three (the last phase) of the Commons Rebuild project will start this Spring (bid opening is January 23rd), with the focus on installing the surfaces and amenities for the redesign. The full scope and contract documents run up to the 1,000-page range, so I thought I’d condense a few of the items down with basic explanations on finishes.
Erosion & Soils
To prevent soil erosion and ensure proper drainage, cast iron surface and scupper drains will be put in place, much like the ones that exist now, and current drains will be cleared of any existing debris. The drains are primarily located in the side areas where surface water funnels, since the surface is designed to elevate slightly towards the center, much like a street. Each drain then feeds into the main stormwater sewer via PVC pipe.
Surface Materials
The surfaces will mainly comprise of textured and non-textured granite pavers, mortared granite pavers, concrete pavers, and cast in place concrete paving. The granite pavers will be supplied by J.C. Stone (or equivalent- see Englishman’s Bay), and the concrete pavers will be from Hanover Architectural Products (or equivalent- see PlankStone).
Electric Utility Enclosures
Pretty self-explanatory- there are two different sizes, with various locations.
Here are some current images of the western Statler Hall entrance that Cornell is planning to renovate into a redesigned vestibule and facade, expanded second story above, and landscaping in front. Something I hadn’t noticed before- the proposed stone base wall sections will match the existing ones below each ground floor window along East Avenue, and the sections along College Avenue that were completed as part of the Tower and Beck Center Renovations. The proposed facade will also match the original limestone block from the 1949 build, which the current entry does quite well too.
Cornell has just proposed a landscaping project for 2015 to celebrate its Sesquicentennial Anniversary (that’s 150 years, Cornell was founded in 1865) on the Arts Quad. The sketch plan proposal (embedded below) by Weiss/Manfredi (see Museum of the Earth and the future Vet School) shows a series of stone benches and surfaces below Central Avenue with lighting above in the treeline, and engravings of significant events in Cornell’s history along the main path going West, and quotes by famous Cornellians on the benches. Looks to be a neat project. As shown in the plans, the intent is to align the Grove with the statue of Ezra Cornell between McGraw and Morrill Halls, and the statue of Andrew D. White in front of Goldwin Smith Hall.
May, 2014 Update: Project cost is estimated at $521,700
Last month, the City of Ithaca requested proposals to design the new future custom play structure for the Commons Rebuild project. Below are the location map documents, and the RFP. The initial design was a proposed model from Sasaki Associates, the design consultants for the Commons Rebuild project. The design proposals would likely be reviewed at a future Planning & Development Meeting.
The proposal calls for play features that exceed ADA requirements- there is a section in the Americans with Disabilities Act that outlines the requirements for these features, which include accessible routes, ground level activities, and transfer stations (there’s a good link here to some short descriptions of each requirement).
Architect Robert Leathers, founder of Playgrounds by Leathers is originally from Ithaca and has practiced here for quite a long time (his son Marc now runs the company). He is quite well-known in the playground design world for his work all over the country and outside with over 3,000 playgrounds designed and built. Their process focuses on bringing-in local residents, and especially, the children to help design each project. I don’t know if his firm has submitted a proposed design, however, it would make for an interesting turn of events.
Cornell University’s Statler Hall (School of Hotel Administration) will be undergoing a fitting $2.4 million modification project on the western-side of the building along East Avenue, where the current entrance vestibule will be replaced with a more modern-style entrance, which will match the recent renovations that have been completed on the eastern and southern sides: the Beck Center along the eastern side (Phase One Expansion), and the renovated auditorium tower on the southern side (Phase Two expansion). KSS Architects, the designers on this vestibule project completed both the Beck Center and the Tower Renovation, (the links go to some great pages on their site showcasing both projects). In addition to the vestibule, there will be some new additional floor space created on the second floor. The original Statler Hall was completed in 1949, and has been renovated several times before. There will also be some new landscaping (see north and south plazas in the presentation below) with benches, new pavers, and bike racks.
The Cayuga Meadows project (formerly Conifer West Hill) by Conifer Realty was fully approved by the Town of Ithaca back in 2012, but the parcel needed to be rezoned in order for the development to move forward. The process of rezoning, granting of variances and public works approval have all been completed, and now the Town of Ithaca Planning Board has voted for final site plan approval. The site is across from Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Medical Center.
The plan is for a 19,520 SF footprint three-story building with 68 independent living units for seniors. The proposal sits on a 4.8 acre lot subdivision out of the existing 34.7 acre lot, with a right of way for a new dedicated road off of Harris B. Dates Drive Extension.
The initial announcement was covered in Ithacating back in 2010, when Cornell had suggested partnering with Conifer to develop the site. The original site plan concepts from B.C.’s blog are embedded below. I don’t see any indication that Cornell is still involved, but perhaps again in the future, since the rest of the site is still open for development. The original plan was for senior housing, a hotel school center, and parking for commuters from Trumansburg, but neither of the latter two suggestions have been in the news recently.
The proposed 4-story, 11,769 square foot, 76 room and 76 parking space “All Suites Hotel” project for 371 Elmira Road has submitted renderings and revised site plan materials to the City of Ithaca Planning Department. The renders look pretty much as expected from the previous elevations that were submitted: plain L-shaped box with pop-outs, angled cornices, and an entry pavilion. The renders here don’t incorporate the surroundings, but we may see a future version with surroundings if they’re requested, although, this section of Elmira Road is obviously not known for its architectural zeal, but rather, the cartoonish qualities associated with highway commercial strips. I’m still not sure if this is meant to be a future franchise of some sort- it has the looks of it, but nothing solid has been revealed.
This one came as a surprise- the revised Purity project has been voted down.Correction: There was a straw vote 4-1, but the project requires a supermajority of 5 due to the County’s concerns on the parking lot, referencing the West End Urban Design Plan (the County can issue a letter to force a supermajority vote under GML 238-m, Number 5). There will be a special meeting next Wednesday to vote. My thanks to Govind for the correction.
I think in these situations, it’s important to seek to understand where people are coming from on both sides. In a model world, planning is a craft that endeavors to determine what best to do with land for the benefit of the local residents, and developers take financial risks in order to seek the reward for building improvements on private property. These goals are commonly at odds.
In this case, the vicinity of the proposed expansion lot is housing, and neighbors have expressed their interest in keeping the land free from use as a parking lot for concerns of noise and disruption that parking lots tend to bring to an area. I think it’s a valid point, although I do think concerns of that nature can commonly be overstated. Another consideration can be made from a planner’s perspective: I think most planners would desire a building there (the parcel is zoned West End Zone 1b).
The proposed lot was approved in the original plan for the apartment tower, which seems like a trade-off consideration: tolerate undesirable parking for new desirable housing units. This can be confusing though- if the proposed parking is not outweighed by the benefits of this revised project, then at what point is it? An outsider would have to logically assume that somewhere between the apartment tower and this revised project, there’s a break-even juncture on the social utility curve.
Developers and builders can be put off by uncertainty; there’s an associated cost for lack of information, and especially, uncertain permission.
Land use regulation should seek reform to alleviate this disconnect. The development process would be more desirable given a code that says plainly “this is what you can build, no meetings if you build it” rather than what we have now: “this is what you can’t build, and any site change must be approved in a public meeting.” In addition to the outdated code, some if it disincentivizes the very things we want most as a small city.
The objective of code models like SmartCode is exactly that: zone form-based building districts that mimic the order of nature, and perhaps just as important, provide a zoning document that is genuinely clear. Buffalo’s GreenCode effort will culminate in a new form-based code in Buffalo, NY. There was also a recent demonstration study done by Randall + West and Noah Demarest of Stream Collaborative for an area of land in the City and Town of Ithaca.
Of course, nothing changes overnight, but a better code and a better process would help to avoid future situations like these. Development is an investment, so if the costs of uncertainty are too high, and the process too frustrating, the finances for development may turn to a different investment to seek a return. In this instance, it seems sad that the plans for an overhauled building may be decided by another parking drama.
2010 AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic) for Ithaca, about 32,000 vehicles a day pass by Purity:
Original approved proposal for 24 apartment unit tower and two additional parking lots for Purity and apartment residents:
Revised proposal that is being considered, which included overhaul of the existing building, new office on the second floor with a terrace, and one additional parking lot at the corner of Cascadilla and Meadow Streets:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s recent expansion, at the corner of Fulton and Cascadilla, a block down the street from Purity. It’s zoned West End Zone-1a, which allows parking as of right.
To expand on Ithacating’s excellent post last month about the plans Cornell has for its Veterinary College, I thought I’d post the images of the preliminary floor plans from Cornell’s page and also point out that the architects Cornell has partnered with may sound familiar: Weiss/Manfredi Architects actually designed the Museum of the Earth that was built back in 2003 on West Hill next door to Cayuga Medical Center (in addition to a lot of other nice projects)- and Michael Manfredi got his Masters of Architecture at Cornell. Both Michael Manfredi and Marion Weiss have taught at Cornell, and their firm is based out of New York City.
As far as funding, the project cost is pegged at $63 million. The Vet School is State-funded to the tune of about 25%, with the remainder from sponsored programs (I suppose a mix of outside scholarships/assistance and private or federal research program initiatives like grants), sales and service, tuition and alumni support.
Not much to say about this one, besides it just being a big box plaza expansion for a future retail tenant. The planning meeting is slated for Tuesday the 28th (next week), and as mentioned before, the proposed expansion actually sits on the site of the former K-Mart garden center. The already-built vestibule for Hobby Lobby is incorporated in this plan, since it was never aired before site plan review.
