ITHACA, N.Y.—It was a busy assembly Tuesday night time for the Metropolis of Ithaca Planning and Improvement Board. The Maguire Household of Dealerships earned the inexperienced mild to go forward with its subsequent renovation mission, and a number of other different initiatives across the metropolis superior ahead with planning evaluate, albeit with various levels of reservation and future outlooks. Seize a cup of espresso or tea and browse on beneath, and have a look on the agenda right here.
Particular Presentation – Overview of Plumbing License Course of
Now, a few of you is perhaps considering “What the heck? I got here right here to examine buildings.” And your in all probability did, however this ties right into a dialogue again in Could to elucidate how plumbers and electricians are license within the metropolis of Ithaca to carry out work. The Planning Board needed a primer on the subject as a result of lack of obtainable expert labor has been a constraint on development initiatives, and metropolis Plumbing Inspector Tom Hayward agreed to come back in and clarify the licensing course of. Aspect observe, Hayward, a third-generator union plumber, might be the primary man I’ve seen at certainly one of these conferences who may give Board Chair Rob Lewis a run for completely superior beards.
As Hayward defined, there’s a three-person analyzing board of plumbers and the primary “grasp plumber” in Ithaca was entitled in 1948. They oversee journeymen and apprentice plumbers and entitle grasp plumbers. Hayward mentioned they’re not “tremendous, tremendous robust” on licensing however they use checks and different regional cities like Syracuse, Auburn and Oswego use elements of Ithaca’s checks. He famous that the city depends on the Bolton Level water system for evaluate of plumbing permits.
Hayward defined that the plumbing system is outdated, and that Ithaca “has a singular constructing section, there’s plenty of constructing occurring.” That’s a mix for lots of labor and never sufficient palms to take care of it. Individuals are usually afraid of the checks, however Hayward mentioned it’s open-book and Ithaca has a 100% cross fee since October 2018, although some have taken it a number of instances — they don’t search to derail testers. Assessments are given twice a yr, usually a Thursday in April and in October, with 5 to 7 checks given a yr for a price of $10 and proof of eight years of plumbing expertise. Solely about two dozen plumbers have lively licenses, which must be finished yearly, in any other case they need to retake the check (no cost if beforehand credentialed).
Lengthy story brief, there are state constraints, the town tries to run a good however thorough course of, and whereas the planning board doesn’t need to constrain growth, licensing is vital and there are solely so many plumbers and electricians to go round. To paraphrase board member Emily Petrina, it seems like the difficulty is extra advertising of licensure than the precise check itself. (People, if you realize a working towards eligible plumber, put them in contact with the town.) It was an fascinating perspective from one thing most of the people doesn’t hear a lot about, and the board appreciated it.
Website Plan Evaluate
Following the Particular Presentation and the customary public remark agenda merchandise, the Planning Board jumped proper into what’s the meat of the agenda, the Website Plan Evaluate (SPR). Website Plan Evaluate is the a part of the assembly the evaluate of recent and up to date constructing proposals occurs. Within the curiosity of not going into a number of paragraphs of element each month, if you’d like an in-depth description of the steps concerned within the mission approval course of, the “Website Plan Evaluate Primer” may be discovered right here.
Right here’s the brief abstract. Within the SPR course of the Planning Board seems at sketch plans, declares itself lead company for state environmental high quality evaluate (SEQR), conducts a evaluate and declares unfavourable (hostile results mitigated) or optimistic (doubtlessly dangerous impacts, and subsequently wants an Environmental Impression Assertion), whereas concurrently performing design evaluate for initiatives in sure neighborhoods for aesthetic impacts. As soon as these are all settled to the board’s satisfaction, they vote on preliminary web site plan approval and, after reviewing a number of last particulars and remaining paperwork, last web site plan approval.
KeyBank (500 S. Meadow Avenue)
This mission would possibly sound acquainted. The Board started evaluate in February 2021, and in April it had superior far sufficient within the evaluate course of to go earlier than the Board of Zoning Appeals and obtain a variance. At that time, it was eligible for preliminary approval; nevertheless, the mission group by no means submitted the mission for preliminary or last approval. Adjustments to state development code rules in floodplains final yr led to the mission being placed on pause, for the reason that constructing pad to raise it out of the flood zone wouldn’t be low cost, and KeyBank needed to make sure they needed to maneuver ahead at this web site. Nicely, they’ve. The mission is lastly prepared to hunt approval.
Fast refresher, KeyBank has plans to construct a brand new $1.34 million department on 1.063 acres of land to be subdivided from the 17.771-acre Wegman’s property on South Meadow Avenue within the metropolis’s huge field retail hall. Plans name for a brand new 3,415 square-foot department workplace with freestanding ATM cover. The location may also embody 59 parking areas, two drive by means of lanes, lighting, landscaping, signage, and inner walkways. Vehicular web site entry shall be from the rear of the property off the inner circulation street of the Wegmans property.
Nevertheless, there was some dissent. The board’s Mitch Glass, who was unable to attend the assembly, equipped a letter previous to the assembly stating he would oppose mission approval due to two causes. One, it sits within the 100-year flood plain and is lifted up on a soil/fill pad, which Glass felt made it stand out an excessive amount of and be out of context with the city cloth (Glass says it’s a five-foot raise, Keybank’s paperwork say two toes). For 2, it removes eight mature English Oak timber, which he felt would make the constructing stand out much more. Feeling the mission was not an enchancment to the Meadow Avenue hall, he voiced his opposition.
Undertaking architect Ben Gingrich of HSB Architects + Engineers was readily available to stroll the board by means of the plans. Gingrich mentioned the financial institution did its finest to hook up with South Meadow Avenue, saying that it was a really difficult web site and so they needed the constructing to be approachable. They sought to melt the elevated footprint with landscaping and using a decrease slope to keep away from “switchback” accessibility ramps. Gingrich emphasised that “plenty of glass” confronted in direction of South Meadow, offering some extent of engagement and curiosity. (Apparently, that entrance vestibule is named an “entrance dice.” It’s not a dice, however we’re not mathematicians right here.)
Different members of the board positively had some discomfort with the lack of the oaks. Board member Petrina needed the timber preserved if nevertheless potential, as did her colleagues Garrick Blalock and Elisabete Godden. The constructing was effective, and Petrina mentioned she suspected it was so the constructing can be extra seen, however the timber are fairly massive and the boars would like these be saved alive. Planning Director Lisa Nicholas felt the 59 parking areas was extreme, and metropolis planner Nikki Cerra needed timber alongside Meadow, retained or not.
In response, Gingrich mentioned it was a problem, and that this web site needed to be regraded because of the floodplain difficulty, which is what drove the elimination of the timber. “Sadly, nearly something you construct right here goes to require some type of modification as a result of regrading.” He emphasised that KeyBank took a protracted, exhausting have a look at this nook and checked out different properties within the space over the previous yr earlier than transferring ahead, and that they’re changing timber in-kind.
Typically talking, the board was keen to maneuver ahead with a vote, but additionally add a situation relating to enhancement of the landscaping. “You’ll be able to approve the mission with the situation of a revised landscaping plan, however you’ll need to particular about what you need to see,” mentioned Director Nicholas. “I’d give some common pointers, tree islands or a few of that parking.”
“It is a heavily-parked web site in a heavily-parked space,” mentioned Chair Lewis. “The landscaping you’re proposing, whereas an enchancment, just isn’t fairly the place we’d prefer it to be.”
Gingrich mentioned they may contemplate extra panorama islands within the parking zone if that was one thing the board would contemplate. Nicholas emphasised shade timber and sufficient soil quantity to assist massive timber, which Planner Cerra agreed. In sum, the board was keen to grant preliminary approval on the constructing, and needed to see a revised landscaping plan previous to last approval. With a situation to evaluate the landscaping plans previous to last approval, the board was keen to grant preliminary approval, which might grant footprint work. The difficulty isn’t the constructing, it’s the landscaping. Unanimous preliminary approval was granted, with last approval to be thought-about subsequent month.
The Breeze Flats (121-25 Lake Avenue)
Transferring on to the following merchandise in Website Plan Evaluate is the Breeze Residence proposal for the Ithaca Gun property. Ithaca’s Visum Improvement Group proposes to construct a four-story condominium constructing and related web site enhancements on the previous Gun Hill Manufacturing unit web site. The 77-unit, 109-bed market-rate condominium constructing shall be a mixture of studios, one- and two-bedroom models and contains 77 parking areas (47 floor areas and 30 lined areas below the constructing). Website enhancements embody stone mud walkways, bike racks, benches, a bioretention filter to deal with the parking areas and rooftop stormwater, native and adaptive plant species, and meadow areas to revive edges of the positioning.
The constructing shall be constructed on the east parcel of the Former Ithaca Gun Manufacturing unit Website which is at present within the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP). Earlier than web site growth can happen, the applicant is required to remediate the positioning based mostly on a soil cleanup goal for restricted residential use. A remedial investigation (RI) was just lately accomplished on the web site and was submitted to NYSDEC in April 2021.
On faucet for this month was to evaluate design adjustments and work by means of Half 3 of the Full Environmental Evaluation Kind (FEAF), notably the open house and historic/aesthetic useful resource impacts. This mission is transferring alongside within the SEQR course of, however nonetheless has some work to do earlier than a vote on environmental significance can happen.
Visum Improvement Group Vice President for Improvement Patrick Braga led the event group into the assembly. Now, talking from statement, Braga, a Cornell and Harvard alum, is reduce from a unique fabric than most growth of us, in that he tends to talk with a sure high-mindedness that one doesn’t usually see in these conferences. His narratives are much less about revenue and feasibility, and extra about character and group connection, which is completely different vibe than the norm.
Aiding Braga the place engineer David Herrick of T.G. Miller and architect Rob Fornataro of SWBR Architects. Herrick identified a bioretention/stormwater filter in entrance of the constructing to filter runoff by means of soil media, and Fornataro famous the general public plaza serves as a fire-truck turnaround. Some bracing was including to the bottom stage dealing with Lake Avenue. The smokestack inspection is both to be a break up value for the inspection and a $1 “sale” to the town as a public park if in preservable situation, or at Visum’s discretion if the town chooses to not break up the inspection prices.
“The mission is progressing actually properly, it’s a tough web site,” mentioned the board Daniel Correa. “It looks as if this group is discovering options for every part, that is very optimistic,” added his colleague Garrick Blalock. The board’s Godden emphasizing going with fiber cement cladding over EIFS (artificial stucco). The first concern remaining appear to be concerning the quantity of paving close to the gorge, however Chair Lewis mentioned they’d deal with that on one other night time.
The mission is making progress and a vote on environmental significance is probably going within the subsequent month or two. The mission shall be again earlier than the Planning Board subsequent month.
The Hive (132 Cherry Avenue)
Onto the following mission in final night time’s agenda. Visum’s newest plan for the previous Ben Weitsman property proposes to demolish the prevailing constructing and assemble a primarily residential mixed-use growth with two 5-story buildings. The buildings include 143 residential models on 4 flooring, two industrial areas totaling 3,220 sq. toes, 50 parking areas on the bottom flooring, and indoor facilities together with a health room, multifunctional studio, group kitchen, rooftop terrace and lounge, canine wash and secured bundle room. Outside facilities embody a picnic space, a waterfront courtyard with a pool, a plaza alongside Cherry Avenue, streetscape enhancements and landscaping.
The mission is situated within the Cherry Avenue District Zoning District and would require a entrance yard variance. The mission web site is within the Cherry Avenue Zoning District (CSD) and is topic to Design Evaluate. This is a pretty big proposal and there’s so much for the Planning Board to undergo, so anticipate this to be a reasonably concerned evaluate course of. The itinerary this month was an up to date presentation from the mission group, and a number of the Half 3 of the Full Environmental Evaluation Kind (FEAF).
Chief Working Officer Laura Mattos of Visum and Ryan Kelly of RPK Panorama Architects represented the mission earlier than the board. Mattos mentioned the 575 square-foot pool had been repositioned and defined how the courtyard was designed to host a number of actions, reminiscent of a grille house and a garden space. Kelly emphasize their efforts at biodiversity alongside the inlet with quite a lot of plant species and a layered strategy to the bioretention space, with 600 crops whole, to sheath points of the structure. The repositioned pool maximized south and west publicity.
The board lauded the planting plan and out of doors areas. “The plaza’s trying actually good, the plantings look assorted, a very nice space with shading from the pergolas, I find it irresistible,” mentioned the board’s Godden. Metropolis planners sought to dissuade the mission from utilizing invasive vinca minor crops, and cautioned them on floodplain impacts. The board additionally appeared very comfy with the zoning variances sought.
“The mission’s trying actual sharp, I’m excited to see this proceed to progress,” mentioned Chair Lewis. The mission shall be again earlier than the board subsequent month.
Maguire Hyundai-Subaru (320 Elmira Street)
Subsequent as much as bat within the Website Plan Evaluate agenda final night time was the Maguire Household of Dealerships’ plan to renovate its Hyundai-Subaru dealership in Southwest Ithaca. The proposal requires a multiphase renovation mission for the two.53-acre web site and the present 18,000 square-foot constructing, which comprises two car dealership showrooms, places of work, a service reception, a service storage, elements storage, and a retailer mezzanine. The proposed work for the constructing contains many exterior and inside renovations together with service storage slab substitute, window substitute, partial peak CMU partition partitions, and inside and exterior portray. The proposed web site renovations embody elimination and substitute of present gravel parking with asphalt, planting beds and islands, curbing, and concrete aprons and pads.
The mission is situated within the SW-2 Zoning District, which is pretty permissive as the town of Ithaca’s zoning goes – SW-2 is mainly the catch-all for suburban industrial and small-box/big-box retail, automobile dealerships included. With no zoning variances wanted and being a renovation relatively than a brand new development, the evaluate must be pretty clean. Final night time had an up to date presentation and a possible vote on preliminary and last web site plan approval.
Fast aspect observe, a few of you might need observed Maguire purchased Willcox Tire at 233 Elmira Street. In a request for remark previous to the assembly, CEO Phil Maguire said “(w)e wouldn’t have any instant growth plans for the property. Wilcox Tire will stay because the tenant. We determined to buy the land for future growth functions and to scale back parking congestion at Honda, Chrysler, Hyundai and Subaru across the nook. It’s an amazing location zoned for automotive inside strolling distance.”
John Snyder of the eponymous native structure agency represented the mission earlier than the board. Snyder famous that he and Metropolis Forester Jeanne Grace have been planning a gathering to “unify” planting with the neighboring Maguire Chrysler web site. The board was comfy deferring to employees on evaluate of the ultimate planting plan, and with little additional dialogue that they took a vote on last approval, which was granted unanimously.
Cornell Computing and Data Science Constructing (CIS, Hoy Street)
Subsequent up on the agenda is the freshest mission, which the Voice shared with you pricey readers final month. Cornell College proposes setting up a 4-story L-shaped constructing, roughly 133,000 square-feet, south and adjoining to Gates Corridor (107 Hoy Rd.) and west of Hoy Storage on Hoy Street within the space at present occupied by Hoy Baseball Subject. The brand new constructing will home tutorial and analysis services for Cornell Bowers Computing and Data Science (CIS) packages, school, and college students. The mission features a new quad, plaza areas, new greenspaces together with native landscaping, pedestrian/vehicular circulation, accessible and electrical car parking, and a service drive. The SPR submitting signifies exhausting development prices (supplies, labor) will clock in at about $76 million and the mission is aiming for a March 2025 completion.
As with the Thurston Corridor addition, the mission is situated in U-1 zoning that offers a reasonably huge berth for Cornell to design what it desires, and it gained’t require any variances. That famous, it is a pretty sizable constructing with substantial impacts, so it’d transfer a bit of extra slowly than most Cornell initiatives, if nonetheless sooner than comparable initiatives of its dimension and scope.
With all paperwork in good order, plans to vote for Declaration of Lead Company and start evaluate of FEAF Half 2 have been on the agenda, in addition to a presentation from Cornell panorama architect David Cutter in addition to panorama architect Kim Michaels of TWMLA. As is common for Cornell mission, the board’s Elisabete Godden, a Cornell mission supervisor, recused herself from evaluate.
It had appeared there had been architectural revisions based mostly on the presentation – the nice and cozy salmon-toned panels had been changed with a extra impartial gray palette, with variation within the steel fins for visible curiosity. Michaels acknowledged the will to honor Hoy Subject not directly, and mentioned the design group is engaged on that however doesn’t have a solution but. Cornell is in search of preliminary approval on the mission by the top of September for its Spring 2025 completion.
The board’s Declaration of Lead Company to conduct SEQR handed unanimously. The board was usually favorable to the plans. Some issues have been expressed about extra lush landscaping from sure angles. Planner Cerra cautioned that the approval timeline was nonetheless relatively aggressive, however the mission is transferring ahead and shall be again earlier than the board in August.
The Gem (202 Linden Avenue)
The Voice broke information of this modest Collegetown infill mission earlier this month. Native agency Visum Improvement Group proposes to demolish an present two‐story home and accent storage to permit for the development of a brand new three‐story condominium constructing with a partial story beneath common grade. The condominium constructing will home 10 models, equaling roughly 9,150 square-foot whole constructing space. The mission is situated within the CR‐4 zoning district and would require no variances. No off‐road parking shall be offered, and the applicant will submit a Transportation Demand Administration plan as required. The mission is topic to
Collegetown Design Tips.
It’s a small mission, Collegetown is among the metropolis’s much less fussed-over neighborhoods, and it complies with zoning. This isn’t more likely to be a giant newsmaker or an prolonged debate, and the evaluate course of is more likely to be a reasonably clean routine.
As defined within the presentation by HOLT Architects’ Tom Kinslow, the doorway is definitely barely beneath grade, and the mission group is attempting to make the lot as lush as potential past the constructing footprint. Supplies staging throughout development can be alongside the road and west of the constructing footprint.
The board voted unanimously to declare itself Lead Company. “It is a robust mission in a spot the place we’d like housing,” mentioned Chair Lewis. Nevertheless, he did need to see extra growth of the street-facing facades. “This mission can and must be a house run.”
“Admittedly, plenty of these properties are decrepit, and including density is a good factor to see. Wanting ahead to seeing this mission evolve,” added the board’s Correa. “I discover the entrance entrance extraordinarily uncommon and never very city in any respect,” admonished Director Nicholas. “I don’t perceive why you might want to do this.” In response, Kinslow said it was due to the grade. “It’s on a sloping web site, it’s not beneath grade however it’s beneath sidewalk,” mentioned HOLT Architects’ Steve Hugo. Above 30 toes, due to energy strains and aerial hearth equipment entry points, the mission prices would shoot up, in order that they sought to maintain it beneath 30 toes in peak.
Clearly, this was going to be a sticking level, and it might must be addressed throughout evaluate. There are comparable initiatives in Collegetown in road presence, as an illustration 119-125 Faculty Avenue, however this clearly going to be a debate matter within the coming months. The mission shall be again earlier than the board for additional debate subsequent month.
Zoning Appeals
Transferring on to suggestions to the Board of Zoning Appeals for his or her assembly subsequent month, the Planning Board had one software to evaluate for remark, a signage bundle for “The Ithaca” at 210 East Inexperienced Avenue.
The event group is proposing to put in 3 constructing indicators on the north and south elevations of the constructing situated at 210 E. Inexperienced Avenue. The Signal Ordinance limits every enterprise to 1 freestanding signal or 2 constructing indicators, and every signal is proscribed to 50 sq. toes in signal space. As well as, any signal promoting a residential constructing is proscribed to 12 sq. toes in signal space. Two of the proposed constructing indicators (The Ithacan emblem, recognized as Sort 1) shall be 94.5 sq. toes, and the third signal (The Ithacan) shall be 22 sq. toes. So too many, and too huge. As beforehand famous in these writeups, the board tends to be sticklers on signage.
“This isn’t Miami, proper? there are single-family properties surrounding in every single place right here,” mentioned Correa. “I don’t see why a multifamily residential constructing must be branded extensively.”
The remainder of the board was equally against the quantity and dimension of signing proposed. The board clearly disliked the thought of illuminated indicators on a residential constructing and felt that indicators close to the roof have been pointless. The board was extra comfy with signage close to the constructing base for wayfinding functions. So no optimistic suggestion right here.
With no additional enterprise of observe, the board wrapped up and referred to as it an evening.
