Ithacating in Cornell Heights

In and near the Collegetown neighborhood, several smaller construction projects are currently underway. One of those is 707 East Seneca, an urban infill project in the East Hill Historic District. Since the project was located in a historic district, the design had to go through the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Council for approval, along with getting approval from the planning board, and the zoning board for an area variance (the lot was too small). After informational and voting meetings by different boards throughout the fall and winter, all the approvals were granted.

The design of the 3-story building is intended to be compatible with the historic homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s that surround the site. 707 East Seneca was originally the playground area for the now-closed East Hill School, and the lot was given to the city in 1982. The property fell into disuse, and the playground into disrepair.  The city voted to put the lot up for sale through the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) in summer 2014, and the vacant lot was sold for $130,000 last December. A building loan agreement filed with the county last Friday estimates the total “hard” construction cost for the building at $752,350. Hard construction costs leave out legal fees, permit fees, and other costs not directly related to construction.

When completed, the apartment building will have 6 units and 18 bedrooms. Four garage parking units will be located under the building and tucked into the hillside, in addition to five surface parking spaces. The building is expected to be completed before students return this August.

Note for the included renders, the black-and-white image with the small basement windows is the final design, but the colors are the same as the lead rendering.

In these photos taken last Friday, it appears that the building has been faced with plywood, topped out to its final storey and roofed. The exterior walls have been almost fully wrapped with Tyvek water barrier wrap. Some interior framing can be seen from the outside.

The design of the building is by Schickel Architecture of Ithaca, and the developer is Ithacan Todd Fox.