Another Apartment Complex Considered for Cornell Heights

26 12 2013

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Original concept description with renderings here, meeting minutes here. The project is a in-the-works proposal by Campus Acquisitions LLC, the design by Shepley Bulfinch Architects of Boston. Campus Acquisitions, if I have this correct, looks to be a Chicago-based investment group with projects generally clustered around Chicagoland, and a number of college towns along the West Coast and Interior West.

The parcels of land in question are “150 and 152 Highland Avenue”, an underutilized lot (152), and a bungalow built in 1920 (150). The bungalow appears to be a 2-unit home owned by Travis Hyde properties. 152 Highland is a heavily wooded, steeply graded vacant parcel, but has a little bit of Cornell lore associated with it, as it was home to Phi Kappa Sigma’s swimming pool (the house, named “Greentrees”, is now Pi Kappa Phi, the pool is now unused and decaying). The 2.49 acre parcel was originally bought in 1996 by Travis Hyde properties with the intention of apartments, but nothing came of the parcel. The property was on-again off-again in local real estate listings (asking for 200k), and was last delisted (sold?) in June 2012.

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The image above uses one of the old design concepts. The bungalow is proposed for renovation, though I am not sure what role, if any, Travis Hyde properties has in the development (something in conjunction with the other parcel, maybe?). The original conceptuals for “1 Ridgewood” proposed as many as 70 units, later reduced to 64 units (four floors over an underground garage) in the first design proposal, released this past fall:

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This didn’t work for multiple reasons. For one, many of the deep-pocketed local land owners are strongly opposed to more development; I’ve known for years that the venerable widow who owns the house south of the property on Highland (she was a fixture at my fraternity’s annual wine-and-cheese event, and a pleasure to chat with) has been fiercely opposed to any construction on that site. For two, the property is in the Cornell Heights historic district, which subjects it to more stringent and evolving design and massing guidelines. The latest concept calls for 45 units in 3 smaller structures, with a mix of surface and underground parking. At some point in the near future, the formal proposal will likely appear on the planning board’s agenda.

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How Does One Fill A Former Sorority House

8 12 2013

Image property of O’connor Apartments

This one was forwarded to me by an observant reader, L.D. It’s a listing on Craigslist for rentals available for June 2014 at 114 the Knoll (I always thought it was 115 the Knoll, but the listing photo matches my photos), which has served as a chapter house for a few different sororities over the years, the last being Alpha Xi Delta, which moved to another house on Ridgewood Road in 2010. More recently, the house has been occupied by a campus Christian group, Chesterton House. Chesterton’s house website notes a 2014 goal for purchasing a property near campus to serve as their permanent home, and I’m assuming that if this posting is up, then there’s a strong chance they succeeded in achieving that goal (if anyone knows where they decided to settle, feel free to comment or email me).

Quoting the listing:

“Beautiful arts and crafts house on North Campus available for June 2014. $750 per bedroom for 16 bedrooms plus utilities. Can hold up to 22 for the same price. Large living room with leather furniture. Banquet size dining room. Cook’s kitchen. You have to see to believe. Use [sic] to be a sorority. Email or call [redacted]”

This seems like a more unusual, and perhaps somewhat more difficult way to fill a large group home. Although the email links to the O’Connor Apartments property group, I don’t see it in their property listings, and I think they’re only handling the rental aspect of the house on behalf of another entity. My guess is that Delta Phi Epsilon sorority still owns the property, and with no short-term prospects of restarting their chapter, they need some way to try and keep revenue coming in for upkeep of the house. On one hand, they could sell to Cornell, which takes care of the tax issue, but then they’re at Cornell’s mercy – the house most likely becomes a dorm and there’s nothing Delta Phi Epsilon would be able to do, especially since they’ve gone a decade without an active chapter (there were attempts to re-colonize about three years ago, which did not materialize – the whole process being the subject of enough gossip at the time that one could have written a book about it). Yet another option is another private sale, like the home at 210 Thurston that was sold a couple years ago to the wealthy parents of a Cornell wrestler, renovated, and now serves as the home of Cornell wrestling team.

This is one of those houses that seems to routinely pass between groups at Cornell. I’ll be curious to see what happens.

Edit 1/23/14: Maybe I’m wrong about DPhiE still owning the property. I forgot that it was listed in July 2009 and sold in January 2010. Perhaps now the O’Connor Apartments firm owns the building.


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Dear Cayuga Place, Please Settle On A Design

17 08 2013

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This building has become the bane of this blog’s existence. From the Planning Board:

The applicant is requesting modifications to site plan approved on August 28, 2012, including: a reduction in the site footprint to 6,920 SF (from 9,400 SF); an increase in total floor space to 49,244 GSF (from 47,075 GSF); an increase in the number of stories to 7 (from 4); an increase in the number of units to 45 (from 39); a reduction in the height of the first‐floor elevation to 409’6” (from 410’); a reduction in floor‐to-floor height to 11’4”without mezzanine loft (from 15’6” with mezzanine loft); an increase in total building height to 81’4” (from 63’6”);the addition of 21 unit balconies and 18 false unit balconies; the addition of 4 unit walk‐outs; and the use of auger‐ grouted steel core displacement piles for the foundation (from a spread‐footing foundation).

So in sum, a taller building with a smaller footprint is being proposed, with a few more units of apartments. The gross area only changes slightly, and the ceilings aren’t as high as before. Given the prelim renderings of this latest version, the general design elements remain the same, although at just over 81 feet tall, the building should now fully mask the wall of the parking garage next door.

So let’s see here…here are original renderings v1, v2 and v3….an updated version of V3, v3.1 if you will….v4…..and now this latest one, which we’ll call version 5. This building has changed its “image” more times than a teenage girl.

At least with the current revision, the change may have been less for market concerns, and more out of engineering concerns. Note the change in the type of foundation; spread-footing foundations are shallow foundations, which spreads the weight out and doesn’t go as deep into the soil (you often see these in flood-prone areas). The replacement is a deep foundation, which is selected when the soil is poor in the shallow layer. My guess is that they were doing site testing, the near-surface soil was worse than expected (perhaps due to the presence of Six Mile Creek), so Bloomfield and Schon decided to build upwards on the more stable portion of the parcel, rather than out. Deep foundations are usually more expensive, which could explain the increase in number of units.

Will this be the incarnation that actually gets built? Good question. I’m kinda tired of flavor of the season, so I’m kinda hoping it just goes up already.


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A Random Mix of Project Updates 7/2013

1 08 2013

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Over at Breckenridge Place, the installation of the brick facade is nearing completion, and some of the windows have been installed in the six-story building. Originally slated for occupancy this fall, it looks like this has been pushed back a few months to very early 2014, according to the INHS website. This seems reasonable, as the vast majority of interior work still needs to be completed, not to mention the rest of the facade, window installation, and finishes/landscaping. An application lottery is underway for qualifying individuals.

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Looks like I can mark Collegetown’s 107 Cook Street as complete. Developer Dan Ligouri’s four units (12 bedrooms) will welcome their first tenants this summer (June/August thereabouts).  Replacing it in the queue of small residential projects, local nonprofit INHS will be launching construction on a 4-unit townhome project at the sharp corner of South Cayuga and South Titus Streets, just south of downtown. This is in addition to the aforementioned Breckenridge, a few rebuilds/renovations they have underway and the second phase of the Holly Creek townhomes, which will add another 11 units to be completed in late 2014.

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Ithaca makes this almost too easy. Ithaca Builds has been keeping tabs on the Planned Parenthood development, where foundation work is underway. The other two won’t start for a few more months.

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It sure is odd to see a treeless Ithaca Commons.  Excavation and utilities replacement will be underway through December, with reconstruction and new surfacing planned for next spring and summer.

 


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Seneca Way Updates, 07/2013

30 07 2013

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My compliments to the DIA for deciding to use renderings as wall posters on the construction barriers of Ithaca Commons.

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Seneca Way still has two floors to go before topping out, although the stairwells appear to be fully built out.  Wall panels are in place up to the fourth floor, and the wood reinforcements on the fifth floor suggest installation will begin shortly. Seneca Way will add 38 apartments and 8,600 sq ft of office space to downtown when it is completed in Spring 2014.  The office space will be fully occupied by Warren Real Estate and the non-profit Park Foundation, which had also been looking at space in the Cayuga Green Condos before that project went all-residential.

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I assume that the Argos Inn is open for guests at this time. The landscaping is tidy and the new 13-room boutique hotel breathes life into the ca. 1831 Cowdry House, which once served as the headquarters for Duncan Hines. The last owners, non-profit Unity House  (a treatment/rehab facility), moved up to Lansing right by the mall.


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Belle Sherman Cottages, 7/2013

30 07 2013

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Next on my tour was a stop at the Belle Sherman Cottages to make a progress report.

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With four homes complete (Lots 1, 7, 8, and 14), one under construction (Lot 2), and one in site prep (Lot 19), the 29-unit development (19 homes, 10 townhouses) is beginning to resemble a settled neighborhood from a few very select angles.

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103 Walnut Street (Lot 2) is currently underway, and will be completed in the next couple weeks. Only three of the five styles are represented so far, the Victorian and Craftsman-style farmhouses have yet to be built.

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Lot 19 is tucked in the sharply-angled northern corner of the parcel, necessitating Agora LLC to insert the road extension. This extension is also where the townhouses will be built, although I’m not sure when they will start construction on those (i.e. what the sales thresholds are). Several lots are listed for sale with local RE agencies.

As noted at Ithaca Builds, these homes are built using modular pieces, which when done right can result in a quick turnaround from prep to construction to completion. It is likely the bungalow slated for Lot 19 will be completed by early fall, just as construction season starts to slow down in Ithaca.


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Collegetown Terrace Update 7/2013

27 07 2013

Taking a page out of Ithaca Builds’ format – breaking these up to reduce wordpress photo drag. I had exactly 90 minutes to try and hit as much of Ithaca as possible before getting back on the road; I didn’t see everything I wanted, but I hit a lot, and I’ll be sharing those photos over the next few days.

Phase 2 for Collegetown Terrace is nearing completion (units will have their first tenants next month), and phase 3 is underway with a targeted completion date of August 2014. Phase 2 consists of buildings 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4. Phase 3 will have buildings 5, 6 and 7, and these buildings will be similar in appearance to phase 2.

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The large glassy entry pavilion (where the fitness center will be, if I remember right) is largely complete, Any work left at this stage would likely be cosmetic details such as finishes.

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Since I’m not the biggest fan of modern architecture, I was a little nervous about the facade treatment when it was first proposed. The metal tiles don’t look half bad, as the landscaping grows in they’ll blend into the environment more nicely.

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The George C. Williams house has been sympathetically renovated, although the addition to the back is rather incongruous.

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Building 3.4 is quite massive, although the north facade attempts to make the structure seem a little less mammoth. The south side, deeper into the gorge, makes less of an effort. Building 5 can be under construction in the above image.

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This guy totally struggled to turn into the street. On that note, I struggled just trying to cross the street. I will be quite relieved when the reworked intersection of State and Mitchell is in place.

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The buildings from Phase 1 are growing out their landscaping and appear to be faring all this construction rather well.

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Not quite sure what the red-and-white checkered flag means, it could be a warning symbol or a company symbol, like the topping pine tree seen with some construction projects.

 

 

 


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130 East Clinton Goes Even More Boxy

10 06 2013

Not much in the way of new and exciting to mention as of late – the last planning board meeting focuses on projects already covered here and on Ithaca Builds (Harold’s Square, The Purity Project, the Thurston Ave. Apts and Klarman Hall), and the town cancelled its regularly scheduled meeting, which is what happens when no one has anything that needs to go to the boards. Thankfully (from this perspective anyway) it is construction season, so much work is underway around-and-abouts.

One detail work noting and sharing is a redesign for the 130 East Clinton project, designed by Sharma architects on behalf of  steretoypical one-percenter Jason Fane and his real estate company. No longer does it have hipped roofs.

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Apparently, the architects decided to go with the “box of boxes” look, with a little bright color on the extensions for a little character. The design before was traditional and rather bland. Now it’s more modern but still fairly bland. But it’s density in a growing downtown, so I’m not complaining.


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The EcoVillage

9 05 2013

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Although I take a lot of jabs at “hippies”, the reason I never made it to Ecovillage before now had less to do with any personal stance and more to do with the fact it was just out of my way. Rachel Carson Way lies about a mile and a half westward of Inlet Island, nestled in the hills opposite from Cornell. This means that when I past through, it’s farthest out of my way, so time often being a priority, it always sat on the bucket list. Finally, I made the conscious effort to take a trip up on my last photo tour.

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Ecovillage runs on the concept of co-housing, which in many ways runs close to most people’s idea of a commune (and mentally, I still find myself referring to it as a commune). There are optional shared dinners, a community-based work system, and of course, being in tune with the natural environment. Hence, solar arrays, housing designed to minimize energy use, foods grown on the property,  and so forth. Ecovillage isn’t unique, not even in Tompkins County (White Hawk in Danby is a smaller but similar concept). But it is probably one of the best known developments of its kind.

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Ecovillage began planning in 1992-1993, when stakeholders purchased a former farm with the intent of launching an eco-friendly community.  The first neighborhood, FROG (First Resident Group), began construction in 1995 and was completed two years later. The second community, SONG (Second Neighborhood Group), received site plan approval in 2001, and was built in three phases over five years. Each of these neighborhoods has 30 units with a community center. The community also has a few other bells and whistles, like a passive bus shelter, a root cellar, carports and a berry farm. The pre-Ecovillage farmhouse and barn are now a separate property holding an antique shop and the City Lights B&B.

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Ecovillage is well underway with its third neighborhood, TREE. At 40 units, TREE is slightly larger than the first two neighborhoods. Construction is definitely underway, and the majority of the community should be complete before the end of the year. Also worth a quick note, a 900 sq ft “Gourd Workshop” was under construction when I passed through. More additions, like an education center and a roadside farm stand, are in the works.

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If you don’t want to be a creeper like me, Ecovillage opens itself up for a free public tour at 3 PM on the first Saturday of each month. That way, you can avoid being like me, trying to take photos when kids keep wandering in front of them, and having that awkward realization that you look like a child predator.


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The Storybook Cottages

26 04 2013

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Several months ago, my best friend landed his dream job in Ithaca. Within the day, he was looking for places to live. I being his roommate, and trying to be as discreet as possible given my borderline-unhealthy interest in Ithaca real estate, was more than happy to listen in and offer advice.

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One of the places he checked out was The Boiceville Cottages (I’ve always assumed this is pronounced like “Boy-ss”, like the Boyce Thompson Institute on Cornell’s campus).  As multi-unit housing goes, they’re quite unusual. In general, housing is set up in single-unit cottages, clustered in groups of three. More recently, a few three-unit buildings, and a church-like meeting house have been erected. Perhaps the most obvious details are the colors. It’s like someone looked at a bright cheery children’s storybook and went to town.  Apparently, such tales were at least part of the inpsiration for their appearance, with the intricate eaves and vivid paint-jobs.

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The project is a little out of the way, about a mile south of the Caroline town hall and Route 79. So it took me a little while to swing out for a visit, and see them firsthand (my friend settled in Eastern Heights. Boo). This development further caught my attention because of the expansion underway. The Boiceville Cottages development was first initiated in 1996, and from what I can tell, it took about ten years to build the first 24 units.  Around 2007, a second phase was initiated, with 36 units. As of last year, this phase is complete (so, they definitely picked up the pace on construction…). Recently, they were granted approval for the construction of 75 more units, doubling the size of the complex.

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When I finally made it out that way a few weeks ago, I was going around taking photos, when an older gentleman in a pickup stopped and asked if I could be helped. Generally, I’m extremely cautious when I go on photo tours – on previous occasions, both Ithaca and elsewhere, I’ve been threatened with the law and with violence, so I regard every interaction where I have a camera in my hands with extreme prudence.

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The gentleman turned out to be the builder/developer, Bruno Schickel. About a month earlier, I had asked if there were any renderings or site plans online (the answer at the time was “only what’s on the website”; the link above is a site plan from a town review of the project). So I wasn’t a complete stranger. We chatted politely for a couple minutes, I told him how I thought he had a unique and creative development. He invited me to check out a display unit (which due to a long to-do list, I politely declined). All in all, I’m glad I did not get chased off the property, and my thanks to Mr. Schickel for  tolerating this random guy taking photos of his property.

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