forest city realty | Ithacating in Cornell Heights

Heights of Lansing Construction Update, 12/2019

23 12 2019

Forest City Realty (the Bonniwell and Jonson families) is continuing work on the next six-string of for-sale townhouses as part of their Heights of Lansing development at the end of Bomax Drive in Lansing village. The units currently under construction (65, 67, 69, 71, 73 and 75 Nor Way) will be 3 bedroom/3.5 bath with 2,500 sqaure feet of living space and a price tag of $398k-$408k, the higher price tag being for the units on either end of the string (one less party well and a pair of additional small windows).

The biggest difference between this six-string (hexplex?) and the previous is that the older set across the street steps down in elevation a little bit for each pair going southward, while this newer set is all the same elevation. In terms of finishes, they should be similar, but not the same. The gables, entries and fenestration are nearly the same, but I suspect the colors of the finishes will be different than the blue shingle/beige stucco on the older string.

Per the advertisements online, this one for 65 Nor Way:

“Brand new, luxury townhouse with Italian villa vibe in the contemporary Heights of Lansing neighborhood. End units have extra windows. Marbled flooring in entrance vestibule leads to sunken Great Room with 10′ ceilings, crown molding, rounded corners, beautiful floor to ceiling windows, gas fireplace with marble and stone mantel. Open Mediterranean style gourmet kitchen shines with stainless steel appliances and ample Ubatuba granite counter space. Back patio features stamped concrete design and privacy fence. Upper level landing with built-in shelving/office area, and balcony access. All bedrooms en suite with radiant heat in baths. Upper level laundry. Energy efficient ductless heating/cooling wall units with 5 zones will save you money, improve interior air quality, and leave a smaller carbon footprint. Attached 2 car garage with its own heating/cooling unit. Low HOA $185/mo. Convenient to Cornell, Cayuga Lake, downtown, dining, and shopping. Bellissima!”

In case you’re wondering, Ubatuba is a very dark-colored and trendy Brazilian granite. These are fully framed, roofed and are being sheathed and housewrapped now, but it doesn’t look like much more than interior framing has taken place within the townhouses, with perhaps some utilities roughs-ins just getting underway. These are likely heading for a late spring (Q2 2020) finish. For those interested but looking for something move-in ready, two of the six townhouses in the last string (64 Nor Way and 68 Nor Way) are still on the market.

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Tags: construction, construction (planned), for-sale housing, forest city realty, photos, village of lansing
Categories : construction, construction (planned), general housing, ithaca, photos

East Pointe Apartments Construction Update, 8/2018

6 08 2018

No one can say DGA Builders is wasting time. A visit on Friday showed three sets of CMU foundation walls have been assembled and mortared, each for a ten-unit townhouse string. A few crewmen kept an eye on a material placement truck, also known as a stone slinger, as it launched rocks into the footprint encased by the foundation walls. This may be a crushed stone base (hardfill) for a concrete slab pour, given the stacks of rebar with surface rust sitting nearby. A shallow foundation would work fine here because two-story buildings aren’t especially heavy as structures go, and it would be less expensive and time consuming than a deep foundation. Elsewhere around the site one sees PVC sanitation pipes (sea green), water pipes (blue), and pieces for utility junctions.

Meanwhile just a stone’s sling away on Nor Way, Forest City realty continues work on the six-unit string (hexplex?) of townhouses. Two are fully framed and roofed, two have had their first floor framed though not fully sheathed, and the other two are only partially framed on the first floor. As with all the townhouse strings, these will incorporated some unique design features while keeping the general unit layout the same. I know they’re not happy about the East Pointe townhomes, but it could be a good synergy – the price points ($1,400-$2,000/month fr East Pointe, $350k for the Heights of Lansing townhouses) are such that renters who may wish to stay in that neighborhood may look at the Heights townhomes as an option.

A website is now up and running for East Pointe. It’s mostly stock images and bland corporate-speak, but they do have floor plans and some new renders. Here’s the advertising pitch:

“This apartment community is located on 20 acres in Lansing, NY, which is part of the Ithaca, NY, market. This is new construction of 140 state-of-the-art apartments. There will be 36 one-bedroom units, 90 two-bedroom units, and 14 three-bedroom units. The project will include fourteen apartment buildings with 10 units in each building that will be walk-up garden style with private entrances and a community building. All units will have high end finishes and amenities, including stainless finish appliances, microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer, ice maker, granite counter tops, wood cabinets, vinyl plank flooring and wall-to-wall carpeting, tile showers, high end plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures. All apartments will include a patio or deck. The community building will include the leasing and maintenance office, Great Room and warming kitchen for gatherings, and a fitness center. The project also includes an outdoor pool with changing rooms and shower.”

I have no idea what a warming kitchen is, but my very Sicilian mother is pretty good at turning kitchens into warming spaces around the holidays. A photo of the community center is included below.

UPDATE: I’m just going to add this here since the timing was ever so slightly off- on Monday the 6th, the construction loan was filed with the county. M&T Bank is lending Park Grove (represented by an LLC) $22.6 million for construction of the East Pointe project.