Ithacating in Cornell Heights

Normally, I use a full-fledged DSLR camera for these construction tours, I accidentally forgot my camera and had to use my phone instead. The resolution isn’t as great, but they still came out better than I expected. These photos were taken on the 28th.

Here we have what looks like a pair of townhomes going up in the Maple Ridge development just east of Dryden village. Maple Ridge was dreamed up as a multi-phase 50-unit housing development when it began in 2008/09, but the recession deflated those plans. Only four homes have been completed so far; the blue house with the very large garage was built earlier this year.

Going over to Lansing, two more oddly Florida-like homes are underway at the Heights of Lansing development off of Bomax Drive. One is virtually complete with only exterior detailing left on the to-do list, the other home is but a shell, still in the rough framing stage. No new townhomes, but a third home lot was sold a few weeks ago, so another single-family home will likely start construction sometime in the near-future. The development is slated for about 80 units when complete, and since inception in 2006, has completed two homes and 17 townhouses (another project that was hit by the recession; not that there’s too much demand for high-end townhomes in Lansing anyway).

This building underway at 720 Warren Road is for the “Northeast Dairy and Food Testing Center” I wrote about back in August. Work on the exterior shell continues for the 17,000 sq ft structure by Syracuse-based Dalpos Architects, moving towards a Spring 2015 completion.

This was arguably the biggest surprise. These four apartment buildings are part of the Village Circle Apartments in Lansing, the later three are likely part of the Village Solars project. The first one has been mostly complete for a year or so, and looks to be readying itself for occupancy. The last three comprise what I would guess to be 36 units; two are topped out and have house wrap on them, the middle one is still undergoing initial framing. This one went under the radar since it was approved in Spring 2013; the Village Solars project seeks to over 300 units off of Warren Road over the next 10 years.

Before heading into town, I drove around to check out a couple of other projects in Ithaca’s suburbia. The Woodland Park development sold one of its pricey single-family homes and work was finishing up on a second; I chose not to stop due to a large number of construction workers at work on the site. I spied three complete sets of townhomes in the gated section as I drove past. No new homes underway in Whispering Pines, but I did see this home under construction near the intersection of Triphammer and Horvath Drive.