Most people are aware that the old Tompkins County library is about to be left completely vacant. As covered by Ithaca Builds last fall, the county issued a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI), inviting developers to cast their lures and offer proposals, and the plan perceived as best would garner its developer the ability to buy the old library and build on the parcel. The county expressed preference for proposals that were eco-friendly and would create senior housing, so the proposals play to that preference. In a long if thorough process, the County Planning Advisory Board will make a preliminary review, recommend its choices to the legislature, and the legislature will select the finalists, who will be asked to submit more thorough proposals of their initial entries, detailing info such as project financing. The county makes it final selection in November, with sale of the parcel to the winning developer in March 2015.
This is exciting, it’s like watching competitors at an Olympic event. All proposals can be found at the county website here, individual links are included with each shot below. Feel free to voice your opinion on your favorite proposal in the comments.
DPI Is a private developer operating out of Rochester. Their group has some previous local involvement, converting the old county jail to offices in the early 1990s, and they were involved with the Johnson Museum addition a few years back. Their plan calls for 76 condos and 8 apartments in 2 5-story buildings (max buildable height for the parcel is 50 feet, for the record). The condos would be mid-to-upper tier for pricing, and the project would have underground “automated parking”. This proposal is the only one that does not have a focus on seniors.
Franklin Properties of Syracuse has teamed with a group of local firms (STREAM Collaborative and Taitem Engineering, among others) to propose a 68,000 sq ft “wellness center” for the library site, which they call the “Cayuga Community Education Center”. The first two floors would have a cafe and medical offices for doctors and non-profits, with three floors (32 units) of senior housing on top. The building would incorporate solar panels and is aiming for a 2017 opening if selected. The proposal seems to be the only one that reuses the original library, and already has some letters of support from local businesses.
3. Integrated Acquisition and Development
IAD proposes a LEED-certified, 115,500 sq ft, four-story structure they call “Library Square”, with 90 apartments, conference rooms, a library and fitness center space. The project suggests a late 2016 completion. Parking is behind the L-shaped primary structure. IAD has been involved in the Ithaca area previously, being the owner of several properties in Lansing (Warrenwood, the medical offices of Trimhammer), and the lead developer of several of the office buildings in Cornell’s office park near the airport.
4. INHS (Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services)
Locally prolific non-profit INHS comes up to bat again, this time proposing a project for the library site. Their proposal, called “DeWitt House”, calls for a 4-story, 60,000-80,000 sq ft building with 60 to 70 units of affordable housing, not specifically geared to seniors. The selling feature is an internal courtyard, along with community space and 6,000-8,000 feet of commercial space for rent. This one also has underground parking. The time frame for this one seems to be the latest, with completion in the 1st quarter of 2018.
5. Rochester Cornerstone Group / Cayuga Housing Development
Cornerstone is a Rochester based non-profit housing developer. CHD is directed by the same people as the Ithaca Housing Authority, who operate Titus Towers. The proposal consists of 70-80 units of affordable senior housing, in a 4-story 54′ structure (i.e. it would need a zoning variance). The building would have covered ground-level parking and some surface parking. Full occupancy would be in late 2016. Token snark here, but next time, ask the architects not to use the glare tool in your renderings. Building roofs are not shiny.
6. Travis Hyde
Ithaca based private developer Travis Hyde submitted the last proposal on this list. Travis Hyde is involved with the renovations of the Carey Building, the construction of Gateway Commons, and further back, Eddygate in Collegetown. Travis Hyde teamed up (once again) with Ithaca-based HOLT Arechitects for their proposal, which is probably the one that discusses architectural context the most out of the six. The 4-story 90,000 sq ft building would have 48 apartments with office and community space at street level. While it discusses providing senior housing, it doesn’t appear to be explicitly senior housing. Parking would be minimal, on the western edge of the site, with mass transit/municipal parking garage incentives being explored. Spring 2017 is the suggested completion date.
May the best project win.
Ithacating in Cornell Heights 
I like DPI’s condominium proposal, mostly because as a city resident I have a strong desire for more people to own their homes downtown (better sense of community and all that). We recently bought a house, but condo life is very appealing to us. If some high-rise options were available in the city when we were searching, we may have gone in that direction.
I guess I should throw in my own opinion. In terms of concept, I think the Franklin Properties proposal (#2) is best. Unfortunately, it’s also has the worst design, the old library really needs to go and the awkward color choice doesn’t help this design. My favorite designs are a tie between DPI Consultants (#1) and Travis Hyde (#6).
The Franklin and Rochester Cornerstone proposals would be aesthetic travesties. Franklin is worst of all. I pray the city can make some of its programming work within the aesthetic confines of one of these other designs, or induce that developer to build anew rather than reclad the old library.
In terms of what I like, DPI is definitely the sharpest looking of the bunch, maybe followed by INHS and then Integrated. I guess I don’t mind the Travis Hyde from what I can tell but the model makes it sort of unclear what we’re looking at at this point.
As far as looks, DPI all the way. I haven’t gone through all the proposals yet, but I am glad some movement is being made on that property.
[…] in the city, and a number of these are what the city hopes to be appealing to developers (if the RFEI for the county library is any clue, the interest is there). Many of the currently developed parcels should be protected – homes […]
[…] Collegetown, 323 Taughannock, the Chain Works District, and everyone and their grandmother wants to redevelop the old library. It’s been busy, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up, which I consider a good thing. […]
[…] it acquired the Neighborhood Pride grocery site a few months ago and decided to focus on that. That leaves Travis Hyde’s proposal, Cornerstone Group, and the two favorites, DPI’s cond…. Both have ardent groups of supporters; as an observation, what DPI has in big name supporters, […]
[…] it acquired the Neighborhood Pride grocery site a few months ago and decided to focus on that. That leaves Travis Hyde’s proposal, Cornerstone Group, and the two favorites, DPI’s cond…. Both have ardent groups of supporters; as an observation, what DPI has in big name supporters, […]
[…] luck would have it, there were six responses to the RFEI, which can be found here. Two, INHS and IAD, dropped out before an RFP went out – INHS had acquired the 210 Hancock […]