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Home My WebLink AboutMN-PDB-1989-11-15 i — .c Planning & Development Board MINUTES _ November 15 , 1989 Special Topic: Central Business District Present: Susan Blumenthal , Joseph Daley, Andrew Yale, Sean Killeen. Staff: Deputy Director Paul Mazzarella. Meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. Chair Blumenthal gave `a welcoming address and introduced Board members present. She explained that the purpose of this meeting and asked for issues that could be addressed in the coming years so that the central business district will continue to. be a vital multi-use zone for shoppers and people who live and work downtown. Ms. Blumenthal remarked that all is not well downtown, especially when there is new development pending downtown and increased commercial growth' outsi.de the city, and yet there .are vacancies on the ground level and upper levels of buildings on the Commons. The specific .geographic area of concern for this meeting is from the Tuning .Fork to Meadow Street and from Court Street to Six Mile Creek. The following comments., suggestions and observations were solicited: Paul Sayvetz (Green Party) ; Don't hire consultants. Should be maximum variety and activity after retail hours.. Buildings too high; suggested 75 :feet to keep in scale. Extend off street parking requirements one or two blocks west (zoning) . Robert DeGiacinto (Commercial Designer) : 24-hour downtown is essential to community success. Low-cost studio and performance space. should be available. Victoria Romanoff: Masonic Temple & Strand Theatre should be taken seriously for performance space. 3-4 story buildings should take place of one-story and skyscrapers. Upper stories are not usable; loosen fire and safety codes. Studio and apartment space is needed. Look at buildings as three-dimensional with many facades. Charles Schlough: Take a good look at land use; how the land is used is very important. Limitations of codes. Richard Driscoll. (Communi:ty Arts Coalition) : Municipal partnership between community arts task force and city. Need space for the arts. Establish official policy on the arts by City of Ithaca. Jim .Houghton (Graphic Artist) : Promote ownership of buildings by tenants. Rents too high for artists. Look at W. State St. and the west. end as a corridor to the downtown; . major commercial artery. Jean Deming: Gateway landscaping requirements on buildings. How can we, not why we can't. Cooperative ventures in buildings because they are so expensive. We have to. see people work together and have a solid commitment to central business district. a Planning & Development Board November 15, 1989 Page 2 Tsv Bokaer: Very difficult to change buildings; cannot afford to bring 2-3 story buildings up to code. Please help us--work with the people. Sara Adams: Things geared toward students.. Too many gifts and cards. Mary Trochim: Nobody performs downtown--no viable space. The arts want to be downtown, but can't afford it. John Peterson (Haunt) : Commercial rents too high. Arbitration or renewal of rents. Radical creation of organization to work cooperatively with city and groups. Barbara Blanchard: Commons is looking shabby--examine maintenance and landscaping. Panhandlers a problem--concern about police protection. Bob DeGiacinto: Provide stats to show national chains that we have buying power downtown. Recruitment and retention program for young entrepreneurs. Inexpensive data gathering (demographics) . Elly Hartmanis (Environments Inc. ) : There is more space available than ever before for the arts. People are overly-nostalgic about the previous decades. Ray Van Houtte (TCTC) : Develop a city where people come and shop with easy accessibility and parking. Security--eliminate psychological fear of coming in the evening. Competitive ambience; coordinate store hours on the Commons. Peggy Underwood: Space needed for indoor Commons activities. John Taylor (Unitarian Church) : Commons is run down. Vision for Commons is lost; get excited. People, profit and pride. Downtown needs to be viable. Paul Sayvetz: Allow outdoor vendors on Commons. Licensing fees should not be more than other outdoor licenses. Jean Deming: Neighborhood should have a positive relationship and work with businesses. Sidney Green (neighborhood) : Need grocery stores. Stores cater to seasonal items. Stu Lewis: Advocate to City Hall. Commons Design Advisory Team. Go west with growth. Parking. Lighting. ADVOCATE FOR VISION. Paul Mazzarella, Deputy Director for Planning and Development reported that the Central Business District is a target area for Community Development funds to help start up businesses on the Commons. He advised Planning & Development Board November 15, 1989 Page 3 people to contact Katherine Evans for financial assistance. Mr. Mazzarella also said that the city planning department believes that the central business district needs planning assistance and summarized some of the current projects. These projects include implementation of parking study recommendations, marketing and demographics, improving the public transit system, urban design analysis and guidelines for downtown, signage program, and a comprehensive program for maintaining physical spaces. Meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. EPJ-PDBOARD/Novmbrl5.min OF ITI�� V•.��a�eJ��r gl� -ice qp®RAIE� CITY OF ITHACA 106 EAST GREEN STREET ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850 TELEPHONE: 272-1713 PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT BOARD CODE 607 November 6, 1989 Dear Friend, Since 1970, many people in Ithaca have worked very hard to ensure that our Central Business District remains an active and exciting area. The construction of the Commons and the development of new buildings such as Center Ithaca have reinvigorated the downtown. At the same time, the renovation of landmarks such as Clinton Hall and the Boardman House have preserved a sense of history and continuity in this time of change. These efforts helped to bring the Central Business District through a difficult period of transition. The Board of Planning and Development is interested in preserving and building upon the significant progress that has been made in creating an economically vital downtown. The city is faced with new concerns and I needs that must be addressed in order to build upon our past success. These include such issues as parking, building code and development regulations, the cost of commercial rents, the maintenance of public areas and directional signs. There are other issues, and the Board would like your help in recognizing and prioritizing the issues facing the Central Business District. The Board would like to hear from a broad range of Central Business District users , including professional , residential and commercial users. The Board is holding a meeting to discuss these issues so that we can define a program to actively address the future of the Central Business District. The boundaries of the area to be discussed include everything from the Tuning Fork to Meadow Street and Court Street to Six Mile Creek. Please help us in this effort by attending this meeting and sharing in our discussion. If you cannot attend, please share this with others in your organization so that they can be heard. This meeting will be held on Wednesday, N®uember 1S M90' at 7:30 p.m. , in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 108 East Green Street. I look forward to seeing you there. Very truly yours, Susan Blumenthal , Chair Planning and Development Board SB/mc