Cornell University President Jeffrey S.
Lehman addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony
Monday morning for the $30 million hotel and office building
that is about to be constructed at the corner of Tioga and
Seneca streets in downtown Ithaca. Listening to him are Ithaca
Mayor Carolyn Peterson and Paul F. Ciminelli, the president
and chief executive officer of the Ciminelli Development
Company. Cornell is planning to locate 300 university
employees in the building.
ITHACA -- Local government and college officials joined
developers huddled under a tent Monday to poke golden shovels into
the dirt where a hotel lobby is scheduled to stand in 18 months
time.
"Ithaca has a unique place among Upstate cities," M&T Bank
Regional Vice President Glenn Small said during Monday's
groundbreaking ceremony for the 175,000-square foot Seneca Place on
The Commons project at the corner of Seneca and Tioga streets.
While several years of complex negotiations were needed to bring
the dream to life, Small was not alone in saying Ithaca's business
climate was favorable for embarking on the $30 million, nine-story
hotel, retail and office project.
Developer Paul Ciminelli, president of Williamsville-based
Ciminelli Development Company, praised local officials for their
cooperation in making the project a reality. One name he raised
several times was that of former Mayor Alan Cohen, who did not
attend the ceremony. Ithaca Downtown Partnership Director Gary
Ferguson too, praised Cohen as "the spark" behind the project, while
also lauding Common Council members, city staff and members of the
county's Industrial Development Agency.
Ciminelli last fall signed a long-term lease agreement in which
Cornell University will be the anchor tenant at Seneca Place. Three
hundred Cornell employees will be assigned to 70,000 square feet of
office space in the complex.
"Without a doubt, this will make the downtown area more lively
and interesting than it already is," said Cornell University
President Jeffrey Lehman.
Lehman was among those who envision those 300 employees -- along
with other tenants and hotel guests -- helping to boost downtown
Ithaca's economic health by walking around, shopping, eating and
even parking their cars in the central city.
"I think you're going to have a lot more foot traffic," said
Alderman Daniel Cogan, D-5th Ward. He suggested that the influx of
pedestrians could benefit the nearby DeWitt Mall.
Mayor Carolyn Peterson noted that Seneca Place is not the only
new development planned for downtown Ithaca. Phase one of the city's
Cayuga Green parking mixed-use project got under way earlier this
month. In addition to retail space and parking, the three-phase plan
is expected to add new housing -- in the form of apartments or
condominiums -- to the central city's living space.
The cumulative impact of these projects and others -- such as
Mack and Carol Travis' Gateway Plaza development on East State
Street -- is likely to bring about a radically-changed downtown.
"It's not often that you get to re-shape a city," said Ithaca
Downtown Partnership's Ferguson.
That re-shaping will bring some interim challenges as
construction equipment moves into place downtown. Peterson said
she's taking steps to makes sure the city is up to those challenges.
Peterson also said she has reinstated a project construction
committee, consisting of city department heads and staff, which will
meet regularly to address issues that arise as the cranes swing into
place. She encouraged the community to contact City Hall about any
construction and traffic issues they may encounter during the work.
