To: Michael Lane, Chair, Mike Sigler, Legislator, Dooley Kiefer, Legislator, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Legislator, and Tompkins County Legislature
Please show your support for the West Court Lofts and Wellness Center proposal
I support the Franklin Properties/STREAM Collaborative West Court Lofts and Wellness Center proposal to re-purpose the Old Tompkins County Public Library.
Why is this important?
It is important and fair to all involved that the following are taken into consideration before making a decision on a proposal.
1) The Selection Criteria. We request that the Committee carefully read these criteria before next Tuesday’s meeting and be prepared to discuss all the criteria in an open session before taking any action. Moreover, the addition of other criteria (density, low cost housing, etc) is not authorized in the decision-making process, and the addition of these unauthorized criteria, and affording them a weight even greater than the criteria that were authorized, could be seen as a violation of the process.
2) The guidelines of the ILPC. Because any building on that site will require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC), the Commission’s guidelines (and initial reactions to the proposals) should be considered as the County Legislature deliberates upon and eventually selects a proposal. The ILPC is required to issue a “Certificate of Appropriateness” based on the following guidelines.
“In consideration of this and all approvals of proposals for alterations, new construction, or demolition in historic districts, the ILPC must determine that the proposed exterior work will not have a substantial adverse effect on the aesthetic, historical, or architectural significance and value of either the landmark or, if the improvement is within a district, of the neighboring improvements in such district. New construction located within an historic district shall be compatible with the historic character of the district within which it is located.”
3) The concerns of the Dewitt Park Historic District neighborhood, including the signatures of 525 people supporting adaptive reuse;
This is largely a residential neighborhood. Adding a 20-unit dwelling is reasonable in this historic neighborhood like this. Adding 60 units is huge, it could have an irreversible and negative impact on the area.
The old library is a massive structure designed to hold the weight of the books. “Embodied energy” describes the amount of energy that went into those materials, all of which would be wasted if the foundation were destroyed. The Franklin plan calls for removing only 10% of the embodied energy, and some of that material will be re-used on site. Because of this and the heating system proposed, the energy footprint of the Franklin project is far lower than the other proposals.
Finally, we believe that the adaptive re-use of the building is the best fit in regards to massing and style for this historic neighborhood. Trees and mature plantings are a big part of what makes a neighborhood feel old. Destroying many of the existing trees in order to build a large complex would do irreparable harm to the historic look & feel of The Dewitt Park Historic District.
An adaptive reuse would be a strong statement about Ithaca’s commitment to sustainability and energy use.
1) The Selection Criteria. We request that the Committee carefully read these criteria before next Tuesday’s meeting and be prepared to discuss all the criteria in an open session before taking any action. Moreover, the addition of other criteria (density, low cost housing, etc) is not authorized in the decision-making process, and the addition of these unauthorized criteria, and affording them a weight even greater than the criteria that were authorized, could be seen as a violation of the process.
2) The guidelines of the ILPC. Because any building on that site will require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC), the Commission’s guidelines (and initial reactions to the proposals) should be considered as the County Legislature deliberates upon and eventually selects a proposal. The ILPC is required to issue a “Certificate of Appropriateness” based on the following guidelines.
“In consideration of this and all approvals of proposals for alterations, new construction, or demolition in historic districts, the ILPC must determine that the proposed exterior work will not have a substantial adverse effect on the aesthetic, historical, or architectural significance and value of either the landmark or, if the improvement is within a district, of the neighboring improvements in such district. New construction located within an historic district shall be compatible with the historic character of the district within which it is located.”
3) The concerns of the Dewitt Park Historic District neighborhood, including the signatures of 525 people supporting adaptive reuse;
This is largely a residential neighborhood. Adding a 20-unit dwelling is reasonable in this historic neighborhood like this. Adding 60 units is huge, it could have an irreversible and negative impact on the area.
The old library is a massive structure designed to hold the weight of the books. “Embodied energy” describes the amount of energy that went into those materials, all of which would be wasted if the foundation were destroyed. The Franklin plan calls for removing only 10% of the embodied energy, and some of that material will be re-used on site. Because of this and the heating system proposed, the energy footprint of the Franklin project is far lower than the other proposals.
Finally, we believe that the adaptive re-use of the building is the best fit in regards to massing and style for this historic neighborhood. Trees and mature plantings are a big part of what makes a neighborhood feel old. Destroying many of the existing trees in order to build a large complex would do irreparable harm to the historic look & feel of The Dewitt Park Historic District.
An adaptive reuse would be a strong statement about Ithaca’s commitment to sustainability and energy use.