The Downtown Connection

www.downtownithaca.com

T H E D OWN T OWN I T H A C A A L L I A N C E

Consultant Hired For Commons Design Work

City of Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson has signed a contract with design consultant to help the City identify different options for repairing and/or renovating the Ithaca Commons.

The Mayor is also in the process of naming a client committee to work with the consultant. Peterson’s actions do not authorize any actual repair work… the consultant will simply help the City identify the different options and what their costs will be. The effort is expected to take most of 2009 to complete, which keeps the Commons open for the summer tourist season.

Message from the Executive Director 2009 Downtown Marketing Strategy WB&A Market Research Expands

Urban Outfitters Signs Long Term Lease

3

Hotel Ithaca Update 4

Downtown Entrepreneurs

Open 3rd Store

6

Art in the Heart Celebrates

Earth Day

8

Friends share a bite

of chili at downtown’s

annual Chili

Cook-Off

See Page 5

BID Board of Directors

Annual Meeting And Elections

See Page 2

Repairs to the 100 blocks of

North and South Cayuga

Street, are scheduled to begin

next week, while repairs to the

300 block of East State Street

are scheduled to begin in June.

Cayuga Street

The work on the 100 blocks of

North and South Cayuga Street

is expected to be finished by

mid-May. It’s part of a larger

Cayuga Street project that will

extend north to Cascadilla

Street. The project involves

resurfacing of the street and in

some areas, digging it up and

strengthening the foundation

underneath it.

Cayuga Street will be closed in

the work areas, meaning

downtown traffic will be detoured

in conjunction with the

corresponding blocks of Cayuga

Street that are being repaired.

East State Street

The work on the 300 block of

East State Street is more extensive

and involves repairs to

the water and sewer lines underneath

it. The project is

scheduled to begin in June and

be completed in September.

The area will be completely

closed to traffic during the

entire construction period.

The City also plans to replace

the brick surface with new

pavers, as part of the project.

Impact on Merchants

Merchants whose businesses

are located in the construction

areas will still be able to receive

their deliveries. The City

is also working to ensure each

project is completed in a way

that keeps the sidewalks partially

or completely open to

pedestrian traffic.

Continued on page 4

Upcoming Street Construction

State Street at the tuning

fork will be repaired

The uneven surface on

South Cayuga Street

Page 2 APRIL 2009

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance Business

Improvement District Board of Directors

will hold its Annual Meeting and Election

of Officers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April

14, 2009. The meeting and election will be

held at the Hilton Garden Inn.

The Board is seeking to fill three seats

designated for property owners within the

BID, and two that are designated for building

tenants located within the District,

who have signed lease agreements. Each

seat carries a three year term.

There are four candidates seeking the

three seats designated for property owners.

They include Steve Hugo of Holt Architects,

Jeff Rimland of Rimland Equities,

Lynda Thompson of the House of Shalimar,

and Joseph Wetmore of Autumn

Leaves Used Books.

Six candidates are seeking the two seats

designated for commercial tenants. They

include Ursula Browning of Viva Taqueria,

Tim Gray of Comics for Collectors, John

Guttridge of Black Box Computer Consulting,

Eldred Harris of Diaspora, Deirdre

Kurzweil of WB&A Market Research and

David Reaske of Community Bank N.A.

The Downtown Ithaca Business Improvement

District Board of Directors is a quasigovernmental

entity charged with overseeing

the use of special assessment funds

collected from property owners within a

22-block area of downtown Ithaca, NY.

The Board also sets policy for, and has

fiduciary responsibility for the Downtown

Ithaca Alliance.

For more information, call the DIA at 607-

277-8679.

BID Board of Directors

Annual Meeting and Elections

Over the past year there has

been a growing opinion here in

Ithaca, and across the country,

that buying local makes sense

and supporting local business

should be an important community

goal. Nowhere is this more

apropos than in our downtown.

Buy local movements have been

gaining popularity for several

fundamental reasons. First, local

purchasing is a very environmentally

sustainable way to conduct

commerce. Second, buying locally keeps

dollars here a home rather than shipping

them around the globe. Third, the practice

of buying local enables our own

local economy to sustain itself.

Each of these reasons is compelling,

but together they make

a strong case for a buy local

perspective.

The “buy local” concept is actually

a compact between producers

and shopkeepers and

the public. Shopkeepers need

to carry goods and services that

local patrons want to buy while

offering top shelf customer service at all

times. The public needs to inform itself

about the local offerings that are available

and be willing to give them a try.

Downtown Ithaca has an incredible collection

of goods and services…. many more

than you would imagine. To become a

‘buy local” participant it is incumbent to

learn about these diverse offerings, to

take the time and effort to discover downtown.

Unlike big box stores, most downtown

businesses do not have big marketing

budgets and find it increasingly difficult

to reach modern consumers with

their message. We adopted the tag line…

“Downtown Ithaca – It’s Yours to Discover”

precisely because we wanted to

highlight this amazing assortment of

products and challenge our community to

discover its downtown.

As the coming spring infects us all with its

sense of renewed hope, join the growing

number of Tompkins County residents

who are “buying local” and discovering

their downtown.

“Downtown Ithaca has an incredible

collection of goods and services… many

more than you would imagine.”

D.I.A.

Executive Director

Gary Ferguson

To locate your business in downtown

Ithaca, contact: Gary Ferguson at the

Downtown Ithaca Alliance

607-277-8679 or

gary@downtownithaca.com

WB&A Market

Research Expands

WB&A Market Research recently expanded

its Ithaca facility by 50 percent,

when it added 15 new interview stations

to its downtown call center.

WB&A has been hiring steadily despite

recent economic conditions and expects to

continue to do so, now that the expansion

is complete. The company currently employs

about 50 people in downtown and

will employ 75, when fully staffed.

Research conducted by WB&A for the

Downtown Ithaca Alliance in 2008 indicates

most Tompkins County residents

want to shop in locally-owned businesses.

This information is being used by the DIA

to highlight the locally-owned aspect of

downtown businesses.

Some of WB&A’s other clients include the

Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Triple A (AAA), and the National Sleep

Foundation.

WB&A is based in Crofton, MD and expanded

into downtown Ithaca in 2006.

WB&A Market Research

Ribbon Cutting

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance will continue

to aggressively market downtown to

local residents in 2009, but with a few

changes to the 2008 marketing plan.

The DIA’s 2009 campaign will be much

more focused in five ways… it will specifically

address unique points and qualities

about downtown, it will be targeted to

specific demographics, it will be placed in

media outlets catering to those demographics,

it will drive people to the DIA

website… www.downtownithaca.com, and

it will utilize social and cyber media such

as e-news, and Facebook.

W B & A Market Research conducted a

study for the DIA in 2008 that indicates

students and newcomers are both very

receptive to shopping and dining in downtown.

It also indicates many permanent

residents would prefer to shop at a locallyowned

business, but they perceive downtown

as expensive, lacking in variety and a

difficult place to find parking.

The DIA will alter its “shop locally” message

in 2009, to specifically address these

perceptions. It will issue stronger calls to

action for people to shop and dine in

downtown. It’ll emphasize that most

downtown businesses are locally owned

and remind them of downtown’s brand

promise of a cosmopolitan experience in a

small town setting that delights the senses.

The DIA advertised primarily in media

outlets with a broad outreach in 2008. It

will do so again in 2009, but will scale it

back so that more emphasis can be placed

on media that caters to the populations

most receptive to shopping and dining in

downtown.

The DIA successfully established a weekly

e-newsletter in 2008 and will continue to

use it in 2009. It also began using social

media such as Facebook to reach out to

the student populations. Facebook was

very effective in promoting both the Apple

Harvest Festival and Chili Cook-Off. The

DIA plans to expand on both of these activities

in 2009.

Marketing Downtown in 2009

National retailer Urban Outfitters

has signed a multiyear

lease agreement for its

downtown Ithaca store. The

space is currently being remodeled

in preparation for a

June opening. Urban Outfitters

will be located on the

ground floor of Cayuga Place,

which is on Green Street. It’s

the company’s first upstate NY store, except

for one in Buffalo.

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is working

closely with building owners Cayuga

Green LLC, and the City of Ithaca to secure

tenants for the other

ground floor spaces in the

mixed-use building. One of

the goals is to attract businesses

that will compliment

Urban Outfitters and viceversa.

Tompkins Consolidated

Area Transit plans to open a

downtown transit center in

one of the ground floor spaces. The move

gives T-CAT a fixed, established presence

in downtown, which is one of its main

hubs, due to downtown’s central location

within T-CAT’s service area.

Urban Outfitters will be

located in Cayuga Place

Urban Outfitters Signs Long-Term Lease

Contact the DIA:

Phone: 607-277-8679

E-mail: idp@downtownithaca.com

Website: www.downtownithaca.com

Page 4 APRIL 2009

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is currently

writing the first draft of a new ten-year

plan for downtown. The 2020 Strategy will

serve as a guide for the City’s urban core

over the course of the next decade.

The suggestions and recommendations in

the draft combine the best practices in

urban planning with the ideas and input

gathered from the public at more than a

dozen community meetings and input sessions.

The final plan will cover a number

of broad topics such as housing, transportation,

economic development, retail development,

downtown character, arts and

entertainment,.

The DIA Board of Directors is scheduled to

hold a retreat in late May or early June, to

review the draft. Once the DIA Board has

completed its review of the draft, it’ll be

presented to the public for review and

comment at a series of community meetings

tentatively set to be held in June. A

final draft will then be presented to the

DIA Board. Once approved by the Board,

the final document will be forwarded to

the City of Ithaca for review and inclusion

in the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

UPDATE: Downtown Ithaca 2020 Strategy

Keeping Intersections Open

The City has designed the Cayuga Street

project so that all intersections will remain

partially or completely open while

the work is being done., however traffic

will not be able to turn onto blocks that

are under construction.

The 300 block of State Street will be closed

to traffic coming down the

going east onto State

Street, or westbound traffic

coming down State Street to

Seneca Street.

How the DIA is Helping

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance

will monitor the progress

of both projects and keep merchants

updated on them. It will also work with

the City to keep the public informed. The

DiIA and the City recently held two meetings

for business owners along the affected

blocks, to inform them about the

projects. They also used the

meetings to hear their suggestions

on how to minimize

the impact of each project on

their businesses.

Informational Signage to

be Posted

The City of Ithaca plans to

post informational and

street closure signage at key

locations that alerts motorists to the construction.

The informational signage will

list the names of businesses on those

blocks and also indicate that they are open

for business.

City Officials discuss the

Cayuga Street project

Project Manager Contact Info:

Cayuga Street:

Eduardo Torres, 607-274-6422

East State Street:

Brooks Hendrix, 607-274-6527

Rimland Equities has released architectural

renderings of the $30 million

Hotel Ithaca. The hotel will be located

on the corner of State and Aurora

Streets, on the edge of the Commons.

Nationally renowned Gensler Architects

has designed the 100+ room

boutique hotel in a way that references

local landmarks such as

Taughannock Falls. Rimland will pay

tribute to a former downtown landmark

by re-establishing Zinck’s Bar

inside the hotel.

Rimland will also construct the hotel

in accordance with LEED environmental

standards. Construction is expected

to begin later this year. Once

complete, the Hotel Ithaca will be

managed by Gemstone Hotels and

Resorts.

Hotel Ithaca Design Will Reference Local Landmarks

Courtesy: Gensler Architects

Some 15,000 chili fans turned

Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-

Off and Winterfest on February

21. Mild winter weather

(by Ithaca standards) greeted

them, as did 30 different restaurants

and food vendors

armed with gallons of meat

and vegetarian-style chili.

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance

introduced an environmentally-friendly

theme to this year’s Cook-Off with reusable

tasting spoons. It also encouraged

members of the public to bring their own

spoons. The reusable

spoon theme

was a response to

suggestions from

the public, which

encouraged the

DIA to find ways

to reduce the

amount of waste

generated by the

event.

The DIA also began

selling tickets in advance

of the Cook-Off this

year… again, in response

to public concerns about

the long lines at the event.

VIP passes were also introduced

this year, and

entitled holders to go to

special lines set up at each

vendor’s location. The

advance ticket sales and

VIP pass concepts were both well-received

by the public and the DIA will use them in

the future.

The hot pepper-eating competition returned

to the Chili Cook-Off this year. The

contest was extremely popular in the past

and drew more than 20 contestants who

had two minutes to eat as many hot peppers

as they could. Chili Cook-Off favorites

such as the Mechanical Bull, Chili-Idol

Karaoke, the Air Guitar Competition, and

the Iron Chef Competition also returned.

Collegetown Bagels. And Maines Paper

and Food Service sponsored the 2009

Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook_off

and Winterfest

Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off Attracts Thousands

Chili fans line up for a

taste of the southwest

on Aurora St.

Riding the

mechanical bull at

he Chili Cook-Off

To hold your event in downtown Ithaca, contact: Matt Riis

at 607-277-8679, or matthew.riis@gmail.com

2009 Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off and

Winterfest Awards

Judge’s Chili Awards:

Meat Chili

1st: Cayuga Medical Center

2nd: Cayuga Nature Center

3rd: Bluestone Grill/Longview (tie)

Vegetarian Chili

1st: Moosewood Restaurant

2nd: Simply Red Bistro

3rd: Cayuga Radio (w/Ithaca Bakery)

People’s Choice Chili Awards:

1st: Longview Adult Care

2nd: Cayuga Medical Center

Best Wings (Judges, People’s Choice):

Castaways

Hot Pepper-Eating Competition

Luke Vivian, Brooklyn, NY

Iron Chef Competition:

Chef Seth Gregory, Fine Line Bistro

Chili-Idol Karaoke:

Robert McPhereson, Seattle, WA

Mechanical Bull Riding Competition:

Adult: Ashley Hogan, Port Murray, NJ

Junior: Oscar Pachasa, Dryden, NY

The once-popular Slushfest returned to

downtown Ithaca in March, with a fundraising

twist that benefitted the United

Way of Tompkins County and the Ithaca

Festival.

Hundreds of people listened to live music,

took part in arts and crafts activities, entered

the rain coat-making and dry t-shirt

competitions, and strolled an art corridor

featuring works by student

artists at Ithaca College.

Many downtown merchants

donated 10 percent of their

proceeds for the day to the

United Way and the Ithaca

Festival, while a tree and

flower sale also helped to

boost donations.

Slushfest was organized and

sponsored by the Ithaca Festival,

with assistance from

the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

Slushfest has not been held

in downtown Ithaca for almost

20 years.

Slushfest Returns to Downtown Ithaca

The raincoat-making and dry

t-shirt contest at Slush Fest

Page 6 APRIL 2009

DIA staff install a new business

directory in a clock

tower. The directories are

current as of December 2008

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance has scheduled

four workshops for downtown BID

members, designed to help them grow

their businesses, explore new marketing

avenues and remain financially solvent.

rankings for your website and analyze

visitor data.

Presented by WV&A Market Research

An overview of different grant and

loan programs available to small businesses.

How do I sign up for e-mail? How does it

all work? The basics...

Each session will be held from 8:30 a.m. to

10:00 a.m., at a location to be determined.

The DIA will release more information

about the workshops via its weekly enewsletter,

direct e-mails and flyers, as it

becomes available.

DIA Workshops For BID Members

The new and expanded five-screen Cinemapolis

theater complex is expected to

which owns the theater, is planning a

grand opening event that’s tentatively set

to be held at the end of May and will coincide

with the Ithaca Festival. Cinemapolis

will be located in the Green Street Garage

walkway, immediately across Green

Street from Cayuga Place and the future

home of Urban Outfitters. The new location

fulfills a goal of downtown’s current

ten-year strategy, which is to create

mixed-use facilities.

UPDATE: Ithacards to Cinemapolis

Open This Month

Ithacards is a new business on the Commons

that also represents a third downtown

Ithaca business for entrepreneurs

Abdul Razak and Emma Lou Sheikh.

Ithacards is scheduled to open during the

first part of April and will fill a niche not

currently being served in downtown.

Razak and Sheikh also own the House of

Shalimar and T-Shirt Express.

All three businesses are located on the

Commons.

A sneak peek inside new

business Ithacards

Ithaca Commons icon Lou

“the hot dog guy” Cassaniti

will hold his annual fundraiser

for the Tompkins

County SPCA on Friday,

May 8, 2009.

Cassaniti operates the hot

dog stand located in Bank

Alley near the Bernie Milton

Pavilion during the spring,

summer and fall. For the past 6 years, he’s

set aside one day out of the year to donate

all of his proceeds for the day to the SPCA.

Cassaniti’s 2008 donation

totaled about $3,000. Cassaniti

also accepts donations

above and beyond the cost of

any food or beverages a customer

may purchase.

The Tompkins County SPCA

will be at the fundraiser with

information about its mission

and services. The SPCA

is also planning several other activities

that’ll take place on the Commons, in conjunction

with the fundraiser.

Hot Dogs For Stray Dogs on May 8

A line forms at Lou’s hot

dog stand on the Commons

Artisans and crafters who

would like to have a booth

at the Ithaca Festival must

submit their applications to

the Downtown Ithaca Alliance

by Friday, May 1,

2009 .

Applications and more information

are available on

both the DIA and Ithaca

Festival websites… www.

downtownithaca.com and

www.ithacafestival.org.

Approximately 110 booth

spaces are available and

interested vendors are encouraged

to submit their

applications early. The cost

is $100 for Friday, $110 for Saturday and

$75 for Sunday. Applications should be

submitted to Vicki Taylor at the DIA … email

vickit@downtownithaca.com or via

snail mail to The Downtown Ithaca Alliance,

171 E. State St. PMB 136, Ithaca, NY

14850. Be sure to address the envelope to

the attention of Vicki Taylor.

DIA Issues Call for Ithaca Festival Craft Fair Vendors

Shoppers at the 2008

Ithaca Festival Craft Fair

Downtown Ithaca Summer Concert Series to Start in June

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is currently

finalizing plans for the 2009 Downtown

Ithaca Summer Concert Series.

The series is tentatively scheduled to begin

the first week of June and continue

through August. The popular Grassroots

Festival Kick-Off Concert will return this

year and the DIA also plans to hold another

Welcome Back Students concert in

late August, based on the success of the

first one, which was held

last year.

The DIA is also investigating

the feasibility of expanding

the series to include

themed concerts such

as classical or acoustic music.

No final decisions have

been made, however one

possibility is that they

would be held in different

downtown locations, such as

Dewitt Park or the Six Mile

Creek walkway.

Downtown Ithaca’s Summer

Concert Series is made possible

primarily through the

generous support of corporate

sponsors.

The Burns Sisters

perform at the 2008

Summer Concert Series

Outdoor dining on Aurora

Street in early April.

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance organizes

and hosts a number of events that attract

thousands of people to downtown Ithaca.

Many of these events are made possible

through the generosity of the local businesses

and organizations that sponsor

them. The DIA would like to extend a sincere

thank you to our many event sponsors

who’ve made it possible for us to

plan, organize and hold events such as the

Downtown Ithaca Summer Concert Series,

The Apple Harvest Festival, and the Great

Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off and Winterfest.

Your support has made it possible for the

DIA to attract thousands of people to

downtown Ithaca and give them something

new and unique to discover each

time they visit.

Businesses and organizations that are interested

in sponsoring a DIA event should

contact Vicki Taylor at 607-277-8679 or

vickit@downtownithaca.com.

A Word About DIA Event Sponsors

Page 8 APRIL 2009

Art in the Heart of the City Plans for Earth Day in Downtown

“Art for a Just and Sustainable Community” is 2009 theme

directions that public art can take in

downtown Ithaca. 2008 Art in the Heart of

the City artist Kathy Bruce will jjoin the

discussion.

Special Note: The 2009 Art in the Heart

of the City artists will be announced at

this event!

The application deadline for the 2009

Art in the Heart of the City program

is April 15. Applications are available on

the Downtown Ithaca Alliance website

www.downtownithaca.com

Artist James Seaman’s sculpture

hangs in the Green Street

Garage walkway next to Home

Dairy Alley. The work is a gift of

Mack and Carole Travis.

Downtown Ithaca’s Art in the Heart of the

City program has several activities

planned in celebration of Earth Day on

April 25. All activities and events are free

and open to the public

Here’s a quick schedule:

available on the DIA website… www.

downntownithaca.com.

Center Ithaca... Poster, banner and costume-

making in preparation for downtown’s

Earth Day festivities on 4/25. Music

and performers. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

in Center Ithaca. Meet healthcare professionals

from Cayuga Medical Center and

Cornell University. Learn about massage

and meditation, participate in health care

surveys. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

lunch for office workers in Center

Ithaca. Tips, ideas and discussion on how

to save energy and money in the office.

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Downtown Ithaca!

Downtown Ithaca’s Earth Day celebration

will focus on the 2009 theme for Art in the

Community

by music and dancing.

Public Library. A presentation by artist

Alistair Noble followed by an audience

discussion and exploration of the

A sculpture from

the 2008 Art in the

Heart program

Connect Ithaca LLC and C&S Companies

recently announced that C&S Companies

has received $75,000 from New York State

to conduct a preliminary study to evaluates

the feasibility of building a podcar

system in Ithaca.

Podcars, also known as Personal Rapid

Transit systems, are electrically-powered.

They use a guideway system to move people

from one location to another without

transfers or stops.

The funding for the preliminary study is

being provided by the New York State Energy

Research and Development Authority

and the New York State Department of

Transportation.

According to Connect Ithaca, the project

will act as a case study to show how a PRT

network will help save rural areas, reverse

environmental harms, enhance urban

quality of life, improve accessibility to

transit for all citizens, and promote “green

collar” economic development in New

York’s small and mid-sized cities

NYS Funds Preliminary Feasibility Study of Podcars in Ithaca

The next First Fridays Gallery Night is

scheduled for May 1, 2009 from 5:00 to

8:00 p.m.

First Fridays Gallery Night is the new

name for Gallery Night in Downtown

Ithaca, and reflects its new status as a

monthly event. The decision to expand

Gallery Night to a monthly event is part of

a strategic plan by the Downtown Ithaca

Alliance to grow and promote

both downtown’s galleries,

as well as the arts and

culture in downtown Ithaca.

First Fridays Gallery Night is

free and open to the public.

Galleries are encouraged to

submit information about

their plans for the May 1

First Fridays Gallery Night to

the DIA’s Vicki Taylor as

soon as possible…

vicki t@downtowni thaca.

com. Businesses that are

interested in participating

should also contact Taylor at

their earliest convenience.

First Fridays Gallery Night on May 1

Center Ithaca PMB #136

171 E. State St.

Ithaca, NY 14850

Phone: 607-277-8679

Fax: 607-277-8691

E-mail: info@downtownithaca.com

publication of the Downtown

Ithaca Alliance. The DIA is a State of

New York chartered not-for-profit

organization charged with the revitalization,

development, promotion

and management of downtown

Ithaca.

Executive Director

Gary Ferguson

Director of Marketing

and Special Events

Vicki Taylor

Operations Manager

Kris Lewis

Special Events Coordinator

Matt Riis

Marketing Coordinator

Shannon Williamson

Office Manager

Phil White

The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce

May Business After Hours will be

held on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 in Center

Ithaca from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The event is being hosted by Family and

Children’s Services and co-sponsored by

the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Travis and

Travis Development, Center Ithaca,

Felicia’s Atomic Lounge and Sheldrake

Point Vineyards.

Our community is fortunate to have Family

& Children’s Service of Ithaca (F&CS)

who for 124 years has provided professional,

compassionate and affordable services

to people in need. Each year, thousands

of local children, adults and families

turn to Family & Children’s Service for

mental health care, home care and other

key services.

F&CS’s help to deal with increased levels

of stress during these difficult economic

times. Come out and support Family and

Children’s Service as we celebrate the renewal

of their commitment to our community

with the expansion of their mental

health clinic. Family and Children’s Service

has recently opened a new mental

health clinic at 127 West State St.

Contact the Tompkins County Chamber of

Commerce to register at 273-7080 or

www.tompkinschamber.org.

Chamber Business After Hours at Center Ithaca on May 13