Archive: News

Representatives of Triax Management Group, L.L.C. were at a joint meeting of the Village of Lansing Trustees and Planning Board Monday to talk about their plan to build an 82,000 stand-alone retail store along with 12 senior housing units.  This time the focus was on the senior housing part -- a different plan from what they suggested in April.  The original plan proposed four triplexes, while the new plan retains one triplex but shows nine stand-alone units.

"It will create an appealing residential facade, relatively dense, along Oakcrest Drive" said Triax Director of Construction James Bold.  "I think it will be very attractive.  It's sort of old fashioned in concept with people being out on front porches rather than rear decks."


The plan is part of a Planned Development Area (PDA), the first since PDAs were incorporated into Village law earlier this year.  The flexibility the boards have in executing a PDA will accommodate the mixed commercial and residential use mall officials have proposed.  The Planning Board has identified 18 conditions so far that the developers have agreed to, and this meeting was another step for developers and the Village, working together.  Trustees must approve the PDA at various stages of its planning, and while details such as lighting and storm water management plans are not ready yet, the Trustees signed off on going forward.  They worked with the Planning Board to fill out a long form of a required State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR).

The new plan shows 1,200 square foot cottage-style homes, nine stand-alone, and one triplex.  The units have front porches facing Oakcrest Drive, and one-car garages at the rear.  The rear of the development will connect to a new 82,000 foot retail store by a walking path, with another path connecting to the one near the Ithaca YMCA.  The plan shows the stand-alone two-bedroom units about 20 feet apart, which Triax Principal Partner Eric Goetzmann says will be attractive to seniors who don't want a large lawn to take care of.


"We got a lot of input from the planning board," he said.  "This is something I personally like, but we're open to this or the other plan.  We're looking for comments, too.  We're not here to say we're going to do one over the other, because at the end of the day it's the people in the community that are going to live there."

In addition to the retail and residential buildings the plan calls for preserving a natural wetland and creating a bird sanctuary on the property.

Bold said they are not going to build Lead-certified buildings, but that they do plan to develop the most energy-efficient buildings that they can, embracing green construction techniques.  He said that the developers are considering geothermal heating and cooling if it proves practical for the particular site.

The boards worked on the details of timing meetings and getting paperwork in line in order to expedite the PDA without rushing details that need to be settled, such as a response from the Tompkins County Planning Department.  Mayor Donald Hartill said he is comfortable with allowing the Planning Board to take the lead on working out the details of the development with the developer.

"I certainly have no intention to micro-manage it," he said.

Bold says that he hopes to start construction some time this summer.  While work will begin on the retail space first, construction of the rental units will be concurrent with the commercial building.

----
v6i22