Rebirth of downtown Elmira taking shape

Armed with a share of state money targeted toward upstate revitalization, local officials are rolling out an ambitious plan to make downtown Elmira a vibrant urban center and erase decades of decay.

Southern Tier Economic Growth, working in conjunction with Chemung County and the City of Elmira, has lined up an interested developer, contractor and architect for the project. Several businesses already have expressed interest in locating in a revitalized downtown, STEG officials said.

The focal point of the effort — dubbed Refresh Elmira — will be a vacant lot on West Water Street where buildings that housed businesses such as Harold's, Marvin's, Rosenbaum's and Damomics once stood.

Those buildings, some of which were vacant for years, were razed over the past two years. Redevelopment of that site will be the first piece in a plan to give downtown and surrounding neighborhoods a much-needed makeover, STEG President Mike Krusen said.

"The region got some Upstate Revitalization Initiative money. We're trying to concentrate on a manageable area — Madison Avenue to Walnut Street, Walnut to Washington Avenue and back to Madison," Krusen said. "We plan to revitalize the downtown and also encourage improvements in neighborhoods surrounding downtown. We're committed not just to economic development but to community development. The two go hand in hand.

"We will rely on the tremendous assets we have — the First Arena, Clemens Center, banks, historic structures to build off of. The cornerstone is Elmira College," he said. "We'll start on West Water Street with that vacant lot. Architect Elise Johnson-Schmidt has put together a plan for commercial and retail and upper-floor residential. We've approached a developer with a local connection. They identified a local contractor. We identified six or eight viable commercial tenants for that area."

Damomics deal may clear way for Elmira development

A proposed four-story building would include about 25,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor and another 50,000 square feet of residential space on the upper floors. It will serve as the linchpin of a much broader concept.

Fifteen years ago, a lot of people saw First Arena as the savior of downtown Elmira, but that facility hasn't yet lived up to its promise.

This new plan is much more comprehensive, Krusen said.

While developers expected the arena to automatically bring more business downtown, several empty downtown buildings will be targeted under the Refresh Elmira umbrella, Krusen said.

For example, Chemung County recently seized vacant buildings at 118-122 Lake St. for back taxes.

Typically, the county would put seized properties up for auction, but the Lake Street buildings, assessed at $81,000, will be set aside because STEG and the county have other plans for the site, according to County Treasurer Joseph Sartori.

Those properties will be marketed as part of the overall project, with the goal of locating professional offices or some other commercial use on the first floor and residential space on the upper floors, Krusen said.

Other vacant buildings that will be included in the revitalization effort include the former Schreibman's jewelry store on Baldwin Street, the old Post Office and the former Star-Gazette building, he said. Some of those buildings are publicly owned and some are in private hands, Krusen added.

Several upcoming developments will add to the synergy of the redevelopment effort, Krusen noted, including a commitment from Elmira College to play its hockey games at the First Arena starting in the 2017-18 season, and plans by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine to build a campus in Elmira.

It will still take an overarching vision to tie all the threads together, and that's where Johnson-Schmidt comes in.

Johnson-Schmidt, who specializes in historic preservation, has been involved in numerous downtown revitalization projects, including Market Street in Corning.

To really bring downtown Elmira to life, the district has to be visually appealing and deeply interconnected, she said.

Additional touches Johnson-Schmidt envisions include redeveloping a walkway between North Main Street and Clemens Center Parkway into an attractive, landscaped pedestrian area somewhat similar to Centerway Square in Corning or the Commons in Ithaca. The area would be tentatively named Market Square.

"We met with a number of property owners and discussed ideas, and came up with a proposal for how to transform that block between West Water, Gray Street, Clemens Center Parkway and North Main Street," Johnson-Schmidt said. "What I think is very exciting is the opportunity to develop that block by creating a final connection between the Clemens Center and the arena, and develop a very attractive, engaging space within that block to invite people to shop in the proposed retail district. I think the stars are aligned to develop that block in such a way that it will really enhance downtown Elmira, specifically with the development of the West Water Street site."

Johnson-Schmidt also is looking at enhancements to Riverfront Park, between Water Street and the Chemung River, and ways to better utilize the parking garage on Gray Street, which typically sees only about half of its 800 parking spaces in use, she said.

The total project is estimated to cost between $15 million and $20 million, Krusen said. The anchor building would probably require at least $10 million, he estimated.

Much of that funding will come from the region's share of the Upstate Revitalization Initiative money, but it will also require some additional public and private investment, said Krusen, who added officials haven't worked out an exact breakdown of funding sources yet.

Plan could turn former Cappy's into green space

Moving forward also will necessitate close cooperation with the City of Elmira, Krusen said, but City Manager Kimberlee Balok Middaugh, who has been involved in the planning process, said the city is on board.

"I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for the City of Elmira. We have not seen this type of collaboration effort in years," Middaugh said. "All these things have been done separately in previous years. Coming together with key parties and obviously funding available through the state has created a tremendous opportunity for us. We need economic growth and an expanded tax base to move forward and come out on the other side of the fiscal problems we face. This is a huge step forward as far as creating opportunity."

Now that a firm plan is in place, Krusen expects things to happen quickly.

His hope is to have an agreement signed with the developer within 30 to 45 days, funding lined up by the summer, and construction on the anchor building to start by summer of 2017.

After that, the other pieces should start falling into place, as long as cooperation among the various parties remains strong, he said.

"Pretty pictures don't mean anything. It's all about the execution," Krusen said. "It's nice to have a plan. This would be transformational for downtown Elmira. We have assets we can take advantage of. We've been handed the tools by the governor. I think this is going to make downtown a more vibrant and exciting place to be."

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray.    

Transforming downtown Elmira

Here are some of the objectives of the Refresh Elmira concept:

• Create an inviting and vibrant commerce center for the city, rejuvenating Elmira's retail hub.
• Create a walkable connection between the Clemens Center and First Arena.
• Move surface parking to the Gray Street parking garage to improve the character and quality of the area, and an indoor connection to New York Sport & Fitness from the garage.
• Create attractive and usable outdoor landscaped space.
• Create 49 market-rate apartments to attract those with expendable income.
• Create grade A retail space ready for occupancy.
• Establish comfortable and attractive outdoor dining. 
• Slow traffic on Clemens Center Parkway and Water Street by narrowing lanes, and providing crosswalk areas to connect with the Riverfront Park and Clemens Center.

Source: Johnson-Schmidt & Associates, Architects. 

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