City HallThursday, November 5
Downtown businesses are petitioning Ithaca to halt the Seneca Street garage demolition
The Daily Ithaca team
If you've circled downtown looking for a spot lately, local business owners have noticed too. Moosewood Restaurant's online petition asks Common Council to pause demolition, order an independent structural study and hold a moratorium on redevelopment. It had 891 signatures as of Oct. 28.
“I think rather than moving hastily in 2027, I think you need to slow down and really think about what is a priority for downtown.”
Wilcox said roughly half of arriving dining parties send one person in first while the others circle the block. Peggy Coleman of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce said tourists generate 50% of downtown merchant sales. The city is also moving bus stops to address business concerns.
The petition and the garage by the numbers
- 891
- petition signatures as of Oct. 28
- $21.8 million
- in downtown merchant sales from tourists in 2025
- $3.39 million
- in repairs, up to, per the 2025 evaluation
Source: Ithaca Times
- Garage: 425 spaces across 10 levels
- A 2022 review put overhauls at $3.66 million
- Alderperson Margaret Fabrizio cast the lone no on Sept. 2
The garage went from closure to a site transfer in five months
- Apr. 10The garage closes after falling concrete debris triggers inspections.
- May 6City Manager Dominick Recckio blames freeze-thaw concrete spalling.
- Sept. 2Council approves transferring 202 E. Seneca St. to the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency.
- Oct. 14Business owners press council to review the garage.
- Oct. 28The petition stands at 891 signatures.
Source: Ithaca Times
Sources: Ithaca Times, Finger Lakes Daily News