February 19, 2025 - American Public News

ITHACA, N.Y. — After a nearly two-year hiatus, Mirabito is giving plans for a combined service center and Burger King restaurant on Pine Tree Road in the town of Ithaca another try.The site is a high-profile location in town, located at 301 Pine Tree Rd. where there is currently a smaller Mirabito service station and a vacated former Burger King on the corner of Pine Tree Road and Ellis Hollow Roads, fronting East Hill Plaza. The town Planning Board’s unenthusiastic reception to the plans in 2023 led to the project being shelved during its Environmental Review.The revised proposal submitted to the town by Napierala Consulting is a slightly smaller proposal than before, only 6,000 square feet instead of the 6,450 square feet previously planned. Most components of the plan remain the same: a convenience store with an eight-pump gas canopy, a new Burger King restaurant with a drive-thru, four electric vehicle charging stations, stormwater facilities, and the usual retinue of lighting, sidewalks and landscaping. The car wash, however, was removed due to site constraints and concerns from the town’s engineering department.The design of the building was also heavily revised. Previously, Town of Ithaca Planning Board members had asked for a re-design where all four sides of the building were “activated” — no blank walls and no fake windows. Board members raised concerns at the time about how the project would fit in with Cornell’s plans to redevelop the plaza with its “East Hill Village” plans, but the school has not presented an update since the project was last reviewed and those plans are now considered inactive. Old 2023 Mirabito site plan at left, new 2025 site plan at right. Click and drag the slider to compare between the two submissions.Additionally, in response to concerns from town staff and Planning Board members two years ago, the project revised its parking and drive-thru aisle proposal so that the drive-thru is completely separated from the parking area, reducing the risk of cars backing out and hitting other vehicles entering and exiting the drive-thru lane. Plans to subdivide the eastern end of the property for future redevelopment by Cornell or another entity on a long-term property lease are still included as part of the project.Matt Napierala gave the presentation Tuesday, with project architect Chris Lynch from Delta Engineers, Architects and Land Surveyors accompanying him. “We went back to the drawing board,” Napierala told the board about the period following the July 2023 meeting. “We did several iterations, not only with site plan considerations, but with architect considerations. Frankly, until the time Chris came on board, we went through two other architects. Hopefully, the board agrees with where we are heading with the project.” Napierala explained the electric car chargers should be fast-charging, able to provide an 80% charge on a passenger car within 20 minutes. Napierala also walked through the stormwater and emergency vehicle access route.“We really tried to break up that stockier building with adjusting some different heights of the parapet of the building, with the front and the side, but also the back of the building which faces the intersection,” Lynch said. “A lot of the windows are really just for dressing up the exterior.” The exterior would use stone, faux wood and EIFS cladding. The fuel canopy would have a stone base with faux wood-wrapped columns.“In general, I like the changes that you’ve made,” said Planning Board Chair Caitlin Cameron. “The circulation makes more sense to me. Removing the car wash, it hangs together without feeling like you’re trying to do too much. I like that the sidewalk got pulled off from the road, the pedestrian access is much improved from the last iteration. I would like to see where the utility easements are.”Planning Board member Bill Arms complimented the project team, feeling the project “really had made a lot of progress.” Cornell officials have also expressed support for the project, which is important given they own everything around the property. The Conservation Board submitted a comment to say they wanted to save the Norway Spruces on the Burger King property, but the Planning Board was reluctant given that they are an invasive species.“I am very impressed with the redesign, it’s taken into account all of our requests and it’s a big-time improvement. I think for me I would prefer to lose two of the parking spaces on the end just to make it visually […] more of a green space from Pine Tree Road,” said the board’s Kelda McGurk.There was some discussion about what an adequate number of parking spaces would be. Per town planner Chris Balestra, parking space recommendations for a mixed-use commercial facility like this, combining a fast-food restaurant and a service center, are rather vague. Some planning board members felt it was “overparked,” but were willing to accept it given the tenant space — there were at least eight fewer spaces than in the previous proposal. Some of the board’s discussion also focused on curbing, but the roads are county highways, meaning the county will hold the final determination. Balestra stressed the need for lush, deer-resistant landscaping to avoid a spartan appearance.Since the environmental review never closed, the project was able to continue with its SEQR process where it left off in 2023. With the revisions and the positive reception from the board, the project found itself in a much better position than its visit a couple of years ago. The project team will still need to visit the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for three variances, as many projects must. The project team is seeking variances for a front yard setback, fence height and drive-thru lane spacing. But with those potential obstacles noted, the SEQR passed unanimously 5-0. Site Plan Approval could come after the project’s visit to the ZBA. It may not be too much longer before one can order Whoppers in Ithaca again.The post Mirabito revives East Hill service center, Burger King plan appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.First published by The Ithaca Voice.

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