ELECTRIC GREEN: The Ithaca Downtown Conference Center opened in July. (Impact Advertising / Ethan Bierly)
Apartments, retail part of new complex
The new Ithaca Downtown Conference Center puts the “green” on Green Street as the first fully-electric convention center in the U.S.
“Ithaca is a very sustainable and green community and so they were very much pushing toward a green, sustainable and fully electric conference center,” said Kathy Taylor, general manager Ithaca Downton Conference Center for ASM Global.
ASM Global officially opened the eco-friendly center on July 1.
In development since 2017 and under construction since 2021, the facility includes ground-level retail and 181 apartments at a total cost of $108 million. Of that, up to $50 million was spent on the three-story conference center. The full 12-story venue was designed by Stand Structural Engineering and constructed by Vecino Group, which manages the apartments through the Asteri brand.
The conference center was built with sustainability in mind.
The facility features energy efficient lighting, reusable water bottle refill stations, floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for natural lighting and an all-electric, full-production kitchen. The catering menu offers at a minimum 35% plant-based options, promoting healthier and more sustainable dining choices. There are systems in place for composting and recycling to reduce the venue’s carbon footprint.
Single-use items have been eliminated and fryer oil is repurposed for sustainable practices.
The venue plans to repurpose leftover food within the center’s street-level retail store, Green on the Go, with grab-and-go items in biodegradable packaging.
IDCC meets the performance standards for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Commercial New Construction. Empire State Development contributed $5 million to the project and more than $58 million came from the state’s division of Housing and Community Renewal and its Energy Research and Development Authority.
Tompkins County invested in the project by directing 4% of the revenue collected from the Hotel Tax Fund, which is financed by the Hotel Room Occupancy Tax Law, created in 1989 to improve the local economy by stimulating tourism development.
In addition to boosting the local economy, Taylor said the facility aligns with Ithaca’s Green New Deal, which aims to reach communitywide carbon neutrality by 2030 as well as ASM Global Acts, the company’s social equity and global sustainability commitment.
“Prior to occupying the building the (city, county and state stakeholders) were interested in the process and we did a lot of hardhat tours,” said Taylor, who joined ASM Global in April.
Located in the middle of the state, Ithaca lacked space for meetings and conventions. Building the IDCC is expected to drive nearly $150 million in new direct and induced spending in the community over the next 20 years, according to the Downtown Ithaca Local Development Corporation. The group provides economic development within downtown Ithaca and Tompkins County and is the owner of the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center.
IDCC features more than 15,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 12,300 square foot grand ballroom, an executive boardroom, a dozen meeting rooms and trade show and pre-function space.
It’s situated across the street from Ithaca City Hall, steps away from pedestrian mall Ithaca Commons and within walking distance of four downtown partner hotels with 564 available rooms. In Tompkins County there are collectively 1,800 hotel rooms.
The goal is to attract visitors by accommodating trade shows, conferences, meetings, public expositions and social, sporting and community events. One of the markets they are targeting for potential business is Albany, New York, which is three hours away.
“Our sales efforts include a lot of business with Albany, because our hotel partners are interested in heads in beds,” explained Taylor. “For us to engage with associations and planners in the Albany market is a big win. Not only do we have association events in our meeting rooms, most likely those folks will use hotel rooms as well.”
Nestled in the Finger Lakes region and home to Cornell University, Ithaca’ population is about 33,00 0. according t0 2022 census figures which made parking another priority.
“For the size of the city, downtown parking is limited, so we are connected to a parking deck,” offered Taylor. “It was important that there would be easily accessible parking for conference center folks.”
The Ithaca Downtown Convention Center celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Aug. 13.
“There were 250 people here for the ribbon cutting and everybody got it,” Taylor said. “The ah-ha moment of Green Street, Green on the Go and sustainability.”
