Ithaca Estates Realty plans to resume preparations for a shopping center catering to the Ithaca College community after putting the project on hold for more than two years to deal with economic concerns, Ithaca Estates Realty Office Manager Carol Macali said.

“You don’t want to start a business in a bad economy,” Macali said.

The small residential-style center, College Crossings, will be located at the intersection of Danby Road and East King Road and will likely feature a bank, convenience store and several other undisclosed businesses that have already expressed interest in the site. Macali said no official contracts have been signed yet.

A 600-foot pathway from the college’s Circle Apartments is an integral part of the plans proposed by landowner Evan Monkemeyer of Ithaca Estates Reality. The pathway, which will include the blue light system to ensure the safety of students, is designed to cut down on pedestrian traffic along Route 96B and attract students to the site.

Monkemeyer secured preliminary approval from the Town of Ithaca Planning Board in April 2007. Since that time, Fred T. Wilcox, chair of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, said he hasn’t heard any updates on the center. 

“We haven’t yet seen any finalization of Monkemeyer’s plans,” Wilcox said. “The only indication that his plan still exists is the trees that were cut down long ago to make way for construction.” 

Wilcox said the planning board was excited about the prospect of the shopping center, but before Monkemeyer could secure final approval, he would need to determine the maximum capacity of the building and its proposed usages.

“The center seemed appropriate for the site and offered amenities for students and non-students who live in the area of South Hill,” Wilcox said. 

Wilcox also said Monkemeyer would also have to work with the college and Montessori School nearby to gain permission to implement the blue light system along the path. The college office of Facilities Maintenance — which would be responsible for coordinating efforts with Monkemeyer — said it hasn’t received any information about the center recently.

Junior Dena Cohen lives in the Circle Apartments and said she would be more likely to walk to the center if it included a grocery store or restaurants. The fate of the center in general, she said, would rest on the types of stores Monkemeyer decided to include. 

“Most students only leave campus to get groceries or go out to eat,” Cohen said. Cohen also said the center may be too far to walk for students living in the Quads or Garden Apartments. 

“Students who don’t live as close may end up driving anyway,” she said. 

Freshman Donnie Miller, who lives in the Upper Quads, said the center would be far to walk but provide a convenient alternative to taking the TCAT or walking into town. Though he thinks the center will be popular among students, he doesn’t foresee many community members or students from Cornell University visiting the center. 

“Ithaca students will definitely use the center,” Miller said. “It’s just really important that the center is an appropriate size because if it’s too big, I feel like it will just end up hemorrhaging money.”  

Wilcox said the continuation of plans is an acknowledgment that the country is coming out of the recession. 

“Monkemeyer clearly has a plan,” Wilcox said. “The nature of the economy requires that he waits on tenants or financing to turn the plan into a reality.”