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Tompkins County presents updated design for Center of Government, seeks final public feedback
Summary
Tompkins County held a final public engagement meeting to present schematic designs for a proposed Center of Government building, outline schedule and deconstruction plans, and collect community input on parking, accessibility, sustainability and next steps before design completion.
Tompkins County presented an updated schematic design and schedule for a proposed Center of Government building and invited final public feedback at the third community engagement session.
Unidentified Host (speaker 1) opened the meeting “on behalf of Tompkins County” and framed the event as the final opportunity for community questions and minor adjustments. Lead presenter (speaker 3) said the project is roughly “about halfway through design,” and that changes now become increasingly difficult and costly.
Presenters reviewed four site alternatives considered earlier — new construction, the Shops/Herald Square, and Cornell Business Park — and said those alternatives offered lower upfront acquisition costs but introduced operational and accessibility tradeoffs. Speaker 4 summarized the county’s three priority criteria used in the evaluation: proximity to the county campus, parking availability, and allowable zoning.
Design team members showed a site plan that wraps the building in plantings and built seating, includes a community plaza between the new building and the Boardman House, and adds secure bicycle storage and screened utilities. The team described interior concepts emphasizing perimeter offices with natural light, flexible open office areas and a one‑stop public service area with kiosks and small, medium and large meeting rooms.
On process and schedule, presenters said deconstruction and hazardous‑material abatement will precede construction; the design team plans to finalize construction documents and to go to bid for the new building in November 2026. The team also said salvaged materials from the three removed buildings will be considered for display in the new lobby.
The meeting closed with an invitation to submit additional comments through the project website and QR code survey, and the presenters reiterated that the team would incorporate community feedback into the remaining design development work.
