City Planning OKs Guthrie’s parking lot project

Guthrie Cortland.

The City of Cortland Planning Commission approved the site plan for Guthrie Cortland Medical Center’s parking lot expansion project on the hospital’s campus at Monday’s meeting.

The proposed $3.5 million expansion is part of the $14 million improvements project for Guthrie Cortland.

Bob Seigart, owner and architect of Schopfer Architects, LLP, who is attached to the project, noted on Monday that the project will be conducted in two phases.

The first phase is slated to get underway this fall. It includes parking lot repaving that will close off about 600 feet of Alvena Avenue (west of Homer Avenue), the addition of greenspace and the construction of a retainer wall/barrier (plus a 6-foot vinyl fence) between the lot and residents of Evergreen Street.

The second phase, which wouldn’t begin until spring 2023, includes reconstruction of the hospital’s front entrance and a circular driveway for patients.

“We can’t give up all of that parking at once,” Seigart said, noting the reason that the project is split into two phases.

Parking Lot Expansion Rendering.

Parking Lot Expansion Rendering

According to Seigart, Guthrie Cortland currently has 282 parking spaces. Once the project is finished, the campus will have 279 spaces, he added.

“We’re losing three spaces, but as you go through winter and since a lot of this is on gravel, you don’t get the spaces you ought to get out of it,” Seigart said.

Seigart noted that once the parking lot expansion project is complete, it will be similar to the parking lot at The Renzi Cancer Center, which opened its doors last fall.

The lights at the parking lot will see improvement as well, Seigart said,

“It’s awful right now. It’s difficult to even park there at night because it’s blinding,” he added, noting the improvements include new lights, bases and poles.

Further approval from the city remains to be seen. However, Guthrie communications coordinator Steve Osterhaus noted that the timeline for the project “remains the same.”

“Everything is on schedule,” he added.