When they moved into their new flagship store, they left the 3,000 square-foot space vacant. I believe that with (the IURA’s) support for this study, we can further clarify the market, test assumptions, refine financial projections and put together a conservative budget and operations and management plans that will be necessary to secure major funding from other partners for implementation.”ĭigging into the proposal a little further, the available space that Knipe is referring to is GreenStar’s former prep kitchen. “A feasibility study is the needed next step. This project holds potential to transform the food product sector in Ithaca and to become a meaningful economic development project with lasting value,” said Knipe. The attached narrative further describes this confluence of circumstances. There appears to be a moment of opportunity where there is an alignment of available space and local interest and capacity.
“This winter, potential answers to those two key questions emerged, and we started to give the idea of developing a large shared commercial kitchen serious thought.
However, such a project comes with its own share of cost and logistical concerns-in particular, where it would be located and who would manage the kitchen’s operation. Think of it as a step above making everything in their home kitchen, but not quite yet at the production scale where a budding food entrepreneur can cover the costs and logistics of operating and managing their own commercial prep kitchen full-time. According to a memo from Knipe, a number of food-products businesses and regional business groups have expressed the need for a small-scale shared commercial kitchen in the Ithaca-area, the type of place they could rent by the hour to prepare their foodstuffs.
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