The Shops at Ithaca Mall: Update on Cayuga Health facilities

It is no secret that The Shops at Ithaca Mall have watched businesses leave their storefronts during the last few years. This trend of empty storefronts and shadows of signs has been happening across the United States for some time and was bolstered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To recap what has happened to the mall over the past few years, shops such as Sears and The Bon-Ton permanently left around 2014. Both stores have filed for bankruptcy and have no new locations in the area. The Bon-Ton officially closed all of its locations in 2018 but has a digital relaunch planned for later this year. Sears has roughly 20 stores still operating in the United States.

American Eagle Outfitters, Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) and Victoria’s Secret also left their homes in Ithaca with no other local locations. A furniture store temporarily resided in the previous DSW location, but that has also closed.

Former Regal Cinemas neighbor, Planet Fitness, moved into the Cayuga Mall on North Triphammer Road, the plaza that contains Big Lots and Joann’s, just down the road from the Ithaca mall. However, Regal will remain open at the mall for the foreseeable future, despite the recent filing of Cineworld, the company that owns Regal Cinemas, for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

Other popular stores, such as Old Navy and Ulta, have moved their Ithaca locations from The Shops at Ithaca Mall to new store fronts on South Meadow Street, part of the Route 13 corridor that cuts through the city. Dick’s Sporting Goods will soon follow suit with a move to the previous Tops location, also on South Meadow Street. 

Regardless of hardships and vacancies, The Shops at Ithaca Mall still have great retailers and a popular food court. Part of the space is now occupied by Cayuga Health, which operates Cayuga Medical Center and associated regional medical offices. Cayuga Health is working with the mall to utilize some of the vacant space for medical offices and community care facilities.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ithaca mall has served as a convenient location for COVID-19 testing. When vaccines became available, Cayuga Health also used part of the mall’s vacant space as a vaccine administration facility.

In March 2022, Cayuga Health officially announced renovation plans to create a multiuse facility based in the Ithaca mall. The plan occupies roughly 108,000 square feet in the former Sears, Bon-Ton and a few smaller interior stores.

“There’s a nationwide trend to repurpose mall space for health care for a good reason. Malls offer plenty of space that can be customized to meet the medical needs of our community. The location and parking make it convenient for patients,” said Jeffrey Penoyer, chief operating officer for Cayuga Medical Associates (CMA).

The Sears and Bon-Ton spaces were purchased for about $8.5 million. Another transaction was for 9,000 square feet of interior storefront space to be leased on a 25-year term with an option for a lease renewal of the same length. The plan includes a multiphase renovation of the former retail spaces to accommodate Cayuga Health’s existing needs and planned future expansion. 

Cayuga Health currently has the COVID-19 testing site and a medical supply store, in addition to the mall walking trail. Trail walkers are encouraged to stop by the supply center for free water bottles and other Cayuga Health merchandise as a thank you for participating.

The first phase of renovations, which is focused on the 54,000 square-foot former Bon-Ton space, provides Cayuga Health medical practices, administrative offices and space for other Cayuga Health affiliates.

“The primary care practices at the mall include space for the Internal Medicine Residency Program outpatient clinic. These physicians provide excellent care and additional access to primary care needed in our community,” said Melissa Tourtellotte, vice president of marketing and communications at Cayuga Health. “There will also be a lecture space to help support their education and spaces for mental health practitioners. When you go in to your primary doctor you could also see your mental health team.”

The mental health program will be run by CMA, which operates all of the outpatient facilities. An integrative behavioral health program will be offered as part of the primary care services offered at the mall. 

“Cayuga Medical Associates operates an integrated behavioral health program as part of its primary care services. Integrating care for behavioral health factors and medical conditions in the same setting is part of ‘whole-person care,’” Penoyer said.

Tourtellotte said there is also a vision for phase two, but it is not yet funded. The goal is to have a flexible and collaborative learning space that will support education and provide training for health care occupations. 

“Cayuga Health is invested in training the region’s workforce for in-demand occupations in the healthcare field. In the future, we envision a Medical Learning Center at the mall,” said Dr. Martin Stallone, president & CEO of Cayuga Health. “The space will be purposefully flexible in order to offer a variety of clinical and contextual educational opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, medical residents and various technical health care professionals.”

The educational center would share the previous Sears space with a mental health crisis center. This center is different from the general mental health facility that is part of patients’ primary care. 

There are other ideas for part of Cayuga’s acquired space at the mall, but those plans are still in the works and will be shared as they become more concrete. 

Tourtellotte said that the priority has been the former Bon-Ton, which houses the primary care operations. Sears and the planned programs in that location are secondary, but they are still important and work is being done to bring the hopes and goals into fruition with appropriate funding. 

“Certainly there is work being done behind the scenes. Having space for other community partners is still on the docket, and we are talking to others in the community, community partners, about co-locating in the space,” Tourtellotte said. “But there is nothing definitive to announce yet. It’s something that we are working on.”

Cayuga Health is currently set to open some of the facilities to patients this year in the 2023-2024 winter season, which is on track with their original timeline. 

Having a concise area for multiple services within the community is something that Cayuga Health is very excited about. Tourtellotte emphasized that the accessibility and vast parking the mall space offers is important for patient care.

Tourtellotte also said that there is so much space that can be utilized and there are so many more possibilities – this is just the first phase. She is excited to see how this space and these relationships develop over time.

“This location will offer a lot of benefits to those who are accessing the services, and it’s great for us to bring life into this space,” Tourtellotte said. “We are excited about the use of the space and what it means for the community. We’re excited to have a new place to welcome our patients.”

On Feb. 27, Cayuga Health System (CHS) announced that their new physician office building located at 260 Tompkins Street in Cortland will open on Monday, March 6.

The new location consolidates a number of Cayuga Health’s Cortland and Homer locations, providing a new level of convenience for patients across Tompkins and Cortland Counties.

The new facility hosts Cayuga Health’s Primary Care with Integrated Behavioral Health services, Cardiology, Neurology, Surgery, Pulmonology, Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT), Occupational Medicine, and Sleep Practices.  The facility will also include Lab Services.

“This new building is easily accessible and will bring a number of our practices together in a fresh, new, and innovative environment,” says Jeff Penoyer, chief operating officer of ambulatory services at Cayuga Health.  “Having these services all under one roof better accommodates referrals to specialists, and those specialists working together for the best patient care.”