BODIE CHISUM


WORKS
ARCHITECTURE STUDIO

2025 SPRING
      Finger Lakes ReUse (FLR) is a non-profit community-based social enterprise with a mission to enhance the community, economy, and environment through reuse. FLR operates two popular Community ReUse Centers (the Ithaca ReUse Center and the ReUse MegaCenter) that resell housewares, electronics, building materials, lighting, furniture, clothing, and shoes and support a series of services that underscore its commitment to affordable, quality community-based reuse opportunities. FLR transforms used materials into impacts that benefit a wide range of community members — from those most vulnerable
to those most affluent. Merchandise sales directly support low barrier living wage jobs and paid job training opportunities, and give individuals, families and nonprofit agencies in need access to free and low-cost materials. Receiving an average of 200 drop-off donations per day, FLR’s impact translates to keeping hundreds of thousands of items out of landfills each year.
    The flagship location, the Ithaca ReUse Center, is a 17,000 SF single-story II-B construction building with a 900 SF accessory structure on a 100,000 SF parcel. The current store divides the available building space into 7,590 SF (M), 6,150 SF (F1) and 2,926 SF (B). The studio reuse project hopes to develop the site into a multi-use development that furthers FLR’s mission by providing an enlarged store, (possibly leasable space for tenants with value-adding services such as artists, makers, repair services), and multi-story affordable and supportive housing. Housing should aim to be both affordable and adaptive to respond to different resident needs (ex: social services, aging in place, or multi-occupant residential).