At this rose cafe talk I learned more about the history of the buildings in Ithaca. I didn’t realize how relevant this was to me until we started discussing rent prices and how they are continually on the rise each year. As a sophomore, I witness friends struggling to find a place within their budget in collegetown. Mr. Schroeder mentioned how if Cornell lowered its dorming fees, then collegetown landlords would have to lower their rents as well to compete with housing rates. I never thought about this, but it makes sense. However, we also discussed how Cornell does not pay the property taxes like the rest of Ithaca does since the institution brings great revenue to the city. I find it interesting that even though Cornell can afford to pay these taxes, it chooses not to. In fact most large institutions I learned, do not have to pay certain taxes like Cornell. Another important point that was brought up was the height of the new buildings constructed. Theoretically, if more floors were built, housing availability would increase and rent would decrease creating a win win for landlords who have more tenants and tenants who pay less. However, Ithaca sets a limit on the height of buildings partially because the land underneath the buildings are unstable for high buildings and also because there is a certain “sweet spot” at which buildings can be of maximal profitable use. Overall, this rose cafe talk was quite eye-opening, I learned new interesting information about not just Ithaca’s infrastructure, but the logistics behind the way housing and affordability in general.

Ask any student here what they think of the rents in College Town, and almost everyone will agree that they are overpriced. While it’s true that the apartments are right next to an Ivy League University, there is not much else to warrant the high prices charged by so many rentals, some of which rival the rent of a New York studio or apartment. This Cafe provided a very interesting point of view on the subject, which is rather personal for all students at Cornell. One interesting fact I found out was that the recent explosion of real estate in college town was approved in order to lower rents, but has so far had the opposite effect. But, when one takes a closer look at the situation, it makes sense. Since a majority of the real estate is owned by a small amount of owners, the normal rules of competition do not apply.  Hopefully sometime in the near future there will be a solution to this problem that’ll benefit both students and landowners.

In addition, Cornell is also part to blame for the exorbitant prices of living in College Town. The first reason being how expense its own living costs are. While this cost does cover both lodging and food, it is still rather steep. Due to this, landlords know that they only need to charge a tiny bit less than Cornell does, and they’ll be able to sell to students looking for somewhere bigger than a single room. The second problem lies with how much taxes Cornell pays. None. Yet it’s still being serviced by the surrounding area, so the rest of the county needs to make up for the revenue lost from the University. If Cornell could somehow find a reasonable solution to these problems, perhaps students trying to live in college town will have an easier time finding an affordable home.

Before I heard John Schroeder’s talk on the history of campus and Collegetown housing, I never really understood why housing was built the way it was on both campus and in Collegetown. But when Mr. Schroeder passed around a map from the late 1880s of Cornell and Collegetown and discussed the historical context of these areas, I was very intrigued. One of the points he mentioned that surprised me was that the only way to get to campus from Collegetown was through the path behind Cascadilla Hall since College Avenue did not connect to campus. Every day I walk from Collegetown back to campus through College Avenue. Now when I take this path, I will have an appreciation for what this part of Collegetown used to be like.

Additionally, I learned from the portrait of Ithaca Mr. Schroeder passed around how undeveloped central campus was. On what is the Arts Quad today, there were only a few buildings compared to the plethora of buildings that surround the quad now. This gave me an appreciation for how much we have grown as a community from only a few buildings, to the hundreds of campus structures and thousands of students that make up the school today. This appreciation also extends to how much development has occurred with regard to housing. Back in the late 1880s, Mr. Schroeder described that many students lived in the downtown area as opposed to living in Collegetown, which is far different from now where a large population of students do live in Collegetown and not many students live downtown. Also, the portrait showed how North Campus did not have any buildings. This is completely different from the thousands of students that populate that area today. Thus, it is amazing to me how much Cornell and Collegetown’s layout regarding both buildings and housing has changed over time.

I entered  John Schroeder’s coffee hour ready to learn about upcoming developments impacting the Cornell student body. Fortunately, our discussion was not relegated to just what affects Cornell, as we touched upon topics affecting Ithaca and beyond. Schroeder opened with discussing the rich history of Cornell developments, starting from 1880. Quickly, we dove into the reasons why Cornell developed the way it did, why certain developers become prominent, and which parts of Ithaca served Cornell students. The conversation then took a controversial turn, as students began to contest the validity of zoning laws. However, I am thankful for this contention, because as a group we were able to discuss how and why zoning laws are useful, why buildings are built the way they are, and what the future holds for Ithaca. After this conversation with Schroeder, I can say with confidence that I am excited to see future developments in Ithaca and hope that with this housing boom and modernization, Ithaca is able to entice alumni into staying.