Ithaca has been my second home for the last 2 years. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this unique and cultural college town that allows its students to be a part of the community. Through my various excursions to the commons and participation in into the streets, I noticed that Ithaca always seemed to have some form of attraction for everyone living in it. Therefore, when I attended the talk by Lisa Nicholas, I wasn’t surprised when she told us that Ithaca had one of the lowest vacancy rates in the country. After all, the booming education industry and great retirement facilities attracted people of all different ages to move here. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough houses and buildings to meet the demands of the Ithaca’s growing population. Lisa emphasized that the new construction projects in Ithaca, which included the development of a Marriott and Hilton Hotel, were passed as a result of accommodating more tourists and college families in Ithaca. I know how hard it is for my parents to find a hotel room that is conveniently located near Cornell, so I hope that these new hotels allow more families and tourists to be closer to the heart of Ithaca.

Additionally, Lisa described how construction projects were approved in Ithaca. Since the commons have a very open and unique layout, with small story buildings and quaint shops, the presence of a new building should not disrupt the aura of downtown. Therefore, the new projects must be situated in an area that adds to the beauty of Ithaca. When a student inquired about the shutting down of a multi story student building in Ithaca, Lisa stated that the building planners did not have a feasible plan to use a small plot of land to build their building; therefore, the project had to be shelved, so that the planners could revise their projects. After attending the talk, I was surprised to see the large rate of building and planning that had been present in Ithaca for the last 10 years. I was lucky enough to be living in a safe and comfortable environment at Cornell, but I couldn’t imagine what some families, tourists, and other students had to go through to find a home in Ithaca. I hope that in the next ten years, the number of living spaces in Ithaca match up to its flourishing population.