Last Wednesday, we were lucky to have Ithaca’s city planner Lisa Nicholas at Rose Cafe and talked about things that were going on behind Ithaca’s development. Although we live right here in Ithaca, it is so interesting to learn about some facts that we even don’t know about.

Lisa Nicholas began her talk with an overall introduction of Ithaca land plan and use.  She pointed out that comprehensive city plan and land use are determined by community goals. We are pleased to see that Ithaca has become one of the most popular places for retirement or spending vacations. While this brings opportunities for city growth, as more and more people are settled down in Ithaca, the challenge of balancing the demand and supply in the housing market could be obvious. These years, rental housing prices keep rising and Ithaca has a house vacancy rate of only 0.5%. Therefore, new houses should be built. The goal is to create opportunities while preserving and enhancing the characters of the existing. A mode of dense compact can be considered for the city plan.

There are some other interesting facts. Such as, there are 54% people living in Ithaca choosing to go to work by foot or by public transportations. This high percentage is rare among cities. I think it is because of the unique lifestyle that is shared among residents in this small city. At the end, house professor Garrick Blalock showed us two hotel projects are on the go, which will probably reduce the pressure of accommodation demand during the graduation season.

I am so exciting to see changes made in Ithaca and Ithaca will always be home to Cornellians.