The Rose Café about the City of Ithaca development plans made me realize how separate the Cornell campus is from the broader community of Ithaca. Especially in the winter weather, I almost never get into downtown Ithaca. For this reason, I was happy to learn about different projects taking place within the city.

I think the city has to proceed carefully in order to maintain the qualities that make Ithaca special. In my opinion, one example of development projects diminishing the quality of Ithaca is the Lowe’s on Route 13. This big box store may be necessary for the local economy; however, I really don’t enjoy seeing it after hiking up Buttermilk Falls. It seems like this project diminished the natural beauty of Ithaca.

I was happy to hear that the city planning board pushed back against plans to build a high rise apartment building next to the Commons. It seems like this would have made the Commons feel very urban and unwelcoming.

After talking about the new hotels being constructed downtown I made sure to look for them on my recent trip. I was suppressed that the Marriott is so far along in the construction process. I hope it is able to blend in with the rest of the Commons.

Learning about the happenings of Ithaca is always useful, considering that I live there for the majority of the year. I am looking forward to seeing all of the projects once they are completed.