“How much development is desirable?” prompts Downtown Ithaca 2020 Strategic Plan, published in 2010. Cited as “A plan for Revitalization, Development, Management and Promotion of the Downtown Ithaca Business Improvement District for the period 2010–2020,” this informational pamphlet is a peek into all that the city has planned and has hoped to accomplish in terms of development since 2010. It speaks of creating housing in large quantities, accommodating pedestrian traffic, and enhancing local business. Despite this all sounding beneficial to Ithaca’s economy and urban appeal, there is an argument to be made against the desirability of development in favor of maintaining Ithaca’s current character.
Referencing the Strategic Plan, “There are community residents who moved to Ithaca because of its small city scale. There would be reluctance on the part of these residents to support growth that would substantially change or alter the character of the community they chose as their home.” Not only are there community members who have moved recently after being drawn in by Ithaca’s charm; there are lifelong residents who are not willing to see change and development alter their beloved haven. At a Common Council meeting I attended on September 7, four long-term Ithacans spoke out against a current plan to build a five-story apartment building on lower College Avenue. If you are unfamiliar with the road, upper College Avenue is home to Collegetown apartment buildings, retail, and student housing, while down the road lie old two-story homes, many of which are single-family or duplexes. The residents were severely concerned with the prospect of a building so large being plopped in the middle of historic, character-filled homes. They argued that if a five-story building were to be built among homes in Collegetown, what would stop zoning laws to be passed that would allow this to happen in Fall Creek?
I stand with these residents, seemingly stuck in their ways to oppose development, yet driven by their love of Ithaca. Our city is old, it is historic, and it is filled with natural beauty. Its homes are impressive in their architecture and age, and our downtown is distinct for its preservation of these buildings. With large new buildings being built almost every year, residents have reason to fear a loss of character. It’s not the building of strip malls or commercial complexes in the downtown district that residents fear, but rather the building of high-rises and streamlined buildings that boast a high number of housing units and efficient use of space. Do residents approve of the area surrounding the Commons and continuing down the State St. corridor to the West End being built up even further? The city makes it seem necessary and inevitable, yet it may come at a cost to the existing buildings, destroying or simply overshadowing them into obscurity.
The Strategic Plan asks “What if we, the people of Ithaca, choose not to act to continue to nurture and grow our downtown urban core?” In response, I ask, why is growth synonymous with nurturing? Can the downtown area not thrive without the building of additional high-rises, or could we nurture the area to expand and repurpose existing buildings, growing in creativity and not just size? For invested Ithaca residents, yes, making housing affordable is important, and yes, transportation should be accessible. However, the answer should not always just be to build up, as seems to be the plan for the Trebloc building and potentially the old library. First and foremost, the character of the city should be the priority, emphasizing nature and architecture over capacity. Residents should not have to fear a new city appearing before them or a district of five-story buildings expanding further and further beyond the Commons, and should advocate for innovative ways to maintain the city’s character.