[Ex-Ithacan]

Follow-up to hotel proposal in post #1372, from the Ithaca Times:

Elmira Road Hotel Receives Use Variance

Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2011 12:27 am | Updated: 3:10 pm, Thu Aug 11, 2011.


On Wednesday, August 10 the board of zoning appeals (BZA) of the City of Ithaca granted a use variance to the Bill Manos, who owns five lots next to his diner at 359 Elmira Road. Manos has engaged developer A.J. Patel, who will plans to build a 106-unit Fairfield Inn there. At the public hearing one neighbor spoke in favor of the project and alderwoman Jennifer Dotson, G-1st, spoke in opposition.

Engineer Larry Fabbroni has been overseeing the project for Patel. He received praise from BZA members for the quality of his presentation of the project. Fabbroni had to justify the variance, which would allow him to build 51 spaces of parking and extend part of the hotel into part of the consolidated parcel that is zoned residential.

Owner hardship had to be shown. Fabbroni noted that when Manos bought the land in the early 1960s it was permitted to build rooming houses and dormitories on the land. The zoning was revised in the late 1970s. The hardship was thereby shown not to be “self created.”

Fabbroni also did a study that showed that the portion of the property zoned residential could not be profitably developed.

The BZA determined that no negative effect on the residential neighborhood was demonstrated by anyone who spoke during the hearing. Fabbroni has promised to build a 35-foot deep vegetated buffer along Spencer Road, build a pedestrian walkway from Spencer to Elmira Road, and to never allow motorized vehicle access from the hotel parking lot to Spencer Road.

Next week the project will go to the city planning board for site plan review.

link:
http://www.ithaca.com/news/article_4...cc4c03286.html