Cornell Heights is a great neighborhood in wonderful location. Possible zoning changes coming. My Aunt & Uncle use to live there. From the Ithaca Times:
Cornell Heights zoning catches up with historical designation
Posted: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 12:00 am
By Erin Barrett
At a Wednesday, Oct. 9 meeting, Director of Planning, Building and Economic Development JoAnn Cornish and historic preservation planner Lynn Truame, presented a proposal to the city Planning and Economic Development Committee (PEDC) that would amend zoning districts in and around the Cornell Heights Historic District. The purpose of the zoning change is to relieve tensions among developers, residents, and the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Committee (ILPC), over proposed developments that are in keeping with the current RU zoning but are complicated or disallowed by the historic district designation.
In the 1970s, Cornell Heights, which is immediately north of the university’s North Campus, was designated RU, which allows for high-density dwellings, up to four stories high, at a maximum height of 40 feet and no more than 30 percent lot coverage. According to a memo circulated by Cornish, this led to high-density developments in Cornell Heights that did not take into account the historic character of the area. In 1989, in an attempt to preserve the character of the area—it was developed as a “residence park” for faculty between 1898 and 1942—Cornell Heights was designated an historic district, but the underlying RU zoning remained.
According to Cornish, “When the historic district was designated in 1989, a review of the underlying zoning within its boundaries should have been conducted to ensure compatibility between the zoning and landmarks ordinances. Unfortunately, this did not occur. It is likely the issue did not rise to prominence until recently because intense development for student housing has, historically, been focused primarily on Collegetown. We are now seeing that intense development move out both to the north and south of campus and it is likely to continue to do so. Therefore, the time is now to address the conflict between the zoning ordinance and the landmarks ordinance in the Cornell Heights district, as it is unfair to the residents of the district and to potential developers alike.”
The planning department proposal would shift most of the current RU zone in Cornell Heights to R-3aa, with small areas south of the gorge changing to R-3a. An R-3aa designation would allow for the same high-density residential developments allowed under RU, but there would be more restrictions placed on building design to ensure new developments are in keeping with the historic character of Cornell Heights. New regulations include setback, height, and building footprint restrictions that are more cohesive with the surrounding neighborhood. Development in R-3a is generally restricted to one- and two-family dwellings.
According to zoning information available on the city’s website, R-3aa zoning limits structures to three stories at no more than 35 feet high, with a maximum of 35 percent lot coverage. R-3aa also restricts new development to a footprint no more than 120 percent of the average footprint of surrounding buildings. Alderperson Ellen McCollister, D-3rd, a member of the PEDC, saw this as an important feature of the proposed zoning change, as it “requires proposed developments to be broken up a bit more, so you don’t get a long, unbroken apartment complex that would be totally out of character with the surrounding neighborhood.”
Truame explained to the committee that the current zoning causes undue frustrations for developers who believe they are proposing appropriate development under RU zoning, only to find out the historic district places physical and procedural restrictions on their proposed development. Truame stated, “the underlying zoning remains RU which encourages large development, but the historic district conflicts with some RU allowances; the proposed rezoning would help bring higher density development that would be consistent with the character of historic districts.”
The committee voted unanimously to circulate the proposals, which PEDC Chair Seph Murtagh, D-2nd, explained is standard procedure. “The proposal will be circulated to pertinent boards, committees, staff and agencies of the city, and they will have a chance to weigh in, and then the proposal will come back to the committee in November with any comments it receives.” The committee plans to vote on the proposal at the Nov. 13 meeting. If it passes it will move on to Common Council in December.
Here's the link:
http://www.ithaca.com/news/cornell-h...9bb2963f4.html