Ithacating in Cornell Heights

This mostly reuses the Voice gallery writeup, but it’s a chance to publish all the unused photos as well.

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There’s been a little bit of controversy lately with developer Eric Goetzmann’s senior housing project on Oakcrest Drive in the village of Lansing. Goetzmann has approached the village and the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency for permission to convert the rental project to for-sale senior housing. Physically, the changes would be very limited, as it’s mostly the creation of interior lot lines. In terms of concept, though, it’s a more substantial change. The IDA went into private Executive Session to discuss the matter because it involved Goetzmann’s finances and topics of potential future legal action, and the result was that they objected to making them for-sale. The village is willing to consider lot subdivision if Goetzmann and the IDA can work out their differences. Not to delve into speculation behind the Executive Session, but as proposed, it sounds like a 55+ person could buy the unit and let their college kids occupy it, and hope a future Homeowner’s Association handles it. That doesn’t sound like the senior housing the county had in mind.

As approved, the residential components consist of two phases. Four one-story triplexes (12 units total) will be ready for occupancy by the end of July 2020. Two more triplexes (6 units) will be built in a second phase to be ready for occupancy in December 2020. One of the triplexes has been roofed and fitted with windows, a second is fully framed, the third was being framed out, and the fourth was just a concrete pad with sub-slab utility hook-ups poking out. Project planning, design, and construction services are being provided by an all-in-one firm, McFarland Johnson of Binghamton.

A history of the project and an overall description can be found here.