The City of Ithaca is considering amendments to the Collegetown Area Form Districts, which would allow taller buildings, reduce setback requirements, and rezone certain parcels to improve zoning compliance. The Common Council will hold a public hearing on March 19 and is expected to vote on the changes on April 2.
The proposed amendments include raising maximum building heights in the Mixed Use (MU) districts. In the MU-1 district, the new height limit would be seven stories and 75 feet, up from the current five stories and 70 feet. In the MU-2 district, the limit would increase to eight stories and 85 feet, up from six stories and 80 feet. The city says this change reflects modern construction techniques and aims to make new projects more financially viable while maintaining high-quality design.
In the Collegetown Residential 4 (CR-4) district, the minimum rear yard requirement would be reduced from 20 feet to 10 feet, while keeping the 25% greenspace requirement unchanged. Officials say this would give property owners more flexibility in site development, as many rear yards in the district are underutilized and often accumulate debris.
The city is also looking to rezone several nonconforming properties in the 100- and 200-blocks of Oak Avenue from CR-2 and CR-3 to CR-4, aligning them with surrounding parcels. The affected properties have faced challenges meeting zoning requirements, often requiring variances for redevelopment.
City officials have determined the proposed changes will not have significant environmental impacts. The amendments aim to modernize zoning regulations to better accommodate development needs in Collegetown.
Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments before the April 2 vote. The Common Council will consider public input before making a final decision.
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