An empty office space will cost Ithaca taxpayers at least $675,000 to walk away from, according to The Ithaca Voice. City leaders voted to terminate a long-term lease for offices next to City Hall after deciding the property no longer made financial sense.
The city will pay $530,000 this year and another $145,000 by early 2027 to end the agreement. Officials signed the 20-year lease in 2025 to ease overcrowding at City Hall but never moved employees into the building.
Mayor Robert Cantelmo said the space wasn’t the right fit and would have created additional security challenges. City officials now plan to pursue a long-term strategy centered on owning, rather than leasing, future office space.
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