City of Ithaca, New York: A General Plan

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ITHACA, N.Y.:
A
GENERAL
PLAN
ITHACA, NEW YORK: A GENERAL PLAN
CITY PLANNING BOARD, 108 E. GREEN STREET
1971
Sketches by H. Peter Kahn
Copyright 1971 City Planning Board, Ithaca, New York
Cover: Illustration from an etching of Ithaca done in 1882
by L. R. Burleigh, reproduced by Wilcox Press.
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PLANNING BOARD
1 ) RICHARD M. PuTNEY, Chairman
ROBERT M. BURNS
EDWARD J. CONLEY
HENRY E. DONEY
RICHARD P. KORF
JoHN W. REPS
'i\' ILLIAi\I F. ScHMIDT
PAST PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS
MARGARET M. HAMILTON
ANNE T. JONES
JAi\IES D. PARKES
PLANNING STAFF
GREGORY KAsPRZAK, Planning Director
JoNATHAN C. MEIGS, Assistant Planner
MARGARET ,V, MoNROE, Junior Plan11er
GEORGE E. LAWRENCE, Planning Tech11ician
HILDA P. HuTSON, Secretary
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Development Objectives . .. .. . . .. . .
I. ITHACA'S HUMAN, FISCAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES .. . .
Ithaca's Beginning ..... . . .... .. .
Physical Environment . . ... . .. . .. .
Population . ... . .. .. .. . .. ... . . .
Economy . ..... .. . .. .. . ... . . . .
II. LAND USE . . ........... . ....... .
Cornell Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
University ... . . ... ... . ... . .. . .
Belle Sherman . . .. . .. .. .... . . . .
East Hill .. .. . . . . .. .. . ..... .. .
Fall Creek . . ... ..... .. ... . . .. .
North Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Central ..... . . . .... . . . . . . ... .
South Hill ... . .... . .... ... . . . .
South Central .. . .. . ... .. . . ... .
Inlet Valley-Elmira Road . .. . ... .
West Hill . ... . .. . . . .. . .. .... .
Cayuga Inlet ..... . ....... . . . . .
The Future .. .. . . . .. ..... . . . . .
III. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES ... .. . .. .
City Government . .. .......... . .
Police Protection . . .... . . . . . ... .
Fire Protection ..... . .. .. .. . .. .
Civil Defense Protection ........ . .
Page
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29
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31
32
33
34
35
36
38
41
43
46
47
48
Page
Library Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Educational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Social Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
IV. Co.t'viMUNITY F AGILITIES . . . . . . . . . 59
Water Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Sewage Collection, Treatment,
and Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Solid vVaste Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Natural Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Street Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Parks and Open Space . . . . . . . . . . . 70
V. SPECIAL COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . 77
National Arts and Recreation Center 79
Urban Renewal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
VI. CIRCULATION AND
TRANSPORTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Internal Circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
External Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Other Transportation Facilities . . . . 95
Community Transit System . . . . . . 95
Long Distance Bus Service . . . . . 98
Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Air Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
CONCLUSION AND EPILOGUE . ..... 101
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ITHACA'S HUMAN, FISCAL, AND
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
TABLES AND MAPS
LAND USE
Page
Map 1.1:
Developed Land and Village Boundaries of
Ithaca in 1806 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
~ v l a p 1.2:
Developed Land and Village Boundaries of
Ithaca in 1835 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 1.1:
Annual Census Enumerations and Percentage
Change Over Time for Tompkins County and
the City of Ithaca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Map 1.3:
Developed Land and City Boundaries of
Ithaca in 1889 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Table 1.2:
Age and Sex Characteristics of the Popula-
tions of the United States, New York, Tomp-
kins County, and Ithaca for 1960 . . . . . . . . 11
Table 1.3:
Age and Sex Composition by wards for the
City of Ithaca, 1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Map 1.4:
Area Inundated by the Flood of Record, July
1935, and Ithaca Flood Control System, 1970 12
Table 1.4:
Population Projections for the City of Ithaca,
1970-1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
~ v l a p 1.5:
Seven City Wards, Used for Population
Distribution Analysis, 1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Table 1.5:
Comparative Distribution by Age Group of
the Total Labor Force of New York State,
Upstate New York, Tompkins County, and
Ithaca, 1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 1.6:
Labor Force Distribution by Selected Occu-
pation, 1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 1.7:
Comparison of the Average vVork Force and
Average Rate of Unemployment in Tompkins
County from 1962 through 1966 . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 1.8:
Distribution of Income by Individual Em-
ployees and Employers and by Family in the
City of Ithaca, 1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Table 1.9:
Weeks Worked by Employed Persons, 1960 17
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Table II.l:
Page
Tabulation of Kind, Condition, and Construc-
tion Material of all Structures in the City of
Ithaca by Neighborhood, 1969 . . . . . . . . . . 21
Nlap II.l:
Neighborhood Boundaries, 1970 . . . . . . . . . 22
Table II.2:
Existing Land Use by Acreage and Percent
for the City of Ithaca by Neighborhoods 23
1Vlap II.2
Existing Land Use, 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table II.3:
Distribution of Land Use by Acreage and
Percent in Neighborhood 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Table II .4:
Table II.5:
Table II.6:
Table II.7:
Percent in Neighborhood 5 . . . . . . . . . .. . . 29
Table II.8:
Table II.9:
Table II.lO:
Table II.11:
Table II.12:
Table II.13:
Table II.14
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Map Ilo3
Projected Land Use, 1Q90
Table Ilo15:
Projected Land Use by Acreage and Percent
for the City of Ithaca by Neighborhoods,
37
1990 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38
Table Ilo16:
Changes in Land Uses by Acreage and Per-
cent from Existing to Projected Land Uses 39
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Table III.l:
Organization Chart for Ithaca City Govern-
ment 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 43
Page
Map III.2:
Institutions of Higher and Continuing Edu-
cation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54
Table III.l2:
Social Services with Headquarters in the
City, by Interest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 55
Map IIIo3:
Social Service Organization Headquarters
located in the City, 1969 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 56
Table III.l3:
Breakdown of County, City, and United
Fund Expenditures on Social Services 0 0 0 0 57
Table IIIo2: COi\IHviUNITY FACILITIES
Cumulative Graph of Percent Change in Em-
ployment by Tompkins County and City of
Ithaca 1962 to 1969 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44
Table III.3:
Actual Revenues for the City of Ithaca, 1966
through 1968 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 o 46
Table III.4:
General Fund Budget Allocations by Dollar
and Percent for the City of Ithaca, 1964 to
1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 47
Table III.5:
Quantity and Description of Machinery
Owned by the Ithaca Fire Department in
1969 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 48
Table III.6:
Number of Registered Borrowers from Tomp-
kins County Library 1965-1969 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 49
Table III.7:
Public School Standards as Determined by
the Ithaca Board of Education 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50
Table IIIo8:
Description of Public Schools within the City
of Ithaca by Age, Number of Rooms, Site
Size, and Student Enrollment, 1970 0 0 0 0 0 0 51
Table IIIo9:
Enrollments and School Population Projec-
tions by Percent Increase from 1960 to 19800 51
Table III.lO:
Absolute Enrollment Projected for 1970
through 1990 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51
Map IIIo1:
Ithaca Public School District 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 52
Table IIIoll:
Distribution of Staff by Responsibility, Sex,
and Level of Education in 1966 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53
Table IVo1:
Drawing Capacity of the Ithaca City Water
Reservoir in 1970 and Projected for Daily
Increases of 008, 016, and 025 Million Gallons 61
Table IVo2:
'i\' ater Treatment Plant Use and Capacity 0 0 61
:Map IVo1:
'i\Tater Treatment Plant Service Areas, 1970 62
Table IVo3:
Description of the Cost of Treating Water
and 'i\' ater Quantities by Absolute Numbers
and Percent Change, 1964 to 1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 63
Map IVo2:
Sewer Treatment Plant Service Areas, 1970 64
Table IV.4:
Cost of Sewage Treatment Plant Operations
for the City of Ithaca, 1964 to 1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 65
Map IVo3:
Proposed County-Wide Refuse Disposal Sites 67
Table IVo5:
Recommended Lighting for Major, Collector,
and Local Streets within Downtown, Inter-
mediate, and Outlying Areas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68
Map IV.4:
Street Lighting Classifications 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 69
Table IVo6:
Recreation Area Standards as Set by the 1968
Recreation Plan, City of Ithaca 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 71
Map IVo5:
Park and Open Space in the City as Desig-
nated by the Recreation Plan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 72
Table lVo7:
Recommended and Existing City Parks and
Open Spaces by Function 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 73
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Table IVo8:
Description of Actual and Proposed Park
Land and Open Space by Neighborhood,
Function of Park, and Population in Ithaca,
1969 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 74
Table IVo9:
Description of the Regional State Parks Ad-
jacent to Ithaca by Distance, Size, Facilities,
and Population Served in 1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 75
SPECIAL COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
Map Vo1:
Proposed Inlet Park Development
Table Vo1:
Employment Concentration Ratios (County I
New York State) for the Entertainment and
Services Sector in the \iVestern Upstate Coun-
ties with Major Urban Centers 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 0
Map Vo2:
Urban Renewal Area, 1970 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Table Vo2:
Proportion of Students to Total Population
80
81
83
of Ithaca, 1950 through 1990 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84
Table Vo3:
Comparison of Housing Units per ShLJ.cture
in Tompkins County, 1950, 1960, 1968 0 0 0 0 85
Table V.4:
Housing Vacancy Rates for Selected Upstate
Communities, 1967 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 85
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Page
Table Vo5:
Vacancy Rates for Areas of Tompkins County,
1967 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 85
CIRCULATION
Table VI.l:
Traffic Generators in the City of Ithaca, 1969 89
Map VI.l:
Existing Major Streets and Traffic Genera-
tors, 1970 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 90
Map Vl.2:
Projected Major Streets and Traffic Genera-
tors, 1990 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 92
Table Vl.2:
Frequency of Use of the Transit System by
Percentage, 1961 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 96
Table VI.3:
Number and Type of Bus Users, Annual Rev-
enue and Annual Loss of the Transit System
from 1964-1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 96
j\,llap Vl.3:
Area Transportation Systems, 1970 o 0 0 0 0 0 97
Table VI.4:
Freight Shipments In and Out of the Ithaca
Station by Carload in 1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98
Table VI.5:
Tompkins County Airport Air and Passenger
Traffic, 1965 to 1968 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 99
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INTRODUCTION
Urban land use planning refers to the continuous
advisory process of guiding land development accord-
ing to established policy and toward predetermined
goals. The ultimate objective of such conscious shap-
ing of the physical environment is the welfare of those
who live and will live in the community. The Ithaca
General Plan also provides a basis on which public
and private agencies can relate and coordinate their
development to design principles and objectives as
expressed in the plan. In short then, the city's General
Plan becomes an official public document which is
used by local governmental boards and officials as a
guide to decisions about the physical development of
the community. The plan, as adopted by the Common
Council, becomes an official document of the city.
Alone, however, the document has no force-in-law.
The "teeth" of the plan develop if, and when, parallel
zoning and other city ordinances are adopted.
There are three essential elements of a general
plan. The plan must be comprehensive, general, and
long range. To be comprehensive the plan must in-
clude all geographic parts of the city and all functional
elements of the city which have a bearing on the
physical development of the community. To be general
the plan must summarize policies and proposals and
not offer the detailed solutions to problems. To be
long range implies that the plan look beyond the
pressing current issues to the future perspective of
20 years hence. Long range planning must not only
correct present faults but create the benefits of the
future. Each of these aspects of the General Plan is a
part of the whole, a basis for a better community.
While the ideal of this plan is complete fulfillment
and while some of the proposals made here are inter-
dependent with others, any part of the General Plan
carried to completion will mean an advance for Ithaca.
The General Plan is a working proposal, not a fan-
tasy. To be effective the implementation of its goals
must be flexible. Periodic review of the plan's pro-
posals is fundamental to achieving a General Plan
which is flexible and responsive to the growing and
changing nature of the city.
Ithaca serves a unique function as a major center
of higher education. In accordance with this function
Ithaca is a small city with a well developed service
sector; a small, but diversified, industrial base; and a
great, but undeveloped, potential as a regional recrea-
tional-cultural center. All of the objectives of the
General Plan work toward maintaining and improving
these functions of the city. No data is available which
indicates that Ithaca is going to change its size or
function radically in the next three or four decades.
Ithaca's General Plan, as presented here, has been
prepared with the function of the city in mind. A
balance has been struck between such things as resi-
dential, commercial, and indushial development, be-
tween time required for long range projects and
capital funds available. In fact, the unique contri-
bution of this General Plan to the city's development
policy is that each component of the city's structure
is analyzed and planned in the context of all the com-
ponents.
The major parts of the Ithaca General Plan-Land
Use, Community Facilities, Community Activities,
Special Community Projects, and Circulation-are
based on careful study and statistical analysis. Some
parts of the plan, however, are the product of judg-
ments. The field of human values cannot be measured
statistically, but many of these judgments are signifi
cant components of the essential decisions to be made.
These value judgments are stated as explicitly as
possible in the plan; however, explicitness is not
always possible.
A clear understanding of the community's potential
calls for a careful analysis of the conditions under
which the plan must operate. This history of a com-
munity provides much insight into its present condi-
tion. In order, therefore, to provide a better under-
standing of the base on which we will build for the
future, the chapters that follow deal first with the
historical developments which brought the city to its
present condition, the nature of the city's present
human, physical, and economic resources, and projec-
tions as to the future changes in the city which can
be anticipated.
DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
The development objectives of the Ithaca General
Plan provide the guidelines for building a community
which will be a place of, and for, men. A community
in which each resident has an opportunity to exercise
his full potential in seeking worthwhile economic,
educational, cultural, and physical goals.
Development Objectives
1. A city which builds for the different interests of
its citizens.
Achieving a better understanding of our citi-
zenry and their various urban area needs is prob-
ably our most difficult challenge. Some of these
needs are common to all citizens, others vary
according to the citizens' differences in education,
sex, age, etc. A good city is one \vhich considers
and builds for these differences.
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2. A city which understands and does not abuse its
nonreplaceable physical resources.
Another challenge is our land-3,900 acres. This
is the basic physical resource we have to work
with. It comes in a xed amount. If we waste or
pollute our land and environment, it cannot be re-
placed. we must, therefore, try to understand and
make wise use of the soil, gorges, water, air, and
plants which are a part of the community's non-
replaceable physical resources.
3. A city which has a workable pattern for relating
the industrial, commercial, and residential activ-
ities of men.
Buildings serve the purpose of housing nearly
all of man's productive activities. We must search
for ways of securing buildings which are estheti-
cally pleasing, efficient, and functional. We must
nd workable patterns for relating buildings to
one another, whether they house similar or dis-
similar activities of man. In some situations a sen-
sitive physical and social design plan can group
dissimilar activities; more often, however, the re-
sult is offensive and unsightly and the stronger
commercial and industrial activities move bit by
bit, destroying the residential and other econom-
ically weaker activities . A good city must be able
to properly accommodate all the building activ-
ities of men.
4. A city which moves its goods and people efficiently
and safely.
Circulation into and through the city is essen-
tial to its life. Movement between buildings and
areas is necessary because man cannot perform
all of these necessary activities in a single build-
ing. Therefore, we must improve the quality of
and safety of our circulation system.
5. A city which encourages the diversity of its indus-
trial base and makes every effort to employ its
labor force according to its skill and capacity.
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Our economy is based on the combination of
our land use, buildings, circulation system, and
our personal abilities and talents. \Ve must work
toward using these talents and resources in the
most efficient manner, giving our citizens the
maximum opportunity to become productive mem-
bers of our society.
We should work toward maintaining all sectors
of our economy and strive to increase diversity in
our economic base by encouraging new light ser-
vice and recreational industries to supplement our
existing service and educational industries. vVe
must provide for those members of our labor force
who will need special job training or rehaining
to develop the skills needed by our expanding
economy.
6. A city which is responsive to its growing regional
role as a cultural-recreational center and its local
role as a commercial-service center.
Although our community's population is not
anticipated to increase by more than 9 percent by
1980, the surrounding county is anticipated to
have a 36 percent population increase. Despite
the lower growth rate in the city, the rapid expan-
sion in the county and increasing emphasis on the
city's role as a culhual-recreational center for
upstate New York will increase the city's role in
the future as a commercial-service center.
Such growth will inevitably mean physical
changes in the city. It should be an objective of
the city and of each neighborhood to begin work-
ing together now to understand the common
problems which will result from an increasing
commercial-service specialization in the city's func-
tion.
7. A city which employs the renewal of resources,
buildings, land, and circulation as a means to
correct and bring new vigor to the community.
It should be a community objective to recog-
nize the value of the aspects of the city-buildings,
circulation, activities, facilities, and land uses-
which are in good condition and do whatever is
possible to enhance, continue, and maintain their
use. Renewal of human resources, buildings, land,
and circulation, however, must also become a
development objective if we are to correct and
bring new vigor to our community.
8. A city which recognizes that its future develop-
ment will be based on the city's recreation poten-
tial, the city's role as a retail-service center, and
the city's athactive powers for service type indus-
hies; and a city which plans for these future
developments .
Recognizing the city's regional role and its
natural assets as an educational, cultural, and
recreational center, we should encourage and pro-
vide leadership in the development of facilities
which will appeal to visitors and residents alike.
For the new people who will settle in Ithaca,
for the new land which will be developed in the
city, for the new buildings which will be built,
and for the new circulation patterns required, it
should be a development objective to provide
well-studied plans and programs to properly guide
their growth.
The active pursuit of the development objectives
listed in this section will improve Ithaca's chances of
continuing to build a pleasing rather than an ugly
community. Following these objectives will assist the
community in achieving a good place of, and for, man.
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ITHACA'S BEGINNING
In 1781, 1,800,000 acres in upstate New York were
set aside by law to be used as payment to Revolu-
tionary \Var soldiers. Ithaca was a part of this acreage.
Simeon DevVitt, then Surveyor General of New York
State, purchased several of these soldier's lands at the
head of Cayuga Lake in 1797. With the additional
purchase of a portion of the Bloodgood Tract, DeWitt
owned most of the delta area at the lake head.
In 1806, Simeon DeWitt prepared to develop his
holdings by laying a series of streets in a north-south
gridiron pattern on the dry, flat land between Casca-
dilla and Six-Mile Creeks. Surrounded by marsh and
swamps, this area was the most easily developable of
DeWitt's holdings. Moreover, the land laid out had
good access to the potential water power of the- adja-
cent creeks so essential for industrial development.
The Bath-Jericho Turnpike, completed through Ithaca
in 1804, provided a major overland access to the de-
veloped plat.
At the time of Ithaca's founding the turnpikes were
the most influential factor in determining the orienta-
tion of the community. Not until the opening of the
Erie Canal in 1837 did Cayuga Lake begin to play a
really important role in the commercial life of the
community, Therefore, despite the presence of the
lake to the north, the early growth of the community
moved west along the turnpikes. By 1824 seven major
turnpikes served Ithaca. All of these turnpikes came
down East Hill and left Ithaca up the Inlet Valley.
In 1817, Ithaca was declared the county seat of
Tompkins County. By 1818 the village had acquired a
court house, 17 stores, seven groceries, eight offices,
28 mechanic's shops and a population of 611.
In April 1821, the New York State Legislature
recognized Ithaca as an incorporated village. Thus
began a new era in Ithaca's development. The first 15
years after village incorporation were particularly im-
portant because it was during this period that the
street plan was laid out for the next 50 years. In this
decade and a half the village population more than
quadrupled from 859 to 3,923, sidewalks were built
and the village boundaries were extended ( 1826) .
~ ' I n c h of the growth of the village was simply periph-
eral expansion around the established core of the
settlement. For example, the village trustees erected
a Public Post for all official notices on the corner of
Owego (State) and Tioga Streets in 1821. The place-
ment of this post indicated that the focal point of the
village in 1821 was in essentially the same location that
it was in 1806. However, as Owego (State) Street
became a main thoroughfare to the rapidly developing
area at the inlet, linear development began along
State Street. This vvestward expansion is clearly visible
on the 1829 map of the village.
Simeon DeWitt's 1831 map for the village extended
the north-south gridiron pattern to the area bounded
by Brindley, Cascadilla, Factory, and Clinton Streets.
This area is the basis of the present city street system.
In addition, some of the land uses set aside in De-
witt's 1831 plan have become intrinsic parts of
Ithaca-Washington Square, the Public Ground (De-
witt Park), several churches, and the Clinton House.
Generally this 1831 map, !he last of DeWitt's maps,
maintained and extended the basic pattern of the
1806 map.
After De\Vitt's death, a final street map was drawn
to settle his estate. On this map the gridiron was
extended up East Hill and the area west of Auburn
Street was laid out at a diagonal to the village's orig-
inal plat. This 1835 map became, by vote of the village
trustees, the basis of the 1836 Village Map.
The Panic of 1837 slowed the rapid growth of
Ithaca. There was little change in the street plan from
1837 to 1888. This period was more one of filling in
the earlier street plans for the village.
The era from 1837 to 1888, however, included
several events which were to have significant impact
on Ithaca's future growth. First, the construction of
four railroads linking Ithaca to other rail terminals
were completed by 1874. However, the cost of con-
struction on the steep terrain and the poor quality of
the early equipment made extensive rail access to
Ithaca prohibitively expensive. Therefore, the main
lines of the developing rail carriers by-passed the
village.
In the 1860's, the New York State Legislature
established the new State University in Ithaca. Even
as a fledgling operation the University made a signifi-
cant contribution to the village; and today the Uni-
versity is a mainstay of the Ithaca economy.
In 1888 Ithaca became an incorporated city. As
indicated on the 1889 map, by the time Ithaca became
a city most of the "Flats" was developed and the plans
of 1806, 1831, and 1835 were fixed permanently in
mortar and brick.
Ithaca's second century has been far from colorless.
In the 1890's development began apace on the hills
surrounding the Flats, first on East Hill adjacent to
Cornell University, then on South Hill, and later on
West Hill. In 1914 Renwick Park (Stewart Park) was
leased to a movie director. For six years Ithaca was
the movie capital of the world. In the 1920's the
automobile increased Ithaca's accessibility and estab-
lished the city as the central place for employment
and retail services in the county. By 1923 the citizens
of Ithaca had realized the need for planning and ap-
pointed a citizen's committee "to consider and formu-
late plans for a comprehensive program of permanent
5
CITY O F ~
ITHACA ~ ~ , ___ _
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CAYUGA L AKE
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improvements"! for the city. A consultant was hired
to formulate a city zoning ordinance which was
adopted in 1925; and in February 1926 an official City
Planning Commission was appointed under state law.
The Future
As we look at Ithaca's development from its
founding to the most recent extension of its city limits,
we see that there were several important influences on
the city's physical development. First, there was the
Glacial Age which not only created the beautiful,
steep terrain enclosing the city, but also was respon-
sible for the poorly drained soil and swampy areas on
the "Flats." Second, there was Simeon DeWitt whose
plans of 1806 and 1831, amended in 1835, detem1ined
the street pattern and even some of the existing-land
uses in the city. There was the city's early accessibility
by overland turnpikes which encouraged linear
development from east to west, away from the lake
front, an influence still visible in the city today. The
fourth factor which influenced the city's physical
development was the location of Cornell University
on East Hill. The University drew development up
East Hill.
It is important to note that the present land use
pattern in the city still has many features of much
earlier uses; for example, the Public Ground (DeWitt
Park) flanked by the Presbyterian Church and Court
House. By and large, the commercial center of Ithaca
today is at the same intersection of State and Tioga
Streets that it was on the 1806 map. Ithaca has re-
mained ostensibly the same because the changes in
the city have been primarily peripheral additions to
the old development rather than replacements of land
uses. The uses which have disappeared, generally, are
those which were related to an old way of life such
as the Public Post, public markets, or small water-
powered industries. These older uses have been re-
placed by new technology or other services.
The future growth and development of the City of
Ithaca will be strongly influenced by the framework
defined by the Glacial Age, the plat designed by
Simeon De\iVitt, the turnpikes, and the attraction
powers of the University. These immoveable para-
meters, fixed in soils, mortar, and brick, are factors
which will influence planning. The land area of the
city is presently almost fully developed. Further
development, then, will result in shifting land uses and
increases in the density of existing land uses. Now
more than at any time in the past 100 years, Ithaca
needs to plan for the future.
'Kermit C. Parsons, A Study of the Ithaca Urban Area, Cornell
University Thesis, Ithaca, New York, 1953, p. 6.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The City of Ithaca is located at the north end of
the north-south valley which marks the drainage area
of Cayuga Lake. This drainage basin is bounded by
hills rising to an elevation of 1,910 feet above mean
sea level. The valley was eroded by ice during the
glacial period to a depth of approximately 45 feet
below mean sea level. Glacial drift mantled the
bedrock at the north end of the valley forming a dam
south of which Cayuga Lake was formed. The drain-
age basin encompasses 780 square miles.
As the glacier melted, retreating northward, the
high level lakes in the Cayuga Inlet and Six-Mile
Creek valleys dropped lower and lower until they
drained into the present lake basin. As these high
level lakes drained, they left great quantities of sand
and gravel in the form of hanging deltas. These hang-
ing deltas, later supplemented by alluvial stream
deposits, created the plain at the head of Cayuga Lake
on which Ithaca was built. The result of this glacial
fill is that much of the city has poor soil drainage.
Only Neighborhood 5, Fall Creek; Neighborhood 7,
Central; Neighborhood 1, Cornell Heights; and part
of Neighborhood 6, North Central; have good drain-
age."
Soil drainage is one of the major determinants
affecting land use and the character of the outermost
portions of the City of Ithaca. Most of the hillsides
and surrounding uplands have soils with generally
poor internal drainage and this has caused improper
functioning of many septic tank installations. Where
septic tanks are used, residential lots must be much
larger than would be necessary if public sewers were
available. Even with large lots, sewage problems are
likely to occur on South Hill, East Hill and, to a lesser
extent, on West Hill.
Lake Cayuga is the second largest of the Finger
Lakes. The lake is drained by the Seneca River which
flows northeastward to the Oneida River and Lake
Ontario. Cayuga Lake has a surface area of 66.9
square miles and is 431 feet deep at its deepest point
northwest of Reddens Point. The lake is 37 miles long
and varies in width from one to three miles. The New
York State Department of Public Works, Division of
Canals and Waterways, regulates the lake from a low
elevation of 378.5 to a high elevation 382.5 feet when
climatological conditions permit. Flood stage of
Cayuga Lake is at 388.5 feet. At flood stage not only
are lakes and cottages endangered, but cellars in the
city flood and the city sewage treatment plant is
threatened. In the time of flood, the main problem
areas on the shore line are Levanna, Willets, Myers,
Good drainage means deep soils underlain by slowl y perme-
able subsoil and substratum with a deep water table.
7
CITY OF '
ITHACA ...
N E W Y 0 R K I
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and 1835
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Ithaca, and Sheldrake. The new Army Corps of
Engineers' Flood Conhol Channel in Cayuga Inlet
completed late in 1969 has helped to alleviate the
flooding problems within the City of Ithaca. The
flood control channel is designed to alleviate flood
conditions equal to the flood of record, July 8, 1935.
Map I.4 shows the portion of the city inundated by
the 1935 flood.
Despite the steep slopes and access problems in
the area, South and East Hills have become densely
developed. Only West Hill, with slopes of 10 to 15
percent, has appreciable vacant land remaining to be
developed. About 20 percent of the City of Ithaca
(and its environs) slopes by at least 15 percent.
The variations in topography, compounded by the
lake, affect the climatic conditions in and around the
city. Since the dominant topographic direction in the
area is north-south it appears that the sheltered slopes
of West Hill and the slopes on the east side of South
Hill have the advantage of somewhat milder weather.
Ithaca has a humid continental type climate: the
summers are warm and the winters long and cold.
There are frequent storms in the winter and the
maximum precipitation occurs in the late spring and
summer. Not far from the path of major weather
systems moving across the nation, the area's weather
is subject to variety. Temperatures of 90F. or higher
occur from two days in cool summers to 20 days in
exceptionally warm summers. The humidity averages
between 45 and 55 percent in the summer. In the past
30 years, only four days have registered temperatures
of 100F. or more. In the winter temperatures of 0F.
or colder are recorded on only six to 10 days from
early December through March. In a very cold winter
there may be as many as 15 sub-zero days. The coldest
temperatures during most winters is near -l0F.
Annual precipitation in the Ithaca area in the past
30 years has ranged from 26 to 46 inches. The highest
annual rainfall in the past 30 years was 46.6 inches in
1958; the lowest annual rainfall was 26.7 inches in
1941. The average rainfall over the past 30 years has
been 35.4 inches a year. Normally the growing season
precipitation is adequate for crops, lawns and shrubs.
However, one or more periods of deficient rainfall are
common in most summers.
In the past 30 years the snowfalls have ranged
from a low of 35.7 inches to a high of 115.1 inches.
The average annual snowfall over the same time
period has been 61.9 inches. The snowfalls in the
Ithaca area, however, are drawn out from mid-Novem-
ber to mid-April. A monthly total in excess of 20
inches occurs only five years out of ten.
OUR POPULATION
An important aspect of Ithaca's growth is its
human resources. The recorded population of Ithaca
was 858 in 1820. It was fifty years before an official
United States Census enumeration was taken of the
village. In 1870 Ithaca's population had increased to
8,462. By 1960, less than a hundred years after the
first United States Census, the city's population had
increased to 28,799 or by 240 percent.
Until the 1940's the census figures for the City of
Ithaca show a steady increase in population. During
this period the rate of increase in the city's popula-
tion was never less than seven percent, and in hvo
decades ( 1880 and 1920) the rate of increase in the
city was greater than 20 percent.
From 1870 to 1930 the population in Tompkins
County increased by no more than 18 percent and
actually decreased in two decades, 1880 and 1900.
Since 1930, however, the county's population has
increased steadily and the city's population has de-
creased except for 1950 when students were enumer-
ated for the first time at their place of school. The
corrected figure for 1950,
0
however, indicates that the
city population achwlly declined by one and a half
percent in 1950.
This shift in population gain from the city to the
county began with a four and seven-tenths percent
loss to the city and a four and four-tenths percent
gain in the county in 1940. The symmetry of the per-
centage loss and the percentage gain indicated that
the city was losing population to the county. This
trend of city loss and county gain has continued.
TABLE 1.1: Annual Census Enumerations and Per-
centage Change Over Time for Tompkins
County and the City of Ithaca
Tompkins % Change City of %Change
Year County Over Time Ithaca Over Time
1960** 66,164 12 28,799 -2
1950** 59,122 36 29,257 48
1940 43,340 4 19.730 -5
1930 41.490 18 20,708 24
1920 35,285 5 17,004 15
1910 33,647 -1 14,802 13
1900 33,830 3 13.136 19
1890 32,923 -4 11,079 22
1880 34.445 4 9,105 7
1870 33,178 6 8.462
1860 31.409 -2
1850 38.746 2
1840 37,948 4
1830 36,545 77
1820 20,681 -
SOURCE: U.S. Population Census
0
The corrected figure is the total population minus the student
population in the same year.
0
Figures include student population.
9
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Age and Sex Composition of the Population
The age and sex composition of the City of Ithaca
is strongly influenced by the annual influx of college
age students. A comparison of the population pyra-
mids for the United States, New York State, Tompkins
County, and the City of Ithaca indicate the extent of
the effect the college age population has on the com-
position of the community's population. Both the
United States and New York State pyramids show, by
their deviation from the triangular shape, the effects
of the decline in birth rate during the depression and
World Vl ar II (age cohorts from 15 to 30 years) . The
Ithaca and Tompkins County pyramids, on the other
hand, show an exaggerated increase in population in
these same age cohorts. Since (other than the bulge at
the 15-30 age cohorts) both Ithaca's and Tompkins
County's population dishibution are fairly normal,
one can assume the disproportionate increase shown
is the result of the influx of college age students.
The extent of this student influx is considerable.
In 1960, in the age ranges of 15-19 and 20-24 years,
both the county ( 18 percent) and the city ( 9 percent)
exceeded the growth of the entire upstate region ( 6
percent). The transience of these in-migrants is con-
firmed, however, by the fact that both the city ( -27
percent) and the county ( -14 percent) lost more
individuals from 1950 to 1960 in the completed college
age categories, 25-29 and 30-34, than did the upstate
New Y ark area ( -8 percent). The loss of this young,
well-educated population has a significant negative
impact on the city's labor force.
Distribution of Population
11
The population pyramids indicate that most of the
student residents are concentrated in areas 5 and 7 of
0
The city has been divided into seven wards for this popula-
tion distribution analysis.
TABLE 1.2: Age and Sex Characterist ics of the Popu lations of
the United States, New York, Tompki ns County,
and Ithaca for 1960
United States
Tompkins
County
--80-84
- -70-74
--60-64
--50-54
_40-44
-30-34
- 20-24
- 10-14
0-5
85+ - -
75-79 --
65-69 -
55-59
45-49 -
35-39-
25-29 -
15-19
5-9 -
New York
State
-'--:-:-+-=--'-
Ciiy of Ithaca
SOURCE: U. S. Census of Population, 1960.
the city with additional, smaller concentrations in
areas 6 and 2. Cornell University is largely contained
in area 5. This area also covers the East Hill area
encompassing Collegetown and many of the Ithaca
College living facilities. During the 1960's, Ithaca
College moved to South Hill beyond the city limits.
This move will have a significant impact on the stu-
dent composition of areas 5, 6, and 7 in the future.
Area 5, which contains many aparhnents, is partic-
ularly attractive to the older undergraduate and grad-
uate students and will continue, no doubt, as a locus
for non-permanent residents in spite of Ithaca Col-
lege's move. Area 6 on South Hill had already become
a residential location for a number of students, most
of them attending Ithaca College. With the move of
Ithaca College to South Hill there may be an increase
in the number of non-permanent residents in this area.
Area 2 contains the west end of the downtown section.
There are a number of student living quarters there,
particularly apartments and a few Ithaca College
facilities. A number of graduate students from Cornell
can be found in this area.
Areas 2, 3, 4, and 6 indicated the highest propor-
tion of elderly residents. Area 5, the area encom-
passing the University, has the fewest elderly residents.
TABLE 1.3: Age and Sex Composition by Wards for Ithaca,
1960
Ward I
Ward 3
Ward 5
___ 80-84
70-74
__ 60-64
__ 50-54
__ 40-44
30-34
_ _ 20-24
_10-14
0-5
85+ - --
75-79---
65-69 --
55-59 --
45-49--
35-39--
25-29
15-19--
5-9 --
SOURCE: U. S. Census of Population, 1960.
Ward 2
Ward 4
Ward 6
11
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NEW YORK I
CI TY PLANN I NG SOARD JUNE, 1970 0
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Generally speaking, the student population in
Ithaca is rather tightly bunched around the educa-
tional facilities with a certain amount of infiltration
into other areas. Meanwhile, the elderly population
seems to be concentrated in those areas least used for
student dwelling. In thus demonstrating resident areas
by age, the pyramids disclose a degree of segregation
of the non-permanent and permanent populations in
Ithaca.
Future Population
Population projections for the city anticipated a
moderate upward hend in population in the next 30
years. The population estimates for the city have been
presented as a range. The low figure of the range
represents a projection from the natural increase and
migration rates of the decade from 1950 to 1960. The
high figure uses the base rates, established from 1950
to 1960, and makes adjustments for changes anticipated
in the city in the next 30 years. The data on Table 1.4
indicates that the city can anticipate a constant rate
of population increase for the first time in three
decades. However, a closer examination of the data
reveals that in addition to an overall increase in the
city's population, there will be a shift in composition
of the population. 'While 60 percent of the residents of
the city were permanent in 1950, by 1990 only 41
percent of the city's population will be permanent.
Since the majority of the non-permanent residents
are university and college students, the increase of this
segment of the population will have a significant im-
pact on the composition of the city's population. The
increased pressure for housing created by the antici-
pated increase of non-permanent residents may also
mean that the age segregation now existing in various
parts of the city may break down.
OUR ECONOMY
In 1960, 39 percent of Ithaca's total population
was employed in the labor force. Of these employed,
60 percent were men and 40 percent were women.
Forty-three percent of the women employed in Ithaca
were married with their husbands present. While
this is a large proportion of the women in the labor
force, it is less than the percentage of married women
with husbands present in the labor forces of New
York State, the upstate area, or Tompkins County.
The most striking characteristic of Ithaca's labor
force is its youth. A comparison of the median ages of
New York State, the upstate area, and Tompkins
County's labor force to the median age of Ithaca's
labor force exemplifies this youth. The median age
figures for Ithaca's labor force is four years younger
than that of Tompkins County and nine years younger
than the median age of the upstate area and the state
as a whole.
In Ithaca's case median years of school completed
figures show that the population of Ithaca is better
educated than the population of New York State, the
upstate area, or Tompkins County. Thus, if education
and youth are functions of trainability, then certainly
Ithaca's labor force is more adept and well suited to
highly specialized industries.
TABLE 1.4: Population Projections for the City of Ithaca, 1970-1990
CITY OF ITHACA
1950 1960 1970
Cornell U. Students
and Their Dependents
in the City 10,120 11,200 12,700
Ithaca C. Students
and Their Dependents
in the City 1,407 1,425 500
Cascadilla School
Students
in the City 75 125 100
Total Non-
permanent Population 11,602 12,750 13,300
Total
Permanent Population 17,655 16,049 15,600
Total
Population 29,257 28,799 28,900
March 1970, Ithaca City Planning Office, City of Ithaca.
NOTE: Population forecasts are rounded off to the nearest 100.
ITHACA ITHACA
Low Estimate High Estimate
1980 1990 1970 1980 1990
15,600 20,200 13,200 16,700 23,000
600 700 500 650 1,000
100 100 100 150 200
16,300 21,000 13,800 17,500 24,200
14,000 12,500 16,300 16,500 16,800
30,300 33,500 30,100 34,000 41,000
13
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TABLE 1.5: Comparative
York State,
Distribution by Age Group of the Total Labor Force of New
Upstate New York, Tompkins County, and Ithaca, 1960
50
45
40
__ __ New York State
__ __ Upstate New York
____ Tompkins County
____ Ithaca
<l)
u
....
0
35 I.J....
....
0
.0
30 ro
.....1
ro
+-'
25 0
f-
'+-
0
+-'
c
20
<l)
u
....
<l)
15
0....
10
5
14-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65 OVER
Age Groups
A close look at the percentage distribution of age
groups within the labor force, however, indicates that
Ithaca's labor force is not normally distributed. Rather,
Ithaca's labor force has a bi-modal distribution: the
percentage of the labor force employed in the age
range from 14 to 24 is virtually the same as the per-
centage employed in the 45 to 64 age range. The
nature of this distribution is clearly seen in Table 1.5.
The contrast betvveen Ithaca and the New York State
and upstate area is clearly seen by the fact that the
solid line representing Ithaca moves far above the
others in the 18-24 category and is just slightly below
the others in the 45-64 category.
The high rate of loss of population in the 25-34
age categories indicates that comparatively few of
the university and college students trained in Ithaca
stay on. Moreover, student wives who are working
tend to move out of the labor force and start families
as soon as the student completes his education. As a
result, many of the large number of workers in the
18-24 age category tend to be transient workers who
move to Ithaca and are employed for a shm't period,
several years at most, and move on or out of the labor
force. This transient nature of the young people in the
labor force should be balanced against their generally
high level of education and trainability. The fact is
that, while transient, the number of such persons will
increase with time as the number of students at the
University and College increase. Not only is there
constant replacement of students in the labor force,
but as the University and College grow, there will be
an increasing number of students and their wives
seeking jobs in the city.
Occupation
Of the people employed in Ithaca, the largest
number ( 33 percent) are employed in the field of
education. The next largest group is employed in
other professional and related services (eight per-
cent).
A comparison of the distribution of Ithaca's labor
force by occupation to that of New York State and
the upstate area reveals that a disproportionate number
of Ithaca's labor force is employed in education. This
concentration shows clearly the dependence of the
city on the education industry. In all other areas of
occupational distribution except entertainment and
recreation, and communications and utilities, Ithaca
is below the New York State and upstate percentages.
15
TABLE 1.6: Labor Force Distribution by Selected
Occupation, 1960
AREA
STATE UPSTATE TOMPKINS ITHACA
NUMBER EMPLOYED 6,599.462 2,226,822 25,458 11,368

Total 13 13 34 41

Hospitals 3 3 2 1 LJ...zcc>
en Oa.....Jo::
z:
O::::::_u.JLLJ
Educational 5 6 27 33 0
a... (')0::: (;")
en
0::
'-'-'
ENTERTAINMENT & RECREATION 1 1 1 1 "-
0
'-'-'
>-
FINANCE, INSURANCE,
0
6 3 2 3
_,
REAL ESTATE
"-
::;:
'-'-'
8 6 4 4 ......
z:z:
Total
0
00

1 2 0 0 I 1-U
R.R., R.R. Express
en
"-
Other
::> en:;:>-
Transportation 4 2 1 1 0
0::
(,!)
>-<->=>
Communication,
>-
3 3 3 3
0::
Utility I-
en
::>
3 3
0
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 5 5 z:
-
INDUSTRY NOT REPORTED 5 4 6 7
SOURCE: N.Y. State Dept. of Commerce, Fact Book,
Elmira, 1965.
Since Ithaca serves as an entertainment center for a
large number of college students during the school
year, and as a tourist resort during the summer season,
it is not surprising that a slightly higher percentage of
its population should be employed in entertainment
and recreation occupations. The high percentage of
the labor force employed in the communications-
utility sector is explained, in part, by the fact that
the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation has
its district headquarters in the Ithaca area.
A look at the change in Ithaca's labor force from
1950 to 1960 indicates that there were some significant
shifts in the occupations of Ithaca's labor force over
the decade. There were considerable losses in three
categories: craftsmen, foremen, and kindred workers;
operatives and kindred workers; and laborers, except
farm and mine. The major gains in employment in
the 1950 to 1960 decade were in the professional-
technical, clerical, and service workers categories. This
shift underscores the extent of the loss of semi-skilled
and skilled members of the Ithaca labor force and
emphasizes the fact that Ithaca's economy is tending
to become more specialized in the service-education
sectors to the detriment of the manufacturing labor
sector. If Ithaca is to retain a mixed industrial-service
economy, steps must be taken to attract and hold the
industrial labor force.
Employment and Unemployment
From 1960 to 1969 the county
0
experienced a
yearly increase of 500 jobs to a job total of 29,500.
0
Employment and unemployment rates for the city alone are
not avail able. However, the city and the immediately adjacent
industries represent the major employers for the county.
16
There were approximately 1,150 new jobs in the
manufacturing sector and 3,200 in the non-manu-
facturing sector, primarily in education and related
services. This growth in available jobs is expected to
continue at the present rate of about 500 annually to
a 1971 total of 30,500 persons employed in the county.
Unemployment figures for the City of Ithaca are
not available. However, these figures are available
for Tompkins County of which Ithaca is a major em-
ployment component. An examination of Tompkins
County unemployment figures indicate that the rate
of unemployment has decreased significantly in the
past five years while the size of the labor force .has
increased slightly.
TABLE I. 7: Comparison of the Average Work Force
and Average Rate of Unemployment in
Tompkins County from 1962 through
1966
Average Work Average Rate of
Year Force (1,000) Unemployment ( %)
1962 28.9 4.1
1963 28.7 3.6
1964 29.3 3.4
1965 29.4 3.1
1966 29.3 2.7
SOURCE: New York State Department of Employ-
ment, Tompkins County State Employment
Office.
An important factor about the unemployment data
for Tompkins County is the steady decline in the aver-
age rate of unemployment. The figures indicate that
the increase in the average size of the work force
has not been as stable as the decrease in the unemploy-
ment rate. It is important to note here that the in-
crease in the total labor force in the county was not
sufficient to account for the decrease in the average
rate of unemployment.
0
Therefore, the decrease in
unemployment can only be accounted for by an in-
crease in job opportunities for those seasonally unem-
ployed or by a reduction in the number of seasonally
employed individuals.
Income Distribution
Income figures for the City of Ithaca in 1960 show
that more than half of the individuals working made
less than $3,000. However, only 16 percent of the
families in the city made less than $3,000.
0
The average number unemployed in Tompkins County in 1962
was 1,100. By 1966 this figure had decreased to 800. In the same
1962 to 1966 time period the labor force increased by 400. The
reduction of unemployed by 600 despite the increase in the labor
force of 400 indicates that more jobs (some 900) were made avail-
able in the area during the period.
\ '
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TABLE 1.8: Distribution of Income by Individual Em-
ployees and Employers and by Family in
the City of Ithaca, 1960
Income
Under $3,000
$3,000-$4,999
$5,000-$6,999
$7,000-$9,999
Over $10,000
Individual Employee,
Employer by Percent
66.0
17.0
9.3
4.3
3.4
Family
by Percent
15.5
20.7
24.3
21.3
18.2
SOURCE: 1960 U.S. Population Census, New York
State.
The median income figure for unrelated indi-
viduals in Tompkins County in 1960 vvas $903 while
the median income for families was $6,233. The
median income for families and unrelated individuals
was $3,380. The fact that the two groups (family and
unrelated individuals) combined have considerably
lower median income than families alone indicates
the effect of the single individuals earning small
amounts of money on income figures. A key com-
ponent of income, however, is the number of weeks
worked. Tompkins County has considerably more
TABLE 1.9: Weeks Worked by Employed Persons,
1959
Weeks Worked
50-52
48-49
40-47
27-39
14-26
13 or less
Tompkins County
Percent
34.7
4.5
8.7
9.4
13.7
29.0
New York Urban Area
Percent
62.1
5.8
9.3
7.8
7.1
7.8
SOURCE: U.S. Population Census, 1960.
people who work 13 weeks or less, partly because
of the number of students who take part-time jobs.
All of these part-time workers are counted in the
individuals receiving income, increasing the number
of employed people receiving $3,000 a year or less,
and causing a distortion in the median income figures
for unrelated individuals and families.
Commutation
Commutation is important in terms of the labor
force. The in- and out-movement of workers defines
the drawing area or market area for labor available
to industries in the city and county.
Data on commutation for Tompkins County reveals
that the county attracts three and a half times as
many commuters as leave. Cornell University in the
City of Ithaca is the dominant employer in the county.
The University and Ithaca's service sector provide 47
percent of the employment of the county. Other major
employers are iVIorse Chain, Therm, Inc., and National
Cash Register at Ithaca, and Smith-Corona at Groton.
Therefore, of the five major employers in Tompkins
County, four of them are in, or immediately adjacent
to, the City of Ithaca. The only large group of out-
commuters ( 400) go to Cortland County. The out-
commuters to Cortland, however, are 57 percent of the
commuters from Cortland County into Tompkins
County.
Another way to evaluate this data is to compare
the out-commuters to the in-commuters. Such a com-
parison reveals that in each case Tompkins County
drew more commuters than it sent. Thus, Tompkins
County (with Ithaca, its major employment area) is
an independent center for commuters. This indepen-
dence is particularly significant considering Tompkins
County's proximity to Elmira and the Triple Cities,
Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott. Had Tomp-
kins County been a secondary employment center, it
would have drawn workers from the north but sent
as many or more to the south.
Economic Base
Cornell University is the key economic influence
in Tompkins County. Not only is the University the
major employer, employing 7,485 full-time employees,
but it also has the largest annual payroll, $59.5 mil
lion. "' Because of the number employed by the Uni-
versity, many of the smaller businesses must compete
with the wages paid by the University. The largest
income group at the University is in the $4,000 range.
The median income at the University is $5,510 while
the average income is $7,948 a year. These income
and employment figures for the University do not
include part-time employees of the school.
In an effort to determine the suitability of the
Ithaca economic area for industry, the City Planning
Staff interviewed the top management of selected local
companies. All those interviewed tended to be opti-
mistic about the future in Ithaca in relation to their
business. The bankers felt that the national economic
climate affected the level of local prosperity more
than the efforts of local businessmen. Of all the local
industries, Ithaca Gun is expanding the most rapidly.
All the management people interviewed indicated that
their industries have recently expanded or intend to
expand. The businessmen considered the most serious
obstacles to future growth to be: ( 1) the labor short-
age in Ithaca; ( 2) high tax rates; and ( 3) the problem
0
These figures include both the state and endowed Schools.
17
of accessibility. All those interviewed did not feel that
accessibility was a major problem, but all indicated
that Ithaca's inaccessibility did present some difficulty
to their businesses.
The businessmen interviewed felt that the housing
shortage in Ithaca was responsible for the tight labor
market. Up to 50 percent of all employees are now
commuting into the city. Additional low and middle
income housing within the city limits would probably
alleviate the labor problem, improve the housing situa-
tion, and increase the tax rolls.
All the companies interviewed had located in
Ithaca for historical reasons. Most new industries in
the area are small and often founded by, or affiliated
with, Cornell professors. These "spin-off" industries
are often strongly related to specific persons and pro-
grams and are often likely to disappear when the pro-
fessor leaves Cornell or the research program is
completed.
There is little likelihood that new manufacturing
industries will locate in Ithaca, if the industries already
here are unable to expand because of the labor short-
age.
Ithaca cannot compete with the economic advan-
tages of the metropolitan location. However, Ithaca
can attract those industries and institutions which are
closely related to the city's natural advantages-prom-
inent educational institutions and rugged beautiful
terrain on a fresh-water lake. Ithaca can attract busi-
nesses related to education and tourism. The National
Arts and Recreation Center, a regional center for
cultural activities and recreation, is a prime example
of the direction of Ithaca's future growth. The city's
location and general economic condition, as reflected
in the average income figures, indicates that Ithaca is
highly eligible for state aid and support.
Many of the contemporary theories of regional
economic development stress the potential of small
cities within a market area. It appears that there is a
limit to metropolitan city size. Once the urban area
reaches a certain density, the undesirable elements of
urban life such as water and air pollution and ineffi-
ciencies of transportation outweigh the advantages of
proximity to other producers, accessibility, and other
locational advantages. These disadvantages resulting
from metropolitan density are improving the growth
potentials of medium-sized and small cities. It is im-
portant that Ithaca be aware of its advantage as a
potential location for the decentralizing economic
activities of the larger urban areas.
18
Summary
Ithaca's history reflects the shift from industry to
education as the major employer in the city. Certainly
this shift in emphasis is reflected in the increase in
employment in the professional and related services
sector of the economy.
Concomitant with the increase in the professional
and services sector is the notable concentration of
Ithaca's labor force into the 18-24 and 45-64 age
categories. The tremendous in-migration of students
and their wives not only distorts the median age
figures for the Ithaca labor force but also indicates the
peculiar transient nature of Ithaca's labor force. Indi-
vidually these young members of the labor force tend
to be short-term residents . The on-going nature of the
University and College is such, however, that the loss
is continually replaced by new individuals. Therefore,
as long as students and their wives are considered part
of the labor force, there will continue to be this con-
stant and perhaps increasing younger group in the
labor force.
Another aspect of Ithaca's employment situation
is the balance between employment and unemploy-
ment. Enough flexibility must be maintained in this
ratio that industries will be willing to locate in Ithaca
without feeling that they will have to pay abnormally
high wages to attract labor. Moreover, if Ithaca is
going to continue to grow, new jobs will have to be
provided to attract more labor.
The high rate of commutation into Tompkins
County, and its major employment center, Ithaca,
indicates that the county and city already have great
attraction powers. If the trend is to continue, improve-
ment of access to Ithaca may not only become neces-
sary in the near future but may determine whether
Ithaca will continue to grow.
An examination of the economic base and
occupational distribution of Ithaca reveals its present
dependence on education. The secondary occupational
concentration in the professional and service sector,
coupled with the natural terrain and lake, indicates
the potential of the area for a more fully developed
recreation industry.
Given the shortage of semi-skilled and skilled
labor in the city, it is unlikely that Ithaca will become
the site for major industry in the future. However, as
large cities become less desirable as places to live in,
the larger service industries, such as insurance com-
panies, may begin relocating. Ithaca, with its many
environmental-cultural advantages and excellent
school system, will become an increasingly good
location for such service industries.
I_.
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19
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LAND USE
The Ithaca land use maps of both existing and
projected future land use are designed to provide
basic data on the various activities which occupy and
will occupy land within the city and to provide insight
into the present and future spatial distribution of
functions within the city. Land use map data may be
used for such purposes as analyzing the current pat-
tern of urban land uses for zoning revisions or for for-
mulating a long-range land use plan for the city. Such a
map can help determine potential commercial markets
and can be used for the location of institutions. The
data on which the land use map is based, however, is
collected at a single point in time. The city is a dynam-
ic, changing system. The process of annually collect-
ing data for the land use map will indicate the changes
in the city over time; therefore, the land use map
also provides valuable comparative information on
the city.
Residential land uses are divided into three levels
of density on the land use map: low, one to four units
per gross acre; medium, five to 11 units per gross
acre; and high, 12 to 25 units per gross acre. These
densities are represented on the existing and pro-
posed land use maps by a color code; yellow, low-
density; gold, medium-density; and orange, high-den-
sity. The Belle Sherman and West Hill neighborhoods
contain the most low-density housing, while the East
TABLE 11.1: Tabulation of Kind, Condition, and Construction Material of
All Structures in the City of Ithaca by Neighborhoods, 1969
Total
Structure Condition Construction Establishments
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I Cornell Hgts. 76 52 5 133 129 4 - 102 31 - 5 36
Percent 57 39 4 100 97 3 0 77 23 0
II University 94 97 52 243 217 24 2 191 51 1 40 4,836
Percent 39 40 21 100 89 10 1 79 21 0
Ill Belle Sherman 511 82 36 629 604 19 6 560 64 5 22 340
Percent 81 13 6 100 96 3 1 89 10 1
IV East Hill 141 241 67 449 391 58 - 343 104 2 76 456
Percent 31 54 15 100 87 13 0 77 23 0
v Fall Creek 731 55 79 865 816 48 1 809 54 2 62 308
Percent 85 6 9 100 94 6 0 94 6 0
VI North Central 549 61 96 706 544 131 31 635 62 9 87 558
Percent 78 9 13 100 77 19 4 90 9 1
VII Central 191 51 317 559 378 155 26 306 236 17 494 4,021
Percent 34 9 57 100 68 28 4 55 42 3
VIII South Hill 431 115 41 587 544 43 - 504 83 - 17 1,562
Percent 73 20 7 100 93 7 0 86 14 0
IX South Central 485 60 78 623 483 119 21 566 52 5 65 527
Percent 78 10 12 100 78 19 3 91 8 1
Inlet Valley-
X Elmira Rd. 79 - 80 159 135 15 9 86 46 27 64 628
Percent 50 0 50 100 85 9 6 54 29 17
XI West Hill 378 10 34 422 363 43 16 394 25 3 10 65
Percent 90 2 8 100 86 10 4 93 6 1
XII Cayuga In let 19 - 91 110 60 35 15 43 43 24 76 643
Percent 17 0 83 100 54 32 14 39 39 22
TOTAL 3,685 824 976 5,485 4,664 694 127 4,539 851 95 1,018 13,980
Percent 67 15 18 100 85 13 2 83 15 2
SOURCE: Land Use Study, City Planning Office, City of Ithaca, N. Y., Spring 1969.
21
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MAP I .1
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Hill neighborhood contains the most high-density
housing. Despite the high percentage of structures in
the city which are residential, 82 percent, only 28
percent of the acreage within the city limits is con-
sumed in residential land uses.
Business and institutions occupy 18 percent of
the structures in the city on the existing land use map.
Five percent of the total acreage in the city is used
by business; eight percent is consumed by institutions.
The red and grey colors on the map indicate the
distribution of business and institutional land uses.
Inspection of the existing land use map reveals that
the major business and institutional land uses are con-
centrated in Neighborhoods 2 (the University), 7 (the
Central Business District), and 10 (the bulk of the
West End Business District).
The distribution of industry and wholesale activi-
ties are indicated in black on the land use map. Three
percent of the city's land is used by industry and
wholesale land uses. The majority of the city's indus-
trial use is located in Neighborhoods on the vVest
End ( 10 and 12) .
The green indicates the distribution of open space
and park area in the city. Table II.2 shows that 13
percent of the acreage in the city is presently devoted
to recreation and open space. The two largest blocks
of park lands are concentrated in Neighborhood 12,
the future site of the National Arts and Recreation
Center, and Neighborhood 10, the Inlet Valley-Elmira
Road.
Once evaluation of existing land uses in the city
was completed, several criteria were used as a basis
for the direction of future growth within the city.
First, importance of education as both the basic
industry and a major contributor to the character of
the city was recognized. However, the value of diversi-
TABLE 11.2: Existing Land Use by Acreage and Percent for the City of Ithaca by Neighborhoods
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Cornell Hgts. 20.2 74.2 29.2 123.6
- - - 10.0 - - - 17.2 57.6 16.9 225.3
Percent 9 33 13 55 - - - 4 - - - 8 25 8 100
I University 12.8 68.4 18.1 99.3 4.6 - - 205.2
- - - 4.3 26.1 50.3 389.8
Percent 3 17 5 25 1 - -
53 - - - 1 7 13 100
II Belle Sherman 53.2 43.2 17.6 114.0 3.8 1.2 3.3 - - 1.0 19.9 8.3 81.9 23.6 257 .0
Percent 21 17 7 45 2 - 1 - - -
8 3 32 9 100
v East Hill 0.3 7.6 74.5 82.4 3.9 8.2 3.8 - - - 8.4 - 38.1 10.3 155.1
Percent - 5 48 53 3 5 2 - - - 5 - 25 7 100
v Fall Creek - 106.3 - 106.3 - 4.4 13.7
- - - 3.4 5.0 66.8 3.8 203.4
Percent - 52 - 52 - 2 7 - - - 2 2 33 2 100
v I North Central - 93.6 - 93.6 5.5 15.0 10.3 - - - 3.4 - 54.7 1.2 183.7
Percent - 51 - 51 3 8 6
- - - 2
-
30 - 100
v II Central - 28.3 2.7 31.0 2.7 53.7 9.7 - - - 2.1 - 51.2 - 150.4
Percent - 19 2 21 2 36 6 - - - 1 - 34
-
100
v Ill South Hill 21.9 64.7 17.7 104.3 19.0 3.2 3.3
- - 0.7 7.5 9.1 59.8 43.9 250.8
Percent 9 26 7 42 8 1 1 - - - 3 4 24 17 100
X Sout h Central 16.1 54.9 19.3 90 .3 0.6 25.3 1.8 - - - 6.5 6.1 42.3 18.2 191.1
Percent 8 29 10 47 - 13 1 - - -
4 3 22 10 100
Inlet Valley-
X Elmi ra Road 32.3 1.9 - 34.2 68.0 60.6 - - - 11.8 65.0 18.4 39.6 209.4 507.0
Percent 7 - - 7 13 12 - - - 2 13 4 8 41 100
X I West Hill 145.1 53.4
- 198.5 - - 3.0 - - - 5.1 1.3 80.2 224.7 512.8
Percent 28 11 - 39 - - - - - - 1
- 16 44 100
l X
II Cayuga Inl et 2.6 - - 2.6 12.0 35.4 21.1 5.0 8.7 19.3 415.0 373.4 25.2 5.3 923.0
40 3 1 100 Percent - - - - 1 4 2 1 1 2 45
TOTAL 304.5 596.5 179.1 1,080.1 120.1 207.0 70.0 220.2 8.7 32.8 536.3 443.1 623.5 607.6 3,949.4
Percent 8 15 5 28 3 5 2 6
- 1 13 11 16 15 100
SOURCE: Land Use Study, City Planning Office, City of Ithaca, Spring 1969
23
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Map II.2
EXISTI NG LAND USE, 1969 -----------....._
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MUNI C I PAL. GOl.ll'"
COURSE
LEGEND
USE, 1969
SPACE
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fying the industrial base by working to attract light
service industry and by developing a viable recreation
industry were considered essential to a healthy, grow-
ing, future Ithaca.
Second, the housing shortage and deteriorating
housing stock within the city made it imperative that
the number of residential units within Ithaca be in-
creased. This increase of units should be, however,
compatible with the densities considered appropriate
to maintaining the residential character of the city.
It was felt that existing vacant land in the city should
be opened up for residential use by increasing access
to these areas and by extending utilities to the areas.
Third, the city streets should be suited to the land
uses they serve. New streets should be provided where
necessary to accelerate the guided development of
open land within the city.
Finally, parks and open space play an important
role in maintaining the small city character of Ithaca
and in reinforcing the recreational-educational char-
acter of the city. These recreation areas and green
open spaces tie the developed parts of the city into
its unique natural environment. For these reasons
and to meet the recreational needs of the residents,
the provision and maintenance of neighborhood parks
and open space was encouraged throughout the city.
In this section each neighborhood in the city is
described and proposals for future improvements are
listed. It is anticipated that the execution of any or
all of these proposals will bring the city closer to its
goal-a small residential city, of and for man.
CORNELL HEIGHTS, NEIGHBORHOOD 1
The Cornell Heights Neighborhood was one of
the first residential areas adjacent to the University
to develop. At the turn of the century many well-to-do
visitors and local residents built fine homes in this
area. Today some of the larger of these homes have
been purchased by the University, sororities or frater-
nities and converted into student dwellings. Also
located in this neighborhood is the area called "North
Campus." \Vithin this North Campus area dormitory
units house some 1700 students. The majority of the
high-density land use in the neighborhood is contained
in the North Campus area.
Residential land use is by far the largest single
land use in the area. Thirty-three percent of the acre-
age is devoted to medium-density residential land
uses. Twelve percent of the land in the neighborhood
is employed in higher education and water uses.
These include the Girls' Athletic Department, the
Observatory and Beebe Lake. Eight percent of the
land in the area is vacant and potentiall y developable.
TABLE 11.3: Distribution of Land Use by Acreage
and Percent in Neighborhood 1.
ACREAGE PERCENT
Low Density Residential 20.2 9
Medium Density Residential 74.2 33
High Density Residential 29.2 13
Total Residential 123.6 55
Industry, Public Utilities
and Transportation - -
Commercial - -
Public - -
Higher Education 10.0 4
Marina - -
Railroad - -
Parks - -
Water Areas 17.2 8
Streets 57.6 25
Vacant Land 16.9 8
Total Land 225.3 100
Despite the age of many of the structures in the
area, they have been well maintained. Ninety-seven
percent of the structures in the neighborhood are
sound, three percent are deteriorated, and none are
dilapidated. This is the highest percentage of sound
structures in any neighborhood in the city.
Neighborhood 1 is a fairly densely developed,
quiet, residential area with winding local streets which
have come to serve as collector streets. The main
north-south roads are Stewart A venue on the west side
of the neighborhood and Thurston, Wait, and Trip-
hammer Avenues on the east side of the neighborhood.
Thurston Avenue forms the main east-west collector
in the neighborhood.
East of Thurston, Wait, and Triphammer Avenues
is an open area, owned by the University, which has
been designated for high-density student housing. It is
anticipated that, including the presently existing dor-
mitories in the North Campus area, the area will
house 3,000 men and women in the next decade. Addi-
tional University housing in this North Campus area
will most likely be beyond the city limits.
Over the years the University has purchased a
number of the old homes on the property adjacent to
the University proper. Presently these houses are run
as small living units for students. The future use of
these lots has not been determined by the University.
Although there are no actual parks in Neighbor-
hood 1, the bank of Beebe Lake has been left in its
natural state, with a simple footpath along the shore
of the lake. Beebe Lake is used for swimming, boating,
and skating.
25
Proposals
1. Efforts should be made to control the growth, to
retain the quality of the residential stock, and to
maintain the medium-density residential character
of the Cornell Heights Neighborhood.
2. Collector streets through the neighborhood, par-
ticularly the Triphammer to Thurston and Thurs-
ton to Stewart Avenue connections, should be
improved to facilitate traffic flows through the area.
UNIVERSITY, NEIGHBORHOOD 2
Neighborhood 2 contains the portion of Cornell
University which is within the city limits and the resi-
dential area along the west boundary of the University.
In the past one hundred years the University's physical
plant has expanded east beyond the city boundaries
into the town.
ACREAGE PERCENT
and Transportation 4.6 1
Commercial - -
Public - -
Marina - -
Railroad - -
Parks - -
Water Areas 4.3 1
Streets 26.1 7
Vacant Land 50.3 13
A review of the land use by acres on Table II.4
indicates the predominance of the University in this
area. Only 22 percent of the land in the neighborhood
is devoted to uses other than higher education and
residential. Only Neighborhood 12, the Cayuga Inlet,
has less land in streets than the University Neighbor-
hood. Although the neighborhood has no areas specifi-
cally devoted to parks, there is a great deal of grassy
open space on the campus. Most of these spaces serve
as intrinsic parts of the University such as the Arts
Quad, Ag Quad, Library Slope, and the Engineering
Quad. While some of the open space presently on
campus may be consumed because of the need for
classroom, office, and laboratory space both now and
26
in the future, the University Planning Office wishes
to maintain the open spaces inhinsic to the structure
of the University. Two of the best community recrea-
tion areas in the neighborhood are the rugged gorges.
Both of these gorges have footpaths in them main-
tained by the University.
New construction is almost continual on campus.
The University Planning Office does not anticipate any
slowing of this building in the next decade. Concomi-
tant with the physical expansion of campus are plans
for the extension of several campus roads to facilitate
traffic movement on and around campus. These road
extensions will provide two needed east-west campus
collectors and a new east entrance to the campus. The
roads will facilitate campus traffic movement and pro-
mote the movement of non-University traffic around
the campus. The University Planning Office is also
working toward moving much of the on-campus park-
ing to peripheral lots served by buses.
The most dominant land use, education, sets the
tone for the entire neighborhood. The large aca-
demic buildings, residence halls, and converted houses
all reinforce the collegiate character of the area. The
rambling collector streets are indicative of the low-
density development which was once typical of the
area. Through the years the University has increased
in size, while the access roads have not kept pace
with the growth. Because it is bounded on the north
and south by rugged gorges, it is anticipated that the
future expansion of the University will be to the east
beyond the city limits. The residential area on the
west side of the neighborhood, now typified by con-
vetted houses, may, in time, be redeveloped into dens-
er housing. It is likely, however, because of its prox-
imity to the campus, the area will retain its residential
character.
Proposals
1. The city encourages Cornell University's sugges-
tions to improve on-campus roads and to provide
peripheral parking.
2. Plans to facilitate traffic movement around the
University, on a circumferential road designed to
protect the pedestrian quality of the campus,
should be undertaken with city approval and with
consideration for the effects of the new traffic
pattern on the city's internal circulation system.
BELLE SHERMAN, NEIGHBORHOOD 3
The Belle Sherman Neighborhood is residential in
character. The homes in the northwest section of the
neighborhood, the area closest to the University, have
been converted into multiple family units. The majority
of these multiple housing units are concentrated in
(
I
the area bounded by Linden Avenue, Mitchell Street,
Delaware Avenue, Dryden Road and Cascadilla Gorge.
The remainder of the neighborhood is composed of
medium- and low-density residential units. Of the total
acreage in the neighborhood, 45 percent is devoted to
residential use. Residential land uses are fairly evenly
divided between low- and medium-densities. The least
amount of residential land in the neighborhood is
employed in high-density residential land uses. Nine
percent of the acreage in the neighborhood is vacant.
ACREAGE PERCENT
Commercial 1.2 -
Public 3.3 1
Higher Education - -
Marina - -
Railroad 1.0 -
Parks 19.9 8
Water Areas 8.3 3
Streets 81.9 32
Vacant Land 23.6 9
Of all the structures in the neighborhood, 96
percent are sound, three percent are deteriorated, and
one percent are dilapidated. This neighborhood ranks
second highest in structural condition in the city. The
majority of the deteriorated and dilapidated build-
ings in the neighborhood are located in the northwest
section where old homes have been converted to
multiple family units for students. The few remain-
ing units in poor condition are scattered through the
area bounded by State, Water, and Giles Streets.
Eighty-nine percent of the structures in the neighbor-
hood are wood and ten percent are masonry.
The Belle Sherman Neighborhood is crossed by
two state arterials, Route 79, State Street, and Route
366, Ithaca and Dryden Roads. Route 366 is the most
incompatible to the residential character of the neigh-
borhood because it cuts diagonally across the area.
Heavily traveled by truck traffic, this arterial is a
serious safety hazard to pedestrians who ~ u s t cross
it. The major north-south collector street in Neighbor-
hood 3 is Cornell Street. Cornell Street is also a con-
nector between the two arterials, Routes 79 and 366.
Of all the collectors and arterials in the neighborhood
Cornell Street presents, perhaps, the greatest hazard
since children must cross this collector to gain access
to Belle Sherman Park and part of the elementary
school.
There are four parks in the Belle Sherman Neigh-
borhood. Each of these parks now serves as an unde-
veloped neighborhood play area. South of the new
addition to Belle Sherman School on the east side of
Cornell Street is a four acre park owned by the city.
Particularly accessible to children on the east side of
Cornell Street, this park will be maintained as an un-
developed neighborhood play area.
Although, in the future, the residential densities
may increase in the Belle Sherman area, it seems
fairly clear that the character of the neighborhood
will continue to be residential. The greatest increase
in density can be anticipated in the area bounded by
Linden Avenue, 1
1
Iitchell Street, Delaware Avenue,
Dryden Road, and the gorge. Increased pressure for
student housing may result in the continued conver-
sion of large homes in this area into multiple dwell-
ing units. The large high rise apartment unit on
Cornell Street at Maple Avenue acts as a harbinger of
the extension of the high residential densities beyond
Delaware Avenue and Dryden Road. However, with
the developable land and present graduate student
housing beyond the city limits, it is anticipated that
future high-density development will be outside of the
city limits. The remainder of the neighborhood is fully
developed as single family residential units and is
zoned to remain in this use. The expansion of Belle
Sherman School anticipates the increase of school age
population and residential densities within the north-
ern portion of the neighborhood and in the area ad-
jacent to the neighborhood but beyond the city limits.
Proposals
1. To provide a choice of kinds of residential en-
vironments available in the city, single family
residential land uses, already prevalent in the
neighborhood, should be encouraged and main-
tained, particularly in the southeast portion of
the area adjacent to Belle Sherman School.
2. High-density housing units should be permitted
in the northwest corner of the neighborhood
where student housing demand is greatest.
3. Heavy through truck traffic should be eliminated
from Routes 366 and 79 by the construction of
a peripheral highway around the city.
EAST HILL, NEIGHBORHOOD 4
Over the years the East Hill Neighborhood has
become increasingly occupied by students. Adjacent
27
to the University and composed of large old Victor-
ian mansions easily converted into multiple units for
students, most of the land in the area is devoted to
residential and commercial uses. A convenience shop-
ping area along Eddy Street between Williams and
Buffalo Streets and along College Avenue from Casca-
dilla Place to Catherine Street provides the essentials
for the student residents.
The two main uses of the acreage in the neighbor-
hood are residential (53 percent) and streets ( 25
percent). There are two small parks in the neighbor-
hood, and little vacant land to set aside for park pur-
poses. Table II.6 indicates the distribution of land
within the neighborhood. As the acreage distribution
shows, the commercial center in this area is highly
concentrated ( 5 percent of the land).
ACREAGE PERCENT
Low Density Residential 0.3 -
Commercial 8.2 5
Public 3.8 2
Marina - -
Railroad - -
Parks 8.4 5
Water Areas - -
Streets 38.1 25
Vacant Land 10.3 7
While the East Hill Neighborhood is second small-
est in size, it contains the largest number of multiple
family dwellings in the city. There is, however, a
concentration of single family units on the block
bounded by College A venue and :tvlitchell, Blair and
Cook Streets, and along State Street southeast of
Mitchell Street.
The East Hill Neighborhood contains no dilapi-
dated structures. Eighty-seven percent of the struc-
tures are sound. These figures indicate, however, that
13 percent of the structures in the area are deteri-
orating, and sizable capital investment will be neces-
sary to prevent these structures from becoming dilapi-
dated in a period of time. Most of the deteriorating
buildings are located in the area on the north side
of Buffalo, across the east side of the neighborhood
between Eddy Street and College Avenue, and west
28
along the south side of State Street. Many of the
structures in this area are large wood frame homes
converted to multiple living units. Seventy-seven per-
cent of the structures in the neighborhood are wood
and 23 percent are masonry.
Despite its size, the convenience shopping area
generates considerable traffic. In addition, the in-
creased density in the neighborhood due to the con-
version of old homes to multiple units has created
considerable traffic congestion in the area. The main
north-south collector streets are College A venue and
Stewart Avenue. The east-west collectors are Buffalo
Street and Seneca Street. Both of these east-west
streets have been built on steep, dangerous grades.
The grade on Buffalo goes from 10 percent to 18
percent. Seneca, the parallel east-west collector street,
has a grade from nine and a half to 17 percent. The
two main north-south collectors are Stewart and
College Avenues. State Street, a state arterial (Route
79), runs across the southern portion of the neighbor-
hood.
The major park area in the neighborhood is Lower
Six Mile Creek Park which follows the southern
boundary of the neighborhood. Presently this park
area is an undeveloped natural area.
The East Hill Development Corporation, working
in conjunction with the State Urban Development
Corporation, is exploring the possibility of redevelop-
ing the block bounded by Dryden Road, Cascadilla
Place, and College A venue. The proposed develop-
ment will include office space, store space, and housing
units. Off-street parking will also be provided.
As the University continues to grow, the future of
the East Hill Neighborhood becomes more clearly
high-density. Little expansion of the convenience
commercial area is anticipated. The need for con-
siderable rehabilitation in the future is becoming
increasingly clear. The proposed redevelopment at
College A venue and Cascadilla Place is an indicator
of the type of redevelopment and renovation needed
in and suited to the area.
Proposals
1. Because of the unique character of the area, high-
density housing should be continued in the East
Hill Neighborhood.
2. In order to provide the best quality shopping
environment and to protect adjacent residential
land uses, commercial expansion in Collegetown
should be restricted, until fully developed, to the
areas between Catherine Sheet and Oak A venue
on College Avenue, between College Avenue and
Linden A venue on Dryden Road, and between
Dryden Road and Buffalo Street on Eddy Street.
Further extension of the commercial area will re-
quire ci ty action in providing additional parking.
3. Collegetown is predominantly a pedestrian-ori-
ented convenience shopping center. As such, im-
provements in pedestrian and vehicular circula-
tion are needed.
4. East Hill School provides both a neighborhood
focal point and makes a unique contribution to
the quality of education in the Ithaca School
System; efforts should be made to continue the
school in its present use.
FALL CREEK, NEIGHBORHOOD 5
The Fall Creek Neighborhood is a quiet, shady
residential area. Scattered throughout the area are
small neighborhood shopping clusters. In the southern
part of the neighborhood, bordering on the Central
Business District, some of the fine old houses have
been converted to multiple dwelling units. At the
northern extremity of the neighborhood stands the
new Ithaca High School.
Table II .7 indicates that the predominant land
use in the area is residential. Fifty-two percent of
the acreage in the neighborhood is devoted to me-
dium-density residential uses. The third largest land
use after residential and streets is public. The public
ACREAGE PERCENT
Low Density Residential - -
High Density Residential - -
Total Residential 106. 3 52
Commercial 4.4 2
Public 13.7 7
Marina - -
Railroad - -
Parks 3.4 2
Water Areas 5.0 2
Streets 66.8 33
Vacant Land 3.8 2
land use in the area consists of the two schools, Fall
Creek Elementary School and Ithaca High School.
Five acres are consumed by Cascadilla Creek which
flows along the south and west boundaries of the
neighborhood. The banks of the creek have been
reinforced, but the creek bed has been left in its
natural state. Trees and shrubs growing next to the
running water make the creek an asset to the adjacent
property and to the neighborhood. The only other
sizable land use in the area is commercial use (two
percent) which is scattered throughout the neighbor-
hood in convenience type shopping areas.
Neighborhood 5 is one of the oldest of Ithaca's
residential areas. The data indicates, however, that
the area is also in good condition, ranking third in the
city in terms of condition of buildings. Of the 865
structures in the area, 94 percent are sound. Ninety-
four percent of the structures are wood frame.
Two percent of the acreage in the highly resi-
dential Fall Creek Neighborhood is devoted to parks.
Increasing the size of existing park areas in this
neighborhood is an important aspect of the city's
Recreation Plan. Additional park land will reinforce
the residential character of the neighborhood.
Three collector streets, two north-south and one
east-west, take traffic through the Fall Creek Neigh-
borhood. Of the two north-south collectors, Cayuga
Street is the widest and most heavily traveled. Cayuga
Street is a major tie between the Central Business
District and Ithaca High School and Stewart Park.
Tioga Street, the second of the north-south collectors,
carries through traffic to Fall Street, the east-west
collector, where the traffic turns to Cayuga Street or
to Lake Street.
It is anticipated that the residential character of
the Fall Creek Neighborhood will continue in the
future. The conversion of the large homes to multiple
dwelling units and offices is an increasing trend in
the neighborhood. Because of the large size of the
buildings south of i\tlarshall Street, it is anticipated
that the conversion of the buildings will be contained
within this area. The increased open space suggested
by the Recreation Study should enhance the resi-
dential character of the area.
Proposals
1. The majority of the Fall Creek Neighborhood
should be maintained as a medium-density resi-
dential area. To assist in meeting the ever-increas-
ing need for housing in the city, higher-density
residential uses may be permitted in the neighbor-
hood's southern portion between Cascadilla Ave-
nue and Marshall Street.
2. The convenience commercial centers in the north-
ern end of the neighborhood should not be per-
mitted to expand. Constraints should be placed
on the neighborhood commercial center between
Cascadilla Avenue and Marshall Street. New
convenience shopping centers in the area should
not be permitted.
29
3. Neighborhood commons should be developed in
the Fall Creek area to meet the great need for
play and open space.
NORTH CENTRAL, NEIGHBORHOOD 6
The grid pattern in the North Central Neighbor-
hood was laid out on a northwest to southeast di-
agonal to the established city grid pattern in 1836.
The unique street pattern and early development in
the area have been major conhibutors to isolating
this medium-density residential area. Today the area
contains three schools, a neighborhood house and a
major neighborhood park. Despite the neighborhood's
proximity to and pressures from the Central Business
District the area has retained its medium-density
residential character.
Residential land uses are the largest single land
use in the North Central Neighborhood. Fifty-one
percent of the total acreage in the neighborhood is
consumed by medium-density residential land uses.
The majority, 78 percent, of the housing units in the
neighborhood are single family units. Next to streets
( 30 percent of the neighborhood acreage), commer-
cial and public are the single largest land uses. About
two percent of the total acreage is in parks. The area
contains an insignificant amount of' vacant land.
'
ACREAGE PERCENT
Commercial 15.0 8
Public 10.3 6
Marina - -
Railroad - -
Parks 3.4 2
Water Areas - -
Streets 54.7 30
Vacant Land 1.2 -
Route 13, which marks the northern boundary of
the neighborhood, has been expanded to a four lane
arterial. This expansion effectively cut the four blocks
bounded by Cascadilla, Meadow, Buffalo, and Fulton
Streets off from the major portion of the North Central
area. Easy access to this severed area has resulted in
commercial and warehouse development there.
30
The North Cenhal Neighborhood is serviced by
seven collector sheets. Four of these collectors
Buffalo, Seneca, Meadow, and Cayuga Streets a r ~
major city traffic carriers. Court Sheet, Albany Street,
Hancock Street, and Cascadilla Avenue serve as neigh-
borhood collectors. The proposed solutions for the
traffic problems on the west side of the city include
the elevation of Route 13 over Fulton Street and the
relocation of Route 96 which will funnel traffic into
Court Street at the south end of the neighborhood.
The increase of traffic movement along Court un-
doubtedly will cause a shift away from the present
medium residential densities to high residential den-
sities. The eventual elevation of Route 13 over Fulton
Street will shift the through traffic off the present Route
13 and integrate this five block area back into the
North Central Neighborhood. The five block area,
however, will most likely continue to specialize in
commercial land uses rather than shift back to resi-
dential uses.
Presently t wo percent of the acreage in the neigh-
borhood is devoted to park use. Several types of
facilities are available: a school playground, neigh-
borhood house, a poorly developed major park, and
two scattered small open grassy play areas. There
are eight tenths of an acre of recreation and open space
per 1,000 residents in the neighborhood.
An effort to increase the density of the neighbor-
hood is being made with the public housing project
on Hancock Street. The park at Hancock and Fourth
Sheets, adjacent to the new housing development,
should be expanded and developed with the whole
age range of children considered, particularly the
preschoolers.
Proposals
1. The North Central Neighborhood is characterized
by medium-density residential land uses. Resi-
dential land uses at the southern end of the neigh-
borhood adjacent to the Central Business District,
however, should be intensified to create a proper
transition between the commercial and medium-
density residential areas.
2. Washington Park, a neighborhood focal point,
should be more fully developed as a neighbor-
hood park with a tot-lot, benches, and an open
grassy space for games.
3. To control commercial pressure on residential
land uses, conveni ence shopping centers in the
area should be concentrated in one or two acces-
sible locations.
4. Consistent with the accessibility of the area,
mixed residential and commercial land uses
should continue in the area between l\lleadow and
Fulton Streets from Cascadilla to Buffalo Streets.
5. To improve the residential quality of the area,
the existing commercial and light industrial land
uses bordering Route 13 on the south should be
eliminated. Medium-density residential land uses
should be developed up to a green strip border-
ing Route 13.
6. Appropriate pedestrian access across or under
Route 13 should be provided in the vicinity of
Dey Street to link the residential neighborhood to
the adjacent recreation area.
CENTRAL, NEIGHBORHOOD 7
The Central Neighborhood was the first area
settled in the city. The same kinds of land uses can
be found in the neighborhood today as could be
found there 100 years ago: mixed residential and
commercial. Moreover, the corner of Tioga Street
and State Street, the core of the business district in
1820, is still the center of commercial activity in the
city.
The three major land uses in the neighborhood are
commercial, streets, and residential. The major land
use in the neighborhood is commercial, 36 percent.
Streets consume 34 percent of the acreage. Of the 21
percent of the acreage devoted to residential land
uses, the majority is employed in medium-density
residential uses.
ACREAGE PERCENT
Commercial 53.7 36
Public 9.7 6
Marina - -
Railroad
- -
Parks 2.1 1
Water Areas - -
Streets 51.2 34
Vacant Land - -
The Central Neighborhood is also the hub of
governmental activities, not only for the city but for
the county as well. This governmental activity is
reflected in the fact that six percent of the land in
the neighborhood is devoted to public use.
In 1964 Ithaca began an Urban Renewal Project
in the Central Business District. Not only was this
seven block project designed to alleviate the blighted
conditions which were developing in the area ( 28
percent of the structures in the area are deteriora-
ting), but it is also anticipated that the renewal will
help to stop the trend of business migration away
from the Central Business Dishict. The urban re-
newal program also recognized the increasing impor-
tance of pedestrian movement to the retail businesses
in the business district. A shopping concourse on State
Street fl anked by convenient parking on Seneca and
Green Streets is suggested as a means of encouraging
pedestrian movement.
The core of the retail-commercial area of Ithaca
has remained the same since 1820. However, the
Central Business District has begun to move notice-
ably to the south in the past 35 years, invading the
residential area bounded by Clinton, Cayuga, Titus
and Albany Streets. Less exaggerated expansion of
the Central Business District has taken place to the
north in the residential area bounded by Court,
Aurora, Cascadilla, and Cayuga Streets.
Commercial development becomes less dense in
the neighborhood west of Cayuga Street. The area
between Geneva, Green, Albany, and Seneca Streets
is particularly underdeveloped. west of this area on
State Sheet the businesses are increasingly traffic
oriented.
The one-way pair, Green and Seneca Streets, pro-
vides a circular traffi c pattern accommodating both
local and through traffi c around the core of the Central
Business District. This pair is linked at the east by
the tuning fork at State Street and at the west by the
state arterial, Meadow Street. This traffic pattern,
accompanied by the provision of additional parking
on Green and Seneca Streets at the Central Business
District, has relieved much of the downtown haffic
congestion.
One of the most historically important open
spaces in the city, DeWitt Park, is located in the
Central Neighborhood. This park was designated by
Simeon DeWitt when the first plat of the city was
laid out in 1806. Since then the area has come to be
an important focal point for civic activity.
Proposals
1. To stimulate pedestrian movement, a concourse
of wider sidewalks and controlled vehicular access
should be created in the Central Business District
on State Street. A pedestrian concourse between
Tioga and Cayuga Streets would further stimu-
late the retail activity in the Central Business
District.
31
2. Action should be taken to complete renovation
of the good-quality commercial structures facing
State Street, to increase the Central Business Dis-
trict's attraction for pedestrian shopping traffic.
3. To facilitate access to and remove excess vehicular
traffic from the Central Business District, and to
improve pedestrian circulation within the core,
peripheral public parking facilities should be
developed on the north, south and west sides of
the retail area.
4. Commercial development in Neighborhood 7
should be concentrated so that it does not invade
adjacent residential neighborhoods. Tighter devel-
opment in the core of the business district up to
Geneva Street will intensify pedestrian traffic.
5. A subordinate node of concentrated, mixed pro-
fessional and residential uses should be developed
in conjunction with a parking facility in the blocks
between Green, Seneca, Albany, and Geneva
Streets, acting as a termination of the intense
commercial development in the core.
6. Looser commercial development, oriented to the
vehicular trade, should be encouraged to the
west of Albany Street.
7. Residential land uses in the neighborhood should
be intensified, particularly along Green and
Seneca Streets, and in the area bounded by Six
Mile Creek, Geneva, and Green Streets.
8. The portion of the Central Neighborhood abut-
ting Neighborhoods 5 and 6 is well suited as a
location for professional services and offices. A
use such as this, which can be mixed with high-
density residential land use, will help protect the
residential areas from the traffic and economic
pressures of the commercial areas.
9. The area around De'Nitt Park should be pre-
served as an area of historical and architectural
importance to the city.
SOUTH HILL, NEIGHBORHOOD 8
Generally, Neighborhood 8 is a residential neigh-
borhood of well-maintained wooden structures. The
northern part of the neighborhood, along Six Mile
Creek, vvas the first portion of the area to develop.
Many of the structures in this area were built in the
early decades of the nineteenth century. It is not
surprising, therefore, that the majority of the deterio-
rated buildings are in this portion of the neighbor-
hood. The most recently built area of the neighbor-
hood is the southernmost portion along Hudson Place
and Coddington Road. This portion of the area was
annexed to the city in January 1963. The extension
of the city sewer services into this area, the continued
housing shortage in the city, and the move of Ithaca
32
College to South Hill beyond the city limits have
further stimulated multiple family units in the South
Hill neighborhood.
Forty-two percent of the acreage in the neighbor-
hood is devoted to residential land uses. The great
majority of this residential land is in medium-density
uses. The high-density residential area of South Hill
is composed primarily of old converted homes and
new apartment units.
ACREAGE PERCENT
Industry, Public Uti lities
Commercial 3.2 1
Public 3.3 1
Marina - -
Rai lroad 0.7 -
Parks 7.5 3
Water Areas 9.1 4
Streets 59.8 24
Vacant Land 43.9 17
An evaluation of the condition of the buildings in
the area indicates that the great majority are sound
( 93 percent). Only seven percent of the structures in
the area are deteriorated and none are dilapidated,
e.g., structurally unsound.
Although there is considerable open space along
the gorges and undeveloped land within the neigh-
borhood, there is little developed park area. The
major play area is the three acre South Hill School
playground. The school playground has the standard
equipment and is open continually to children in the
area. The City Recreation Plan has recommended that
if the neighborhood requests additional facilities on
the playground, the city should cooperate with the
Board of Education in supplying them.
While the South Hill Neighborhood is predomi-
nantly residential, eight percent of the neighborhood's
acreage is devoted to indushy and utility uses. Morse
Chain, one of the city's basic industries, is located
just inside of the city limits which mark the bound-
ary of the neighborhood. These industries, both in
and adjacent to the South Hill area, generate com-
muter traffic through the neighborhood.
The South Hill Neighborhood is serviced by two
major collector streets, Hudson Street and South
Aurora Street. Both of these sheets are built on a
steep incline and are heavily used by commuter haffic
to the industries within and adjacent to the city.
South Aurora Street also serves as State Highway 96B.
Route 96B leaves Aurora at Prospect Street and con-
tinues across the neighborhood along Prospect and
Clinton Streets. Both Prospect and Clinton Streets
would normally be local streets. With the use of 96B
as an access route to the city, there has been an in-
creasing incidence of "run-away" trucks on the steep
Aurora Street incline. Proposals are presently being
developed to re-route 96B at a more gradual slope
beyond the city limits. Such a road would not only
reduce the danger from "run-away" hucks, but also
relieve the heavy traffic along South Aurora, Hudson,
Prospect, and Clinton Streets. The reduced use of
these local and collector streets will improve the resi-
dential character of the South Hill Neighborhood.
Proposals
1. The core of Neighborhood 8 should remain in
medium-density residential use, focusing on the
elementary school. Because of the continued
demand for housing in the city, however, the
more central northern portion and the southern
portion, near Ithaca College, should be expected
to develop higher-density residences.
2. The east side of South Hill should be opened for
residential development. This development can
be accomplished by extending an east-west con-
nection from Hillview Place into Giles Street
which crosses Six Mile Creek. Such an extension
would help relieve the traffic congestion in the
Central Business District by providing an alter-
nate route between East Hill and South Hill.
3. The Columbia Street School should be removed
and the site made into a playground for children
on the west side of South Hill, eliminating the
need for these children to cross the heavily used
South Aurora Sheet to the South Hill School play-
ground.
4. Route 96B should be relocated beyond the city
limits. Such a relocation will not only provide a
safer access to the city but will also be a great
asset in maintaining the South Hill Neighborhood
as a quiet, well-kept residential area.
SOUTH CENTRAL, NEIGHBORHOOD 9
The South Central Neighborhood is best described
as a medium-density residential-commercial area.
Eighty-eight percent of the structures are residential
units and 12 percent commercial buildings. A look
at the distribution of land use by acres on Table II.ll
further confirms the residential-commercial character
of the area.
TABLE 11.11: Distribut ion of Land Use by Acreage
ACREAGE PERCENT
and Transportation 0.6 -
Commercial 25.3 13
Public 1.8 1
Marina - -
Rai lroad - -
Parks 6.5 4
Water Areas 6.1 3
Streets 42.3 22
Vacant Land 18.2 10
A survey of the condition of the structures in the
neighborhood indicates that while the great majority
are sound (78 percent), this neighborhood ranks third
highest in the city in terms of the number of deteri-
orated ( 19 percent) and fourth highest in dilapidated
(three percent) buildings. In addition to the high rate
of dilapidation and deterioration, 91 percent of the
structures in the area are wood frame.
Despite its residential character, Neighborhood
9 is crisscrossed by major arterials and collector
streets. Meadow Street (Route 13) which marks the
west boundary of the neighborhood and West Clin-
ton Street (Route 96B) which cuts across the middle
of the neighborhood are both designated state high-
ways. Green Street at the northern boundary of the
area is a major one-way collector for the city; South
Albany Street serves as a collector for Neighborhoods
8, 9, and 10. Elmira Road, which cuts across the
neighborhood just above the southern boundary,
brings traffic to Albany Street and into the center of
the city.
The acreage data on Table II.ll indicates only
four percent of the acreage in the neighborhood is
devoted to parks and open space. The major existing
neighborhood recreational facility is the Southside
House. This old building serves as a neighborhood
center for a variety of adult and youth programs. The
Southside House facilities are old and heavily used.
They need replacement.
The commercial uses, 13 percent of the acreage in
the neighborhood, center along Elmira Road, :rvlead-
33
ow Street, and along residential Clinton Street. The
most recent of these commercial developments is the
strip commercial development along Elmira Road
and the drive-in eating places on Meadow Street.
Earlier commercial complexes include the Agway
Agricultural Center and the Co-op Shopping Center,
a cooperatively owned grocery store and privately
sponsored services complex used heavily by the
neighborhood residents.
Proposals
1. To help meet the city's demand for housing and
to reinforce the residential character of the neigh-
borhood \ovhere it abuts the Central Business
District, high-density residential land uses should
be encouraged in the sector of Neighborhood 9
north of Six Mile Creek. The portion of the neigh-
borhood south of the creek should continue in
medium-density residential land uses.
2. Residential development should be encouraged
along the portion of Spencer Road contained in
the neighborhood. A sidewalk should link the
neighborhood with Buttermilk Falls State Park.
3. Recognizing the shortage of play space in the
neighborhood, the city should immediately pursue
the Recreation Plan's proposals for the creation
of two block parks, the conversion of Cleveland
A venue to a play street, and the development of
the Titus A venue Park.
4. To protect the residential character of the neigh-
borhood there should be no further expansion of
commercial land uses in the area.
5. The South Central Neighborhood should have a
high priority for a neighborhood project with a
limited amount of redevelopment and an em-
phasis on rehabilitation of existing units. Some
vacant land exists in the neighborhood where con-
struction could be undertaken for relocation units.
INLET VALLEY-ELMIRA ROAD,
NEIGHBORHOOD 10
The Inlet Valley-Elmira Road Neighborhood has
just begun to develop. Industry is the major economic
land use in the neighborhood. Only the Cayuga Inlet
Neighborhood to the immediate north has proportion-
ately less land devoted to residential land uses than
Neighborhood 10. Forty-one percent of the acreage
in the neighborhood is vacant. This neighborhood
ranks third in the city in percent of commercial land
uses and second in railroads.
Consistent with the relatively recent development
of Neighborhood 10, 85 percent of the structures are
sound and only six percent dil apidated. Many of the
deteriorating or dil apidated structures are strung out
34
ACREAGE PERCENT
Medium Density Residential 1.9 -
Commercial 60.6 12
Public - -
Marina - -
Railroad 11.8 2
Parks 65.0 13
Water Areas 18.4 4
Streets 39.6 8
Vacant Land 209.4 41
Total Land 507.0 100.0
along Spencer Road at the southern boundary of the
neighborhood. This Spencer Road area was developed
in residential land uses many years before other devel-
opment commenced in the neighborhood.
Neighborhood 10 is distinguished by traffic-
oriented strip commercial development such as car
sale lots and drive-in restaurants and by wholesalers,
storage areas, and heavy industrial uses along what
was Cayuga Inlet and is now the new flood control
channel. The entrance to the city's sanitary land fill
is also located in this northern area of the neighbor-
hood. The dumping area extends south between the
Lehigh Valley Railroad lines and the relief channel
from Clinton Street to the Southwest Park. The city,
however, anticipates that the capacity of the dumping
area will be reached within three years. Therefore,
the filled land soon will become developable. At
present all the land along Meadow Street, back to
the relief channel is vacant. The northern portion
of this section constitutes the old city fairgrounds.
Presently this fairground area is undeveloped. To
facilitate the development of this filled land and the
fairgrounds, the city is proposing to build a city
street, the Southwest Parkway, across the area. The
proposed street would not only open the interior of
the fill ed parcel, but it would also provide direct
access to the south side of the city for \ iV est Hill resi-
dents.
In the center of Neighborhood 10 is a city-owned
park. This area is being held in an undeveloped
state. It is anticipated that, in the future, the park
will serve as a link between the city park system and
Buttermilk Falls State Park.
I I
I .
It is expected that Route 13, presently Meadow
Street, will be relocated between the Lehigh Valley
Railroad tracks and the flood control channel. This
relocation will take through traffic off Meadow Street
and increase the usefulness of this arterial to local
traffic.
Much of the future character of the Inlet Valley-
Elmira Road Neighborhood will be determined by the
future use of the developable area between Meadow
Street and the Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks.
Proposals
1. Residential land uses should be continued along
Spencer Road. A sidewalk should link the neigh-
[ borhood with Buttermilk Falls State Park.
2. The portion of the neighborhood southwest of the
levee must be held vacant as a flood plain.
3. Auto-oriented commercial development should be
allowed along Elmira Road and Meadow Street,
but should continue no further than the proposed
Southwest Parkway.
4. A city collector street, the Southwest Parkway,
should be developed across the neighborhood
along the old city line, opening the area to
development and improving east-west access in
the city.
5. lvledium-density residential land uses should be
developed south of South Street Extended, be-
tween Meadow and the relief channel, and below
the proposed Southwest Parkway between the
relief channel and the park.
6. The portion of the neighborhood north of the
proposed Southwest Parkway, between the relief
channel and the flood control channel, should
be developed as an area for light industry. Ser-
viced by the railroad and major highways, this
area is well suited for manufacturing. Also de-
velopable for light indushy is the area between
Elmira Road, the Southwest Park, and the levee.
7. The mixed retail-wholesale area north of Clinton
Street should be allowed to expand to the south
to Center Street Extended.
WEST HILL, NEIGHBORHOOD 11
The West Hill Neighborhood is the most recently
developed of all the city's neighborhoods. As Table
II.l3 showing the distribution of land use by acreage
indicates, 44 percent of the land in the area is vacant.
Twenty-eight percent of the remaining land in the
neighborhood is devoted to low-density residential
land uses . A look at the rankings indicates that in
terms of low-density residential land use, Neighbor-
hood 11 ranks first in the city.
ACREAGE PERCENT
Commercial - -
Public 3.0 -
Marina - -
Railroad - -
Parks 5.1 1
Water Areas 1.3 -
Streets 80.2 16
Vacant Land 224.7 44
Running along the east boundary of the West Hill
Neighborhood are two state arterials, Route 13A and
Route 96. Paralleling these arterials are the two
major collector streets for the neighborhood, Elm and
Hector Streets. These two collectors run parallel east-
west. The proposed relocation of Route 96 east of
Cliff Street would take through traffic off the steep
grade on Cliff Street and increase the safety of truck
and auto access to and from the city and the county
hospital.
There are two neighborhood play areas .in the
West Hill Neighborhood: MacDaniels Park, recently
donated to the city, which, presently, is being
developed; and the West Hill School playground
which has play apparatus and playfields open for use.
Despite the high percentage of vacant land ( 44
percent) in the West Hill Neighborhood, it is antici-
pated that future development in this area will be
residential. Present rapid subdivision in the area has
created the need for the extension of local streets to
provide efficient and well situated collector streets.
The absence of park land in the neighborhood is not
a detriment at present. The quantity of vacant land
in the area conveys the feeling of open space. In the
future, however, the 'West Hill area promises to be
fully developed. As a result, the provision of city park
land is a wise step for the future. Of all the city's
neighborhoods, the most rapid growth can be antici-
pated in the West Hill area. The large quantity of
vacant land within the neighborhood and the need
for housing and the shortage of residential building
sites within the city are two of the factors which
will help to insure future growth in this neighborhood.
35
Proposals
1. Medium-density residential uses should be en-
couraged to develop along the eastern and south-
ern boundaries of the neighborhood. The remain-
der of the nei ghborhood should continue to be
developed in low-density residential uses.
2. To stimulate development in the center portion
of the neighborhood, two north-south collectors,
connecting with the proposed Southwest Park-
way, should be constructed.
3. Care should be taken to provide adequate park
land and open space to meet the future recrea-
tional needs of this developing residential neigh-
borhood.
CAYUGA INLET, NEIGHBORHOOD 12
The northern portion of the West End Business
District and the vacant land on the inlet are among
the most dynamic areas within the city in terms of
changing land use. A new flood control channel the
realignment of Routes 13 and 96 and the of
the National Arts and Recreation Center are all con-
tributing to the rapid change of land uses in the area.
A look at the conditions of the buildings in the
neighborhood indicates that the area is, indeed, in
transition. Of the structures in the area 32 percent
are deteriorated and 14 percent are dilapidated. This
is the most extensive dilapidation and deterioration
in the city.
There are 19 single family residential units and
no multiple family units in the neighborhood. The 91
commercial and industrial enterprises employ 643
people. A look at these comparative land uses indi-
cates that the predominant existing land use as indi-
cated by buildings is commercial. The allocation of
land use by acreage indicates, however, that only
five percent of the acreage in the area is devoted to
industrial and commercial uses. The majority of the
acreage in the area ( 95 percent) is, or will soon be,
devoted to parkland, water, and water-oriented busi-
nesses. Thus the real land use emphasis is on parks
and recreation. The area presently contains Cass Park,
Stewart Park, the Bird Sanctuary, and the Municipal
Golf Course. This neighborhood will continue to serve
as a community recreation center. Moreover, the addi-
tion of the National Arts and Recreation Center will
make the area a center for community and regional
cultural life as well.
The recently completed flood control channel
brings several advantages to the city. The channel
provides drainage for the otherwise swampy Inlet
Valley; it opens up new areas for badly needed
marinas, and provides an excellent crew racing course.
The development of water-oriented uses along the
36
ACREAGE PERCENT
Low Density Residential 2.6 -
Medium Density Residential - -
Total Residential 2.6 -
Commercial 35.4 4
Public 21.1 2
Marina 8.7 1
Railroad 19.3 2
Parks 415.0 45
Water Areas 373.4 40
Streets 25.2 3
Vacant Land 5.3 1
flood control channel and inlet will give the city a
closer orientation to the lake and its tourist potential.
The construction of the flood control channel
cut the site of Taughannock Boulevard from the foot
of West Hill and converted the land at the end of the
boulevard into an island. There are eight residential
buildings on the island. Seven of these residential
buildings are deteriorated or dilapidated. The remain-
ing buildings are devoted to commercial or industrial
uses. The businesses located along Taughannock
Boulevard are highly traffic-oriented. The construc-
tion of the flood control channel has now placed
these traffic-oriented businesses on a dead-end street.
Since relocation of many of the present businesses
appears to be imminent, the city will provide new
zoning for the island which will encourage the loca-
tion of residential and marina-oriented business uses
in the area. Such specialization on the island will
provide not only a unique residential environment,
but also, the proximity to the state marina will pro-
vide a lucrative location for boating and boat-related
businesses.
Proposals
1. The island created by the flood control channel
and the Cayuga Inlet north of Buffalo Street
should be developed to exploit its unique water-
oriented character and view. The area should be
developed in marine-oriented commercial land
uses.
2. The city, state, and private all-season cultural-
recreational facilities on the lake front should be
further encouraged. These facilities should be
[ '
I
MUNICIPAL GOt...F
COUNSK
.3
CTED
. ____-/
~ -
LEGEND
-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL
USE, 1990
I ,
l .
Map 11.3
-+-------------- PROJECTED LAND USE, 1990
developed in such a way as to attract both vaca-
tioners and local resi dents to the multiple-purpose
area.
3. The portion of the neighborhood bordering Route
13 should be used for light industry and ware-
housing. Careful control over the use of the ware-
house area shoul d be exercised in order that an
appropriate separation be created between it and
the residenti al and recreational neighborhoods.
4. The Cayuga Inlet Neighborhood is the corner-
stone of the city's recreation system. Easy pedes-
trian access to the area from all the city's neigh-
borhoods must be provided by developing a net-
work of pathways enabling all residents to gain
the full beneRt of the all-season park facility.
5. A footbridge should link the Inlet Park and New-
man Municipal Golf Course, providing a major
connection in the chain of pedestrian ways link-
ing the city neighborhoods to the inlet. The
pedestrian ways along the flood control channel
create a spine of recreation areas from Stewart
Park to Buttermilk Falls.
THE FUTURE
Map II.3 shows the land use for the City of Ithaca
projected for 1990. As shown on Table II.l5, by 1990
there will be no undeveloped land left in the city.
The most signiRcant changes in land use from the
present land uses are in the amounts of land devoted
to residential, industrial-warehouse, and marina land
uses. The distribution of new land into various kinds
of residential land use is fairly even among the three
densities. The amount of land in industrial-warehous-
ing land use has doubled between the existing and
proposed maps. The development of a marina in the
Inlet Park and the use of land adjacent to the park
for marina and marina-oriented uses will place one
percent of the land in the city into marina uses by
1990.
As the map indicates, development in residential
Neighborhoods 1, 3, and 4 will merely reinforce the
existing character of these areas. On the "Flats," high-
density housing will expand to encircle the Central
Business District which will become more densely
developed along State Street with a higher concentra-
TABLE 11.15: Proj ected Land Use by Acreage and Percent for the City of Ithaca by Neighborhoods, 1990
z
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Cornell Hgts 14.4 79.7 32.9 127.0 - - - 10.0 - -
Percent 6 35 15 56 - - - 4 - -
II
University 8.4 109.6 24.3 142. 3 6.6 - - 205.2 - -
Percent 2 28 7 37 2 - - 52 - -
Ill
Bell e Sherman 70.1 47.6 21. 2 138. 9 1.5 0.2 5.6 - - 1.0
Percent 27 19 8 54 1 - 2 - - -
IV
East Hi ll 6.0 2.0 67.8 75.8 0.4 7.0 7.1 - - -
Percent 4 1 44 49 - 5 5 - - -
v
Fall Creek - 92.7 16.1 108.8 - 3. 1 15.8 - - -
Percent - 45 8 53 - 1 8 - - -
VI
North Central - 47.5 47. 1 94.6 4. 5 16.6 10.8 - - -
Percent - 26 26 52 2 9 6 - - -
VII
Central - 10.6 20.8 31.4 1.9 52.2 11.6 - - -
Percent - 7 14 21 1 35 8 - - -
VIII
South Hill - 112.4 38.2 150.6 20.4 3. 2 3.4 - - 0.7
Percent - 45 15 60 8 1 2 - - -
IX
South Centra I - 65.8 42.8 108. 6 1.4 24.4 1.5 - - -
Percent - 34 22 56 1 13 1 - - -
X
Inl et Vall ey-
Elmira Road - 109.6 - 109.6 165.4 89.2
- - - 11 .8
Percent - 21 - 21 33 18 - - - 2
XI
West Hill 278.8 104.9 23.3 407.0 - - 4. 1 - - -
Percent 54 20 5 79 - - 1 - - -
XII
Cayuga Inl et 3.2 - - 3.2 34. 1 9.3 22.9 5.0 27.0 19.3
Percent - - - - 4 1 2 1 3 2
TOTAL 380.9 782.4 334.5 1,497.8 236.2 205.2 82. 8 220.2 27. 0 32.8
Percent 10 20 8 38 6 5 2 6 1 1
SOURCE: Land Use Study, Ci ty Pl anning Office, City of Ithaca, Spring 1969.
38
::;: <
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s.
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:J a.
V1 a.
13.5 17.2 57.6 - 225.3
6 8 26 - 100
5.3 4.3 26. 1 - 389.8
1 1 7 - 100
19.6 8.3 81.9 - 257.0
8 3 32 - 100
26.7 - 38.1 - 155.1
17 - 24 - 100
3.9 5.0 66.8 - 203.4
2 3 33 - 100
2.5 - 54.7 - 183.7
1 - 30 - 100
2. 1 - 51.2 - 150.4
1 - 34 - 100
3.0 9. 1 60.4 - 250.8
1 4 24 - 100
6.8 6. 1 42.3 - 191.1
4 3 22 - 100
67. 0 18. 7 45.3 - 507. 0
13 4 9 - 100
12.1 2. 1 87. 5 - 512.8
2 1 17 - 100
397. 2 372.3 32.7 - 923.0
43 40 4 - 100
559.7 443. 1 644.6 - 3,949.4
14 11 16 - 100
[ I
tion of traffic-oriented businesses at the west end of
the street.
The shortage of housing in the city should en-
courage medium-density residential development
along Meadow Street and adjacent to the city park
in Neighborhood 10. A small portion of West Hill,
Neighborhood 11, will develop in medium- and high-
density residential units; the majority of the area,
however, will maintain its low-density residential
character.
Development of the land in the National Arts and
Recreation Center for local and visitors use will rein-
force the city's regional recreational role. The develop-
ment of activities along the lake front should help
to orient the city more toward its unique natural
environment.
TABLE 11.16: Change in Land Uses by Acreage and Percent from Existing to Projected Uses
$: -I 3"
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Total
Present
Use 304.5 596.5 179.1 1,080.1 120.1 207.0 70.0 220.2 8.7 32.8 536.3 443.1 623.5 607.6 3,949.4
Percent 8 15 5 28 3 5 2 6 - 1 13 11 16 15 100
Total
Proposed
Use 380.9 782.4 334.5 1,497.8 236.2 205.2 82.8 220.2 27.0 32.8 559.7 443.1 644.6 - 3,949.4
Percent 10 20 8 38 6 5 2 6 1 1 14 11 16 - 100
Increases 76.4 185.9 155.4 417.7 116.1 ( -1.8) 12.8 - 18.3 - 23.4 - 21.1 ( -607 .6) -
Percent 2 5 3 10 3 - - - 1 - 1 - - ( - 15) -
SOURCE: Land Use Study, City Planning Office, City of Ithaca, Spring 1969.
39
l I
l
CITY GOVERNMENT
Since the formation of Tompkins County in 1817,
the City of Ithaca has served as the seat of county
government. In 1821 Ithaca was incorporated as a
village and remained as such until 1888 when it
became an incorporated city. The present City Char-
ter, which is the basis for city government, dates from
1908. Even though amendments and home rule laws
have made changes in the charter, the organization
and administration of services remains basically the
same as in 1908. In 1960 an amendment to the charter
authorized the formation of a Department of Finance.
The creation of this department has resulted in some
major changes in the financial procedures and prac-
tices of city government.
Administrative Organization
The City Charter provides for a government head-
ed by an elected mayor and common council. The
functions of city government are performed by these
elected officials and the various officials and boards
which are appointed by them.
The Common Council is composed of 14 alder-
men, two from each of the seven wards in the city.
The Council has three major functions: ( 1) to con-
sider and pass laws and ordinances; ( 2) to levy taxes
and authorize expenditures; and ( 3) to act on ap-
pointments.
A city judge is elected for a four-year term and
presides over the City Court. The city judge also
supervises the Traffic Violations Bureau and is re-
sponsible for its functioning and personnel.
The mayor is elected for a two-year term. He
presides at meetings of the Common Council and
votes only in the event of a tie. The mayor serves as
head of the Police Department and as such is re-
sponsible for the enforcement of laws and preserva-
tion of peace. The mayor also appoints some of the
city officials and members of various boards.
The cit y government is divided into a number of
functional departments and offices. Among these are
the Finance Department, Office of the Chamberlain,
Office of the City Clerk, Public Works Department,
Fire Department, Police Department, Planning De-
partment and Youth Bureau.
Some of these departments act as administrators
for several city functions. The Department of Public
Works, for example, houses the building commis-
sioner's office and staff. Each of the departments is
under the guidance of a board of citizens. In the
case of Public Works, Planning, and Finance, the
board selects, with the approval of the Common
Council, the department's top administrator.
TABLE 111.1: Organization Chart for Ithaca City Government.
VOTERS OF THE CITY OF ITHACA
CITY
JU DGE
city
Attorney
p
1.
lannmg
Board
I
Civi l S
Commi
ervice
ssioner
I
MAYOR
Mayor Appoints
,I I
City Police
Prosecutor Commissioner
I
Housing
Authority
I I
Advisory Bd. City
of Hi stori an
Youth Bureau
I
Exam
of E
ining Board Examining Board
lectricians
I
Board of
Zoning Appeals
of Plumbers
I
Board of Appeals
on Building Code
COMMON COUNCIL CITY REPRESENTATIVES
TO THE COU NTY
GOVERN ME NT
Mayor Appoints with the
Approval of Common Council
dy
I
A I
City ctmg
Controller Chamberlain City Judg e
I I l
City Clerk Building Board of
I
Commissioner Public Wor
I
ks
Deputy City Supt. of
Clerk Public Wor ks
I
,I I
I
City Asst. to City
Engineer Superintendent Forest er
I T I
Fire Director of Sealer of Weights
Commissioner Youth Bureau and Measures
43
In addition to the administrative boards of citi-
zens, there are boards of specially skilled citizens such
as the Examining Board of Electricians and the
Examining Board of Plumbers. Finally, there are
boards of citizens which assist in the adminishation
of city ordinances, such as the Board of Zoning
Appeals and the Board of Appeals on the Building
Code. The mayor makes all appointments to boards,
some with the approval of the Common Council. The
term of appointments to various boards are from two
to six years depending upon the board.
The mayor also makes appointments which coin-
cide with his term of office. Among these are the city
attorney, the city prosecutor, and the city historian.
The great majority of city employees are civil
servants. A Civil Service Commission, whose members
are appointed by the mayor for six-year terms, ex-
amines and certifies persons for appointment. In 1967
a Civil Service Employees' Association was formed to
represent the employees of city government.
Personnel
The City of Ithaca employs 335 regular full-time
and part-time employees. Employment by the city
has increased by 27 percent from 1960 to 1969. Since
the regular full -time and part-time employees have
remained rather constant, the bulk of the increase in
city employment has come in the seasonal labor
employed. This increase is particularly evident in the
employment after 1965. Much of this additional sea-
sonal employment is the result of special projects
funded by other governmental bodies such as the
beautification projects of the Youth Bureau and Urban
Renewal Authority. The increase in city employment
from 1960 to 1969 was less than the increase in county
government (50 percent). The expansion in county
government since 1967 has been chiefly the result of
new activities assumed by the county, such as the
library and assessment, rather than an expansion of
seasonal employment. Table III.2, a graph comparing
the increase in city and county employment from 1962
TABLE 111.2: Cumulative Graph of Percent Change in Employment by Tompkins
County and City of Ithaca 1962 to 1969
48
44
40
36
32
28
24
20
16
12
8
4
0
-4
44
/
/
COUNTY
I'-
N
1.0
O'l
......

M
1.0
O'l
......
I
I
I
-.......
/
I
I
I
1.{')
1.0
O'l
......
-.......
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
h
...._____
l
........._
I
I
I
I
I
I
1/
1-------
I
I
I
I
00
l.D
O'l
......
O'l
1.0
O'l
......
0
,.......
O'l
......
l-
to 1969 (estimated), shows that the county govern-
ment has had a more steadily increasing employment
rate than the city.
It is anticipated that the regular part-time and
full-time staff of the city will not increase significantly
in the next decade. The continued award of special
projects, however, may mean that the city's employ-
ment figures might increase, reflecting increased sea-
sonal employment by the city. A reorganization of
city administration, creating the position of city
controller, has increased operating efficiences and
made it possible to anticipate little increase in regular
staff. This does not, however, bar the possibility of
the city shifting additional responsibilities to the
county or of changes in staffing resulting from the
passage of a new city charter.
0
City Facilities
The City of Ithaca owns 20 buildings which range
in use from pumping stations to office buildings. The
original city hall, built in 1844, which included
offices for the Police Department and the Central Fire
Station, was in the area of the Central Business Dis-
trict designated for urban renewal in 1963. In order
to make room for urban renewal and to consolidate
all the municipal operations in one building, the city
hall was relocated to the other side of the Central
Business District in 1965.
Despite the desire for consolidation of city offices,
it was decided by the Common Council that the
Central Fire Station and Police Department should
be housed under separate roofs. As a result, a new
$500,000 Central Fire Station was constructed in
1968 and Bibbins Hall was acquired from Agway Inc.
for $164,000 to house the Police Department, City
Court and Traffic Violations Bureau. All three of these
city office buildings are within walking distance of
each other. The Common Council allocated $35,000
for the renovation of the City Hall, built in 1939, and
its adjacent annex, built in 1914. Both the main build-
ing and the annex were acquired from the New York
State Electric and Gas Corporation for $250,000. The
renovation of Bibbins Hall, built in 1940, cost $270,000.
It is anticipated that these new and renewed office
facilities should serve the city for at least the next
25 years .
In addition to the main city offices, the city also
owns the water treatment faciliti es : the water filtra-
tion plant built in 1929 with additions in 1938 and
1951; the water building built in 1938 with an addi-
tion in 1941; and a sewage treatment plant built in
1895 with additions in 1959 and 1964. Seven pumping
A new City Charter was proposed to the voters in 1968. The
revised charter was defeated at the polls in November of that
year.
station structures, ranging in age from 1909 to 1958,
are also part of the water system owned by the city.
Ithaca is served by five fire stations. Two of these
stations were built in 1968; the remaining three range
in age from 16 to 86 years. The city has maintained a
good program of preventive maintenance for all the
stations.
Finally, the city owns the Municipal Airport now
scheduled to become a part of the National Arts and
Recreation Center; the Southside Community Center,
built as a vV.P.A. project during the Depression and
acquired by the city in 1936; and the City Cemetery
in which the last acquisition was made in 1911.
City Finance
The major industry in Ithaca is higher education.
Because much of this industry, Cornell University, is
located within the city limits, Ithaca is in the unique
position of having the six percent of its land owned
by the University exempt from property taxes. An
additional 17 percent of the city's assessable land and
property is exempt because of such uses as public
schools, parks and municipal services. As a result of
both the University and other land uses, 33 percent
of the total real property in the city is tax exempt.
The support of city government; street paving, main-
tenance and lighting; and parks and open space to
enhance the city's safety and environment comes from
the taxes on 66 percent of the city's land and taxable
property. In 1968 close to 35 percent of the city's
total revenue came from property tax. It is estimated
that the percentage of city revenue to come from
property taxes will drop to 24 percent in 1969.
In the past five years the cost of city operation
has increased by 32 percent. However, Table III.3
indicates property tax revenues make up a smaller
percentage of the total revenues in 1969 than they did
in 1965. In 1968 a county sales tax was levied. The
county transferred $500,000 of the sales tax revenue
to the city. This new revenue made it possible for
the city to begin to curtail increases in the property
tax rates despite the increased cost of government.
Action taken by the Ithaca Common Council in 1969
will entitle the city to one and one-half percent of
the sales taxes coll ected from retail sales within the
city. Therefore, in the future, sales tax revenue will
continue as a signiflcant contributor to the city's
spendable monies, helping to hold the city property
tax rates to a minimum.
The total revenue for the City of Ithaca in 1968
was $3,148,276. This revenue came to the city from
25 different sources. The most important of these
sources were property taxes ( 62 percent), state aid
( 13 percent) and special activities ( 8 percent). Both
the Water and Sewer Divisions of the Department of
45
Public Works collect revenue, but each of these ser-
vices is a self-supporting operation and are not in-
cluded here in total city revenue. In 1968 Cornell Uni-
versity gave $25,000 to the city for fire protection and
assumed one-third or up to $7,500 of the city's losses
on the Community Transit System. The University has
extended this agreement to include 1969.
The City of Ithaca allocates its annual General
Fund working budget into the 11 categories indicated
on Table III.4. The General Fund is one of the three
working funds of the City Finance Department. The
other two funds are devoted specifically to the opera-
tions of the Water Department and the Sewer Depart-
ment. The General Fund handles all other city ex-
penditures. Over the past five years ( 1965 to 1969)
the annual General Fund expenditures of the city
have increased by 60 percent. The major allocations
are still in the same categories that they were five
years ago: public safety and streets and sanitation.
These major allocations, however, are proportionately
less of the total budget than they were in 1965. As
Table III.4 indicates, the allocations in all categories
have increased since 1965.
While the total budget allocations for staff have
increased by 35 percent in the past five years, the
relative share of the city budget going toward staff
has decreased from 12 to 10 percent. In the same
time period the allocation of monies for staff by
deparhnent indicates that only the controller's staff
and the planning staff have increased significantly.
In 1969, 14 percent of the city's total revenue was
allocated for debt service. The total debt for the city
was $5,084,560. Thirty-nine percent of the city's pres-
ent debt is self-liquidating. In the past five years the
city's total revenue has increased by 105 percent while
its debt has increased by 253 percent. Despite the
greater increase in debt compared to increase in
revenue, the city is still well below the safe upper
limit of 25 percent of revenue for debt services set by
analysts.
POLICE PROTECTION
The Ithaca Police Department serves three major
functions: traffic control, protection of property and
protection of lives. In 1969 the Ithaca Police Depart-
ment employed 49 professionally-trained policemen.
In addition to these professionals the department hires
three meter checkers, two meter maintenance men,
and 13 school guards.
While the police force covers the entire city,
special coverage is provided to commercial areas of
the city-the Central Business District, the West End,
the Elmira Road area, and Collegetown. Particular em-
phasis is placed on the Central Business District
TABLE 111.3: Actual revenues for the City of Ithaca, 1966 through 1968
1966
Type of Revenue $
Non-property taxes 63,923
Payment in lieu of taxes
Franchises 2,567
Interest and penalties 9,162
Licenses 7,263
Permits 6,845
Interest & earnings on deposits 799
Rentals 21,540
Charges for services 23,903
Charges for services, other gov. 41,949
Rental fees 16,032
Income, special activities 225,480
State aid 367,821
Reimbursement, appro. expand. 38,516
Reimbursement, other services 3,324
Fines, penalties, forfeitures 74,406
Sale of assets, comp. loss 3,595
Contributions 3,849
Miscellaneous 5,826
I nterfund reimbursements 518
I nterfund transfer, debt service 13,000
I nterfund revenue 60,590
Property tax 1,619,406
Total revenue 2,609,911
SOURCE: Ithaca City Budgets, 1966 through 1968.
46
%
2.4
0.1
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.03
0.8
0.9
1.6
0.6
8.6
14.1
1.5
0.1
2.9
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.01
0.5
2.3
62.0
99.8
1967 1968
$ % $ %
65,687 2.2 69,681 2.2
25,593 0.8
2,829 0.1 3,035 0.1
8,101 0.3 9,637 0.3
6,194 0.2 7,210 0.2
7,518 0.2 8,266 0.3
14,386 0.5 10,818 0.3
24,109 0.8 22,716 0.7
18,170 0.6 34,896 1.1
41,128 1.4 43,005 1.4
17,523 0.6 14,608 0.5
263,945 8.7 250,393 8.0
405,278 13.3 411,394 13.1
11,633 0.4 27,372 0.9
1,920 0..06 921 0.03
45,829 1.5 52,086 1.7
224,726 7.4 6,370 0.2
34,784 1.1 83,078 1.1
54,852 1.8 6,884 0.2
846 0.03 503 0.02
24,122 0.8 59,980 1.9
42,060 1.4 96,127 3.1
1,722,443 56.7 1,953,733 62.1
3,038,063 100.1 3,148,276 100.2
r
TABLE 111.4: General Fund Budget Allocations by Dollar and Percent for the City of Ithaca, 1964 to 1968*
1965 1966
General Fund $ $ o/o
Item Change
Legislative 7,328 7,541 + 3
(Council)
Judicial 25,158 36,018
+ 4
Executive 4,513 12,054 +167
Staff 298,779 284,088
+ 6
Public Safety 709,372 790,328 +11
Streets & Sanitation 425,837 573,638 + 35
Health 3,013 3,004 -
Recreation 129,996 139,949 + 8
Special Activities 80,329 116,620 + 45
General (Miscellaneous) 532,038 588,272 +11
Debt Service 197,537 274,443 + 39
Total 2,413,900 2,825,955 + 17
* The adopted budget.
which is covered by four regular footbeats. The resi-
dential areas are, in turn, covered by three mobile
units.
The police force is already short of manpower.
Citizen requests for additional footbeats in the west
End Business District and in the Collegetown area
are going unanswered. The Police Department antici-
pates that in the next five years they will have to
add ten men to the police force. Despite the man-
power shortages, it is expected that the new police
facility which went into operation in the fall of 1969
will accommodate the Police Department's equipment
needs for well over a decade.
Facilities
After the demolition of the old City Hall, the
Police Department was located in the basement of
the new City Hall. In October 1969 the department
moved to its newly renovated quarters in the Hall of
Justice. The city purchased the building from Agway
for $163,786. The renovation of the building, con-
structed in 1940, cost the city $52,158. In addition,
$54,251 was put into equipment for the Police Depart-
ment and the new facility. The Hall of Justice con-
tains eight detaining cells, two for women and six
for men, as well as a new radio communications
system for the city's eight patrol cars and one radar
wagon.
FIRE PROTECTION
The purpose of the Fire Department is to protect
the residents, their property, and the community in-
frastructure from damage and destruction by fire. The
City of Ithaca has five fire stations, 50 full-time em-
ployees, and 550 trained volunteer firemen.
1967 1968 1969
$ o/o
$ o/o $ o/o
Change Change Change
7,911 + 5 66,615 +742 41,720 -37
42,484 + 18 40,843 - 4 43,972 + 8
12,323 + 2 13,722 +
12 15,730 + 15
304,448 + 7 361,062 + 19 403,706 + 12
828,251 + 5 981,951 + 19 1,087,888 +11
563,847 - 2 620,198 + 10 709,218 + 14
3,009 - 3,012 - 3,512 + 17
170,025 +22 200,699 + 15 240,392 +20
78,816 -32 114,048 + 45 126,743 +11
587,363 - 537,976 - 8 723,728 +35
365,394 +33 350,979 - 4 477,321 +27
2,963,771 + 5 3,291,100 + 11 3,873,980 + 2
Service Area
The Ithaca Fire Department serves the city and
contracts with the Town of Ithaca to service a por-
tion of it. The city's contract with the town gives the
Fire Department the responsibility for all of the
town except the Village of Cayuga Heights and the
northeast portion of the town east of the village line
to Forest Home. The city Fire Department also pro-
vides service to the portion of the New York State
College of Agriculture at Cornell outside of the city.
The town's contract with the city was $20,885 in 1969.
Facilities and Equipment
Three of the city's five fire stations are located in
the Central Business District. One each is located in
the East Hill and Fall Creek Neighborhoods. The city
owns seven engines and two ladder trucks. It is antici-
pated that one aerial will be replaced by 1971 and one
engine will be replaced in 1972 or 1973. Both of these
nevv machines will be larger than the two being re-
tired. VVithin the next six years it will be necessary to
replace an additional two engines. The life expectancy
of Fire Department machinery is 20 to 25 years. In
addition to the present equipment needs, the increasing
cost of fire equipment will require an increase from
$12,500 to $25,000 in the city's appropriations for
capital equipment in the next five years.
Of the five stations in the city, two are new, com-
pleted in 1968. Although the other three buildings
are old, a good program of preventive maintenance
has forestalled deterioration. The only construction
anticipated for the next 15 years will be in response to
condemnation of an existing station for highway right-
of-way or consolidation of the city and town into one
47
TABLE 111. 5: Quant ity and Descript ion of Machi nery
Owned by the Ithaca Fire Department
in 1969
Machine Total No. Number and Capacity
Engine 7 3 1250 gal./min.
3 750 gal./min.
1 500 gal./min.
Aerials 2 1 75 feet
(Ladder trucks) 1 85 feet
fire district. It is possible that the fire station at the
west end of the Central Business District, Neighbor-
hood 7, may be in the right-of-way of the relocated
Route 13. The exact location of the highway has not
yet been determined. Should the city consolidate
with the town into one fire district and considerable
new development take place adjacent to the new
Ithaca College location, an additional station may
have to be built on South Hill. Consolidation of the
fire district has not, however, been officially proposed.
Manpower
The Fire Department operates on a 24-hour-a-day
basis. Full coverage requires 12 men, 24 hours a day.
The department employs 50 men to maintain this
continuous coverage. The deparb11ent's annual pay-
roll is $404,131 plus the health insurance and retire-
ment benefits paid by the city.
The 550 trained volunteer firemen work directly
with the professionals. In addition to their initial
training and answering calls, these volunteers partici-
pate in one or tvvo drills a month. It is estimated that
the volunteer fire force saves the city $500,000 a year.
Quality of Fire Protection
The city's five fire stations are fairly centrally
located within the fire districts and the areas of most
dense population. All neighborhoods within the city
are within a reasonable run (in time and distance)
from adequate machinery. Evidence of the quality of
fire protection in Ithaca is the American Insurance
Association's Class 4 rating. A Class 4 is the highest
grade a city with a professional-volunteer fire force
can achieve. The class grade is assigned on the basis of
the city's building code, the enforcement of the city's
building code, an adequate water supply and distri-
bution system, the quality of the city's alarm system,
and the overall quality of the Fire Department in terms
of administration and staffing. 'While it is evident that
the costs of maintaining service will increase, it is
anticipated that Ithaca will continue to retain its Class
4 rating in the future.
The Ithaca Fire Department is further supported
by a countywide mutual aid coordinating group.
48
Begun in 1948, all the fire departments in the county
agreed, in the case of need, to pool their equipment
and manpower. This cooperation makes specialized
equipment and trained manpower readily available
in the event of a fire which exceeds the capabilities
of a local fire department. The assisting department
will either participate in fighting the fire or covering
the locality's stations while its equipment is employed
in fighting a major fire.
CIVIL DEFENSE PROTECTION
It is the objective of Civil Defense to coordinate
local government operations in any natural disaster
or national emergency and to provide guidance and
assistance in developing local emergency prepared-
ness. In addition to developing and provisioning a
fallout shelter system in existing buildings, this agency
and its volunteer citizens are equipped and trained
to assist in the event of a natural disaster such as a
flood, tornado, major fire, or blizzard.
Since 1950 Civil Defense has been a department
of the county government. As provided in the New
York State Defense Emergency Act, the chief execu-
tives of the county, city, villages, and townships are
responsible for Civil Defense within their political
subdivisions in both national emergencies and natural
disasters .
Civil Defense has a full-time paid director and
secretary, as well as a part-time shelter officer. Nearly
2,000 volunteers have registered in Civil Defense. Of
these, several hundred are currently trained and
active. The annual budget for the agency is about
$20,000. Civil Defense maintains a local government
radio system which provides adminishative communi-
cations among key agencies in the city and county
in times of emergency. The agency also owns a num-
ber of mobile two-way radios, base stations, and a
relay station.
A natural disaster coordinating center is main-
tained in Ithaca. This local center includes extensive
communications capabilities. The agency owns a fully
equipped light rescue truck which is on call for any
local emergency.
An increase of at least two persons on the full-time
staff of the Civil Defense Agency is projected for the
next 15 years, with additional equipment and stock-
piles to be procured as needed.
Fallout Shelters
There are 44,222 shelter spaces in structures with-
in the City of Ithaca. These city shelter spaces repre-
sent 78 percent of the shelter spaces in the county.
Of the 44,222 spaces in the city, 23 percent of them
are stocked with medical and food provisions. Stock-
ing and licensing of shelters is clone only with the
r
permission of the building owner. Shortage of storage
space accounts for the low percentage of stocked
shelters in the city.
Designation of any additional shelter spaces will be
made as new buildings are constructed in the county.
As a result, it is difficult to determine the number of
shelter spaces which will be added in the future. If the
Civil Defense Agency is to meet the national goal of
providing a space for each county resident, it will have
to make provisions for an additional 23,564 shelter
spaces by 1970 and 36,077 shelter spaces by 1980."'
LIBRARY FACILITIES
Good public library service is an important factor
in the continuing efforts of the community to meet
the educational, cultural, and recreational demands
of its citizenry. The recently completed Tompkins
County Library, located in the City of Ithaca, plays
an important role in community activity. The library's
current book collection consists of about 110,000
volumes, including books purchased with State Book
Aid, and 185 magazine and 15 newspaper subscriptions.
The collection also includes 2,500 long-playing records
and 30 sets of foreign language records. A growing
collection of 16mm films is available through the
Finger Lakes Library System. The data on the num-
ber of registered borrowers, Table III.6, indicates
that there has been almost a steady increase in city
and county residents taking advantage of the library's
facilities. The most rapid increase in borrowers has
come in the past two years, 1968 and 1969. The library
staff anticipates a continued increase in usage now
that the new building is completed. Counts for the
TABLE 111.6: Number of Registered Borrowers from
Tompkins County Library 19651969
Number of Percent Increase/ Decrease
Year Borrowers in Borrowers
1965 14,789
1966 15,843 + 7.1
1967 15,812 - .2
1968 16,720 + 5.7
1969 17,019 + 1.8
SOURCE: Director, Tompkins County Library, July
1969.
first five months in the new building show a 23 per-
cent increase in circulation and a 63 percent increase
in reference requests. The increased demand on refer-
ence personnel has exceeded all expectations. The
d i r e ~ t o r of the library does not, however, foresee an
expansion of his staff of nine full-time professional
0
These figures are based on the state Office of Planning Coordi-
nation's population projections for Tompkins County. The OPC
estimates Tompkins County's population will be 79,952 in 1970
and 92,465 in 1980.
librarians and 11 full-time non-professionals in the
next decade. Rather, it is anticipated that there will
be shifts in responsibilities to accommodate the ex-
pected increase in library use.
Care was taken in the construction of the new
building to provide for future expansion. Not only
may two rooms be added, but provision has been
made for double-tier stacks when they are needed.
Construction of a branch library provides a third
alternative for expansion. 'i\lhile it is not anticipated
that the present library facility will need expansion
before 1990, it is possible that a branch library may
be established in the county before then.
Finger Lakes Library System
In 1958 the Tompkins County Library became the
central library for the newly established State Finger
Lakes Library System. Five counties are members of
the Finger Lakes Library System region. State aid
is provided to each region on the basis of the number
of counties, the population, and the size (by square
miles) in the region. The staff of the Finger Lakes
Library System provides a number of services to local
libraries who choose to join the system: ( 1) they
order and process new acquisitions; ( 2) they provide
grants-in-aid; ( 3) they make consultants available for
collection, selection, acquisitions, cataloguing, inven-
tory, renovation and training; and ( 4) they compile
rotating collections for the member libraries. The
Finger Lakes Library System covers 2,541 square
miles and a population of 235,256. The Finger Lakes
Library System also provides bookmobile service to
44 areas without libraries in the five counties. Nine of
these areas are located in Tompkins County.
A comparison of the Finger Lakes Library System
to other New York library systems similar in at least
two of the three designating characteristics indicates
that the Finger Lakes System ranks about the middle
in terms of the number of books held and low in terms
of total circulation and total operating fund receipts
from local, state and federal sources.
Representatives of the Finger Lakes Library Sys-
tem anticipate that in the future all libraries in the
region will become members of the system. Presently
27 of the possible 29 libraries are members. A future
goal of the library system is to establish a number of
reading centers in communities which are too small
to support a library but wish to provide some facility
for educational, cultural, and recreational reading.
The library system would loan books to the local
reading center for a period of time.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
Education is of greater importance to Ithaca than
to most cities of the same size. The local residents and
49
employees and students of Cornell University and
Ithaca College have a vital concern in education as
a process and a way of life, and in turn they take
particular interest in maintaining an outstanding
public school system for their children. The extent of
this dedication is reflected in the fact that approxi-
mately 90 percent of the children entering the Ithaca
public schools finish high school and over 60 percent
of those who graduate continue their education.
Every child in the community directly benefits
from the high quality of elementary and secondary
education in Ithaca. Similarly, every member of the
community benefits directly or indirectly from the
economic presence of institutions of higher learning
in Ithaca.
Ithaca City School District
The Ithaca City School District includes about
half of Tompkins County. The dishict contains one
high school, two junior high schools, and 13 elemen-
tary schools. Ten of these 16 schools are presently
located within the city. The remaining six are located
in the suburban and rural areas of the district. The
rest of the county beyond the Ithaca City School
System is served by the Central School Districts of
Dryden, Groton, Lansing, Newfield and Trumans-
burg.
The City of Ithaca has within its limits seven
elementary schools, two junior high schools, and a
senior high school. These schools served 5,950 stu-
dents in 1969. The average age of the elementary
school buildings is 42 years while the average age of the
junior high school buildings is 49 years. The Ithaca
High School was built in 1960. According to the
standards laid down by the Board of Education as
listed on Table III.7, five of the city's elementary
schools have less than minimum enrollment and only
two meet the City Board of Educations's recommend-
ed site size. The data on Table III.8 indicates that
the average number of students per room in 1970
ranged between 17 and 28. Only one of these elemen-
tary schools lacks a cafeteria and gym; all have a
library. It is anticipated in the City Education Plan
that Boynton Junior High School will be remodeled
into a new, 16 room elementary school when the new
junior high school is completed. This newly re-
modeled facility will relieve some of the pressure on
Henry St. John Elementary School.
Two obsolete buildings presently serve 1,873
junior high school pupils. DevVitt Junior High School
is the oldest, built in 1912, and largest of the two
junior high schools in terms of students per classroom
and enrollment. The School Board plans to replace
these with two new junior high schools. Both of these
new junior high schools will be beyond the city limits.
50
Together the two new junior high schools will be
equipped to handle 2,100 students. In response to the
actual concentration of school age population, the
two proposed school sites favor the northeastern
section of the district. Enrollment projections for 1990
anticipate 2,750 students in junior high school. By
1990 the southern and western areas of the district
will probably gain sufficiently in population to war-
rant the building of a third junior high there.
TABLE 111.7: Public School Standards as Determined
by the Ithaca Board of Education
TYPE
Recommended
Walking
Distance
Recommended
Site Size
Recommended
Building
Capacity
Student-
Teacher
Ratio
SOURCE:
STANDARDS
National Standard-1/2 mile for elementary
schools and 1 mile for secondary schools.
Ithaca City School District-4!10 of a mile
for elementary schools and 2 miles for
secondary schools.
Elementary-3 acres plus 1 acre for
each 100 pupils enrolled, with a minimum
of 5 acres.
Junior and Senior High Schools-5 acres
plus 2 acres for each 100 pupils up to an
enrollment of 500; above 500, 1 acre is
added for each 100 pupils. The minimum
size is 10 acres.
Elementary-Minimum 405, maximum 810
Junior High-Minimum 750, maximum 1500
Senior High-Minimum 1000, maximum 2500
Sixty-five professionals for every 1000 pupils
at each level. Professionals include adminis-
trators, teachers, and academic specialists.
Ithaca Board of Education, August 1969.
The district is presently well-served by its high
school. Future space needs should be easily met:
the design of the high school is such that additions may
be made at a reasonable cost, when and if this be-
comes necessary. Some buildings in the high school
complex now being used for administrative purposes
are also suitable for classrooms.
School population projections indicate that present
high school facilities will reach their capacity in
1990. After that time facilities may need expanding.
Table III.9 indicates that the highest average in-
crease in student enrollment to 1990 is anticipated in
the K-6 or elementary school grades. The large num-
ber in the elementary grades in 1975 will mean that
by 1990 the high school will feel increased pressure
on its classroom space and teaching staff.
It is expected that the Ithaca Consolidated School
District will eventually encompass the entire county.
The resources of such a large school district would
I I
( I
! ,
TABLE 111.8: Description of Public Schools within the City of Ithaca by Age,
Number of Rooms, Site Size, and Student Enrol lment, 1970
Age of
Site Present Number
Average
Students Total
Schools Struc Age of Size Student Maximum of per Number
Within lure in Addition in Enroll Student Class- Class Has Has Has of Grade
Ithaca Years if Any
Acres ment Capacity rooms room Library Cafeteria Gym Buildings Levels
Be ll e Sherman
Elementary School 43 16 3. 26 509 626 22 23.1 yes yes yes 2 K-6
Central
Elementary School 46 7 1.29 258 297 11 23.5 yes yes yes 1 K-6
East Hill
Elementary School 89 16 1.58 173 170 10 17.3 yes no no 1 16
Fall Creek
Elementary School 37 5 1.81 301 405 12 25.0 yes yes yes 1 Pre-K-6
Henry St. John
Elementary School 44 - 1.45 253 250 11 23.0 yes yes yes 1 K-6
South Hill
West Hill
Boynton Junior
Hi gh School 39 14 1.30 816 825 28 29.1 yes yes yes 1 7-9
DeWitt Juni or
High School 59 29 1.55 1,057 1,000 29 36.4 yes yes yes 1 7-9
Ithaca High
School 9 5 48.00 1,833 2,258 55 33.3 yes yes yes 10 10-12
SOURCE: Board of Education, Assistant Superintendent of Education, February 1970.
make it possible for the district to provide some of
the specialized services to the smaller school districts
in Tompkins County now made available by the
Board of Cooperative Educational Services ( BOCES).
After the completion of the two new junior high
schools, the school board does not anticipate any new
construction until 1978. Pressures may be felt in the
\i\1 est Hill and Belle Sherman schools as the areas
they serve in the Town of Ithaca become more devel-
oped. The Board is considering acquiring sites for a
new elementary school and new junior high school on
West Hill and building an addition to the new Belle
Sherman school to meet the needs in these areas as
they develop after 1975.
Board of Cooperative Educational Services ( BOCES)
Initially formed in 1948, BOCES administers edu-
cational programs to a multi-county area. BOCES
provides special educational services whi ch the indi-
vidual counti es cannot themselves afford. The Tomp-
kins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES provides services ranging
from a film library to data processi ng, occupational
educati on, specialized teachers, special education for
mentally, emotionally, or physically handicapped chil-
dren, and adult education.
Each school district participating in the BOCES
program pays according to the extent to which it uses
the various services. Over the past four years the
BOCES budget has exceeded two million dollars.
TABLE 111.9: Enrollments and School Population
Percent Increase
1960-1965
1965-1970
1970-1975
1975-1980
Projections by Percent Increase from
1960 to 1980
K-6 7-9 10-12 K-12
8 9 19 10
2 1 6 2
17 5 4 12
14 18 10 14
Average Increase 10 8 9 10
SOURCE: Ithaca School District: Population and En
rollment Studies, Table 1: Enrollments,
Continuity Rates, Projections. Egner and
Niederkorn Assoc. Inc. , Ithaca, New York,
April 1967.
TABLE 111.10: Absolute Enrollment Projected for
1970 through 1990
K-6 79 10-12 K-12
1970 4,578 1,911 1,775 8,264
1980 6,056 2,312 2, 036 10,404
1990 7,905 2,750 2,271 12,926
51
CITY OF '
~ I ~ ~ ~ ~ .. ' .
- - -- ~ , . -- -
I
" '"" I "" \
\
SCHOOL
TABLE 111.11: Distribution of Staff by Responsibility, Sex, and Level of Education in 1966
MA or
Total Men
Women BA Equiv. MA Ph.D. Median
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Salary
Classroom Teachers 419 127 40 292 70 230 55 146 35 40 10 3 1 $ 7,000
Special Service
39 17 45 22 56 3 8 19 49 14 36 3 8 $11,000
Personnel
Administrators 31 25 81 6 19 2 7 19 61 6 19 4 13 $13,000
SOURCE: League of Women Voters of Tompkins Co., Know Your Schools, February 1967, p. 6.
At present, the activities of BOCES are housed
in scattered classrooms throughout the participating
districts. A referendum was passed in the spring of
1968 authorizing the construction of a $3,500,000
center which will accommodate all activities of
BOCES.
Presently BOCES is placing its emphasis on physi-
cally, mentally, or emotionally handicapped children.
It appears, however, that more federal funding is
being made available for occupational training. With
the availability of this additional funding, there may
be some shift in program emphasis to occupational
training.
The enlargement of the Ithaca Consolidated
School District may make unnecessary some of the
services which BOCES now provides.
Higher Education
Three schools for higher education are located in
Tompkins County: Cornell University, Ithaca College,
and Tompkins-Cortland Community College.
The Tompkins - Cortland Community College,
founded in 1967, will have the commitment to an
"open door" admission policy for residents of the two
counties. The comprehensive community college is
designed to provide a two-year course of study for
three groups of students: those interested in advanc-
ing to a bachelor degree program after high school;
those wishing to get some training before they enter
industry, business, or government; and an adult
education program in conjunction with BOCES for
those who are out of school for a period, but who are
interested in continuing their education.
Of the present enrollment of 143 full- and 250 part-
time students, approximately 60 percent are from
Tompkins County and 40 percent are from Cortland
County. It is anticipated that the College's enrollment
will expand to 1,500 full- and 2,000 part-time students
by the end of the 1970's.
The Tompkins-Cortland Community College is
presently housed in the old Groton High School. A
site in Dryden has been selected for a new multi-
million dollar campus which will adequately serve
those residents in Tompkins and Cortland Counties
who are eligible for the community college.
Cornell University was opened in 1868 as one of
the first land-grant colleges. Over the past century the
curriculum has grown in complexity and size to in-
clude fourteen schools and colleges, ten of which are
privately sponsored and four of which are operated
as units of the New York State University.
The original student body of about 100 has grown
to roughly 14,000 with an additional 7,485 faculty and
staff in the Ithaca area. No really accurate prediction
can be made of Cornell's enrollment, but estimates
place the 1990 enrollment at 21,000.
To meet the pressures which this numerical
growth will exert upon the existing facilities, Cornell
will focus on redeveloping itself as a pedestrian cam-
pus, with academic buildings concentrated between
Cascadilla and Fall Creek Gorges . Achieving this con-
centration will necessitate more intensive building in
the core of the campus. High rise buildings will be
employed in order to minimize land coverage.
Ithaca College was founded as the Ithaca Conser-
vatory of Music in 1892. The school was, up to 1967,
located in the heart of the city facing onto DeWitt
Park.
The College is privately endowed and now offers
degrees in the social sciences, humanities, sciences,
mathematics, art, business administration, physical
education, physical therapy, speech, speech therapy,
pathology and audiology, and television and radio.
The geographical distribution of the student body
is oriented toward New York State. Fifty-eight per-
cent of the student body is from New York State. The
present enrollment of Ithaca College is 3,600 under-
graduates and 100 graduate students. The college em-
ploys 700 staff members .
53
TOMPKINS COUNTY
SCALE
> 8::8 :m" Mtl(S
I 1\ 0 I 2 J " 5 KILO'.'EHRS
50.000 b>t 1d bued en Nno YO<lt. COOidn.tlf S)"\'em.. cenrriolzorw
10.000 crd boNd on Tr.aruwne J.'r{..ltgr 51st..._ - 18
H.'I'.S OC0.!8R 1967 OPC
MAP 111.2
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER &
LEGEND

SCHOOL DISTRICT for GIRLS
G ELEMENTARY SCHOOL @]
JR. HIGH SCHOOLS T()M)I(f&CORTLAND
L::::':J a DISTRICTS (new) COMMUNITY COLLEGE
W HIGH SCHOOL [iJ ITHACA COLLEt
n=:-i] B.QC.E.S. CAMPUS CORNELL UNIV.
a DISTRICT CAMPUS S LANDS
CONTINUING
In 1967 a new campus on South Hill just beyond
the city limits was dedicated. This fine complex of
buildings will eventually be completed by the con-
struction of two dormitory buildings, a chapel, and a
fine arts building.
Ithaca College, with its intentionally small pro-
grams and its emphasis on the performing arts, speech,
and physical education, offers a different type of pro-
gram from those of either Cornell University or
Tompkins-Cortland Community College. This unique
dimension adds a healthly balance to the scope of
higher education in Ithaca and Tompkins County.
SOCIAL SERVICES
An important aspect of community development is
the level of community organization. As more emphasis
is placed on citizen participation in decision-making
in federal, state, and local community development
programs, it has become increasingly important to
define the community's experience in working together
and its potential for effective organization.
There are 378 organizations in Tompkins County.
The City Planning Office has classified 141, or 37 per-
cent, of these county organizations as specifically
social service in nature. Of these 141 organizations 47
percent serve the city, which represents about a third
of the county's population.
Table III.12 shows the distribution of social ser-
vice organization headquarters in the City of Ithaca.
A review of the number and percent of organizations
located in each neighborhood reveals that 48 percent
of all social service organizations in the county are
located in the Central Business District, Neighbor-
hood 7. There are, no doubt, several explanations for
the social service centrality of Neighborhood 7. First,
Ithaca is the county seat and as such the county
government offices are located here. Second, most
TABLE 111.12: Social Services with Headquarters in
the City, by Interest
Percent of
No. Located Social Service
Type of Social Service in City in County
Health 22 59
Youth 6 86
Religious 3 100
Coordinating Bodies 6 55
Education 15 94
Law Enforcement and Government 8 94
Special Interest 16 73
Recreation and Conservation 18 80
Development and Neighborhood 15 82
Improvement
TOTAL 109 77
neighborhoods in the city are within walking distance
or have some bus service to the Central Business Dis-
trict. Third, office space with adequate parking is
more readily available in the Central Business Dis-
trict. Finally, the location of existing social services
in Ithaca has acted as a stimulus to the location of
new social service organizations in the same area.
This physical proximity facilitates communications
and exchange between organizations.
In recent years the United Fund, which offers
some financial support to 14 percent of the local and
county social service organizations, created the Social
Planning Council as a coordinating body for services
receiving United Fund monies. The main purpose of
the Social Planning Council is to increase inter-
organization communications and reduce duplicate or
overlapping functions among agencies serving Tomp-
kins County, the City of Ithaca, and the towns within
the county.
According to the Social Planning Council's 1969
annual financial report, five cents of every dollar of
effective buying power in the county is spent on social
services. The Council figures 49 percent, or almost
$9,000,000, of the gross budgets of the county, the city,
and the United Fund go to social services. Of this
amount, 87 percent comes from the county, two per-
cent from the city and ten percent from the United
Fund. Table III.13 indicates expenditures on social
services by program area of service. The county con-
centrates its monies on health services; the majority
of the city's monies go to group work which includes
recreation; and the larger part of the United Fund
monies go to group work and family counseling. Pro-
grams for the elderly receive the smallest percentage
of support (two percent) .
In a survey completed in 1968, the United Fund
measured community response to and use of the social
services which it supports. A review of the responses
from city residents indicates that the most highly
valued social services to city residents are the Associa-
tion of Mental Health, the Boy Scouts, the Family
and Children's Service (a private counseling and
adoption agency), the Girl Scouts, the Salvation Army
and the Senior Citizens. The services most frequently
used by the city residents who responded were the Boy
Scouts, Girl Scouts, SPCA, 'Nomen's Community
Building, and the YMCA. The emphasis on youth
programs among the agencies most frequently used
may be explained, in part, by the fact that 70 percent
of the respondents were married and 59 percent of the
respondents had at least one child.
The fact that the most highly valued programs
and the most frequently used do not overlap more is
not unusual. Some of the services provided are de-
signed for highly specific clientele. There were, for
55
CITY O F ~
ITHACA ~ :
NEW YORK I
CITY PLANNING SOARD JUNE, 1970 m_ o ~ " ' i
r ,
I .
CAYUGA LAKE
THE 1969
example, 3.2 times as many young people (zero to
18 years) as there were senior citizens ( 60 years and
over) in Tompkins County in 1960. What is impor-
tant, however, is that the residents of the city recog-
nize the importance to the life of the community of
providing special programs such as programs for the
elderly. The Social Planning Council is trying to
attack the fund distribution problem on the basis of
what the community itself values, rather than on
what exists. The hope is that by coordination and
communication the existing social services can reduce
the overlap in their programs and free up monies for
new social services which the community feels it
needs. Such an operation is a cooperative one. With-
out the kind of direction shessed by the Social Plan-
ning Council the multitude of social services can
become inflexible and fail to respond to the real needs
of the community. With 141 social service organiza-
tions, Ithaca and Tompkins County have no need for
an increase in absolute numbers. V/hat is really needed
is fl exibility, communications, and community under-
standing by the existing organizations.
Certainly the very existence of 378 organizations,
141 of which are social service organizations, and the
expenditure of almost $9,000,000, indicates that the
county and city residents are not apathetic about their
community and the services and opportunities it offers
to its residents. These non-social service and social
service organizations provide the city and county with
a backlog of interested and experienced people to
assist in the community's development programs.
TABLE 111.13: County, City, and United Fund Expenditures on Social Services
United
County Percent City Percent Fund Percent Percent
Class Dollars of total Dollars of total
Dollars
of total Total of total
Health 6,242,138 79.4 3,010 1.9 161,292 17.7 6,406,460 71.6
Percent of total
Health 97.4 .1 2.5 100.0
Family Counseling 1,560,841 19.8 5,700 2.9 250,174 27.6 1,816,715 20.4
Percent of total
Family Counseling 85.9 .4 13.7 100.0
Group Work 50,929 .8 172,682 94.3 478,934 52.9 702,545 7.8
Percent of total
Group Work 7.4 24.5 68.1 100.0
Elderly 0 .0 1,710 .9 14,170 1.8 15,880 .2
Percent of total
Elderly 0 10.8 89.2 100.0
Total 7,853,928 100.0 183,102 100.0 904,570 100.0 8,941,600 100.0
Percent of total 87.8 2.1 10.1 100.0
SOURCE: Social Planning Council Evaluation Committee Financial Report, February 5, 1969, p. 5.
57
59
WATER SUPPLY
W'ater supply is one of the most important factors
in urban life. At the present time there are two water
supply systems serving the Ithaca area: the Ithaca
\Vater System and the Cornell University water
System.
The City Water System
The Ithaca Water System currently serves an
estimated population of 29,400. This system derives
its supply from a reservoir on Six Mile Creek im-
pounded by the Sixty Foot Dam. The dependable yield
of this source is estimated to be five and two-fifths
million gallons per day ( MGD). The city treatment
plant has a present capacity of eight MGD and a
potential capacity of ten MGD.
Water flows by gravity from the reservoir to the
city heatment plant on \i\Tater Street where it is
settled, filtered, and chlorinated. About half of the
water processed flows from the treatment plant by
gravity to serve the lower part of the city. The balance
of the treated water is pumped by seven pumping
stations to the higher areas on the hills to the west,
south, and east of the city.
The service area of the present system includes
the entire City of Ithaca, exclusive of Cornell Uni-
versity, and 25 water districts in outlying portions of
the towns of Ithaca, Lansing, and Dryden including
the community of Varna. All areas outside the city
which are served by the City Water System are
charged rate and a half for their water.
The Cornell University \iVater System
The Cornell Water System is owned and operated
by the University. It serves the Cornell Campus (in-
cluding the New York State College of Agriculture),
and also supplies the small residential area of Forest
Home (a community of about 90 water customers).
The Cornell supply is drawn from Fall Creek and is
processed in a rapid sand filtration plant. Fall Creek
has a minimum seven-day flow of about three MGD;
Cornell uses two and a quarter rviGD of the Fall
Creek seven-clay flow. The University also maintains
reservoirs with slightly more than a clay's supply.
The Cornell water system is connected to the city
system for use in emergencies.
Capabilities of Ithaca's Water System
The source of untreated water for the city system
is Six Mile Creek, which has a watershed of approxi-
mately 40 square miles. There are times when the daily
flow of water in Six Mile Creek is insufficient to meet
the daily need of the city. The U.S. Geological Survey
reports a ten-year minimum seven-day consecutive
average flow of four and three-tenths MGD and a
minimum of two and eight-tenths MGD.
0
Extensive hydrology studies indicate that the city's
present water source on Six Mile Creek cannot be
depended upon to meet demands greater than the
present demands. The present storage capacity is
inadequate to meet the present level of use in a
drought similar to that of 1964-65.
Storage and Distribution System
The city's distribution system consists of a net-
work of serviceable cast iron water mains, seven
pumping stations, and 17 storage tanks. As develop-
ment occurs on the west side of \Vest Hill an addi-
tional vvater storage tank will have to be constructed.
Because of the topographical differentiation in the
TABLE IV.1: Drawing Capacity of the Ithaca City
Water Reservoir in 1970 and Projected
for Daily Increases of .08, .16, and .25
Mil li on Gal lons
Daily Water
Annual Average Demand Peak Period Demand*
Consumption
(days of safety) (days of safety)
in MGD****
Low Flow** Average Flow Low Flow Average Fl ow
5.50 100 255 90 180
5.58 97 210 87 170
5.66 94 198 85 162
5.75 91 186 83 154
*Maximum demand in the City is in the months of September
and October.
**Ten year low flow is 2.8 MGD.
***Ten year average flow is 4.3 MDG.
* * **Figures assume that average per capita consumption wi ll re
main constant, while number of users increases.
TABLE IV.2: Water Treatment Plant Use and
Capacity
Present Use
Present Capacity
Capacity with Maximum Expansion
of Existing Faci lities
5.5 MGD
8.0 MGD
10.0 MGD
Ithaca area, water must be pumped to the higher
elevations where it is stored in tanks and distributed
to individual consumers at the required pressure by
gravity flow. The primary purpose of the storage tanks
is to provide a uniform pressure as well as a water
supply for fire fighting ( 1,000-4,000 gallons per
minute) and other emergencies.
0
Minimum flow is the least amount of flow that is likely to occur
within a gi\en titne span.
61
TOMPKINS COUNTY
scm
50000 toll ! &"d on /leo.. YOfk c:oo<d.n.o!e cer\111!
10 000 me!ft &od bJW<I on Unn<,_.l l..,rUIO< S11ttm. zor.e \8
NYS OECUJBE.R 1967 0"
MAP IV.l
LEGEND
D
CITY WATER SYSTEM
AREAS SERVICED
CITY SYSTEM

r=-1 CITY r:-1 CITY SYSTEM
WATER TREATMENT PLANT STORAGE TANKS
I I
I
WATER TREATMENT PLANT SERVICE AREAS, 19)J
l 1
System Adequacy
Since renovation has increased the volume of water
that can be processed by the Ithaca water treatment
plant, the most limiting factor in the water supply
system is the quantity of raw wat er available in Six
Mile Creek. The question of the source of raw water
is now being considered by the Cayuga Lake Basin
Board and county and city officials. Three possible
solutions have been proposed: Cayuga Lake, Fall
Creek, and Six Mile Creek. Cayuga Lake provides
a limitless source of treatable wat er ; however, pump-
ing treated water over the hills to areas of the Town
of Ithaca and beyond would be quite costly. A higher
dam on Six Mile Creek would increase the available
quantity of r aw water but the treatment plant would
require expansion and, due to villages on the banks of
the creek upstream, the size of the reservoir is limited
to 10,000 acre feet. The third alternative is construc-
tion of a dam on F all Creek. The probable sites are
located on or near the Tompkins-Cortland County
line. The preferred site would place the 10,000 to
15,000 acre foot reservoir in Cortland County.
None of the three alternatives have been selected
by the groups involved-the Cayuga Lake Basin
Board, the county government, and the city govern-
ment. The implication of the Fall Creek and Cayuga
Lake solutions is that the county government would
assume the responsibility for both city and county
water service and the service provided would be
slightly more expensive than the present city service.
In the case of the expansion of the city reservoir on
Six Mile Creek, the responsibility for adminishation
and extension of service is less clear.
Proposals
1. To meet city needs for the next ten years, the
city will have to expand its supply of raw water.
2. A fur ther solution to the water supply problem
should be sought by the city in concert with the
county and Cayuga Lake Basin Board.
SEWAGE COLLECTION, TREATMENT,
AND DISPOSAL
The entire City of Ithaca is served by a sanitary
sewer system discharging to a water pollution control
plant locat ed at First and Franklin Streets. All sew-
age in the city system is given primary and secondary
treatment, and all storm water is handled by a sepa-
rate syst em of storm sewers.
Construction of the city wat er pollution control
system began in 1895. The system has been modified
and expanded until it presently includes:
( 1 ) gravity systems serving East, South, and West
Hills, and a large portion of the central city business
and residential area;
( 2) pumping syst ems serving much of the flat-
lands along Cayuga Inlet and the Renwick Heights
area;
( 3 ) siphons carrying sewage across Cayuga I nlet
and Fall Creek; and
( 4) a water pollution control plant.
The collection system is divided into a number of
subsystems of sewer service areas, each served by a
trunk or intercepting sewer and, in some cases, a
pumping station.
Since 1964 the cost of treating sewage has in-
creased by 47 percent. The city's annual daily flow,
however, has increased by 51 percent, indicat ing that
the cost of treatment per gallon has not changed signifi-
cantly in the pas t fi ve years.
TABLE IV.3: Description of the Cost of Treating Water and Water Quantities by Absolute Numbers and Percent
Change 1964 to 1968
Cost of Treating Water Water Quantities
Total Average
Expenditures Cost Per Average Total Daily Con-
at Filtration Total Water Million Daily Population sumption
Plant Filtered Gallons Flow Served* Per Capita
Percent Million Percent Percent Million Percent Percent Percent
Year $ Change Gallons Change $ Change Gallons Change Number Change Gallons Change
1964 58,570 1,519.9 38.54 4,145.0 28,196 121.9
1965 64,266 + 9.7 1,528.6 +0.6 42.04 + 9.0 4,183.3 +9. 2 28,512 +1.1 121.3 + 0. 5
1966 73,178 +13.9 1,679.0 +9.8 43.56 + 3.6 4,580.0 +9.5 29,086 +2.0 129.1 +2.3
1967 98,655 +34.8 1.711.0 + 1.9 57.66 + 24.5 4,686.7 +2.3 29.244 + 0.5 135. 8 +5. 1
1968 104,867 + 6.3 1,872.3 +9.4 66.01 + 14.5 5,114.2 +9.1 29,392 +0.5 148. 2 + 9.1
*As of January 1 the following year.
SOURCE: Board of Public Works, Annual Reports 1964-1968.
63
TOMPKINS COUNTY
I ' 0

IOOOOmettr pdbnedon S,srm lont18
HTS O{CO.'BER 1967 OI'C
MAP IV.2
LEGEND
D
CITY SEWERAGE SYSTEM -
AREAS SERVICED

L....:::_j SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
CORNELL UNIVERSITY- MAINTAINED

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT SERVICE AREAS, J
( '
Plant Capacity
The capacity of the sewer system is determined by
the least capacity of any of the separate elements of
the total system. In the sewer system there are two
major elements-the treatment plant and the collection
mains.
The treatment plant capacity is 11.5 million gallons
per day. The plant can actually handle 15 MGD for
short periods of time; but for a 24 hour period the
plant's limit is 11.5 MGD.
The absolute capacity of the collection system is
difficult to determine. Given certain pipe sizes and
known slopes of delivery, rough estimates may be
made of the capacity of the mains. The effect of
peculiar characteristics of terrain and ground water
and storm sewer infiltration through leaks in the
sanitary sewer system (particularly in the older pipes)
on the carrying capacity of the pipes is hard to mea-
sure. Generally, however, the capacity of the sewer
system has been placed at ll.5 MGD, which is the
capacity of the treatment plant.
The committed service area for the sewer system
is considerably smaller than the committed service
area of the water system. In only a few places does
the sewer service area for the city extend beyond the
city limits.
Adequacy of the Sewer System
Given the relative stability of the population in
Ithaca, the present sewer system and treatment plant
should be adequate to meet the city's needs for the
next 25 years. It goes without saying that the contin-
ual improvement and updating of the present facilities
must continue.
It should be noted here that the increasing aware-
ness of the need to control pollution of Cayuga Lake
and its tributary streams should be a stimulus for
continuing to follow and even exceed the guidelines
established by the New York State Pure Water
Authority.
In 1966, A Comprehensive Sewerage Study of
Tompkins County was undertaken by O'Brien and
Cere Engineering Consultants. The purpose of the
study was to evaluate the sewage collection and
water pollution control requirements for the county
for the next 50 years. The study placed the city with-
in one sewage district, except for Cornell University
which has its own sewage collection system. (The
University sewage is treated by the city plant.)
Two proposals for the solution of the city's future
treatment problems have been suggested. One
solution is that the towns form sewage districts
which would construct collection facilities and con-
tract with the city for the sewage treatment. The
second solution is identical to the first but proposes
the formation of a county sanitary district. This dis-
trict would purchase the existing major city treatment
facilities and upgrade them with the increased
demand for treatment in the city and adjacent areas.
The difference in cost between the two alternatives
was so slight as to be within the margin of error of
the estimate. Rates in the city should average from
$19 to $24 per household per year and $45 to $59
per household in the town districts serviced by the
city. The study strongly recommends that extension
of the treatment facilities be staged to keep pace with
the actual growth rate in the area.
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
Throughout the City of Ithaca, refuse is collected
at least once a week. Two collections a week are
made in the downtown business district and in
Collegetown.
Disposal of the collections is made at the city's
land fill located just south of Clinton Sheet between
the railroad and the Relief Channel. The land fill
site is leased by the city. The Board of Public works
estimates that the present site will be exhausted by
the end of 1970. Adjacent to the land fill site the city
owns the Southwest Park which, because of its low
elevation, is also available for a sanitary fill. This
area will be exhausted by 1972.
TABLE IV 4 Cost of Sewage Treatment Plant Operations for the City of Ithaca, 1964 to 1968 ..
Sewage
Average Cost Per
Treatment Annual
Average
Daily Flow Million
and Disposal Costs Flow
Daily Total
Per Capita Gallons
Flow Population
Percent 1,000,000 Percent (1000 Served Percent Percent
Year Dollars Change Gallons Change Gallons) Gallons Change Dollars Change
1964 73,262 1,343.6 3,858.7 32,500 118.7 54.53
1965 71,317 -2.6 1,658.3 23.4 4,552.9 32,600 109.0 -8.2 43.01 -21.1
1966 79,781 11.9 1,635.9 -1.4 4,490.1 32,600 137.7 26.3 48.77 13.4
1967 98,568 23.5 1,827.9 11.7 5,013.9 32,600 153.8 11.7 53.92 10.6
1968 110,106 11.7 2,034.9 11.3 5,567.4 32,600 170.8 11.0 54.11 0.4
SOURCE: Annual Report of the Sewer Division, Board of Public Works, City of Ithaca, 19641968.
65
With the limit of the city's land fill site fast being
reached and the increasing pressures from the state
for the city to conform to new and more stringent sani-
tary land fill standards, the City of Ithaca must look for
a new dumping site. In its search, the city has joined
forces with the county.
The present countywide Refuse Disposal Plan
under study includes two primary dumping sites, two
secondary dumping sites in the count y and a transfer
site within the City of Ithaca. The possibility of elim-
inating the two secondary sites and increasing the
size of the city's transfer site to accommodate the
added volume is also under study.
The t wo primary sites are both a considerable
distance from the city. This distance necessitates the
transfer site. One primary site will be in the general
area bounded by Routes 13, 38, and 34, 11 miles from
the city. The exact site has yet to be determined.
The second primary site will be located in Tioga
County just over the Tompkins-Tioga County line
off Route 96. This site is 13 miles from the city. These
two primary sites would be open six days a week.
The t wo proposed secondary sites, one in the vicinity
of Enfield and the other in the Caroline area, would
be open two days a week.
The proposed transfer site is suggested to keep
collection rates low. Packer trucks would dump their
refuse at the transfer dump where it would daily be
loaded onto trailers and hauled to one of the primary
sites. This transfer process would eliminate the long
run to the primary site for the packer trucks. The
city would operate the transfer site and it would be
open six days a week. One suggested location for
such a transfer site is the present city land fill area
between Meadow Street and the flood control channel.
Should the city and Enfield and Caroline all agree
to use the transfer site-primary site alternative rather
than building two secondary sites, the county would
assist the city with the cost of operating and main-
taining the transfer site.
The estimated cost of creating and maintaining
the four si tes proposed in the Refuse Disposal Plan
is $450,000 the first year and $140,000 each succeed-
ing year. The annual operating cost of the transfer
site is estimated at $33,000.
The present plan would provide county residents
with a total of 400 acres for land fill purposes, suffi-
cient to meet their refuse disposal needs for the next
20 years. It is estimated that the proposed refus e
disposal plan will cost each resident of the county
$1.75 a year.
None of the governing bodies involved, the city,
villages, towns, and county, have come to any
decision on the refuse plan. The pressure to meet
state sanitary requirements and the short life expec-
66
tancy of the city's site make decisive action on the
plan or some modification of the plan imperative.
Proposals
1. The city should support and cooperate with the
county in providing sites and faciliti es for solid
waste disposal.
NATURAL GAS
The entire City of Ithaca is serviced or serviceable
with natural gas. In 1969, there were 7,013 gas custo-
mers in the city. The New York State Electric and
Gas Corporation does not anticipate any sizeable
increase in gas service within the city in the next
decade because the market area within the city is
saturated.
Distribution
The Consolidated Gas Supply Corporation is the
major supplier of natural gas to the Electric and Gas
Company. The Consolidated Gas Supply Company
pipes gas from as far away as Texas and keeps reserve
supplies in depleted gas beds in Pennsylvania and
New York. The City of Ithaca is serviced by a double
gas line, with substations on Slaterville Road beyond
the city limits and on Spencer Road at Albany Street.
Either one of these stations alone can handle the pres-
ent gas service for the city. However, the Electric and
Gas Corporation is working toward a certification of
the Slaterville Road line which would permit doubling
the existing pressure. Also scheduled during 1970 is
the replacement and enlargement of the line serving
the Spencer Road regulator station. This line taps
the main Consolidated Gas line near the Ithaca-Danby
town line just off Route 96.
The city gas distribution system connects to both
stations . A network of medium pressure lines carry
gas throughout the city to the low pressure lines
which service the bulk of the residential area. The
cit y's gas distribution system is controlled by 24
underground pressure regulators . The major industrial
gas users in the city, or adjacent to it, are: Morse
Chain, Therm Electric, National Cash Register Com-
pany, Ithaca Gun, and Cornell University.
Since the provision of the double line feed from
the Slaterville Road and Albany Street stations to the
city in 1955, Ithaca has been well-served with natural
gas. The present consumer market within the city is
almost saturated, according to the Elechic and Gas
Corporation. Therefore, additional demand will come
primarily from new single famil y residences, new
industry, or a shift in types of fuels used by existing
industry. In any of these cases, by laying new lines or
upgrading existing lines, the Electric and Gas Cor-
poration will be able to meet local needs for the next
20 years.
J TOMPKINS COUNTY
I 0
SCAlE
I ' 0 I 2 J 4 5 Ktt0'.'1R5
50 000 ADo! od NH\1 en Plr. Ytwlt tOOtcbutt srsttm ce..tr.tl zon.
IOOOO"""k' llod tws..:l on Ufl .. Metulo:)l S;IIHn..z- 18
HYS O(([!,H!R 1967
MAP IV.3
LEGEND
' f--j SERVICE AREA BOUNDARY
rnJ REFUSE DISPOSAL SITE
I @ I PROPOSED SITE
PROPOSED COUNTY.WIDE REFUSE DISPOSAL SITES
ELECTRICITY
In 1969 the 8,400 electric customers in the City of
Ithaca were serviced from four substations-one each
on East Hill, South Hill, \i\1 est Hill, and the "Flats."
Only the Fourth Street substation on the Flats serves
Ithaca exclusively. Each of the other stations serves
the hill and adjacent areas beyond the city limits.
Like the natural gas service, all housing units and
industries in the city can be serviced with electricity.
Source of Electricity
New York State Electric and Gas Corporation
generating plants are backed up by interconnections
with power systems in the northeast, including gen-
erating stations and consumers in the New England
states, New York, and the Province of Ontario, Canada.
All of the city-serving substations except East
Hill are serviced with 23 kv lines. The East Hill sub-
station is served by two 115 kv lines. Cornell Univer-
sity is serviced from this substation.
VVithin the next decade the Electric and Gas
Corporation will build a new substation betvveen the
Cayuga Inlet and Route 13 at Fourth Street Ex-
tended. A 115 kv line will service this new substation,
increasing the amount of electricity available to
downtown Ithaca. From 1955 to 1969 the average
customer's electric consumption in Ithaca increased
from 4,000 to 6,000 kilowatt hours annually. The
Electric and Gas Corporation anticipates that the
average customer's electric consumption will continue
to increase at the same rate as the national trend.
This would establish an annual consumption of
9,900 kilowatt hours by the year 1980. The construc-
tion of the new Fourth Street substation will cover
the potential residential and industrial demands for
electricity in the city until at least 1985.
STREET LIGHTING
Many variables, both economic and esthetic, affect
roadway lighting. Key among these variables are the
light source, type of fixture, traffic information and
traffic safety. The City of Ithaca has accepted the
standards established by the Society of Illuminating
Engineers.
City Lighting Plan
In 1966 an evaluation of the City of Ithaca's street
lighting was completed by the Board of Public Works.
The major thrust of the study was that the lighting
provided by the city was inadequate and should be
upgraded to meet the minimum standards of the
Society of Illuminating Engineers. Pursuant to meet-
58
ing the society's standards all the roadways within
the city were classified according to the criteria of the
Society. :Map IV.4 shows the classification of all the
roadways within the city for lighting purposes. After
classifying the roadways, the city was divided into
five priority areas. Priority area one was upgraded in
1967, the first year of planned development. The city
is presently proceeding on the third of the five areas.
When completely upgraded the new street lighting
system will cost the city $110,000 to $117,000 a year.
To date the City of Ithaca has been buying light,
not electricity, from the New York State Electric and
Gas Company. The purchase of light includes the
fixtures, maintenance, and the electricity. Presently
mercury vapor lights, as recommended in the Light-
ing Plan, are being installed. Lighting in city-owned
parking lots is included in the same Electric and Gas
Company agreement.
The city owns some two dozen ornamental poles
in the city. The bulk of these poles are located in city
parks. In addition, the city owns the light fixtures on
Route 13, a state arterial. The poles on Route 13 are
maintained by the city.
TABLE IV.5: Recommended Lighting for Major, Col-
lector and Local Streets within Down-
town, Intermediate, and Outlying Areas
Roadway
Area Classification
Classification
Outlying
Downtown Intermediate and Rural
Major 2.0f.c. 1.2f.c. 0.9f.c.
Collector 1.2f.c. 0.9f.c. 0.6f .c.
Local or
Minor 0.9f.c. 0.6f.c.
*The average horizontal footcandles recommended represent
average illumination on the roadway pavement when the illumin-
ati ng source is at its lowest output and when the luminaire is
in its dirtiest condition.
* * Residentia I.
SOURCE: American Standards Association, American
Standard Practice for Roadway Lighting
(New York: Illuminating Engineering So-
ciety, 1964 ), p. 11.
No expansion of the street lighting system is antici-
pated unless there is a shift in uses within the city,
such as an expansion of the Central Business District.
The Ithaca Common Council has directed its Charter
and Ordinance Committee to draw up an ordinance
which would place the wires for all new areas and
for areas scheduled for replacement throughout the
city underground. Such an action would conhibute
greatly to the appearance of the city in the future.
r
(

CITY
ITHACA .. _.,_
NEW YORK
CITY PLANNING BOARD JUNE, 1970
I

Presently underground w1rmg is scheduled for the
urban renewal area and for new development in the
Central Business District. The development of Cass
Park, partially financed by state and federal funds, also
includes underground wiring. The Common Council's
action would further extend underground wiring in
keeping with the recreational orientation of Ithaca.
Proposals
1. The City Street Lighting Plan should be com-
pleted and continually reviewed and upgraded.
2. \iVithin the next 10 years the city should purchase
the lighting infrastructure. All provision of street
lighting in areas of the city not presently serviced
should be undertaken by the city government.
3. To enhance the appearance of the city, and to
facilitate maintenance of city streets, all street
lighting lines, along with other utility lines,
should be placed underground.
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE
The City of Ithaca is located on Lake Cayuga in
the heart of the Finger Lakes Region of New York
State. Thousands of visitors come to see the rugged
gorges and wooded hills in this lake's area annually.
Surrounded by this natural beauty, the city should
work to make it more accessible to its residents and
better known to its visitors .
Today 13 percent of the city's land is employed
in parks or open space. Ninety percent of this land
is, however, located in two neighborhoods, Inlet Val-
ley-Elmira Road and Cayuga Inlet. The remaining
ten percent of city-owned open space is scattered
through eight of the remaining neighborhoods. This
means that, to date, two of the city's 12 neighbor-
hoods contain no city-owned park or open space land.
The 1968 Recreation Plan suggests the addition
of 165 acres of park land and open space to the city's
1968 holdings. The study's proposals for the provision
of additional open space and park land focuses partic-
ularly on the neighborhoods without parks and open
space and on the most densely settled areas of the
city.
The objectives of the Recreation Plan are five-fold:
1. To encourage the location of recreation and open-
space facilities to preserve the unique natural
features in the city.
:2. To distribute open space and park facilities
throughout the city according to the density of
population and accessibility of the site.
3. To locate open space and park facilities so that
they will be available to the residents of develop-
ing neighborhoods as well as in the developed
areas of the city.
70
4. To make the most efficient use of existing school
and park area recreation facilities.
5. To encourage and involve local citizens in park
development and improvement.
The final recommendation is seen as a key one in the
development of Ithaca as a tourist and vacation
center.
The Recreation Plan proposes ten types of parks
and open spaces, ranging in size from a tenth of an
acre to 100 acres or more. The Recreation Plan stand-
ards were based on the standards of the National
Recreation Association but adjusted to fit the size, diver-
sity and physical characteristics of Ithaca.
Community Parks - Community parks are de-
signed to serve not only local residents, but visitors as
well. These parks should contain 50 to 100 acres and
should have sports fields, hard surface courts, open
grass game areas, picnic areas, and rest rooms. Four of
Ithaca's 52 parks are classified as community parks.
These parks range in size from one and six-tenths
acres in historic De Witt Park to 177 acres in the
developing National Arts and Recreation Center.
Neighborhood Parks-These parks provide open
space and play area three-tenths of an acre to two acres
for all children, including pre-schoolers. Neighborhood
parks are designed to service all residents to a maxi-
mum of 3,000 within a quarter mile radius. Thirteen of
the existing or proposed parks and open spaces in the
Recreation Plan are classified as neighborhood parks.
Neighborhood Commons-A commons, smaller
than a neighborhood park, is designed to serve resi-
dents on a single block or within no more than a four
block radius. Such a commons, no more than half an
acre, could be a vacant lot, interior parcel, or a sel-
dom-used street or alley. Five neighborhood com-
mons have been identified in the Recreation Plan.
School Playgrounds-School playgrounds provide
active play space, hard and grass surfaces, and play
apparatus. Such playgrounds, attached to schools,
should be three to seven acres and serve the area
within a quarter mile radius. Each elementary school,
one junior high school and the high school have such
play areas.
Waterways-vVaterways are a special natural re-
source which should be used in a variety of ways.
The development of these areas for boating, fishing,
swimming, or picnicking may be city or neighborhood
oriented. The size of the recreation areas is depen-
dent upon topographical and drainage patterns.
Focal Points-These have been defined by the
Recreation Plan as noticeable visual relief in the land-
scape or historically significant physical features.
The development of such areas may include a sitting
area or special landscaping treatment. Nine focal
points have been identified within the city.
r
\ '
I ,
Connections-Connections provide a physical or
visual link between recreation facilities. The Recrea-
tion Plan proposes creating ten connections. These
connections developed by walk-ways and/or bicycle
trails will increase the accessibility of many of the
city parks.
Indoor Facilities-Indoor facilities for programs,
meetings, and indoor games are provided at 15 of the
city's 57 recreation areas. There is at least one of
these indoor facilities in all but two neighborhoods.
Such facilities are particularly important to recreation
during the long winter.
Special Facility-Special facilities provide an un-
usual r ecreation opportunity, something which might
not be expected in a city's normal recreation system.
The Recreation Plan identifies 16 special facilities
within the city, a few of which are yet to be
developed. The facilities range from a community
center to the zoo.
Undeveloped Open Space-The Recreation Plan
recommends that five acres within the city be held, in
a natural state, to act as transitions between the urban
center and the surrounding countryside.
Table 1V.7 lists the 57 recommended and existing
parks and open spaces in the city and their functions.
It is important to note that a few areas serve only
one function. By using the code number or letter, all
of the parks and open spaces may be located on Map
IV.5.
The proposals of the Recreation Plan, as Table
IV.8 indicates, will provide the city with 19.4 acres
of park and open space land per 1,000 residents. The
largest amount of acreage per thousand is provided
in the Cayuga Inlet Neighborhood, the site of the
future regional National Arts and Recreation Center.
The neighborhood with the least amount of city-owned
park land is Neighborhood 2, University. While the
city owns little park land in this neighborhood, a great
deal of open space, playfields, and recreation area has
TABLE IV.6: Recreation Area Standards as Set by the 1968 Recreation Plan, City of Ithaca
Type of Recreation Service Area
Area Size and Population Development Location
Community Parks 35-100 ac. 15 min. by car; Sports fields, hard-suriaced courts, open grass areas, Should be adjacent to other special
20,000-30,000 people picnic areas, rest rooms facilities, i.e. nature preserves, etc.
Neighborhood Parks .3-2 ac. '!. mile radius; Area for modified field games, quiet sitting area, Centrally located within neighborhood-
up to 3,000 people pre-school play area may be developed in conjunction with an
elementary school
Neighborhood Commons .1- .5 ac. 1-4 block radius; Flexible; each unique, the development should be Anywhere within a residential block-
up to 1,000 people based on the individual needs of the neighborhood a vacant lot , interior parcel or seldom-
used street or alley
School Playground 3-lac. '!. mile radius; Apparatus area, hard and grass suriaces Adjacent to elementary schooll
3,000-5,000 people
Waterways Varies
Varies; waterways are
Flexible; pedestrian ways, bicycle paths or streets which Depends upon topographical and
within walking distance
of all homes in city;
provide public access to the water. drainage patterns
entire city, sometimes
neighborhood -oriented
Focal Points Varies Varies; entire city or None ; sitting areas or special landscaping treatment Varies
neighborhood-oriented may be developed
Connections Varies Varies; entire city or Pedestrian ways, bridle paths, bicycle paths Dependent on natural features
neighborhood -oriented
Indoor Facilities Governed Within walking dis- Provision of wide variety of activities to be carried Centrally located within a neighborhood,
by type lance of all homes in on simultaneously, including basketball, arts and crafts, if possible, in conjunction with a school
of neighborhood; approx- swimming, ping pong, billiards, games and meetings
service imately '!. mile radius;
3,000-5,000 people
Special Facility Varies Varies ; neighborhood Flexible; may be an outdoor facility such as a In conjunction with a community park,
or entire region marina or zoo, or an indoor facility such as the if possible
Festival Theater
Undeveloped Varies Dependent on None; occasional brush removal Varies
Open Space natural features ;
entire city
SOURCE: Recreation and Open Space Plan, City of Ithaca, October 1968, p. 1421.
71
r
- - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - : : . 1 - - - - - : - - - -
11
II
TABLE IV.7: Recommended and Existing City Parks and Open Spaces by Function
Cayuga Lake Shore Park (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Newman Municipal Golf Course &
Biological Field Stati on (2) .. . ....... . .....
Proposed Pier Road Parking Facility (3) ..... ...
Fuertes Bird Sanctuary (4) ........ . .........
Stewart Park (5 and 6) ..... . . . ............
BPW Materi al Storage Yard (7) .. ... ... ... .. .
CYO Property-City Nursery (8) . . .. . . . . . . . . ...
Inlet Shore Connection (9) . .. . . .. . . . . . . . ....
Taughannock Blvd. Park ( 10) ...... . .. ... .. .
Brindley Park (11) ........ .. . . ... . . . .. .. . .
Floral Avenue Connection (12) ......... ......
Proposed Parks-West Hill (13) ... . . . ..... ....
MacDaniels Park (14) . . . ... . .... . ... . .... .
West Hill School Playground (15) . ......... .. .
Southwest Park (16) ... . ..... .. . . ... . .. ...
Buttermilk Falls Connection (17) . . . ... . .. . ...
Buttermilk Fal ls State Park (18) ..... . . . . ... . .
Baker Park (19) .... . ... .. ........ . .. . ....
Wood Street Park (20) ....... . . . ...........
Six Mile Creek Connection (21)
. . . ... . .. . ....
Fair Street Park (22) ......... . ...... .. ....
Henry St. John School Playground (23) .... .. ..
Proposed Neighborhood Commons (24 & 25) ... .
Clinton Street Open Space (26) .......... . ...
Washington Park (27) ...... ... . .. . . .... . ..
Central School Playground (28) . ... .. .. . ... . .
Conway Park (29) . .. .. . . .. . . .... .. . .. . ...
Thompson Park (30) .. . ...... .. . .... . . ....
Auburn Park (31) .... .. . ..... . . . . ........
Ithaca High School Athletic Area (32) .. .. . . .. ..
Fall Creek Connection (33) 0
Fall Creek Park (34) . .. . ..... .. . . . . ...... .
Wil lard Way Park (35) .. . ............. . . . ..
Lake Street Park (36) ....... . . .. . . .. .. . ...
Fall Creek School Playground (37) .... . ... .. . .
Linn Street Commons (38)
. . ....... . ... . ...
c
c
ascadilla Creek Connection (39) . . . . . .... . .. .
ascadilla Avenue Walkway (40)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
DeWitt Park (41) ...... . .. . ........ . ..... .
DeWitt Junior High School (42) . . . . . .........
East Hill School Playground (43) ......... . ...
South Hill School Playground (44) . ... .. . .. ...
Lower Six Mile Park (45) ..... . . . . . .... . .. . .
v
s
an Natta Dam-Six Mile Creek Park (46) .......
ix Mile Creek Watershed (47) ...... . .. . .... .
'0 '0
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X X
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X X
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X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X X
X X
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X
(Continued on next page)
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73
TABLE IV.7: Recommended and Existing City Parks and Open Spaces by Function (Continued)
"0 "0
0 0 en

en
;?;-
0 0 "0
en c
-E
.r::.en
c c
c: >- .Q a.ro
:::>
0 Co
:::> ro a

en en .2a.
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.0

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0 ro:.;:::;
E'C

ollll
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c

u:: <l.lC
.r::. >- o==
oro
"'"'
u .!11
ro u c
-ou <l.lu
"O Q)
0 0 a.ro ca.
(.)Q_ za. ZU en a. u. (.) c"'
enu. ::JO _u_
Belle Sherman Park (48) . X X
Belle Sherman School Playground (49). . . . . X X
Bryant Park (50). . . . . . . X X
Maplewood Park (51) . . . . . . . . . X
Beebe Lake (52) . . . . X X X
Northside House (A) . . . . ... . . X X
Southside House (B) ... . . . . X X
YMCA (C) . . . . X X
Tompkins County Library (D) . . . . . X X X
Senior Citizens Center (E) .
X X
SOURCE: Recreation and Open Space Plan, City of Ithaca, October 1968, p. 22.
TABLE IV.8: Description of Actual and Proposed Park Land and Open Space by Neighborhood, Function of
Park, and Population in Ithaca, 1969
"0 "0

0 Den en en en
0 oc "0 en
c
c
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0
cen 0 :::> ro a
:e
_ en
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en >- c
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(.) z z a: u. u. u.
Cornell
Heights - - - - 2 6 1 - 1
(1)
University -
2* - - 3 11 2 - 1
(2)
Belle
Sherman 1 2 1 1 2 3 3 1 -
(3}
College
town - - - 1 2 3 2 1 -
(4)
Fall Creek - 3* 2* 2 3 3 1 2 -
(5)
North
Central - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 -
(6)
Central 1 1 - 1 1 3 1 4 4
(7)
South Hill 1 1 - 2 2 2 1 1 -
(8)
South
Central - 3 2* - 1 3 1 1 1
(9)
Inlet Valley-
Elmira Rd. 1* - - - - - 1 - -
(10)
West Hill - 4* 1* 1 1 2 2* 1 -
(11)
Cayuga
Inl et 4 - - - 6 4 - 3 7*
(12)
TOTAL 8*' 18*
1
6* 9 23
1
29
1
15*' 16 14*
* Includes proposed parks
'Discrepancy in total due to double-counting
2Waterways, focal points, and connections not included in total
SOURCE: Recreation and Open Space Plan, City of Ithaca, October 1968.
74
enN
-oen

"OQ) 0

oc
"'u Z c
8.9
a..,

0
ca.
roCL5
-
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, v; .g

, _
-"'
en=>
roO.. c
-c.E
0- 8.

Q.>O.
"Oa.
:So
.:iQ_ t-oo
2 2 13.5 2,641 5.1
3 4 5.3 3,880 1.4
4 7 22.4 3,228 6.9
2 4 23.9 3,491 6.8
1 9 3.9 3,549 1.1
- 6 2.5 3,106 0.8
- 11 2. 1 2,191 1.0
2 5 3.0 2,053 1.5
1 8 6.8 2,690 2.5
3* 3 67.0 456 146.9
- 8 12. 1 1,492 8.1
4 11 397.2 22 18,054.0
22*' 59
1
559. 7 28,799 19.4
[ '
f
been, and will continue to be, held on the campus. Con-
sidering this, there is really no shortage of open space
and park land in the University Neighborhood. Of all
the residential neighborhoods in the city, the densely
developed North Central Neighborhood has the least
recreation area, eight-tenths of an acre per thousand.
As Table IV.8 indicates, however, under the recom-
mendations of the Recreation Plan each neighbor-
hood has at least a minimum amount of open space
and park land, three-tenths of an acre.
A further recommendation of the Recreation Plan
was for the city to make the regional state parks adja-
cent to the city more accessible to city residents, par-
ticularly those residents in neighborhoods with few
parks. In order to do this, the city would have to pro-
vide mass transit to the local parks. Table IV.9 lists
the three adjacent parks, their size, facilities, and
the extent of their use in the 1968 season. As the table
indicates, at least two of these regional state parks,
Buttermilk Falls and Robert H. Treman, are within
six miles of the city, easy bus distance.
In addition to proposing an additional 165 acres
of park and open space land, the Recreation Plan
has evaluated every neighborhood and provided for as
much additional open space and park land as the
present development of the area permits. As Table
IV.8 indicates, on completion of the plan the city will
have 19.4 acres park land per 1,000 residents. The pro-
posals of the Recreation Plan, therefore, gives the city
a long-range plan for providing adequate recreation
and open space for its residents. Implementation of
this plan will greatly enhance the city's environment
both to its residents and visitors.
Proposals
1. The city should strive to implement the 1968
Recreation Plan.
2. The city should undertake a program to make the
regional parks adjacent to the city more accessible
to city residents.
TABLE IV.9: Description of the Regional State Parks Adjacent to Ithaca by Distance, Size, Facilities and Popu-
lation Served in 1968.
Distance
Size in Number of Number of
Number of
Regional Parks
from City Picnic
Population
Special Facilities
in Miles
Acres Camp Sites Cabins
Tables
Served 1968
Swimming, hiking trails,
Buttermilk Falls 3 675 60 7 161 14,029 recreation building, picni c
State Park shelter
Fishing, swimming, hikin g
Robert H. Treman 5 1020 137 14 351 140,031 trails, playground
State Park equipment
Swimming, boat launch
Taughannock Falls 10 793 84 16 551 214,550
ing ramp, 65-boat ma
State Park
rina, playfields
SOURCE: Finger Lakes State Parks Commission, 1969.
75
77
NATIONAL ARTS AND RECREATION CENTER
The Center, as the National Arts and Recreation
Center at Ithaca has come to be known locally, is
truly a community project. From the conception of
the idea through its execution local citizens have
spearheaded the drive for the new facility. After its
completion, the Center will provide local residents
with a base for a recreation industry, and with
facilities for civic and community programs during
the winter months.
The major elements of the Center will be: a 450-
boat marina and boat launching area to be con-
structed by the State of New York; a golf course and
park area already existing and owned by the City of
Ithaca; a new 81-acre recreation complex to be con-
structed by the city; a federally constructed flood
control channel which will serve as a boating and
fishing stream and as an intercollegiate crew course;
and a repertory theater, concert hall, museum-art
gallery and a children's center to be built by a pri-
vate organization known as the Center for the Arts, Inc.
Jointly the city and state governments will make
the Cass Park and old municipal airport sites avail-
able for cultural and recreational development. The
state will acquire 52 acres from the city and will
develop 30 acres reclaimed by hydraulic fill at the
north end of the area for a State Marine Park in-
cluding a 450-berth marina. The Center for the Arts
Inc., will lease 14 acres of land from the city for it;
site overlooking the marina. On the southern portion
of the park area, the city will build an extensive
recreation area. All of the development will be
coordinated in order to provide year-round recre-
ational opportunities.
Center for the Arts
Four performing arts facilities will be provided
by the Center for the Arts, Inc.: a Festival Theater,
a Concert Hall, Museum and Art Gallery, and a
Children's Center. These facilities will be developed
in stages beginning with the Festival Theater.
The Festival Theater building will include more
than 80,000 square feet of space. The building will
include costume and scenery shops, dressing rooms,
administrative offices, seminar rooms, a small audi-
torium seating 250, and the main auditorium seating
1,700. The total cost of the theater development will
be $5,840,000.
Based on estimated figures the Festival Theater
could make $1,272,840 from ticket sales and winter
season use if it operated at 80 percent of capacity
during the theater season. Spending an estimated
$1,218,114 for salaries, operating expenses, debt ser-
vice, and land, the theater should have a net profit
of $54,726 or more per year.
The Festival Theater, by providing the hi ghest
quality theater experience during the summer season,
will help to further Ithaca's reputation as a summer
vacation spot. In addition, however, the theater will
fulfill a much-needed community function, by pro-
viding a facility for community cultural and civic
events during the winter season. Special community
activities such as concerts, guest performers, and
ballets will make Ithaca a more attractive com-
munity for potential residents.
While space has been allocated on the Master
Site Plan for the Concert Hall, Museum, Art Gallery,
and Children's Center, plans for the development of
these facilities are pending the completion and oper-
ation of the Festival Theater.
The Marina
The Finger Lakes State Park Commission is re-
sponsible for the planning, construction, maintenance,
and operation of the proposed State Marine Park.
The new marina facility will initially provide 350
berths; ultimately 100 berths will be added. Berthing
will be available for boats up to 50 feet in length.
Slip rentals may be on an hourly, daily, or seasonal
basis. A portion of the berthing capacity (50 to 70
berths depending upon demand) will be kept avail-
able for transient boaters. Facilities will include
auto parking, electricity, water, a sewage disposal sta-
tion, refuse collection, rest rooms with showers, and
supervision, including night watchman service. Regu-
lar vehicular use charges will be collected for the
boat launching ramp and parking area. A conces-
sioner will provide gas, oil, and other services. It is
estimated that the new marina will accommodate 100
to 325 yachtmen daily.
The construction cost estimate for the marina is
$2,835,200. The facility will be built in three stages.
The costs of goods and services necessary to sustain
the marina's annual operation and maintenance have
been estimated at $48,150. The estimate does not, of
course, include debt service, construction costs, or
land costs. Annual revenues are expected to exceed
expenses by anywhere from $16,000 to $35,000. This
surplus will help defray initial costs and building
expenses.
City Park Facilities
The City of Ithaca has purchased 81 acres of land,
adjacent to the state land, to be developed for picnic
and year-round recreation uses. The facilities will
include: an olympic size swimming pool with adja-
cent sun deck and 1,200 locker bathhouse; 13 base-
ball and softball diamonds; 4 tennis courts; an ice
rink which will make use of the bathhouse lockers
and dressing rooms in the winter months; lighting;
79
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parking; storm drainage; sewer service; picnic areas;
and undeveloped open play areas for touch football
and other games. A ribbon of the park land with
walkways will flank the flood control channel on
the floodway levee for those interested in less stren-
uous exercise.
All of the city picnic and playfield facilities will
be available free of charge for use by residents and
non-residents alike. A small charge will be levied
for the use of the swimming pool and ice rink in
order to meet their operation and maintenance costs.
The development of these city park lands is being
jointly funded by the Appalachia Commission, Fed-
eral Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, and the City of
Ithaca. The $1,600,000 project will be built in three
stages. The first stage, already completed, was the
acquisition of the land for $500,000. Construction of
the second stage, including the swimming pool, bath-
house, band shell, playfields, picnic area, roadways,
sewers, walkways, and landscaping, was scheduled to
begin in the summer of 1970. The cost of Stage 2 is
$650,000; half of this $650,000 will come from the
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.
It is anticipated that Stage 3 of the city park
project will be completed in 1971. This stage will
include the ice rink, further landscaping, additional
parking, walkways, roadways, lighting, picnic areas,
and a playground. Stage 3 of the project will cost
$450,000. These costs will be born equally by the city
and the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.
Community Impact
A review of the employment figures for the City
of Ithaca indicates that the city's economy has
become increasingly dependent upon higher educa-
tion as the major local employer. Higher education,
however, is a growth industry and provides Ithaca
with a stable economic base from year to year. One
key factor about an economy based on higher educa-
tion is that higher education contributes to the city's
seasonal variation in economic activity. The exodus
of some 12,000 students each summer affects the retail
and service sector directly. vVhile Ithaca is in a superb
location for campers and vacationers, the summer
trade to date has not begun to make up for the
student exodus.
A second important factor, concomitant with
Ithaca's specialization in higher education, is the
specialization in the entertainment and recreation
service sector of the economy. Table V.1, listing the
employment concentration ratios for the entertain-
ment and recreational service sector in the western up-
state counties with major urban centers, shows that
Tompkins County is ranked third after Erie (Buffalo)
and .Monroe (Rochester) in terms of the ratio of its
TABLE V.1: Employment Concentration Ratios
(County !New York State) for the En-
tertainment and Services Sector in the
Western Upstate Counties with Major
Urban Centers
Representative Upstate
Counties and Urban
Centers
Entertainment and
Recreation Services
Broome (Binghamton) .54
Chemung (Elmira) .66
Cortland (Cortland) .50
Erie (Buffalo) .82
Monroe (Rochester) . 77
Oneida (Utica) .62
Onondaga (Syracuse) .67
Tompkins (Ithaca) .70
SOURCE: Derived from 1960 Census of Population,
Vol. 1, Part 34, Table 85.
labor force employed in the entertainment-recreation
service sector. This specialization in the entertainment
and recreation service sector indicates that Ithaca is a
prime location for a recreation industry as represented
by the National Arts and Recreation Center. Not only
will the new facilities increase Ithaca's specialization
in this part of the service sector, but this economic con-
centration reveals that Ithaca already has a head start
on providing the additional entertainment and recrea-
tional services such as restaurants which the tourists
attracted by the center would desire.
The main economic impact of the National Arts
and Recreation Center is indirect. The center itself
will operate in the black, but it will not produce great
profits. Rather, the economic impact of the center
will derive from the dollars spent by tourists attracted
to the center. 'Vhile it is not anticipated that the new
tourists will offset in all areas the decline in the retail
and service sector created by the exodus of students,
the added tourists should at least help support exist-
ing business and certainly will stimulate new addi-
tions to the service sector in certain areas such as
overnight accommodations. Presently there is a need
for expansion of the service sector during the aca-
demic year. Demand falls off sharply during the sum-
mer season. As a result of this drop, businessmen are
discouraged from making needed expansion in their
establishments. The increased summer demand cre-
ated by a recreation industry would offset the sea-
sonal fluctuation and encourage expansion in the
service sector.
The potential market for the Ithaca Festival Thea-
ter can best be estimated by drawing a comparison
between the Ithaca theater and the theater which
most closely approximates the Ithaca theater in size
and purpose-the Stratford, Ontario, Festival Theater.
81
The Stratford theater is located in a community al-
most the size of Ithaca. Total admissions to the Strat-
ford theater during the season are close to 350,000.
About one-sixth of the total admissions are students
attending the five week student season. The Ithaca
theater plans the same length season as Stratford,
including a special student season. Annual attendance
at the Ithaca Festival Theater is anticipated to be
218,500 to 251,000. Of this attendance, 75,500 to
80,000 are estimated to be students. At least half of the
people in attendance will make use, to some degree,
of the entertainment and service sector of Ithaca.
The variety of tourists who will be attracted by
the range of facilities at the Center, the new theater,
marina, and recreational facilities indicates that there
will be an increased demand not only for costly
accommodations and restaurants, but also for the less
expensive. It will be necessary for the community to
provide a wide range of services if it is to accommodate
and stimulate the increased demand created by the
Center. It will be necessary, for example, to provide
clean and scenic campgrounds as well as commercial
lodgings.
In considering undertaking the provision of addi-
tional public and private facilities, it is important to
note that the Center at Ithaca is a long-term project.
It is designed to meet present and future needs of
tourists, vacationers, and local residents. Studies by the
Department of Interior indicate that participation in
outdoor recreation is growing rapidly. Between 1960
and 1965 participation in major summer outdoor
recreation activities grew at a rate which exceeded
eight percent per year. By the year 2000, participation
is estimated to be four times the 1960 level. It is impor-
tant to note that the National Arts and Recreation
Center at Ithaca will include or promote nine of the
ten outdoor activities which the Interior Department
studies indicate are, and will be, the most popular:
walking for pleasure, swimming, driving for pleasure,
playing outdoor games and sports, bicycling, sight-
seeing, picnicking, fishing, attending outdoor sports
events, and boating.
URBAN RENEWAL
Urban Renewal began in Ithaca in 1959 with the
Floral Avenue Residential Urban Renewal Project.
Eventually this project was abandoned; however,
Urban Renewal continued. In 1961 a General Neigh-
borhood Renewal Program was undertaken for 90
acres in the Central Business District. This Central
Business District renewal area was divided into three
project areas. In 1963 a Survey in Planning Grant was
made to the city for the first of these three projects,
Project I, a 25-acre, four block parcel at the eastern
end of the downtown area, indicated on Map V.2. In
82
this same year, 1963, an Urban Renewal Agency was
created as a department of the City.
Public hearings were held on the plans for the
Project I area in 1964, and the plans were submitted
to the Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment in Washington for approval. Final approval on
the Project I area plans came in May 1965 and land
acquisition began in 1966.
The total cost of Project I will be $5,996,300. Of
this gross cost, $1,116,300 will come from land sales,
leaving a net project cost of $4,697,930. The Federal
government will provide three quarters or $3,659,950
of the net cost. The state and city governments will
split the remaining quarter; each will pay $609,990.
The city will provide its funds by undertaking public
improvements in the project area. These improve-
ments include such things as sidewalks, underground
utilities, and- street trees. The total public improve-
ments needed in the area will exceed the city's share
by some $200,000. The state will pay this sum to the
city from its share.
Since the adoption of the Project I area plans,
the city has installed improvements beyond those
designated in the plan. For these improvements in
excess of the plan, the city accrues credit of three-
quarters of the construction cost with the Federal
government. These credits will total better than a
million dollars and may be applied to any future
urban renewal project undertaken by the city. In the
event of no further renewal projects in the city, the
credits will revert back to the Federal government.
Procedure
The Urban Renewal Agency is purely adminis-
trative. The initiative for new urban renewal projects,
applications, and plans must come from the City
Planning Board with Common Council approval. All
changes in project plans, once they have been ap-
proved by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, must be approved by the City Plan-
ning Board and Common Council.
The five-man Urban Renewal Board is responsible
for hiring the director and staff of the Urban Re-
newal Agency and for the execution of the approved
plans. The mayor and four citizens appointed for
indefinite terms make up this Board.
Administration
Presently the Urban Renewal Agency employs
five persons: the director, a rehabilitation officer, a
relocation officer, an accountant and a secretary.
If no further renewal projects are undertaken, this
staff will be cut back in the next year to two, the
director and a secretary.
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ITillill RENOVATION ~ PUBLIC PARKING
~ ] NEW FACILITY [QJ RESTRICTED PARKING
r NOTE USES CONTINUING 8 BASICALLY UNALTERED
1961-70 ARE SHOWN IN U.R. AREA ONLY.
RENEWAL AREA, 1970
The Future
In the past year the Department of Housing and
Urban Development changed its policy to focus on
residential neighborhood renewal. The result of this
policy change was that, in the future, funds would
not be available for renewal programs which focus
on the business areas. Funds, therefore, for the com-
pletion of Project II and III areas in Ithaca are not
available. If Ithaca is to have any further urban re-
newal programs, they will have to be of a residential
nature. No funds for residential renewal will be
allocated to Ithaca, however, without the provision
of relocation housing. Not onl y has no local desire
been expressed for residential renewal, but Ithaca's
housing market is so tight that there is no relocation
housing available.
In September 1968 the Development Act of the
New York State Legislature was enacted and the
New York State Urban Development Corporation
was formed. This non-profit corporation was estab-
lished to assist municipalities and local entrepreneurs
with their development plans. In December 1968
Ithaca was one of the first communities to receive
Urban Development Corporation assistance. To date
the Urban Development Corporation has assisted
the city and Ithacans with three projects: a parking
structure in the Central Business District; low and
middle income housing and a parking structure in
Collegetown; and housing units on West Hill and
beyond Cornell Quarters.
The director of the Urban Renewal Agency sees
the Urban Development Corporation's activities as
an important contribution to the community's re-
newal. The Urban Development Corporation has
the advantage of being able to undertake construc-
tion, while the Urban Renewal Agency must wait,
often for years, for acceptable private sponsors for pro-
posed projects.
HOUSING
Because of the size of Tompkins County and the
fact that Ithaca is the service and employment center
for the county, the Ithaca housing market area and
the county have been considered coterminous. The
vacancy rate for the entire market area, 0.75 percent,
however, is 0.35 percent higher than the vacancy rate
for the city. The difference in these rates, plus the
greater abundance of buildable and lower priced land
has drawn residential settl ement away from the city.
Population projections for the county as compared
to projections for the city indicate a continuation of
the trend toward the county for residence. The
county population in 1970 is anticipated to increase
by some 15,000, while the city's population is ex-
pected to increase by 700. Much of the anticipated
84
increase in city population will come from increases
in student population from 1970 to 1990. In 1969, 50
percent of the undergraduate and 73 percent of the
graduate students at Cornell University were living
TABLE V.2: Proportion of Students to Total Popu
lation of Ithaca, 1950 through 1990
Students and Total % Students of
Year Dependents % Change Population Total Population
1950 11,602 --- 29,257 39.8
1960 12,750 + 9.9 28,799 44.2
1970 13,250 + 3.9 29,500 44.9
1980 17,300 +30.5 32,150 53.8
1990 21,800 +26.0 37,250 58.5
SOURCE: City Planning Office population projections,
1969.
in off-campus, non-University housing. Ithaca College
anticipates being a residential college. The College's
policy toward off-campus living, however, varies. In
1969, 450 seniors and 60 graduate students lived off
campus. The College has no plans to provide housing
for its graduate students.
Because of their large numbers and their ability
to group together and divide rent, single students
have the greatest impact on housing in Ithaca. 'iVhile
the University anticipates maintaining its growth rate
at two and a half percent for the next five years, pro-
jections for 1980 indicate an enrollment of about
17,200. It is anticipated that about one-third (5,700)
of these students will be graduate students. About
half of these graduate students will b e married.
Therefore, the growth of the University by 1980 will
place 2,800 graduate famili es in the housing market,
and about 300 undergraduate families (providing the
rate of married undergraduate students remains con-
stant ) . 'i\' hat this growth means to the housing mar-
ket is that, by 1980, 550 more student families and
2,500 more single graduate and undergraduate stu-
dents will be seeking housing in the Ithaca market
area. vVhat is more important is that the families must
compete with the single students' ability to pay higher
rents. A 1968 study by the Dean of Students Office
at Cornell indicates that 70 percent of the sampled
students living off campus have one to three room-
mates, and 77 percent pay $41 to $70 per roommate,
monthly rent. The median rent paid by under-
graduates for off-campus housing is $55 per month.
Estimates indicate that, in 1968, one-third or 7,400
famili es in Tompkins County made less than $6,000 a
year. Median rents in Ithaca, $9 above the state
median, place a squeeze on local low income families.
In addition, real estate appraisers indicate that one-
quarter to one-third of the housing stock in the county
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needs more than regular maintenance. Low-income
and the poor conditions in the housing stock have
been compounded in the 1960-1968 period by demoli-
tion of 286 units and a population increase of 13,400.
From 1960 to 1968, 3,790 new units were built. In
the same time period, the population increased by
4,962 family units, indicating that the increase in
families exceeded the increase in housing by 24 per-
cent.
TABLE V.3: Comparison of Housing Units per Struc
ture in Tompkins County, 1950, 1960,
1968
Units in April 1950 April 1960 January 1968
Structure # % # % # %
1 unit 10,450 64 13,546 68 14,285 60
2 units 2,796 17 2,116 11 2,495 10
3 and 4 units 1,789 11 1,568 8 2,190 9
5-9 units 823 5 1,363 7 1,615 7
10 or more units 228 1.5 716 3 1,915 8
Mobile homes 165 1.5 601 3 1,200 6
16,251 -- 19,910 +23 23,700 +19
SOURCE: U.S. Census of Housing, 1950 and 1960.
1968 estimated by students of Housing and
Design 542, as part of student project at
Cornell.
A study undertaken in 1962 by the New York State
Division of Housing and Community Renewal found
that, at $14 per room, there were 571 families and
individuals eligible for low rent housing. Of these,
186 or 33 percent were aging individuals and couples.
This meant that in 1962 there were 571 families and
individuals in Tompkins County living in substandard
housing whose net annual income did not exceed six
times the rental of $14 per room per month, includ-
ing utilities.
The Ithaca Housing Authority is committed to
provide 300 of the needed 571 low income housing
units by 1971. Contracts have been let for 270 of
these housing units. This construction of 300 units
leaves 271 of the original need plus 283 units de-
molished, for a total remaining need for 544. In
November 1969 the Common Council gave the Hous
ing Authority permission to explore provision of 400
more low and middle income units. Of this 400, the
New York State Urban Development Corporation has
already said that they would provide 160 to 180.
Estimates indicate that the Ithaca housing mar-
ket area needs, from 1969 to 1971, 1,100 units in addi-
tion to the proposed low and middle income units.
Of these units, the State Urban Development Cor
poration intends to provide 420 to 440.
Provision of adequate housing in the Ithaca hous-
ing market area for the present and future will de-
mand strict code enforcement and continual review
and changing of the city building codes to keep up
with the new concepts, materials, and t echniques
which are being developed in the building trades.
One answer to the hi gh cost of conshuction to middle
and low income famili es is prefabricat ed housing.
Code and ordinance revisions should consider new
efficient land uses and employment of such money-
saving construction techniques both in the city and
county.
TABLE V.4: Housing Vacancy Rates for Selected
Upstate Communities, 1967
Postal
Vacancy
Overall Residential Apartment
Surveys
Percent Percent Percent
Auburn Area (9/66) 2.5 1.8 10.0
Cortland (8/67) 2.8 1.4 12.5
Syracuse (6/67) 2.0 1.5 3.5
Utica-Rome (4/67) 2.6 1.6 4.5
Ithaca (4/67) 0.4 - -
Tompkins County Vacancy Rate 0.75% (4/67)
SOURCE: Housing Subcommittee of the Tompkins
County Resource Development Committee,
A Review of the Housinf of Tompkins
County, December, 1968, able I.
TABLE V.5: Vacancy Rates for Areas of Tompkins
County, 1967
Number of Vacancy
Area Units Rate
Brooktondale 450 0
Dryden 620 0
Etna 126 0
Freeville 650 0
Groton 1,534 1.6
Ithaca City 13,405 0.4
Ithaca Town 2,776 1.6
Jacksonville 115 0.9
Ludlowville 564 1.8
Mclean 113 3.5
Myers 80 0
Newfield 925 0
Slaterville Springs 106 0
South Lansing 108 0.9
Trumansburg 1,373 0
West Danby 350 (Approx.) 0.6
TOTAL 23,295 0.75
SOURCE: Vacancy Survey by Post Offices in Tamp
kins County, April to December 1967,
League of Women Voters.
85
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CIRCULATION
The movement of men and materials through
Ithaca is essential to the life of the city. This move-
ment includes both point-to-point travel within the
city as well as vehicular access to the city. The major
public conveyances for men to and through Ithaca
are bus and airplane. Materials come to Ithaca by truck
and rail. Each of these means of circulation is con-
sidered here.
INTERNAL CIRCULATION
The focus of internal circulation must be on the
existing land uses and street system and on the street
system's ability to handle the present traffic flow and
the future traffic demands .
All roads in the city have been classifi ed as to their
function: local, collector, or arterial streets. Local
streets provide access to property abutting the public
right-of-way. Collector streets are a residential phe-
nomenon which filter haffic from local streets into
arterials and local generators such as shopping cen-
ters, schools, and community activity centers. Arterials
move large volumes of traffic at relatively high
speeds. The function of each street is determined by
the land uses which it connects. A local street con-
nects predominantl y residential land uses to adjacent
coll ector streets while a collector street connects resi-
dential areas to other medium-type traffic generators
such as shopping areas.
!vlap VI.1 shows the existing classifi cation of all
streets in the City of Ithaca according to their
function. As the map indicates, the Central Business
District is traversed by arterials (Route 366 and
Route 79) . Two arterials bisect rather than unify
three predominantly residential
Sherman (Ithaca Road, Route 366), South Central
(Clinton Street, Route 96B), and South Hill (Aurora
Street, Route 96B). In the remaining cases the arter-
ials assist in defining the boundaries of the city's
neighborhoods.
Several of t he circulation problems which exist in
the city are revealed on Map VI.l. Firs t, congestion
problems are created by the fact that three collectors,
a local street, and a state arterial all converge on the
single bridge across the fl ood control channel at
State Street. Second, access to the ci ty is limited on
three sides by hills with gradients in excess of ten
percent. Each of these hills bears a major arterial
access road to the downtown area. Third, the city col-
lector streets provide poor access to the Cornell Uni-
versity campus. The map also indicates the primary,
secondary, and tertiary traffic generators for the city.
Some of these generators, such as Therm, are just be-
yond the city line; nonetheless, they generate traffic
through the city.
A primary generator has been defined, for the
purpose of this study, as a land use which generates
a high volume of traffic daily. This class of generator
is divided into two groups: those which generate a
constant high volume of traffic and those which gen-
erate a high volume of traffic at peak h ours. The
constant primary generators, Cornell Universit y and
the Central Business District, are considered to be
the two major traffic generators in the city. The other
primary generators such as Therm and Ithaca Gun
are considered to be major haffic generators at the
peak hours, 7:30 to 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 to 5:30 P.M.
Both types of primary generator place a maximum
stress on the city's circulation pattern.
A secondary traffic generator has been defined as
a constant medium volume traffic generator. This
generator classification includes areas like Elmira
Road and Co'llegetown and specific land uses such as
the Ithaca High School-Board of Education.
The tertiary traffic generators are those which are
seasonal such as Stewart Park; periodic generators
TABLE Vl.l : Traffi c Generators in and Adj acent to
t he City of It haca, 1969
Type Land Use
Primary Central Business District
Cornell University
Peak-Hour Primary Ithaca College
Ithaca Gun Company
Morse Chain Company
National Cash Register
Company
Therm Inc.
Secondary Elmira Road Commercial
West End Commercial
West State Street Commercial
Collegetown
Ithaca High School - Board
of Education
Hancock- Adams Streets
Commercial Area
Co-op Shopping Center
Tertiary Elementary Schools
Boynton Junior High
Central -Immaculate
Conception Schools
Stewart Park
Cass Park
Municipal Golf Course
N. Cayuga-Farm Streets
Commerci al Area
Peri pheral Tompkins County Hospital
Communi ty Corners Commercial
Triphammer Shopping Center
Tompkins County Airport
SOURCE: City Pl anning Board, City of Ithaca, 1969.
89
Map VI.l
EXISTING MAJOR STREETS & TRAFFIC GENERATORS, 1970 ----+
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such as an elementary school which generates a high
volume of traffic for a short period of time daily; or
constant low volume generators such as a neighbor-
hood shopping center.
Also indicated on Map VI.1 are the peripheral
traffic generators. These generators are beyond the
city limits, but attract considerable city traffic, as does,
for example, the Tompkins County Airport.
In determining traffic generators, it is important
to consider the volume of traffic produced by the
individual land use. Through traffic passing by the
site is not included in the traffic generated by a given
land use. The existing traffic generators have a sig-
nificant impact on the pattern of collector streets in
the city. In order to have adequate traffic How each
traffic generator should be supplied with internal
collector streets correspondent to the traffic volume
created by the land use. Map VI.2 shows the local
collector and arterial streets and major generators as
they correspond to the projected land uses in the
city for 1990.
Several of the more important existing traffic gen-
erators are considered here in detail. The Central
Business District, Cornell University, Collegetown,
and the West End Business District have been
selected from all the internal traffic generators
because of the specific movement problems they
create.
The Central Business District
An important aspect of the downtown circulation
is access. The major collector streets used for access in
the Central Business District are Green, Seneca,
Cayuga, Tioga, and Aurora. Green and Seneca carry
the largest single traffic volume in the Central Busi-
ness District. Many of the cars which come into the
Central Business District use the collectors Green and
Seneca Streets to avoid the congestion created by
the narrowness and on-street parking on State Street.
Some of this traffic is passing through, the rest is gain-
ing access to the downtown parking lots between
Aurora and Cayuga Streets.
On all the streets in the Central Business District,
except State westbound at Aurora and Tioga north-
bound at State, traffic counts indicate that the evening
traffic volume exceeds the morning traffic volume. The
evening peak is, in all cases, more abrupt than the
morning peak which tapers off into shopping traffic.
Cornell University
Cornell University is the largest single employer
and traffic generator in both the City of Ithaca and
Tompkins County. The 6,400 full-time faculty and
staff employed by the University represent more than
25 percent of the total employed labor force in Tomp-
kins County and more than 56 percent of the total
employed labor force in the City of Ithaca. Combined
students and staff at the University generate an esti-
mated 16,000 vehicular trips per day. This base figure
would be even higher if internal commuting into the
city and occasional trips to the campus were also
included.
These 16,000 daily trips to the University affect
almost all of the major traffic carriers in the city. The
two most heavily traveled approaches to campus are
from the west and south. The main access route to
the campus from the west is State Street to College
Avenue. From the south the main access roads are
Ithaca and Dryden Roads.
Traffic from the west and south flows through the
Collegetown area creating heavy congestion at the
intersection of East State Street and Ithaca Road, as
well as a movement and parking problem in College-
town proper. Only students living beyond a two-mile
radius of the campus are entitled to a University park-
ing sticker. As a result other campus commuters park
their cars in Collegetown. More than 400 student cars
a day park in the Collegetown area. The on-going
parking problem in Collegetown is further com-
pounded by the approximately 400 employees in
Collegetown, many of whom must also park their cars
in the area.
The redevelopment of the block bounded by
College Avenue, Dryden Road, Eddy Street, and
Cascadilla Place will provide office space, retail space,
and living units. Off-street parking spaces will also be
provided within the block. Despite the provided park-
ing, the traffic generated by additional shoppers at-
tracted to the area may add to the general parking
problem in this densely developed area.
The north and east accesses to the campus are less
congested. Stewart Avenue and Cayuga Heights Road
are adequate to handle the present traffic How, as is
Triphammer Road. The small segments of 'i\' ait and
Thurston Avenues which must be used from Trip-
hammer to the campus are in need of improvement.
Most of the traffic entering campus from the north
and east comes from the Village of Cayuga Heights
and the Town of Lansing. Both of these areas are
growing as residential locations for staff and students.
If this trend of residential settlement increases in the
north and east, the present campus access routes may
become inadequate.
'Nest End Business District
The main access road in the " ' est End is Meadow
Street. Traffic counts on Meadow Street indicate that
the highest volume on the street occurs between State
and Green Streets. The second largest volume of traffic
occurs between Seneca and Buffalo Streets. The high
91
Map VI.2
PROJECTED MAJOR STREETS & TRAFFIC GENERATORS, 1990 ------+-
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traffic volume at Meadow and Green Streets indicates
that much of the traffic from the west comes into the
city across Meadow Street instead of using Fulton
Street for a more direct access to Green Street. A
second point of congestion on Meadow Street is
created by westbound traffic on State Street turning
left onto Meadow.
Proposals
1. The main external highways should feed into the
city street system in such a way as to provide ease
of access to the city's primary generators.
2. Immediate attention should be given to improve-
ment of the following intersections to increase
traffic safety:
a. Mitchell and State Streets
b. Stewart and State Streets
c. College and Mitchell Streets
d. Eddy and State Streets
e. Mitchell Street and Ithaca Road
f. State and Aurora Sheets
g. Elmira Road and Meadow Street
h. State, Floral, Elm, Hector, Cliff, and Park
Streets
3. Consideration should be given to creating a
pedestrian concourse, with limited vehicular ac-
cess, between the tuning fork and Cayuga Street.
4. The circulation pattern should be improved by
reconstructing, widening, straightening, and/ or
leveling the following streets:
a. Stewart Avenue
b. Dryden Road
c. University Avenue
d. Thurston Avenue
5. To provide another direct access to the Univer-
sity campus, improvements should be made to
Dey, Lincoln, Lake, and University Avenue, par-
ticularly at the intersection of Lincoln and Lake
and the grade on Gun Shop Hill.
6. Safe movement of traffic along Elmira Road
should be improved by installing curbs, by pro-
viding a median strip, and by limiting turning
movements.
7. A collector street, the Southwest Parkway, should
be built along the old city line extending from
Floral A venue to :tvleadow Street, to provide an
access from the developing south side of West
Hill to the south side of the city.
8. To provide access to developable residential land,
Hillview Place should be extended to Giles Street,
and \iVatTen Place and Taylor Place should be
completed to the Southwest Parkway.
9. Segments of streets adjacent to existing park and
recreation areas should be closed and developed
to expand recreation facilities designated by the
1968 Recreation Plan where there is a shortage
of play space:
a. Cleveland Avenue
b. Adams Street between Dey and Auburn
Streets
c. Madison between Fourth and Fifth Streets
d. Titus behveen Fair and South Streets
e. \iVillow between Marshall and Cayuga Streets
EXTERNAL TRAFFIC
Since the early post-war years traffic has con-
tinually increased in Ithaca. In addition to an in-
crease in commercial and industrial traffic either
attracted to Ithaca or passing through the city, visitor
traffic has increased. The growth of Ithaca College
and Cornell University have also contributed to the
increase of traffic into the city. Since 1960 the number
of vehicles entering and leaving the city has increased
by 64 percent.
The ten major routes to the city have been studied
to determine the volume of traffic gaining access to
the city. These roads will be examined according to
the direction from which they enter the city.
Northern and Eastern Access
In 1964 Route 13 was redesigned as a four-lane
highway and relocated from the east to the north side
of the city. Since its upgrading and relocation Route
13 has shown the largest increase in vehicle use of all
the access roads to the city. Route 13 now carries an
annual average daily traffic ( AADT) of about 14,000
vehicles and has relieved some of the pressure on the
other east and north thoroughfares into the city. Much
of the traffic on Route 13 is composed of trucks and
other oversized vehicles. Not all of this truck traffic,
however, could be diverted north to the relocated high-
way. Route 366, which follows the old Route 13 along
Dryden and Ithaca Roads to Mitchell and State Streets
and into the city, still provides a much-used east en-
trance to the city. Trucks and oversized vehicles make
up 24 percent of the outbound and 13 percent of the
inbound traffic on Route 366. Moreover, there has been
an increase in the proportion of trucks to cars using
Route 366 since 1962. Thirteen percent fewer cars and
14 percent more trucks are using Route 366 now than
did in 1962. Despite the 12 percent grade on Mitchell
Street, Route 366 is the fourth heaviest haveled access
road in the city. Prior to the relocation of Route 13 to
the north, the Dryden Road-Ithaca Road route was the
second most traveled access to the city.
On Route 34, the third of the north and east access
roads, incoming traffic has increased by 21 percent
93
while outbound hafiic decreased slightly from 1962.
Two other north and east access roads exist: Mitchell
Street and East State Street (Route 79). On both of
these access roads the volume of traffic is appreciably
lower than on the other three. Like the other three
roads, however, these access routes showed an in-
crease in inbound traffic and a slight decline in out-
bound traffic.
The total traffic volume fi gures for all five roads
indicate that truck and oversized vehicle traffic in-
creased by four percent in the six-year period. These
five major access roads from the north and east carried
49 percent of the total external traffic volume in 1969,
a five percent increase over 1962 and an 11 percent
increase over the 1950 external traffic volume.
Southern Access
In the south, Elmira Road (New York State
Routes 13, 34, and 96) is the counterpart to Route 13
in the north. Elmira Road carries about the same
amount of traffic as Route 13 in the north. Elmira
Road's share of the total southbound haffic, however,
is higher than Route 13 on the north's share of the
total northbound traffic. Elmira Road carries 50 per-
cent of all southbound traffic.
A second southern access to the city is Route 96B,
South Aurora Street. South Aurora Street has one of
the steepest grades in the city, yet the volume of traffic
on this street has increased by more than 120 percent
in the last seven years. Although there was a slight
decline in the percentage of trucks to passenger cars
on South Aurora Street from 1962 to 1969, there was
an increase in absolute numbers of trucks and over-
sized vehicles. South Aurora Street has shown the
highest total increase in traffic of all the access roads
to the city. The danger of this sharp increase in traffic
usage is evidenced by the high incidence of accidents
on the steep street.
Ithaca College, relocated from Ithaca's Central
Business District to South Hill on Route 96B beyond
the city limits, has contributed to the increased traffic
on South Aurora Street. It is estimated that the College
traffic represents 45 percent of the inbound traffic on
South Aurora Street and 48 percent of the outbound
traffic.
The third southern access to the city is Floral
A venue. Floral A venue carries only three percent of
the total southbound traffic.
Since 1962 the relative frequency of truck and
oversized vehicle traffic has declined on the southern
access roads; however, these roads have evidenced the
largest absolute increase of total traffic carried of all
roads studied. The southbound roads, then, are still
heavily traveled by car and truck traffic. For the pres-
ent, Elmira Road is large enough to carry the volume
94
of traffic. However, should 96B be relocated in such a
way that its traffic feeds into Elmira Road, rather than
down South Hill, the capacity of Elmira Road should
be carefully evaluated.
VI/estern Access
External routes to and from the northwest and
west include Routes 89, 96, and 79. Among these three,
Route 89 has shown the largest increase in total traffic
over the last seven years, an increase of more than
100 percent.
Route 96 handles the bulk of the northwest bound
traffic and ranks third among access roads. The total
volume of Route 96 has not changed significantly in the
past seven years, but more trucks are using this road.
There has been a relative decrease in the proportion
of trucks to cars on Cliff Street but an absolute in-
crease in the number of trucks on the street since 1962.
The existence of only one four-lane bridge across
the newly constructed Hood control channel has
made access to the city from the west and northwest
particularly difficult and hazardous. The total average
daily volume of traffic across this bridge is in excess
of 17,000 vehicles. The relocation of Route 96 will
provide a second bridge across the Hood control
channel . This second bridge is anticipated to relieve
about 60 percent of the inbound traffic, and 62 per-
cent of the outbound traffic, at the present intersec-
tion. The relocation of Route 96 could also provide a
more direct access for eastbound traffic going to
Cornell University and Cayuga Heights, relieving
much of the congestion downtown.
Peak Hours for Traffic
An evaluation of peak hours for traffic on the ex-
ternal access roads indicates that in the morning car
travel peaks between 7:00 and 8:30 A.M., except for
Cornell-bound haffic which tends to reach its peak
between 7:30 and 9:00 A.M. Route 96B is the only
exception. Traffic on this road peaks from 6:00 A.M.
to 8:00A.M. The Route 96 morning traffic peak seems
to correlate with the shifts at National Cash Register
Company and Morse Chain. In the afternoon there is
a constant increase in traffic volume on Routes 96B,
96, and 34. Traffic on the other access roads tends to
peak between 4:00 and 5:30P.M.
Proposals
Several proposals for reducing the hazard and
increasing the future accessibility of Ithaca have
evolved from the evaluative study of the ten major
access roads to Ithaca:
1. Route 13 should be extended over Fulton Street
and continue South along the railroad tracks.
I
I ,
2. The relocation of Route 13 should provide a half
intersection at Meadow Street.
3. By constructing alternate routes around the city
and by requiring trucks to use these routes, truck
and other heavy traffic should be removed from
Routes 366 and 79, alleviating the traffic pressure
from the residential neighborhood.
4. The peripheral highway should be located south
and east of the city close enough to Ithaca to
alleviate truck access problems. with the con-
struction of the peripheral highway, South Aurora
Street should serve only as a collector.
5. To alleviate the conditions of limited access across
the flood conhol channel, it is essential that the
relocated state arterial Route 96 North and the
city's proposed Southwest Parkway be completed
as soon as possible.
6. Through traffic now coming into Ithaca on Route
89 should be diverted onto Route 96 North and
brought into the city. Such a diversion of traffic
from Route 89 would relieve the pressure on the
Inlet Park Road now being used to bring Route 89
traffic to the city. The park road would then serve
exclusively as an access to the Inlet Park complex.
PARKING
As indicated in the 1968 Central Business District
Parking Study, urban renewal has changed the char-
acter of the Central Business District. Not only has
urban renewal made the Central Business District less
dense, but it has also provided much additional space
to alleviate the pressing parking problem in the area.
The parking study indicates that there is a short-
age of parking along State Street. Additional parking
lots on Seneca and Green Streets, adjacent to State
Street, have been recently provided by redevelopment
of the area for more parking for those destined for
State Street.
The evaluation of total parking available in the
Central Business District according to demands of the
City Zoning Ordinance indicates that presently there
is adequate parking in this area. As construction for
urban renewal proceeds there may be slight decreases
in the number of parking spaces available, but on the
whole it is expected that parking in the downtown
area will remain adequate for the fores eeable future.
Parking in the vVest End Business Area should be
considered in conjunction with the presently changing
character of that part of the city. The new and pro-
posed relocations anticipated in the ' iVest End and
the fu ture industrial and commercial development in
the area will generate new parking demands. Specific
solutions to the parking problem will have to wait
for the development of the area.
Collegetown, the third major business district in
the city, has a definite parking problem. Campus com-
muters, unabl e to qualify for on-campus parking,
frequently park in Collegetown. In addition, employ-
ees in Collegetown also use the on-street parking in the
area. New developments in the area are in accordance
with the City Zoning Ordinance in providing their own
off-street parking, but many of these new developments
will create traffic in excess of what they can or are
required to provide for. Therefore, some of the rede-
velopment in the area will simply compound the
existing parking problem.
Proposals
1. Parking structures should be built in both the
Central Business District and Collegetown to
relieve the congestion presently created by on-
street parking and to provide more parking for
the additional traffic which will be generated as
these areas develop further. As the Central Busi-
ness District develops, parking structures should
be built on the north, west, and south periphery
of the shopping area.
2. A study should be undertaken for solution of the
parking problems in the West End Business Dis-
trict which extends along Elmira Road and Mead-
ow Street and along the west end of State Street.
3. The University should be encouraged to continue
to provide as much parking as possible for its
staff and students. The location of such facilities
should be coordinated with the city.
OTHER TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES
COMMUNITY TRANSIT SYSTEM
The city took over the bus system in August 1961.
In December of that year the executive committee of
the Community Transit System recommended to the
Common Council ( 1) that service be extended to
those parts of the city which seem to indicate the
need for service and the willingness to patronize the
line, and ( 2) that the city acquire new equipment to
reduce the high cost of maintaining the old equip-
ment. The administrative committee agreed that "mass
transport is a public service like the Youth Bureau,
library, water supply, boat marina, golf course, street
paving or fire protection," and that since bus service
was a public service the city should absorb the annual
deficit accrued by the system.
Use
Passenger use of the bus system declined by 62
percent from 1957 to 1960. Nationally, in cities of
comparable size, passengers riding the bus decreased
95
by approximately 20 percent in the same four-year
period.
An origin and destination study done in 1961 re-
vealed that almost 60 percent of passenger trips were
made between the Cornell University campus and the
Central Business Dish'ict. The percentage increase in
use between the summer, July-September, and the
school year, October-December, indicates that the
transit system is still dependent to a great extent on
the Cornell-Central Business District traffic. Forty-
five percent of all the trips were made to and from
work, 23 percent to and from shopping, 17 percent to
and from school, 9 percent on personal business, none
for social reasons, and 6 percent for other reasons.
Table VI.2 indicates that only slightly more than 50
percent of the transit system's use was daily. Seventy
percent of the bus users indicated that a car was not
available for their use for the trip. The 1960 census
data on mode of transportation to work indicates that
of the 11,085 people going to work in Ithaca, only
TABLE V1.2: Frequency of Use of the Transit System
by Percentage, 1961.
Persons interviewed who: Percent
Use the bus daily 54
Use the bus once or twice a week 34
Use the bus occasionally 12
SOURCE: Wilbur Smith and Associates, Mass Trans-
portation in Ithaca, New York, Vol. 1, April
1961, p. 15.
three percent took the bus. These figures indicate,
therefore, that while about half of the bus system's
passengers are daily users without a car, this is really
a small proportion of the people going to work in the
city. In 1960, 16 people drove to work for every one
that took the bus and 10 people walked to work for
every one that took the bus.
Table VI.3 indicates the number and type of bus
users, annual revenue, and annual loss to the transit
system from 1964 to 1968. The figures indicate that
there has been a spasmodic decline in passenger use
since 1964. 'Vhile the 1964 figures are only two percent
below the 1960 figures of 276,658, a comparison of the
1957 to the 1967 figures reveals a 66 percent loss. In the
first eight years of the 1960's, the transit system lost
16 percent of its riders. A look at the type of users
reveals that there has been less change in cash fares
than in student fares. This decline in student fares is
primarily the result of the decision in 1965 to limit
sh1dent tickets to high school students. The number of
riders using tokens has increased since 1964. Table
VI.3 also indicates that the revenue from the transit
system has increased overall, although irregularly,
from the 1964 figures . This increase is the result, in
part, of an increase in bus fares in January 1965.
The annual loss before capital expenditures has
also fluctuated widely since 1964. The average annual
loss before capital expenditures is $4,006 a year. This
loss does not include the purchase of equipment. The
average annual loss on the system including equip-
ment is $16,410.
Equipment
In 1969 the city had six operable buses. Two of
these buses were purchased in 1962, three in 1966, and
one in 1968. Three of the city's buses are 19 passenger
mini-buses and three are 35 passenger buses. Pres-
ently the city is on a six-year replacement schedule;
it is anticipated, hovvever, that the new equipment
will have a longer life expectancy. The city added
three buses in 1969, one mini-bus and two 35-passenger
buses. Of the three newly acquired buses, t\vo were
used as replacements for old vehicles and one was
used to extend city service.
Service and Need
Today the city is providing the six bus routes
shown on Map VI.3. Five of these routes service East
A venue, the main north-south Cornell campus road.
One line each runs to the Village of Cayuga Heights
(Route 3), Elmira Road (Route 2), West Hill (Route
3), and South Hill (Route 4). The addition of a sev-
enth operable bus allows the addition of service to the
TABLE Vl.3: Number and Type of Bus Users, Annual Revenue and Annual Loss of the Transit System From
1964-1968
Cash Fares Tokens Used St udent Tickets
Percent Percent
Year Number
Change Number Change Number
1964 186,149 46,298 38,428
1965 162,206 -13.0 55,155 + 19.0 16,128
1966 180,151 +11.0 49,913 -10.0 8,176
1967 176,056 - 2.0 63,157 +27.0 8,685
1968 170,739 - 1.0 52,759 -16.0 8,530
SOURCE: Commun1ty Trans1t System, 1969.
96
Percent
Change
-58.0
-97.0
+6.0
-2.0
Annual Loss
Total Riders
Annual Revenue
Before Capital
Expenditure
Percent Percent Percen
Number Change $ Change
$
Change
270,875 54,720 3,838
233,489 -14.0 58,711 +7.0 206 -95. 0
238,240 +2.0 59,577 + 1.0 6,408 + 301.0
247,898 +4.0 66,392 +11.0 - -
232,028 -1.0 58,700 -12.0 10,719 +46. 0
r .
I )
(
f rOMPKINS COUNTY
SCAt
50.000 loot &<d b.IHd 0'1 ll u YO<lo. 1j1ltn\, CMtt .. lone
10.000 mettr &nd bi!Md on Mt:rutO< 18
HYS ()(CEMBR 1961 O'C
MAP Vl.3
AREA TRANSPORTATION
LEGEND
'-=J LIMITED-ACCESS
i6,d HIGHWA'I'S
c---J OTHER
STATE HIGHWAYS
SYSTEMS
r-:::::-J ITHACA CIRCUMFERENTIAL
LJ ROUTE
/ ........ I INTERSTATE BUS LINES
County Hospital on west Hill and an increase in the
frequency of service to Elmira Road and South Hill.
The addition of another bus has made it possible to
extend the service hours to the hospital and Cornell
campus from 6:00 A.M. to midnight six days a week.
Proposals
1. The policy that the bus system is a necessary
community service and should be provided de-
spite possible financial loss to the city should be
continued.
2. During the summer season bus service should be
extended to the lake front parks and Buttermilk
Falls State Park.
LONG DISTANCE BUS SERVICE
Two main lines of the Greyhound Bus Service
cross at Ithaca. These two lines run from Syracuse to
Elmira, and from Rochester to Binghamton to New
York. Each of the Greyhound lines has five or six buses
traveling both directions through Ithaca daily.
Through the years, particularly since the termination
of passenger rail service to Ithaca in 1963, the Grey-
hound line has experienced a steady increase in the
number of passengers handled at the Ithaca terminal.
The local agent estimates that, at present, more than
250 passengers leave the terminal daily while more
than 1,000 leave the terminal on a holiday. Approxi-
mately 100,000 passengers leave Ithaca by bus annu-
ally.
The Trailways Bus Line passes through Ithaca en-
route to Binghamton and New York City. About 900
passengers a year use this service.
RAILROADS
The City of Ithaca is serviced by the Lehigh
Valley Railroad line five days a week. Cornell Uni-
versity is serviced at its East Ithaca Station three days
a week. For five years the railroad sharply curtailed
its passenger service to Ithaca, and in 1963 passenger
service was eliminated altogether.
The Ithaca freight line nms from Sayre, Pennsyl-
vania, via Ithaca to Milliken Station on Cayuga Lake.
Spur lines connect the Ithaca line to Morse Chain on
South Hill and to the wholesale-industrial area in the
Inlet Valley. The East Ithaca freight line runs from
Sayre to East Ithaca and to Cortland.
In 1968 16,276 carloads of freight entered the
Ithaca area and 3,339 carloads of freight were shipped
out. The railroad does not anticipate any significant
change in the volume of freight to and from the city in
the next decade. The only significant change would
come from any new industry which located on the rail
line.
98
TABLE Vl.4: Freight Shipments In and Out of the
Ithaca Station by Carload in 1968
IN OUT
Type Carloads Type Carloads
Mil liken Station 15,600 Wa ll ace Scrap 156
Lumber Yards 416 Morse Chain 108
Brick 52 Cayuga Rock Salt 3,000
Agway 156 Agway 75
Beer 52
Total 16,276 Total 3,339
SOURCE: Mr. A. Schmidt, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Au-
burn, New York, 1969.
In 1964 the city purchased the Lehigh Valley
Railroad switching yard on Cayuga Inlet. The city is
using the old switch yard site as part of the National
Arts and Recreation Center development being
planned for the lakefront at the inlet. The new rail-
road switch yard was relocated south of Clinton Street
in the Inlet Valley.
Monday through Friday between midnight and
8:00A.M. a train crosses the Elmira Road-Inlet Valley
Neighborhood to the switch yard. Between 8:00 A.M.
and noon daily the hain crosses town, past the North
Central Neighborhood to the Cayuga Rock Salt Mines
and Milliken Station. Periodically trains are sent on
spur lines to Morse Chain. The main Ithaca line is
frequently used by 100 car trains. Since a speed limit
of five miles per hour is necessary within city limits,
these trains hold up traffic in the West End for ten to
20 minutes. The city's major east-west collectors and
arterials are crossed by the tracks. An arrangement
must be made for crossing these primary and secon-
dary roads; the train crossing should be made during
the off-peak traffic flow on the collectors and arterials.
Such an arrangement would be predicated on the
cooperation of the various industries supplied by the
Lehigh Valley Railroad. Another problem is also
caused by spur lines which cross South Aurora Street
and Hudson Street on South Hill and create a safety
hazard to vehicles on the hill. These tracks are rarely,
if ever, used and should be removed.
Proposals
1. Although little expansion of rail service is antici-
pated in the Ithaca area in the future, rail move-
ment should be rescheduled during the periods
of lowest vehicular traffic on the city collectors
and arterials which the train must cross.
AIR TRANSPORTATION
The old Ithaca Municipal Airport was located on
the Inlet at the head of Cayuga Lake. In September
( I
TABLE Vl.5: Tompkins County Airport Air and Pas
senger Traffic 1965 to 1968.
Passengers
Change
Total Uses of
Actual (Percent)
Year Departures
Off On
Over Preced
Airport for All
ing Year
Purposes
1965 5,114 38,650 38,749 11.5
1966* 4,386 41,207 40,362 4.2 120,000
1967 4,102 46,188 44,552 10.4 145,000
1968 3,807 49,793 47,697 7.1 167,490
*Empire Airlines discontinued Tompkins County service in August
1966.
SOURCE: Tompkins County Airport Annual Reports,
1965 through 1968.
1956 the Municipal Airport was discontinued and its
services relocated to the Tompkins County Airport,
a 10 to 15 minute drive from the city. The County
Airport serves several functions locally: passenger
service on scheduled and chartered flights, freight,
air express, air mail, and private aviation. Business
at the airport also includes the local limousine services
and car rental agencies.
Passenger Service
Until 1966 Ithaca and Tompkins County were
serviced by two airlines. In August 1966 Empire
Airlines discontinued its service to the area. The
passenger and air traffic generated by the airlines
using the airport is indicated on Table VI.5. Although
the number of departures has decreased steadily over
the past few years, passenger traffic has increased as
a result of a shift to larger planes. Terminal facilities
which were considered adequate to handle passenger
and air traffic in 1960 are no longer able to accom-
modate the increased usage. The airport management
anticipates the completion of a new terminal building
by 1975.
Thirty-five percent of the passengers boarding
flights at Tompkins County Airport in 1967 and 1968
were connecting with other flights. The high per-
centage of connections indicates a gap in the air
services offered from the County Airport. This gap
cannot be closed by a regional airline alone; however,
flights from Ithaca to major airports are sufficiently
infrequent to cause a loss of business to other large
airports within driving distance: Syracuse, Rochester,
and Elmira. The market for air service in Ithaca is
expected to remain rather constant; improvements in
east-west service, however, may persuade more local
people to take connecting flights out of Ithaca.
Presently the County Airport lacks an Instrument
Landing System. Such a system would make it pos-
sible for aircraft to land at the airport in inclement
weather. An Instrument Landing System has been
proposed for the airport and will be financed and in-
stalled by the Federal Aeronautics Administration.
Installation of the system is anticipated by 1972. YVith
the installation of the landing system, the airport
management anticipates enlarging the ramp to accom-
modate medium-sized jets. To date the air space
within a five mile radius of the County Airport is
controlled by the Elmira Airport Tower. 'iVhen the
weather is poor, clearances for landing at Tompkins
County are issued from the Elmira Tower.
Chartair, the chartered flight service out of Tomp-
kins County Airport, carried some 5,000 passengers
in the northwest region of New York State in 1968.
This was a decline of 18 percent from 1967. However,
the Chartair Service increased by 30 percent from
1966 to 1967.
An important segment of airport traffic opera-
tions come from the East Hill Flying Club and itin-
erant private pilots. These two users account for 48
percent of all traffi c operations at the County Airport.
The total number of airport users has increased
steadily. In 1968, 167,490 people used the airport
facilities. This 1968 use was 16 percent higher than
in 1967. The 1967 use was 21 percent higher than in
1966.
Airport users create an estimated 900 automobile
trips per day. Ground transportation for these airport
users is mainly by private car. The airport limousine
service, however, carried 13,640 passengers in 1968,
a slight decrease in use. Decreases have also been in
evidence in car and rental service.
Proposals
1. The city should support the county's efforts to
expand air service and facilities at the Tompkins
County Airport.
99
101
( I
CONCLUSION
The General Plan for Ithaca as presented here has
established a broad policy to assist in guiding the
community toward predetermined objectives. The
fundamental objective of the plan is to make Ithaca
a place of and for man.
An essential part of preparing the General Plan
was the two months of public hearings, comments, and
criticisms of the plan. Suggestions from these meetings
were carefully weighed and incorporated into the
final document. Community participation is essential
so that the objectives of the plan reflect the desires
and values of the residents for the future priorities in
the community.
A second important facet of the plan is flexibility.
The best plans must be responsive to changes in the
community. Our plan is general. However, it was
made at a single point in time. Ithaca is dynamic.
The proposals listed in the plan must be reviewed
periodically to keep the plan contemporary with the
current situation in the community. The community
objectives of the General Plan, however, should be re-
tained so long as they are valid expressions of the
community's desires and values.
A third important facet of the plan is its cost.
Traditionally, matters of community growth and deci-
sions affecting the physical environment are deter-
mined on the basis of economic expediency. It is not
difficult to see that improving a community is an
expensive procedure. Improvement requires sizable
sums of money over long periods of time. By planning,
the short-term profit is often traded off for the greater
long-term saving. Several examples of how planning
can save money for everyone in the community are as
follows:
1. Planning protects the value of property by spe-
cifically designating the use to which a property,
and adjacent properties, can best be put.
2. Planning provides for the most efficient long-range
use of that part of the city's land which presently
suffers from abuse.
3. Planning establishes objectives, arrived at by the
whole community, on which to guide decisions
and to allocate tax dollars.
4. Planning enables the community to base priorities
for public improvements on accepted and desired
community objectives.
5. Planning reduces unnecessary expenditures which
do little to improve the city's physical environ-
ment.
6. Planning avoids the great expense of providing
public services before an area is ready to develop.
7. Planning helps to attract and retain people, in-
creasing the production and consumption of the
community which are vital to a growing economy.
8. Planning offers residents the opportunity to do
something about many urban problems which
everyone dislikes such as heavy traffic and lack of
parking.
9. Planning protects future generations from the
costly job which faces Ithaca now: correcting our
past mistakes.
This question of cost is a serious one. But before
asking it, one might consider how much the lack of
planning has cost the community in the past, how
much it is presently costing the community to correct
mistakes which could have been avoided, and how
much it will cost the community in the future if the
city does not begin long-range planning now. Can
we really afford not to plan for Ithaca's future?
103
EPILOGUE
The fact that Ithaca does not exist in isolation from
the surrounding area, and that it is subject to abstract
influences of regional and national scope, has been
alluded to in the body of this plan and is intellectually
obvious. This local interdependence is presently in-
stitutionalized in such facilities as the city water and
sewer systems. Thus, while the General Plan is limited
directly by the governmental boundaries of the city,
the plan must also estimate the impact of trends of
growth and development in the area external to the
city and vice versa.
Ithaca, in this regional role, is obligated to plan for
the future in such a way that it will benefit other parts
of the region as well as itself. The mutual benefit will
result primarily from the adoption of a policy of posi-
tive intergovernmental coordination, coupled with
active efforts on the part of each level of city govern-
ment to provide effective programs for improved
living and working conditions for the entire com-
munity. Such a commitment to intergovernmental
organization would be in the best interests of the city
and the adjacent towns since it would mandate the
most effective and efficient use of common financial,
human, and physical resources.
The city's primary role is as a center for, and
stimulus to, development in Tompkins County. By
planning and providing responsibly for future growth
in the city, the quality of life for all residents of the
county will be enhanced. The city must plan to main-
tain and improve its ability to furnish the requisite
urban services and urban amenities necessary for a
total county population which may increase 40 per-
cent by 1980 and 90 percent by the end of the century.
Another major role of the city is as a locus of the
two major educational institutions, Ithaca College and
Cornell University. The combined budgets of these
institutions, which are considered industries, currently
approximates $150,000,000. These budgets are four to
five times bigger than the gross expenditure of the
next largest local industry. The economic importance
of these institutions is supplemented by the money
spent by the 17,500 students and their dependents
resident in the area for the better part of each year.
As pointed out in the education section of this plan,
growth of these institutions is expected to continue for
at least the next few decades. Therefore, if the city
plans and provides services and facilities needed by
the institutions, their employees, and students, then
the city will grow and this growth will help to provide
the funds necessary for programs to benefit all city
residents. If the public and private sectors of the city
decide not to respond to the increasing markets gen-
erated by the educational institutions the economic
advantage will accrue to the merchants and residents
of the surrounding towns.
The growth of these educational institutions, as
well as of other major industries and businesses in or
adjacent to Ithaca, has h.elped make the city the
commercial and service center for an area roughly
corresponding to the county. Coordinated public and
private development programs aimed at further
strengthening the position of the city will have a
greater total effect than the business gained by each
individual establishment locating in the city because
shoppers will tend to patronize establishments adja-
cent to those which are the primary object of their trip.
If the conveni ence of access, the variety of oppor-
tunity, and the amenity of the city's central and sub-
sidiary business districts are not maintained and
improved, more and more decisions on business loca-
tion and shopping trips will be made in favor of more
scattered, but comparatively more attractive sites in
areas outside the city. As a result, such scattered sites
would have the effect of weakening the city's economic
position, as well as fostering marginally-attractive and
marginally-profitable shopping centers in the surround-
ing area.
Ithaca is the employment center for a region larger
than the county. The 1960 Census indicates that three
and a half times as many persons commuted into
Tompkins County for work than traveled out of the
county for work. Moreover, by virtue of its concentra-
tion of commercial and educational activity, most of
this commutation comes to the city. This in-commuta-
tion rate will be sustained or increased by the expected
growth of present major employers and the possible
addition of other enterprises in and near the city.
Business and employment opportunities are closely
linked to residential opportunities. The tight housing
market in Ithaca and the county, documented in the
section on housing, is one of the reasons why so many
people commute to the jobs available in the city. This
plan proposes that a major effort be made to stimu-
late increased construction of housing for all income
levels within the city. Such building activity would
have the effects of supporting the construction trades
and retaining more of the local payroll within an
expanded and easily accessible consumer market. If
the increased demand for housing, indicated by popu-
lation projections and commuter trends, is not met by
the city with a policy of encouragement and provision
of resources available within the city, such as land
and municipal services, then a solution will be found
outside the city. Development of housing outside the
105
city may have adverse long run effects, i.e. high costs
of providing utilities and unnecessary duplication of
services.
Another part of the city's role in regional develop-
ment is as a governmental center. Because it is acces-
sible and the seat of two governments, the city and
the county, many other public, semi-public, and pri-
vate agencies also have their headquarters in the city.
i\!Iovements currently underway to combine similarly
oriented social service groups promise more efficient
and effective community action. Similarly, problems
dealing with physical development, such as waste
disposal and water supply, would probably benefit
from increased intergovernmental coordination. The
question of primary responsibility for the solution of
waste disposal and water supply will require that
consideration be given to consolidation of govern-
mental agencies on a county-wide basis. Such a county
agency would then coordinate the efforts of all govern-
mental agencies within the area.
The City of Ithaca has historically played a central
role in the operation and development of its surround-
ing county. Today, difficult policy and development
decisions are confronting the city. Resolution of these
problems will affect positively or negatively the con-
ditions in the areas beyond the city. Recognizing its
position of leadership, the city must consider its con-
tinual interaction with the surrounding area and
acknowledge that the best future rests in maximum
development of the potential of both the city and the
community which surrounds it.
Among community problems which must be dealt
with on an integrated basis are water resource
development, housing, sewage and refuse disposal,
pollution control, highway access into and through
both the city and county, adequacy and location of
commercial activity, land use and zoning, and expand-
ing the community's economic base. The solutions to
these community problems will bear directly on the
shape of future development: whether it is to be
scattered, diffuse and haphazard, or orderly and com-
posed of a clearly defined and dominant center with
well planned subordinate nodes or areas of develop-
ment.
Some of the methods available to resolve these
common community problems are conservation,
control, and development. Conservation pertains to
maintaining and restoring the community's existing
resources, through public and private action. At the
public level the normal maintenance activity of opera-
ting agencies is effective in taking care of govern-
mental structures and developed facilities such as
roads and sewers. Further public involvement is
required in action programs and other conservation
efforts concerning the undeveloped environment, in-
106
eluding major natural features and public lands of all
types: trees, parks, streams and lakes, gorges, and
undevelopable land which should be protected and
preserved. Private conservation action should be en-
couraged to develop similar care for, and pride in,
individual properties. Such action can be channeled
through group action in areas of special interest such
as civic groups, neighborhood associations, nature and
environmental action groups. These organizations
sponsor clean-up campaigns in neighborhoods, busi-
ness areas, and recreation lands; restore areas and
buildings of historic and scenic interest; and support
historic preservation efforts, architectural review
standards and boards, and otherwise influence con-
servation efforts of the larger community.
Control concerns the establishment and impli-
mentation of measures for maintenance and growth
of the community. These controls may be direct or
indirect. Direct controls usually take the form of
codes, ordinances, and regulations such as those for
building, zoning, and subdivision. However, these
measures may also include policies for overall develop-
ment such as the proposals in this plan and policies
and procedures for intergovernmental cooperation in
solving matters of common concern. Other methods
of control are indirect. These controls include civic
and special interest group involvement and general
public opinion. These can be either positive or nega-
tive forces supporting or resisting existing and pro-
posed controls, or initiating and lobbying for needed
changes.
Development is a method of solving problems and
effecting change largely by working toward the future
within the existing framework of control. Although
development is primarily concerned with questions of
land use and circulation, the effect of this physical
development on the economic and social development
of the community must also be considered. Develop-
ment decisions must be made on the basis of research
into the community's needs and desires. Planning
and development done in the absence of this knowl-
edge is invariably damaging to someone, and often
has negative repercussions on the original planning
body. Only by considering these external effects can
the city meet the needs of its own residents and busi-
nessmen and provide efficiently for its own service
area. By considering the impact of development on
the city, the city will consolidate and reinforce its own
position in the commercial service market area. By
conserving and concentrating physical and financial
resources the city will benefit the entire area.
The major means of resolving these community
problems and expanding the community's economic
base lie in: ( 1) developing increased intergovern-
mental cooperation; ( 2) increasing citizen and private
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enterprise's interest and involvement; and ( 3) increas-
ing commitment to planning and programming orga-
nized action by public and private agencies at all levels.
In sum, Ithaca will serve both its own interests and
those of its regional community by recognizing and
understanding its greater responsibility. By looking at
and acting on its own and on its community's develop-
ment problems, the city will reinforce the cycle of
economic growth by attracting business and industry.
Continuing responsive and responsible action on the
part of the city will result not only in increased com-
munity spirit and pride; it will also encourage needed
public support for government. Increased civic in-
volvement and participation in physical, social, and
economic development programs that make a growing
city attractive in both the economic and physical
sense will result from public support for their govern-
ment. This concerned, informed, and progressive
community action is instrumental in achieving a satis-
fying and enduring environment for living and work-
ing; a healthy city, physically and economically; a
city which provides outstanding facilities for learning
and leisure; a city which attracts new businesses and
residents while serving the present ones better. Ithaca
is most likely to achieve its full potential as a center
for and a stimulus to regional community life, employ-
ment, and services by assuming leadership in the effort
to resolve regional community problems, and by work-
ing to achieve maximum beneficial growth both inter-
nally and externally.
107

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