March 24th, 2022 Daily Headlines

On Tuesday the Ithaca Planning and Economic Development Committee approved the Catherine Commons project. According to the Ithaca Voice, the project will mean the demolition of 11 older student apartment houses to make way for the $39 Million development. The development will include 6 buildings with 360 residential units. The project was approved unanimously and construction is expected to begin this year and be completed in August 2024.

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At the committee’s previous meeting they also moved forward with lease renewal legislation that will require landlords to wait 120 days before offering lease renewal. According to the Ithaca Times, the legislation will also eliminate the option to waive the waiting period. The rule change was proposed by 4th ward councilor Patrick Mehler. Mehler says Cornell students have been asked to sign lease renewals within weeks of moving in, and have unwittingly waived the waiting period.

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On Tuesday New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that Ithaca and Tompkins County would receive over $4 Million for local projects. According to the Ithaca Times, included in the funds will be $1.4 Million to replace the South Albany Street Bridge, $1 Million to update the city’s electrical grid, and $2 Million for downtown economic development. The funding is part of the federal budget passed for fiscal year 2022.

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As part of the state’s budget process legislators are considering a suspension of the state’s gas tax. According to the New York Times, the State Senate has proposed suspending the gas tax with support from both Democrats and Republicans. While the State Assembly didn’t include the proposal in their budget, Speaker Carl Heastie did express openness to the idea. Governor Hochul has voiced some skepticism of the proposal saying it may not have a significant impact on gas prices. The price of gas has seen a clear increase with New York’s average gas price sitting at $4.35, up from $2.91 last year.