For the first time in 40 years, Ithaca will craft a comprehensive city plan that aims to tackle all the key development issues facing the city. Phase one began Monday night.

The Collegetown Zoning Working Group presented plans to increase the building density of Collegetown by allowing for higher and larger buildings in certain areas at the Common Council meeting Wednesday.

Tonight, the Ithaca Common Council will hear a debate on the Collegetown Urban Plan and Design Guidelines that consulting team Goody Clancy developed last fall. We applaud the student-lead effort to lobby Common Council and implore students to head downtown tonight to ensure that the student voice be heard.

However, up until this point, we feel this student voice has been misinformed.

Last Thursday, the Collegetown Neighborhood Council met to discuss plans for the future development of Collegetown. The Council deliberations centered on the Collegetown Urban Plan & Design Guidelines, a report produced by consulting firm Goody Clancy to determine the best methods for future development of Collegetown.

Instead of accommodating the unbiased and thoughtful analysis of the Goody Clancy plan, the Ithaca City Council is proposing to reject Goody Clancy’s bold vision for a rejuvenated and developed Collegetown. Their myopia endangers the quality of housing and off-campus social life for future generations of Cornell students, and is a decision that we as students must fight against.