Letters

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needs in our communities. When you give, you make lifelong connections with people in your community, you feel good and have a stronger sense of belonging, you help those in need and your good work often encourages others to join you.

There is no time quite like the present to assess your ability to give back and make a difference. Find something that aligns with your values, speaks to your heart and fuels your passion. If we all commit to random acts of kindness and finding small ways to give back, in our work and personal lives, we will make a big impact here in Ithaca and well beyond.

And, should a nonprofit be in need of resources like those of the Tompkins Charitable Gift Fund, please reach out for details at http://www.tompkinscharitablegift.org/index.htm. Grant applications are being accepted now until Sept. 1 and nonprofit organizations across Central New York are eligible to apply.

TIOGA STREET PROPERTIES

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will be available,” she said. “As far as our constituents are concerned, this is the center point for all of our districts...I foresee this being a wise investment.”

The county plans to continue using the 400 block property during construction of the new building. Once construction is completed, the county will most likely sell portions of the 400 block site. The county owns a portion of Sears St. by the 400 block, and some members brought up the idea of using these parcels to build affordable housing. Specific plans for the fate of the 400 block and Sears St., however, remain undetermined.

Member Deborah Dawson shared her support for the project and responded to the concern that many residents don’t understand why the purchase of both buildings is necessary. She pointed to the many potential benefits to the public that purchasing the two buildings would generate.

“It makes it much easier for us to make some kind of arrangement to build affordable housing on Sears Street, which the residents have been requesting,” she said. “It allows us to use some of the remainder of that property for parking and perhaps electric charging infrastructure.”

Rick Snyder noted that some constituents have raised concerns that purchasing these properties and constructing a new building might not be a wise decision during the pandemic, especially considering the large expense of the project (the members did not specifically mention how it will be funded). In response, he framed the project as a long term investment that will outlive the pandemic.

“The decision we are considering here is really a 50 year decision, perhaps more, and we have to look well beyond the pandemic for what will really work for the county,” he said. “You’re not losing value by buying real estate — you’re transferring it from cash to land... we will not lose value by investing in this land.”

Adding to the chorus of support for the project, Interim County Administrator Lisa Holmes shared her excitement about the new building.

“I think the consolidation of county operations downtown will only add to the synergies and efficiencies of the workforce as well as the greening of our facilities,” she said. “I am excited about the opportunities this purchase affords us, and I am pleased to see it coming to fruition.”

The committee unanimously passed the resolution.

Before adjourning the meeting, the members discussed a rough timeline and future plans for the project. Specifically, they considered whether or not they should pass the project on to a subcommittee such as Facilities and Infrastructure or even form a new subcommittee to manage it.

Robertson advocated sealing up major decisions this year, regardless of which committee tackles the project.

“I think it would be most efficient to continue with this group that has the knowledge so far of this design,” she said. “I think there is work to be done and you can certainly move through the decision making and get it done this calendar year so that it’s buttoned up in the right direction.”

Black disagreed with Roberton’s haste to shore up plans for the project in the next few months citing the heavy load already facing county officials.

“I don’t see a reason to hurry this forward over the next three or four months,” she said. “We are working on ARPA funds, we are working on the budget — we have a lot going on right now, so if it can be covered in [Facilities & Infrastructure] or even having a special committee meeting, I think that is fine. I don’t see anything major coming up in the next 200 days that we will have to make major decisions on.”

Even though no concrete decisions about committee referral or timing were made at the meeting, the passage of the resolutions marks an important starting point for the proposed county building. The land acquisition plans will be sent to the full legislature for approval, and if approved, Holmes can formally authorize the purchase.

Faith Fisher is a reporter from The Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s inaugural summer fellowship at The Ithaca Times.

-Faith Fisher

THE TALK AT

YOUR LETTERS

Re: Worth the price

Henry Stark’s recent review of the Heights Restaurant was informative but incomplete. Henry should have mentioned the bar menu, which is delightful, inexpensive, and filling. In particular, Henry skipped over the pizzas, which are excellent, and, when served with a substantial Caesar salad make a very filling, very tasty meal for $18. Shame on you Henry for leaving everyone with the impression that you have to be a millionaire to eat at the Heights! (And kudos to the Heights for their imagination and determination throughout the pandemic.) -Ralph Janis, Ithaca, NY Re: Where are the bikes?

If our community is reluctant to admit to the negative impacts dockless bikes and scooters bring, we will again suffer the clutter of chaos if they come back. In your recent article 8/4/21 “Where are the bikes?” it painted a positive, one-sided view only. There are many other viewpoints of concern. I take issue with a few points, needing correcting. A Lime Bike was shown at a bike rack. This photo speaks a thousand words. I have voiced concern for this problem since the first day of Lime’s arrival. These bikes must not be left at bike racks. Traditional cyclists need them to lock their bikes. It is a lifeline for them. Dockless bikes and scooters lock themselves, hence not needing racks. To move them, you have to lift them, possibly spraining your back. They are very heavy. Your reporter wrote that the bikes are lightweight.

Lime Bikes (and many other similar companies) are left on sidewalks, streets, blocking entrances, are tipped over, bunched together, taking up bike racks, etc. Has anyone cared what an elderly person, someone in a wheelchair or walker will do when it’s in their path? The companies have deceptive practices, hence how they entered our community without community awareness and discussion. This info is easy to see online via many news reports.

It was very hard for me to read your article without getting bundled up with emotion and frustration, seeing the same officials and groups saying the same things to the press, not acknowledging the huge problems we’ve had with Lime in our community. I feel as if someone is getting a payback by the company. At most, an unethical approach to denying the truth, considering the leadership positions of those interviewed in your article.

Ithaca lacks the infrastructure needed for a dockless company to operate here. Before any consideration of having another company come here again, there must be public hearings and discussion of the past problems Lime presented. Bike Walk Tompkins sadly is still operating in the same manner, dismissing concerns and pushing the city to bring another company, even this fall, to Ithaca. At a recent meeting in City Hall with Common Council and the mayor, on Aug. 4, Bike Walk Tompkins presented their case for bringing a similar company, on presenting a positive spin to Council. In return, Council did not ask any hard questions of past impact. I was horrified by what I saw again. This is a huge lack of leadership and misinformation to the public.

Bike Walk Tompkins does not represent my concerns. I have been biking in Ithaca since my arrival in 1982. I know and witness a lot of the porblems we have for bike safety daily. I do not see anyone addresing them. For example, talking and texting while driving with tinted windows, which you cannot see what the driver is doing. Bikers, scooters and skate boarders use their phones too. There could be an educational campaign between the city, Cornell and Ithaca College pulling together funding for this venture. The possibilities are endless in creating a sustainable bike community, without these companies taking over our streets or mom and pop rental stores.

Dockless companies similar to Lime have a history of deception and chaos all over the world. The use of climate change to increase bike usage using their practices in communities is unsustainable. They make huge profits while the communities scramble to deal with the side effects. Some cities have canceled their contracts or introduced fines or police help. Yet, Ithaca did ont want any regulations or educational street signage. Nobody reads the fine print on their cell phones or wireless technology or how 5G radiation impacts us. I believe it’s unsafe and am not happy with how these companies are dependent on cell phone usage. There still has been no conclusion to their safety.

We do not need these companies to solve our bicycle usage or transportation. Ithaca can do this on its own. I will not buy into their practices. We can do better than this. Please take some time to learn more about them and voice concerns. There needs to be an investigation into how badly the city and persons and groups in your article have handled these concerns. How Lime was brought here, why concerns were not addressed and why the other solutions weren’t researched.

We can create a sustainable community only by working together for the betterment of all. -Fay Gougakis, Ithaca, NY

A few of the 200+ homes curently on the market in Ithaca (Howard Hanna Real Estate and Waren Real Estate)

HOT MARKET

A booming real estate market means higher prices, fewer options and more competition for homes

By Tanner Harding

The housing market in Ithaca has always been strong. Buoyed by strong economic drivers like Cornell University and Ithaca College, the city’s real estate sold well even through hard times like the great recession. However, according to real estate agent Carol Bushberg, owner of Carol Bushberg Real Estate, the market has been pushed to “a fever pitch” by the pandemic.

“What I’ve seen is that there’s been a migration from more densely populated areas like downstate, New York City — Brooklyn especially — and certainly Boston, California, Connecticut…There’s just flight from these more populated areas to Ithaca.”

Bushberg said people in those areas see Ithaca as a safer, less densely populated area but still rich in culture.

“So we have seen many instances of real estate agents selling properties to buyers who have never walked through the door of the property they’re buying,” she said.

Another reason for more people coming to Ithaca is a direct result of a change in work habits due to the pandemic, surmises Bryan Warren of Warren Real Estate.

“We’re seeing people move to the area who wouldn’t under normal circumstances,” he said. “The increased flexibility of jobs is allowing people to move to more rural, more beautiful areas such as the Ithaca area. People are moving here when they normally couldn’t, and which is creating less supply and a lot more demand.”

With the influx of people interested in Ithaca, Bushberg said she’s seen a large rise in the number of cash sales happening in the marketplace.

“Even though it’s a very strong market regionally, it’s still a relatively inexpensive market compared to downstate or New York City or California or Texas,” she said. “If someone is selling a condo in Chicago or San Diego or Santa Barbara or Brooklyn, the prices, even though they seem high to us locally, don’t seem particularly high relative to the markets these buyers are coming from.”

She said from her experience, that’s a big part of the reason prices are being driven upwards.

“These are people who are willing, in order to secure a home, to pay more than locals might have suggested they would and they’re comfortable with that and they have

the assets to do that.”

Johnson said previously it wasn’t unusual for a home in this area to go over asking price by a little bit, but now homes are routinely selling for $20,000-$25,000 over asking price. She added she recently saw a home go for as much as $100,000 over.

Bushberg added that the strong stock market over the past year also means people have assets they’re able to liquidate to secure down payments.

Another thing driving the price up is the number of buyers, increasing the competitiveness of each sale. Bushberg said there are currently more buyers than houses on the market, so they’re getting more offers than usual on homes. Warren said he’s seen as many as 28 offers on one property, though notes that was an extreme situation.

“I have seen them go to an extreme over the last 12-16 months for sure,” he said. “We’ve seen much more of that than we had seen in the past.”

Karen Johnson, the president of the Ithaca Board of Realtors and owner of a brokerage in Spencer, said that the low interest rates have also played a part in people eager to secure homes. With rates hovering around 3-3.5%, people are in a hurry to lock in a mortgage at that rate.

Johnson said she’s seen a lot of different

tactics employed in an effort be the winning offer, ranging from offers over the asking price, making cash offers, putting down larger deposits or waiving the appraisal contingency.

Warren said that more than ever, he’s seen parents buy homes for their children, who may be students at Ithaca College or Cornell University, to live in.

“People are looking at recreational places to invest in and they can take some time to be close to their kids,” he said. “It’s probably a fair statement to say you’re seeing more investment because of that.”

Johnson said she knows of a home that was sold for $600,000 to the parents of a student so that the student could live there while away at college.

The jump in this market started around May 2020, and really picked up last fall.

“In 2020, in February, March and April everything just stopped,” he said. “In summer we saw a little relief, and it’s been strong ever since.”

And Warren, Johnson and Bushberg all said they don’t see the boom stopping any time soon.

“I don’t think there’s any reason it’ll stop,” Warren said. “I don’t think prices will fall, I don’t see it going backwards at all. The foundation for a strong market is still in place.”

Bushberg echoed that, reiterating that the market in Ithaca was strong even in the toughest of times.

“It’s always been strong and continues to get stronger,” she said. “The market’s been tested in COVID and during the great recession and back in 1986 when inflation was rampant.”

Johnson said she thinks the interest rates could rise a bit which might lessen the buyer pool, but she doesn’t think the prices will drop.

“I don’t think the prices are going to go down…I think they’ll remain steady,” she said. “They go up and level off, but they don’t really dip.”

According to statistics from the Ithaca Board of Realtors, through June 2021, there had been an increase of 34.4% in closed sales, a rise of 27.8% in median sales price and a decrease of 51.7% of homes for sale since June 2020.

In June 2020, the average house was on the market for 82 days, while in June 2021 it was just 29 days. The median sales price has jumped from $230,000 to $294,000 during that time period, and the average sales price has climbed from $263,031 to $316,402. Further proving Warren, Johnson and Bushberg’s points about recent trends, the Ithaca Board of Realtors statistics

“I don’t think there’s any reason it’ll stop, I don’t think prices will fall, I don’t see it going backwards at all. The foundation for a strong market is still in place.”

-Bryan Warren, Warren Real Estate.