ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — During a meeting on November 4th, 2026, the Ithaca Common Council voted 8-1 to grant ‘conceptual approval’ for a proposed 75-unit development on lower Elm Street.

The proposed project, a 75-unit development, has been a source of pushback from some residents that live on West Hill. Residents voiced their concerns regarding cutting down mature forest for the project, safety, increases in traffic, rezoning of the area, sparse parking spots for West Hill residents, non-student pedestrian traffic through the Lehman Alternative Community School’s campus, among others at a public hearing on October 14th, 2026.

More recently, 129 residents signed a letter urging the Common Council to reject the lower Elm housing development conceptual approval. Students and teachers at Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) separately collected 150 signatures opposing the development, according to Dan Hoffman of Dan Hoffman Law.

At the meeting on November 4th, Alderperson Joseph Kirby asked City Planning Director Lisa Nicholas whether anything prevented the developer from clear-cutting down the lower Elm Street forest now, to which Nicholas answered, “No.” Although the conceptual approval does not mean final approval, residents worry that the development may move forward with clearing the forest without an environmental review being conducted first.

Review of the project now moves to the Ithaca City Planning Board, though it does not currently show up on the board’s agenda for their next meeting.

Find the full recording of the Ithaca Common Council November 4th meeting here.