- Bring residents back to the city through higher intensity and mixed-use development.
- Develop in town centers (villages and hamlets) to encourage a sense of community.
- Encourage high intensity growth to preserve open space and valuable agricultural land.
- Concentrate development in areas where utilities and infrastructure already exist.
- Avoid development in flood prone areas.
- Avoid development on the best agricultural lands.
- Ensure new development has an adequate supply of drinking water.
- Protect crucial aquifer recharge areas.
- Provide a system of interconnecting greenways.

Summary of Discussion

Primary Concerns
This group viewed economic development as a key determinant of the county's future development. Well-paying jobs play a role in diminishing social problems (drugs, family problems, etc.), enabling people, especially youth, to remain in the area, and generally enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

Economic and Social Concerns
A strong economic base is needed in the city as this ties together the surrounding area; good-paying jobs in the central city would make people feel empowered and lead to fewer drug and family problems. People--especially the young--leaving the community represent a loss of investment in the community and results in the inability to keep extended families together. A health care network for the aging, housing for seniors, and quality of life factors such as open space and resource protection are needed so that people would feel more comfortable staying here. Growth in the commercial and industrial sectors is needed along with the provision of public utilities and roads that would support that growth. Employment centers in Dryden should be enhanced and new industrial parks developed.

Future Development
Higher intensity development should be located in developed areas, such as the hamlets, and in areas inside the proposed 'Ridge Road beltway;' areas outside the beltway should be for lower intensity uses.

Development decisions need to involve an awareness of the effects of global warming and the energy problem, of the tension between infrastructure and local self-sufficiency. Development should assume a human scale: two-to-three story structures, not skyscrapers. New development should be mixed-use and be located near areas of open space. Additionally, while development should occur in areas where roads and utilities already exist, appropriate zoning is needed to achieve the desired development patterns, and prevent sprawl, along roadways.

Infrastructure
Roads should be designed to serve particular functions and to fit land forms. The road infrastructure needs to be systematically examined to accommodate economic development as well as to lessen concerns related to impacts resulting from such development. Congestion in the city should be reduced to make downtown more attractive for shopping and reduce frustrations of motorists.

Some in the group designed the 'Ridge Road beltway' around the city to enhance connectivity among existing major roadways. This beltway should avoid gorges. It was also suggested to develop connector roadways between existing highways to enhance access to work areas, and to develop service roads to reduce driveway cuts along major roads.

Housing
Housing needs will change over the next 50 years. In the past, much growth has been student-related; since Cornell is no longer expanding, however, there will be a greater need for adult and low-income housing. Some thought should be given to creating Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units.

Agriculture and the Environment
The nature of agriculture is changing in the county. Some agreed that prime agricultural lands should be preserved, and others questioned the future of agriculture in the county and the need to protect agricultural lands. One way to protect agricultural lands is by making it more attractive to develop elsewhere. Wetlands, forested areas, and urban green spaces should be preserved. Additionally, crucial aquifer recharge areas should be protected.

Mapping Details
· Create higher intensity in the city by filling vacant buildings and building up rather than out.

· Develop the Route 96 corridor in the Town of Ulysses since water lines from Ithaca to Jacksonville may be extended to Trumansburg.

· Develop West Hill since utilities and a large amount of open land exists in this area. Protecting green areas and trees in this area would help maintain its character.

· Dryden should support more development to take advantage of existing water and sewer facilities, but flood prone areas should be avoided.

· Develop South Lansing near Cayuga Lake so as to avoid developing farmland.

· Consider the potential for future development in Enfield and Danby.

"Vital Communities Workshop Report, 2000-2001", prepared by TCPD & ITCTC, June 2001