Ithaca planning board pauses Breeze Apartments retaining-wall, dumpster and transformer changes; asks for materials and alternative plans

The Ithaca City Planning and Development Board reviewed proposed site-plan modifications for the Breeze Apartments at 121–125 Lake Street on Oct. 28, hearing from the applicant team and engineering consultant about changes to an eastern retaining wall, dumpster enclosure and transformer location.

The applicant said the revisions were based on construction logistics and property-line constraints discovered during excavation. Eric Reynolds, the project engineer, said the team is proposing segmented gravity‑block retaining walls in place of previously approved cast‑in‑place concrete walls so that all excavation and construction remain within the development’s property limits and avoid work in areas cleaned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Reynolds said the segmented blocks require a somewhat wider wall footprint and cause small height…