Planning board approves 309 College Avenue with conditions to protect nearby Greenstar grocer

The Ithaca Planning & Development Board on June 23 unanimously approved site plan approval for the 309 College Avenue apartment project but attached new conditions aimed at protecting the nearby Greenstar Food Co‑op during demolition and early construction.

Jeff Bessemer, general manager of Greenstar Food Co‑op, told the board he was “grateful” for the developers’ outreach but urged the board to make approval conditional on restricting heavy demolition during the student move‑in window. “Student move‑in is an absolutely mission critical time for our grocery store,” Bessemer said, describing prior construction on College Avenue that he said produced a 40–60% sales decline for the store during earlier projects.

Developers, identified in discussion as Nick Robertson and Charlie O’Connor, told the board they have tried to accelerate permitting and demolition but said a newly discovered vermiculite condition and the need for a variance make timing uncertain. “We have always stated we want to take the building down before the kids get here,” one presenter said, adding that the variance process could take “probably three to four weeks” and that demolition and hauling might then take several days.

Board members pressed the applicants for concrete commitments. Emily Petrina proposed amendments that the board adopted: the applicant must submit a city‑approved signage plan that preserves pedestrian access and visibility for adjacent businesses and the TCAT stop; name a designated contact person with after‑hours availability for adjacent property owners; and include all adjacent property owners in the project’s neighbor coordination letter. The board also inserted a requirement that the applicant make every good‑faith effort to minimize disruption and intensify coordination during any demolition that would fall within the student move‑in period (board discussion identified roughly Aug. 15–Sept. 15 as the most critical window).

Mitch Glass and others urged more‑frequent, proactive outreach to neighbors, including weekly coordination meetings during demolition. Several board members suggested the city could help by approving wayfinding or visitor signage that directs people around the construction and toward open businesses.

The board moved and adopted the amended resolution by unanimous voice vote. Emily Petrina moved to consider the resolution and Andy Roman seconded; the vote in favor was recorded unanimously. The approval includes standard conditions about permits and requires the applicant to file necessary building permits and deliver the updated neighbor coordination materials within a set timeframe or face re‑submittal requirements.

Developers said they would continue working with Greenstar’s representatives — including follow‑up that the presenters noted they had already done — and will provide a list of neighborhood commitments for inclusion in the project file. The board noted that many of the amendments are procedural (signage, a contact person, coordination) and are intended to give Greenstar and other adjacent businesses more immediate recourse if problems arise.

Next steps: the applicant must satisfy the resolution’s conditions and file or update required permits. The board noted they will review compliance as the project moves forward; if the applicant fails to meet the outlined conditions the extension and approvals could be revisited.