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Ithaca housing board votes 2–2, declines variance for hallway bathroom in absent applicant’s case
Summary
A 2–2 tie left variance HC26‑03 unapproved after the city board debated whether an unsigned handwritten note meant the variance "ran with the property," and whether tenant‑only lock and plan dimensions satisfied safety concerns. The applicant and agent were absent.
The Ithaca City Housing Board voted to deny a requested variance for case HC26‑03 after a 2–2 tie on July 28, 2026, leaving the issue unresolved. The motion to grant the variance, moved by board member David Wall and seconded by board member Chris Anagnos, failed after two members voted yes and two voted no.
The board’s chair (identified in the transcript as the meeting chair) read the roll and announced the outcome: "The motion does not pass from a 2 2 vote." Board discussion before the vote focused on whether an unsigned handwritten note in the file—dated April 1999 but with no initials—authenticates that an earlier variance "runs with the property." Members also debated whether required tenant‑only locking and the bathroom’s measured clearances met current code. Neither the listed owner, Feng Lu, nor the agent, Jennifer Wan Singh, were present; the chair noted their absence on the record.
