Ithaca · Local digest

The City of Ithaca is conducting sidewalk repair and replacement work on the 300 block of Turner Place (East side) and 200 block of South Hill Terrace (North side) to improve pedestrian infrastructure, with an estimated completion date of August 27, 2026. The project is expected to take approximately two weeks with no recommended detours in place. For additional information, contact Sidewalk Program Manager Ari Hama at (607) 759-7201 or ahama@cityofithaca.org.

The Greater Ithaca Activities Center has filed plans with the City of Ithaca to redevelop the former Red & White Cafe into a three-story, $3 million facility featuring a teaching kitchen, 30-seat cafe, and culinary arts instruction space for teens and young adults. The new 7,987 square-foot building will also include senior gathering spaces, an assembly room with exterior patio, meeting rooms, and solar panels. GIAC is seeking a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning approval from the City of Ithaca Common Council to allow non-residential uses on the site, which currently only permits residential zoning. The council is expected to review the PUD application on August 19, with construction tentatively planned between February and December 2027.

Interstate 86 between Horseheads and Elmira is reduced to a single lane in both directions through mid-October for a paving project by the New York State Department of Transportation. Motorists should expect travel delays and consider alternate routes, with fines doubled for speeding in work zones.