Developer proposes 60‑unit DeWitt House with Lifelong anchor and on‑site power plant

Developers from Travis Hyde Properties told the Tompkins County Old Library committee that their DeWitt House proposal would return multiple county parcels to the tax rolls, add 60 age‑restricted apartments and house Lifelong program space in the downtown block.

Frost Travis, president of Travis Hyde Properties, told the committee the team is proposing a four‑story, L‑shaped building with about 4,000 square feet of commercial space, an approximately 6,500‑square‑foot Lifelong tenant area and an outdoor community garden. "We're taking not just one but four tax parcels back to the tax rolls," Travis said, arguing the plan would provide "the highest combined return on the county's investment." He said the proposal is responsive to the parcel's upzoning to CVD50 and to the Tompkins County comprehensive plan.

Brian Wilbur, president of the Lifelong board of directors, described Lifelong as a 62‑year‑old nonprofit with roughly 1,000 members and told the committee the organization sees the partnership as a way to ensure long‑term program sustainability and to reduce Lifelong’s maintenance burden.

The team presented unit sizing and market assumptions: one‑bedrooms of roughly 600 square feet and two‑bedrooms of roughly 800 square feet; the proposal includes 21 one‑bedrooms and the remainder two‑bedrooms for a 60‑unit total. Developers estimated preliminary rent at about $25 per square foot, which they said would put a 600‑square‑foot one‑bedroom at a little over $1,200 per month on a preliminary basis; they did not report finalized operating or utility pass‑through models.

The developers said one of the existing three‑story houses on the Lifelong parcel would be retained and reprogrammed as a short‑term family annex, while a small one‑story ranch would be demolished. The team told the committee they had revised plans based on input from the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission and community commenters and would continue design work with ILPC review.

Neighbors and committee members focused much of the public Q&A on parking, accessibility and neighborhood impacts. Multiple speakers said the proposed on‑site parking (the team cited roughly 30 spaces) appeared small relative to 60 new units plus Lifelong program visitors and commercial tenants. "You're adding 60 residents into a fairly dense neighborhood," a resident said, urging the team to study spillover impacts on nearby streets. The developers said they expect some self‑selection by residents (favoring walkable downtown living), plan to pursue car‑share arrangements and expect to rely on nearby municipal parking garages and metered street parking for commercial tenants.

Advocates for people with disabilities pressed the team to move beyond "ADA adaptable" units toward fully accessible apartments where demand exists; the developers said they have consulted a universal‑design expert at Cornell (Esther Greenhouse) and would consider building fully accessible units if the demand justified it, and that the family annex would receive accessibility work including a limited‑use lift.

The committee did not take any formal vote or action; members said they expected further review in the site‑plan and ILPC processes and that the legislature will consider a recommendation after the proposer presentations are complete.