Cottage development and private community center proposed for East Shore Drive parcel in Lansing

A new mixed-use development proposed in the town of Lansing could bring 12 new rental cottages and a community center full of amenities to East Shore Drive in Lansing. 

The project, devised by local architect Larry Fibroni, would expand the town’s housing inventory and offer a host of features at a planned community center, including pickleball courts and an area to host a farmers market and catered events. Lisa Bonniwell, who owns the parcel located at 1950 East Shore Drive, and stormwater and acting civil engineer Scott Gibson, presented the project in front of the Town of Lansing Planning Board on April 22.

The project will be moving through the site plan review process at the next couple of planning board meetings. 

At the meeting, Gibson said that the plan is to build the project, located on the corner of Drake Road and state Route 34, in phases. The first phase would be to construct the two-bedroom cottages, which have a surface area of 1,000 square feet, and then move into the community center buildout. The project will occupy about 1.5 acres of the property in total and feature 40 parking spaces.

“The intent is to disturb the property as little as possible and provide a nice community to the area,” Gibson noted.

Planning Board Chairman Al Fiorille noted he would have wanted to see more homes built on the project. A deterrent to that, Bonniwell said, is the lack of public sewage in that area. While the project will be connected to the public water system, developers must find a private sewer solution for the development.

“I can’t hook up to the town’s sewer system, so that means that it’d make it difficult to add more homes,” she added.

Plans for the units are still very fluid, Bonniwell said. She told the planning board that she envisions some units could be short-term for families coming into town for university graduations or tourism. They could also be used for more traditional, longer-term rentals, but Bonniwell said those matters will largely be dictated by the market the properties generate.

Fiorille said community members could be concerned about the prospect of short-term rentals due to noise concerns.

“The town’s had some problems with response from the owners regarding noise,” Fiorille said. “People in the community are probably going to want from you, if it ends up being a short-term rental property, a phone number and contact info in case there are problems with noise or litter, as well as some assurance that that will be taken care of properly.”

Town Planning Director John Zepko said there are no particular short-term rental regulations in the town. 

“We don’t treat short-term rentals any differently under the law than how we treat single-family homes,” Zepko said.

Bonniwell said that she would draw from her experience as a landlord to keep potential concerns about the transient nature of short-term rentals at bay.

“I am building something that I want to last and to be beautiful,” Bonniwell said. “It is very expensive to build right now. I am going to be very particular about renting them, the standards of the people, what they put down to make sure that they respect the homes and the neighboring community.”

Zepko also asked Bonniwell if she knew what rent could be like for long-term agreements at the cottages. Bonniwell said she does not have a range for rents just yet.

The planned community center, she noted, could also serve as a gathering space for residents.

“If residents want to have a larger gathering, they can use the community center,” Bonniwell said.

Developers will likely submit a formal site plan application at the May planning board meeting. A public hearing on the project could occur as early as the June meeting.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Lansing Community Library will host its May Book Club for Adults at the library’s community room on May 14 from 7 to 8 p.m. The group will discuss “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. The novel tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, who becomes a beloved cooking show host in 1960s southern California after being fired as a chemist four years earlier. “Lessons in Chemistry” was recently adapted into an award-winning miniseries on Apple TV+.

For more information on Book Club for Adults, interested parties may contact Bobbie Weaver at bobbiew@lansinglibrary.org.