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FAQs

We are interested in knowing what you think! Please send us your questions and feed back. We will respond to them on these pages.

Q. How does Cornell plan now and has it had a master plan in the past?
There are planning processes currently in place for individual Capital projects.  Planning at the university has responded to the evolving needs of the academic institution. The previous planning documents were the Precinct Plans that were created during the 90s.  The Cornell Master Plan for the Ithaca Campus and the current process will need to meet the University's future academic needs.

Q. How can a research university develop a master plan for 10 - 25 years or more given the fluid nature of potential technologies?  How does a master plan anticipate new technologies or areas of research that are not even known as the plan is developed?
The master plan needs to reflect the institution and nature of changes in research and technology.  A good master plan can be structured to be flexible and updated on a regular basis to allow the institution and the physical campus to adapt successfully to change.

Q. Who approves the master plan?
The University's master plan is approved by its Board of Trustees and is not subject to local, state or federal approvals.  However, Cornell is committed to providing regular and meaningful opportunities for its home communities to provide their input to and feedback on the process.

Q. Did Cornell consider hiring local consultants familiar with the campus and community?
A number of consultants were considered with a wide range of skills and experience.  We selected a multi-disciplinary team that best matched our planning needs.  The team has extensive experience with urban and campus planning, is highly successful at community engagement and will bring considerable experience, expertise and a fresh view to the process. 

Q. Does a master plan include issues like emergency planning, i.e. a terrorist attack or natural disaster that would affect both campus and community?
Both issues are important and need to be considered as we plan for the future.

Q. What kind of role do the faculty and deans have in the process?
The University community will be extensively engaged in the planning process, through various means.  The plan should reflect a good understanding of academic priorities, which will drive the plan.  Deans, Vice Provosts and faculty representatives have already been engaged at the initiation of the planning process and faculty input will be sought again in early fall.

Q. What will the final product look like?
The final plan will include analyses of the campus and its surrounding environment, planning principles, a framework for planning and decision-making, and guidelines for implementation.

Q. How do recently announced building projects figure into the Master Plan process?
The recently announced building projects and the University's current Capital Plan will be considered by the master plan as givens and included in the overall planning.

Q. How will the Cornell Master Plan for the Ithaca Campus and transportation study (t-GEIS) relate to one another?
The Draft t-GEIS process and findings over 2006 are expected to inform transportation planning for the campus as well as the planning and stakeholder process for the master plan for their duration.  It needs to be understood that the nature of the interaction depends on their respective schedule and timeline of each initiative.  Specifically, the transportation study can inform the CMP of the impacts of population growth during the next 5 – 10 years on area-wide transportation systems, and depending on the schedules of both initiatives, of feasible and appropriate mitigations alternatives that may be considered. 

Q.  How is the CMP different from the transportation study (t-GEIS) that is currently underway?
The Cornell Master Plan (CMP) and the t-GEIS are different from each other in several respects.  While both are broad planning initiatives, the timelines, scope, process and deliverables are very different. 

• The t-GEIS looks at the transportation-related impacts of CU's population growth on the surrounding community over the next decade.  The CMP will guide the long-term physical development of the Ithaca campus in concert with the University’s academic goals over the next 10 to 25 years.

• The t-GEIS process will result in Transportation Impact Mitigation Strategies (TIMS) to address the impacts mentioned above.  The CMP will provide a flexible physical planning and decision-making structure to accommodate the development of the University’s research, teaching, residential and recreational priorities and programs; serve as a campus-wide frame of reference for the University’s current Capital Plan; and link local and precinct plan goals to the broader plan. 

• The focus of the t-GEIS is transportation systems beyond the campus and in the greater Ithaca area.  The CMP will comprehensively look at land use, landscape, transportation and service infrastructure systems on the Cornell campus within the context of academic planning for the future. 

• Both processes will engage the community beyond the campus.  However, the transportation study is a joint effort with Cornell University and the Town of Ithaca and guided by the NYSEQR process.  The Town of Ithaca will include other governmental agencies as appropriate.  The CMP is being undertaken by Cornell University and will have its own independent process.  The master planning process will invite broad input and participation from the community and local leaders, in particular, during the initial fact-finding stages of the process.

• The transportation Study is in the format of a Generic Environmental Impact Statement under the NYSEQR process.  The TIMS will be an action approved by the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, while the CMP is subject to approval only by Cornell University's Board of Trustees.

Q. What kind of outreach are you going to do with the community at the outset?
The master planning process will invite broad input and participation from the community and local leaders, in particular, during the initial fact-finding stages of the process.  In fact, the consultants to date have met with almost all the local leadership and municipal planning staff, as well as neighborhood representatives.

Q. How will the plan deal with sustainability issues? 
Defining what sustainability means for the Cornell campus is key to the master plan.  The University's approach to sustainability will be developed and build upon management practices as well as and teaching and research at the University.