This 1845 Greek Revival Farmhouse with three bedrooms over almost 1500 sq. ft. is being offered free but must be moved from its present location at 341 Coddington Road on South Hill, near Ithaca College. Although the house in need of repair, many of the original features are still intact throughout the structure. The house also has central heating. As far as the current state of construction, the building still has studs, but no drywall.
The house is owned by Orlando Iacovelli, a real estate developer that lives next door to the house. After the property went into foreclosure in August 2015, Iacovelli acquired it for $96,000 at auction. Iacovelli’s family development business has built a couple dozen student duplexes around South Hill and plans to build two more on the property. Iacovelli has stated that the project requires the removal or demolition of the structure. In order to subdivide the property into two legal home lots, the lot line would have to extend through the house. Dividing the lots around it would necessitate multiple zoning variances and it appears to be difficult to split the house into two rental units. After discussion with the Town of Ithaca Planning Board and Historic Ithaca, Iacovelli has decided to offer the house for removal before proceeding with demolition.
The house will likely not be demolished until early next year. A 270-day moratorium on duplexes was passed on May 9th and will remain in effect until February 2017. The moratorium was unanimously passed by The Ithaca Town Board due to their concerns about the effects of the student housing market on the character of the town. During the moratorium, the board intends to explore the enactment of further legislation, which may include things like architectural or landscaping requirements, before approval of future projects. Property owners are allowed to appeal to the Ithaca Town Board for a waiver of the moratorium’s restrictions.
CONTACT INFO
Orlando Iacovelli
607-592-0150
