Still, a grassroots group calling itself the Redbud Woods Working Group has made their opposition to the parking lot known by holding rallies and circulating petitions. Concerned about comprimising the historical nature of that neighborhood and about destroying an environmental and ecological treasure, the group is working to pressure Cornell to change its plans.
      "It's Cornell's land but if university constituents don't want a parking lot there, they should respect that," says Garrett Meigs, a member of the group.
      The Redbud Woods Working Group has issued a formal statement that makes several demands of Cornell University and its president, Jeffrey Lehman, on this matter. The group wants Lehman and university officials to cancel construction plans and "save the Redbud Woods" and release a formal written statement addressing criticisms of the parking lot by Dec. 5. They also want to establish a task force of Cornell administrators, faculty, concerned students, and local residents to create a "holistic, community-spirited, and ecologically sound transportation policy for the university."
      According to Meigs, the group - which is comprised of eight core members - wants the university to look at lot alternatives that include a parking garage at Stewart Avenue and Williams Street, underground parking, and a reduction in the overall parking spaces. They would also like the university to look at placing additional parking restrictions on Cornell freshmen.
      Linda-Grace Kobas, director of the Cornell University News Service, said that Cornell has yet to issue an official statement about the opposition to the parking lot. She clarified that Cornell will make a statement by the group's Dec. 5 deadline.
      According to City of Ithaca Neighborhood Planner Leslie Chatterton, the only city process that the parking lot still needs to meet is approval by the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission. The group, which is comprised of six members, will meet next week to continue a public hearing on the matter and possibly decide whether the lot compromises the historic district present on University Avenue.
      "They will consider the impact the parking lot will have in terms of the landscape surrounding it and its impact on the other surrounding historic properties," Chatterton says.
      The Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold its next meeting on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers of City Hall, 108 E. Green St. The council will continue a public hearing on the parking lot issue and possibly make a decision on the matter during this meeting.
Matt Peterson