Clarification: A previous version of this story and its headline incorrectly implied that the new Ithaca affordable housing project would have "woonerfs."

Greenways will have a narrow road designed "with psychological traffic calming in mind, not a woonerf," writes Ithaca senior planner Dan Tasman. Woonerfs were mentioned in initial planning documents but, since last May, the project consultant and INHS haven't used "woonerf" in their correspondence or submittal materials, Tasman said.

Ithaca, N.Y. — The town of Ithaca looks to be expanding its affordable housing stock at its planning board meeting this Tuesday.

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The board will be voting on granting final approvals to Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services's (INHS) Greenways project off of Strawberry Hill Circle in the eastern part of town. The project will be INHS's second in the town of Ithaca, following the recently-completed Holly Creek townhouses on South Hill.

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What is the Greenways proposal?

The Greenways proposal includes the development of 46 townhouse units on 10.86 acres to the west of Eastwood Commons, a housing subdivision off of Honness Lane.

The land was previously approved for housing developments in 1973 and 1987 that were never completed. Cornell bought the undeveloped land in 2009 with the intent of building employee housing on the site, and later agreed to a partnership with INHS.

A previous version of the Greenways plan released in 2012 called for 67 townhouse units, but pushback from neighbors led to a scaling-back of the proposal to 46 units. The Greenways project received preliminary approval from the town last summer.

What's with the 'woonerf' thing in the headline?

The project would connect the unattached north and south ends of Strawberry Hill Circle with a woonerf-style roadway, which most of the units face.

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A woonerf, which is Dutch for "living yard", is a type of street where the road is shared by bikers, pedestrians and vehicles. They typically have a low speed limit of no more than 10 or 12 MPH.

As Ithacating previously reported:

Up to last night, I had no freaking clue what a woonerf was. It sounds like a children’s made-up word (ex. thingamigjig or doohickey; my brother used “pedewa”). But apparently, it’s a legit urban planning concept. Woonerf is Dutch for “living yard”, and is a type of “living street” where equal priority is given to cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians. They’ve seen substantial implementation in Western Europe since their introduction in the 1970s.

The more I read about them, the more I get the impression that it’s a curious blend of a thoroughfare and a courtyard, or Ithaca Commons with vehicle traffic.