ITHACA — City planning officials say they want to make Ithaca’s Collegetown more vibrant.

Planners met with residents on Tuesday to discuss multiple projects in the works in the neighborhood adjacent to Cornell University.

Some of these developments include the new building for the university’s Johnson School of Management on Dryden Road as well as mix-use apartment buildings with space for stores.

Officials estimate the amount of commercial space will increase by around 8,000 square feet and the neighborhood will gain about 1,000 bedrooms after these projects are approved and completed.

The Director of Planning and Economic Development JoAnn Cornish says these projects will help make the neighborhood busy all year long, not just when classes are in session.

“I really hope that all of these improvements will help us realize the vision of making it a much more lively, well kept, looking maintained, store fronts that are not empty. That’s what we’re really hoping for,” she said.

Cornish says they also plan to work with the university to update the green space.

“If we could get Eddy Gate, that beautiful entrance to Cornell, back into some sort of public space, if we should work with Cornell to really improve the green space along with those development projects, it could really be transformative,” she said.

Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett said during an interview with WHCU’s Greg Fry that she would like to see the Collegetown area become more lively, like the Ithaca Commons. She says development would benefit the university as well as neighbors.