Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA)

The IURA works to improve the economic, social, and physical characteristics of the low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods in the City and is responsible for the following activities: (1) administration of City's HUD Entitlement Grant; (2) issuance of loans for affordable housing and job-creating businesses; (3) sale of land for public/private-partnership urban renewal projects; (4) management of Cherry Street Industrial Park; and (5) development of grant applications.

Mission Statement


The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency secures and manages resources to improve the social, physical, and economic characteristics of the City of Ithaca by expanding access to quality affordable housing, strengthening neighborhoods and the local economy, and supporting other community development activities.

Green Street Garage Redevelopment Proposal

The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) is soliciting proposals to redevelop the Green Street Parking Garage site for a project that increases housing choices and retains sufficient parking to meet current parking utilization, as well as additional parking demand created by the project. Other preferred uses include ground-level active uses on Green Street and a conference center. The IURA is authorized to negotiate the property sales price and the development program, subject to final City of Ithaca Common Council approval. The IURA seeks fair market value for the property, but expects deductions in consideration of community benefits provided by the project (e.g., below-market housing; reconstruction of public parking at developer’s expense). At its April 26, 2018 meeting, the IURA Board voted to re-open the original RFP process with a June 1, 2018 deadline for the submission of applicant qualifications. The following three such applications were received: Visum Development Group; Harold's Holdings; Vecino Group. The following four complete applications were subsequently received by the July 31, 2018 deadline. The RFP and all associated documents can be viewed at the following link: http://www.cityofithaca.org/bids.aspx?bidID=71.

RFP APPLICATIONS RECEIVED:

McKinley Development Proposal (3/1/18)

Visum Development Group Proposal (7/31/18)

Vecino Group Proposal (7/31/18)

Harold's Holdings Proposal (7/31/18)

APPLICANT RESPONSES TO IURA QUESTIONS:

Green St. Garage Redevelopment: Harold's Holdings - Response to IURA Questions (9/10/18)   
Green St. Garage Redevelopment: Ithaca-Peak Development - Clarifications to Response to IURA Questions (9/11/18)
Green St. Garage Redevelopment: Ithaca-Peak Development - Response to IURA Questions (9/11/18) 
Green St. Garage Redevelopment: Vecino Group - Response to IURA Questions (9/7/18)
Green St. Garage Redevelopment: Visum-Newman - Response to IURA Questions (9/7/18)

CURRENT PROGRESS STATUS:

The IURA Economic Development Committee (EDC) initially reviewed and discussed the applications at its August 21, 2018 meeting. On September 14, 2018, the Committee reviewed and numerically ranked the four applications (see image further below), which will form the basis of its recommendation to the IURA Board.  The IURA Board will review and discuss the rankings at its September 27th, 2018 meeting (including a Public Hearing), but will not make a formal decision on the preferred project until October 25th, 2018.  Assuming a decision is made at that time, a 90-day Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) period would begin (11/1/18-2/1/19); and the Committee will review the draft Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) at its February 12th, 2019 meeting, with the IURA Board scheduled to approve the DDA at its February 28th, 2019 meeting. Common Council’s Planning & Economic Development Committee will hold another Public Hearing on March 3rd, 2019 and vote on whether to recommend approval of the DDA to Common Council, which will make the final decision on April 3rd, 2019.

IURA EDC Rankings

2018 HUD Entitlement Action Plan Process

The City of Ithaca 2018 Action Plan was approved by the City of Ithaca Common Council on June 6, 2018. This 2018 Action Plan describes the use of Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for projects benefiting the City’s low- and moderate-income residents.  Click on the following link for a summary list of all approved activities:

City of Ithaca 2018 Action Plan

This list includes the allocation of anticipated CDBG and HOME awards in the amounts of $634,000 and $261,000, respectively, and allocation of $432,554.50 from anticipated repayments of prior-year economic development loans and other funds.

Assessment of Fair Housing

The Assessment of Fair Housing is available for review via the link below: 

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/6952

You can also view the Assessment of Fair Housing Goal Summary Table via the following link:

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/7134

Please contact the following person with any questions:

Anisa Mendizabal
Community Development Planner
AMendizabal@cityofithaca.org

WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT OF FAIR HOUSING (AFH)?

The AFH is an updated approach to looking at the fair housing landscape in order to set locally determined fair housing priorities and goals (e.g., are Ithaca residents able to achieve their housing goals; have Ithaca residents ever been treated unfairly in regard to housing; what could improve Ithaca residents' housing situations).

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Data & Mapping Tool


The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule requires cities and towns receiving HUD funding to examine their housing patterns for evidence of housing discrimination. To facilitate this process, HUD created the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Data and Mapping Tool (AFFHT), a publicly accessible interactive web site for conducting the fair housing analyses required by AFFH. AFFHT is a public-facing application, so there are no user registration or access requirements. All users have the same basic permission to use the site. You can access the AFFHT by clicking on the following link:

https://egis.hud.gov/affht

Once you land on the AFFHT web site, you’ll see an introductory pop-up window, where you'll be asked to select the state and jurisdiction you’re looking for, and whether you want to view just that specific jurisdiction’s map, or a map of the entire region. You will then be taken to a subsequent screen where you'll be asked to select a type of map (e.g., "Race/Ethnicity," "Housing Choice Vouchers & Race/Ethnicity," "Demographics & Job Proximity, "Demographics & Environmental Health"). Once you find the type of map you're looking for, click on the "Go to Map" button located at the bottom-right of the application wizard. Depending on the type of map you select, you may then be asked to choose a specific data set for the map (e.g., "Race/Ethnicity Trends, 1990" or "Race/Ethnicity Trends, 2000"). For more detailed information about each map, including illustrated instructions on how to use the mapping tool, please refer to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) User Guide at the following link: https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/AFFH-Data-and-Mapping-Tool-User-Guide.pdf.

You can also click on the following link to go to a page containing tools, guidance, training, data/mapping, and other resources related to the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/affh/resources/#tools-for-fair-housing-planning-under-the-affh-rule.

Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) Data Tables

  1. AFH Data Table: Table 1 - Demographics (5/31/17)
  2. AFH Data Table: Table 2 - Demographic Trends (5/31/17)
  3. AFH Data Table: Table 3 - Racial/Ethnic Dissimilarity Trends (5/31/17)
  4. AFH Data Table: Table 4 - Racially/Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RECAPs) (5/31/17)
  5. AFH Data Table: Table 5 - Publicly Supported Hsng. Units by Program Category (5/31/17)
  6. AFH Data Table: Table 6 - Publicly Supported Households by Race/Ethnicity (5/31/17)
  7. AFH Data Table: Table 7 - RECAP/Non-RECAP Demographics by Publicly Supported Hsng. Prg. (5/31/17)
  8. AFH Data Table: Table 8 - Demographics of Publicly Supported Hsng. Develpts. by Prgm. (5/31/17)
  9. AFH Data Table: Table 9 - Demographics of Households w. Disproportionate Housing Needs (5/31/17)
  10. AFH Data Table: Table 10 - Demographics of Households with Severe Housing Cost Burden (5/31/17)
  11. AFH Data Table: Table 11 - Publ. Supp. Hsng. by Prgrm. Cat. - Units by No. Bdrms.-Child. (5/31/17)
  12. AFH Data Table: Table 12 - Opportunity Indicators by Race/Ethnicity (5/31/17)
  13. AFH Data Table: Table 13 - Disability by Type (5/31/17)
  14. AFH Data Table: Table 14 - Disability by Age Group (5/31/17)
  15. AFH Data Table: Table 15 - Disability by Publicly Supported Housing Program Category (5/31/17)
  16. AFH Data Table: Table 16 - Homeownership/Rental Rates by Race/Ethnicity (5/31/17)