Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA)

The IURA works to improve the economic, social, and physical characteristics of low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods in the City and is responsible for: (1) administration of City's HUD Entitlement Grant; (2) issuing 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 IURA 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. Complete Mission Statement: IURA Mission Statement (PDF).

 

CITY OF ITHACA │ ITHACA URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY (IURA)

2023 HUD Entitlement Action Plan Development Process

 

On November 30, 2022, the IURA requested funding proposals to address community development needs through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) programs.  In 2023, approximately $616,000 in CDBG funds and $304,000 in HOME funds are anticipated to be available for projects in the areas of affordable housing, public facilities/infrastructure, economic development, and public services.  Projects must principally benefit low- and moderate-income people or remove slum or blighting conditions in the City of Ithaca.  Interested individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations were urged to submit a funding proposal.  Twenty applications were received by the submission deadline (Tuesday, January 31, 2023) and can be viewed via the links further below. 

2023 ACTION PLAN DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

 

2023 Action Plan Development Schedule (Updated: 12/28/22)
http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/14499/2023-Action-Plan-Schedule-


Links to PDFs of Applications & Attachments

 

In addition to using the links listed further below, you may also access all applications via the City of Ithaca “Document Center” at the following link: http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter.  Once in the Document Center, scroll down and click on “Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency” folder, scroll down and click on “Grant Applications” sub-folder, then click on “2023” and “Applications Received.” 

 

Bundled Application PDFs (Portfolio Mode)

 

All 20 Applications with Attachments (File Size: 90MB) 

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/14821/All-Applications-with-Attachments-90MB 

 

All Housing Applications with Attachments (File Size: 30MB)

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/14819/All-HOUSING-Applications-with-Attachments-30MB 

 

All Economic Development Applications with Attachments (File Size: 21MB)

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/14818/All-ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT-Applications-with-Attachments-21MB 

 

All Public Services Applications with Attachments (File Size: 30MB) 

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/14820/All-PUBLIC-SERVICES-Applications-with-Attachments-30MB 

 

Note: Only one Public Facilities/Infrastructure application was received, which can be accessed further below.

  

NOTE:  The bundled PDFs accessible above were all created as Adobe Portfolio documents, which makes it easier to navigate from one document to another.  For more information about how to use Portfolio documents, please refer to: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/overview-pdf-portfolios.html.
 

Housing Applications

 

Application #1:  The Beacon, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS)

 

Application #2:  Homeowner Rehab, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS)

 

Application #3:  Minor Repair Program, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS)

 

Application #4:  CHT Sears Street Development, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS)

 

Application #5:  312 S. Plain St. Duplex, Habitat for Humanity

 

Application #6:  Housing Scholarship Program (HSP), The Learning Web

 

Application #7:  Security Deposit Assistance Program, , Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties

Application #8:  SJCS Sober Living Reintegration Services, St. John’s Community Services (SJCS)

 

Application #9:  Capital Project Expansion (Housing Component), Village at Ithaca

 

Economic Development Applications

 

Application #10:  Building Quality Career Paths Through ReUse, Finger Lakes ReUse, Inc. (FLRU)

 

Application #11:  Work Preserve Job Training: Job Placements, Historic Ithaca, Inc.

 

Application #12:  Hospitality Employment Training Program (HETP), Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Inc. (GIAC)

 

Application #13:  Shared Kitchen Ithaca (SKI) — Food Product Micro-Enterprise Development, Friends of Ithaca Farmers Market

 

Application #14:  BHU Pre-Apprenticeship Program, Black Hands Universal

 

Public Facilities/Infrastructure Application

 

Application #15:  200 Cecil A. Malone Dr. Sidewalk Fill-In, City of Ithaca

 

Public Services Applications

 

Application #16:  2-1-1 Information & Referral Helpline with Housing Navigation, Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, Inc. (HSC)

 

Application #17:  Work Preserve Job Training: Job Readiness, Historic Ithaca, Inc.

 

Application #18:  Immigrant Services Program (ISP) , Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties

 

Application #19:  A Place to Stay (APTS) — Follow-Up Support for Women Gaining Stability, Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties

 

Application #20:  Women's Empowerment Services and Training WEST, Opportunities, Alternatives, & Resources (OAR) of Tompkins County

PUBLIC HEARING

Proposed Disposition of Property

East Hill Fire Station Urban Renewal Project  

309 College Avenue, Ithaca, NY

 

A Public Hearing will be held at 6:00 P.M., Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at the Planning and Economic Development Committee (PEDC) of the City of Ithaca Common Council on a proposed Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) to sell the current East Hill Fire Station located at 309 College Ave. to undertake an Urban Renewal Project in accordance with Section 507 of New York General Municipal Law. The meeting is currently scheduled to be held in-person in Council Chambers (Third Fl.), City Hall, 108 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY, although an opportunity for remote public comment will also be available.  Please consult meeting agenda when issued on August 12th at: http://www.cityofithaca.org/AgendaCenter. 

 

Type of Disposition:         Purchase agreement for fee simple ownership 

Seller:                                   Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency 

Purchaser:                          311 CA Associates, LLC (“Sponsor”)

Property:                             Current Fire Station #2 property, an approximately 8,500-sq.-ft. parcel located at 309 College Ave., Ithaca, NY (Tax Parcel #: 64.-10-17).

Sales Price:                          $5,100,000

Project Summary:             309 College Ave. is proposed to be sold for $5.1 million plus acquisition of adjoining parcels at 403 Elmwood Ave. and 408 Dryden Rd. for City construction of new fire station. 

Seller Contingencies:       A.   Compliance with all terms of City/Sponsor Option Agreement executed on February 22, 2022, regarding the real property transaction.

B.   Completion of second phase of segmented Environmental Review — prior to transfer of the deed to the 309 College Ave. property to Sponsor, either the Environmental Review of the new East Hill Fire Station construction project shall have been completed or City shall have formally postponed construction of new fire station on properties to be acquired at 403 Elmwood Ave. and 408 Dryden Rd.

C.   Property Tax Revenue – execution of a 20-year Sponsor/IURA Payment-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes (“PILOT”) agreement requiring annual payment equal to property taxes that would have been due in the event the 309 College Ave. property becomes tax-exempt by any means other than an approved Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency PILOT agreement. 

 

City of Ithaca Common Council approval is required to approve above-referenced real property conveyance.  

 

Directions for submitting written or oral comments will be described in the PEDC meeting notice at the Agenda Center: http://www.cityofithaca.org/AgendaCenter. For more information, contact Nels Bohn at:  nbohn@cityofithaca.org. 

INLET ISLAND REDEVELOPMENT

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (RFEI)

Deadline Expired

 

The IURA sought conceptual proposals to redevelop underutilized public lands on Inlet Island.  An approximately 2.65-acre waterfront project site is available for potential acquisition and development.  The IURA sought urban renewal projects that improve the physical, social and economic characteristics of the project site and surrounding area, and advance goals and objectives of PlanIthaca, the City’s comprehensive plan and its Waterfront Plan chapter. These plans encourage the following land use objectives: Mixed-use development; housing opportunities at all income levels; public access to the waterfront; better multi-modal connections; and vibrant waterfront.  The goal of the RFEI process was to identify if any respondent’s schematic plan and development program would gain conceptual approval from both the IURA and Common Council as the basis for a proposed urban renewal project to redevelop the site.  The complete RFEI can be viewed via the following link: Inlet Island: Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) (3/3/21). The  Proposals Received, Scoring Sheet, & Meeting Schedule can also be viewed below:


Finger Lakes Development
Visum Development Group
Waterfront Alchemy

Proposals Scoring Sheet

Proposed Meeting Schedule 


On June 24, 2021, the IURA Board unanimously concluded that the top-ranked conceptual development plan for site was submitted by Finger Lakes Development, LLC.

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). The Assessment of Fair Housing is available for review via the following link: 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

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)