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).

2022 HUD Entitlement Action Plan   

2022 Action Plan Schedule

 

The City of Ithaca’s draft 2022 Action Plan was made available for public comment from Friday, April 29, 2022 until 5:00 p.m., May 30, 2022 at IURA offices (108 E. Green St., Third Floor, Ithaca, NY 14850) and on the IURA website, via the link below:

 

http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/13890/Draft-2022-Action-Plan-PDF 

 

For a list of additional places to view a hardcopy, or to request a hardcopy, please contact the IURA at: (607) 274-6565.  Questions may be submitted to IURA via e-mail at: amendizabal@cityofithaca.org.

 

The Planning and Economic Development Committee (PEDC) of Ithaca Common Council held a Public Hearing for the draft Plan on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.  This hearing was the second of two Public Hearings to gain public input on development of the City of Ithaca’s 2022 Action Plan.  The public was encouraged to participate.  The Public Hearing can be viewed on the City of Ithaca’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7RtJN1P_RFaFW2IVCnTrDg.

 

Following is a summary list of proposed 2022 activities: 

 

2022 DRAFT ACTION PLAN

 

Activity                                                                        Sponsor                                          Amount

215 Cleveland Ave.                                                     INHS                                             $ 50,000

Homeowner Rehab Program                                    INHS                                            $148,640.81

Minor Repair Program                                               INHS                                             $ 40,000

Aurora St. & Morris Ave. Redevelopment              Habitat for Humanity of TCC   $ 70,000

Sears St. Development                                               INHS                                            $ 92,140.40

Security Deposit Assistance Program                      Catholic Charities of TT           $ 74,000

Security Deposit Assistance Delivery                       Catholic Charities of TT           $   2,500

Green Job Opportunities Through Reuse                Finger Lakes ReUse                  $ 61,934.65

Work Preserve Job Training: Job Placements         Historic Ithaca                           $ 67,500

Hospitality Employment Training Program             GIAC                                            $ 50,000

Catholic Charities Building                                         INHS                                            $ 66,170.44

West End Pedestrian Improvements                       City of Ithaca                              $ 55,000

2-1-1 Info & Referral                                                   HSC                                              $ 20,000

Work Preserve Job Training: Job Readiness            Historic Ithaca                           $ 20,000

Immigrant Services Program                                     Catholic Charities of TT           $ 30,000

GIAC Computer Lab                                                    GIAC                                            $ 10,689.96

Pre-Apprentice Program Work Services                  Black Hands Universal             $ 12,000

Latino Multicultural Center                                       No Más Lágrimas                      $   5,350

Economic Development Loan Fund                         IURA                                           $  50,000

CDBG Administration                                                 IURA                                           $126,666.60

HOME Administration                                               IURA                                            $  31,682.50

_______________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                    TOTAL                                          $1,084,275.36

Public Hearing

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency

East Hill Fire Station Urban Renewal Project

 

A Public Hearing will be held in-person at 8:30 A.M., Thursday, June 23, 2022, before the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) in Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY, regarding the proposed East Hill Fire Station Urban Renewal Project.  The IURA is beginning its review of the City-negotiated option agreement with 311 CA Associates, LLC to ensure the proposed disposition is in the best interest of the City.  The option agreement permits, but does not require, the City to sell 309 College Avenue in exchange for two parcels located at 403 Elmwood Avenue and 408 Dryden Road in addition to cash consideration of $5.1M.  City construction of a new fire station is proposed at the newly acquired parcels. The IURA will develop a recommendation to the City of Ithaca Common Council that may endorse, modify, or reject exercising the option agreement. The IURA seeks public input on this proposed urban renewal project, including alternatives and issues to be considered, regarding this proposed urban renewal project to address East Hill Fire Station needs. Written comments may be submitted to cpyott@cityofithaca.org until 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 22, 2022.  In-person public comment is welcomed.  The meeting will be video-conferenced and live-streamed on YouTube.  Directions for making real-time remote oral comments will be described on the IURA meeting agenda published at the City of Ithaca Agenda Center: http://www.cityofithaca.org/AgendaCenter.  City Hall is fully accessible.  Persons needing special accommodation to fully participate at the Public Hearing should contact the IURA at 274-6565 at least 72 hours prior to the Public Hearing.

2022 IURA Adopted Annual Budget (10/28/21)

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)