- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency
Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA)
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. View complete Mission Statement: IURA Mission Statement & Performance Goals (PDF).
4th Amendment to HUD Entitlement Citizen Participation Plan: COVID-19 Amendment
The Citizen Participation Plan establishes the City of Ithaca’s procedures for involving the public in development and implementation of the HUD Entitlement Program. The applicability of temporary COVID-19 pandemic amendments to the Citizen Participation Plan expire on July 31, 2021. As a result, a proposed resolution will be considered by the City of Ithaca Common Council to adopt a 4th Amendment to the Citizen Participation Plan to extend the applicability of expedited public participation procedures in accordance with HUD-issued waivers.
Proposed Resolution
Citizen Participation Plan (with highlighted changes)
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
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.
Program Year 2021
HUD Entitlement Grant Program
2021 Action Plan &
2021 CARES Act CDBG-CV-3 (COVID-19-specific) Activities
The City of Ithaca’s adopted 2021 HUD Entitlement Program Action Plan summary chart and plan for CARES Act CDBG-CV-3 (COVID-19-specific) activities can be viewed below. A more detailed chart is also accessible using the following link: 2021 IURA Action Plan & CDBG-CV Funding Chart (PDF). The complete fully-detailed version of the adopted 2021 HUD Entitlement Program Action Plan can be accessed via the following link: 2021 HUD Entitlement Program Action Plan (PDF).
2021 ACTION PLAN | ||
Project | Sponsor | Amount |
HOUSING | ||
110 Auburn St. Homeownership Project* | Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS) | $24,999.00 |
Homeowner Rehab | Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS) | $100,020.80 |
Minor Repair Program | Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS) | $33,475.00 |
State Street Apartments | Visum Develop. Group & Providence Housing Develop. Corp. | $100,000.00 |
511 S. Plain St. For-Sale Duplex* | Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (INHS) | $77,850.00 |
Housing Scholarship Program | The Learning Web | $75,600.00 |
Security Deposit Assistance for Vulnerable Households | Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties | $74,000.00 |
Security Deposit Assistance Delivery | Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties | $2,500.00 |
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | ||
ReUse Job Training for Career Pathways | Finger Lakes ReUse, Inc. (FLRU) | $90,000.00 |
Work Preserve Job Training: Job Placements | Historic Ithaca, Inc. | $67,500.00 |
Hospitality Employment Training Program (HETP) | Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Inc. (GIAC) | $100,643.06 |
Economic Development Loan Fund | IURA | $160,000.00 |
PUBLIC FACILITIES | ||
Great Neighbor & Essential Resource | Ithaca Community Gardens, Inc. | $41,200.00 |
Urban Bus Stop Upgrade Project | TCAT | $17,100.00 |
New Gym Renovation | Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Inc. (GIAC) | $100,000.00 |
PUBLIC SERVICES | ||
2-1-1 Information & Referral | Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, Inc. (HSC) | $25,000.00 |
Work Preserve Job Training: Job Readiness | Historic Ithaca, Inc. | $20,000.00 |
Immigrant Services Program (ISP) | Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties | $30,000.00 |
A Place to Stay | Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Counties | $15,000.00 |
ADMINISTRATION | ||
CDBG Administration (20%) | IURA | $136,152.20 |
HOME Administration (10%) | IURA | $33,471.50 |
2021 DRAFT PLAN FOR CARES Act CDBG-CV Activities | ||
Health & Wellness: Smoothies, Food Services, & Yoga | Black Hands Universal, Inc. | $18,001.60 |
On Call Office Subdivision | Advocacy Center of Tompkins County | $5,720.00 |
Online Market Discounts for LMI/SNAP Customers | Ithaca Farmers Market | $19,068.00 |
HVAC Upgrade | St. John's Community Services | $20,300.00 |
TOTAL: | $1,387,601.16 | |
This list includes the allocation of anticipated CDBG, CDBG-CV, and HOME awards in the amounts of $680,761, $63,089.60 and $334,715, respectively, and allocation of $309,035.56 from anticipated repayments of prior-year economic development loans and other funds. Questions can be submitted via e-mail at: amendizabal@cityofithaca.org or 108 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY 14850.
BACKGROUND
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Entitlement Programs provide Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to more than 1,100 localities and state governments. These flexible sources of funding offer local governments, with citizen participation, the opportunity to fund certain projects, programs, and public services that meet specified national objectives. The City of Ithaca became an Entitlement Community in 2004 and has since provided financial support to dozens of local projects that principally benefit low- and moderate-income (LMI) people by providing decent housing, suitable living environments, and/or expanded economic opportunities. The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) administers the City of Ithaca’s Entitlement Grant program, on behalf of the City. The IURA invited interested organizations, agencies, businesses, community groups, and individuals to submit applications for projects to be funded for the 2021 Program Year. A chart listing all the applications received can be viewed at the following link as well as schedule information:
2021 IURA Funding Applications Chart
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
- AFH Data Table: Table 1 - Demographics (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 2 - Demographic Trends (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 3 - Racial/Ethnic Dissimilarity Trends (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 4 - Racially/Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RECAPs) (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 5 - Publicly Supported Hsng. Units by Program Category (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 6 - Publicly Supported Households by Race/Ethnicity (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 7 - RECAP/Non-RECAP Demographics by Publicly Supported Hsng. Prg. (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 8 - Demographics of Publicly Supported Hsng. Develpts. by Prgm. (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 9 - Demographics of Households w. Disproportionate Housing Needs (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 10 - Demographics of Households with Severe Housing Cost Burden (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 11 - Publ. Supp. Hsng. by Prgrm. Cat. - Units by No. Bdrms.-Child. (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 12 - Opportunity Indicators by Race/Ethnicity (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 13 - Disability by Type (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 14 - Disability by Age Group (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 15 - Disability by Publicly Supported Housing Program Category (5/31/17)
- AFH Data Table: Table 16 - Homeownership/Rental Rates by Race/Ethnicity (5/31/17)