ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins County will use a $1 million state grant to support infrastructure construction for The Woods, the first phase of the SouthWorks Ithaca community.
The funding comes from the state’s County Infrastructure Grant program as part of the first round of funding, Tompkins County said in its announcement.
It positions Tompkins County to “jump-start” the development of mixed-income housing units on a “long-vacant industrial site that is now ready for new life.”
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The Woods is the first residential phase of SouthWorks Ithaca, which is described as a master-planned, mixed-use redevelopment of the former 95-acre Emerson Power Transmission industrial site on South Aurora Street. The project calls for a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood in the City and Town of Ithaca.
With environmental review complete and zoning approvals secured, the $1 million grant will pay for infrastructure work for the first 100 affordable-housing units in The Woods. The work will include 700 linear feet of public road and roundabout, with sidewalks and curbs; 2,000 linear feet of public-water distribution with fire hydrants and laterals; 24 sanitary sewer laterals; 1,100 linear feet of stormwater collection; stormwater quality and quantity mitigation; and erosion and sediment control measures.
“This infrastructure investment is a major milestone for Tompkins County and a launchpad for mixed-income housing,” Greg Mezey, a county legislator who chairs housing and economic-development committee, said in the announcement. “We are excited to see a long-vacant property transform into a thriving, inclusive community, starting with affordable apartments, thanks to this state funding.”
Earlier this year, the state released its first application round for the County Infrastructure Grant program through Empire State Development (ESD), offering up to $1 million to counties for small to mid-size infrastructure projects, with a “strong emphasis” on housing-related developments.
Tompkins County’s department of planning and sustainability brought the opportunity to the legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee, which directed staff to issue a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) focused on projects supporting housing development, ideally including affordable units.
Following a competitive process, the legislature selected The Woods at SouthWorks Ithaca for submission to ESD.
