Community Planning

Each year, local snowmobile clubs receive money from NY State for their trail system. This money passes through Tompkins County government before being distributed locally.

There are a few route changes proposed for 2025 by the Dryden Caroline Drifters Snowmobile club, and this brings with it some procedural items that the County must engage in, including Environmental Review.

There are two ways you can view the proposed changes:

1. View the proposed changes and navigate the trails via an online map: 2025 Snowmobile Trail Grant Proposed Changes Online Map Viewer. Trails with proposed changes are C2B (purple), C2C (yellow), S21 (pink) and S25 (red). Proposed reroutes can be seen where the purple, yellow, pink, or red lines do not follow the black line (last year's approved trails). You can search an address in the top left corner or use a mouse to scroll or zoom in and out.

2. Access the PDF maps of proposed changes to the C2B (purple), C2C (yellow), S21 (pink) and S25 (red). Proposed reroutes can be seen where the purple, yellow, pink, or red lines do not follow the black line (last year's approved trails):

- Proposed Reroutes to the Dryden Caroline Drifters C2B Snowmobile Trail Map 2025(PDF, 2MB)

- Proposed Reroutes to the Dryden Caroline Drifters C2C Snowmobile Trail Map 2025(PDF, 2MB)

- Proposed Reroutes to the Dryden Caroline Drifters S21 Snowmobile Trail Map 2025(PDF, 2MB)

- (PDF, 2MB)Proposed Establishment of the Dryden Caroline Drifters S25 Snowmobile Trail Map 2025(PDF, 2MB)

The topic will be on the agenda of the County’s Planning, Energy, and Environmental Quality Committee on Tuesday October 14, 1:00, in the Daniel D. Tompkins Building at 121 E. Court Street in Ithaca. To comment via zoom, please contact the Clerk of the Legislature at least a day in advance at kmccloy@tompkins-co.org. Written comments can be sent in advance to the Clerk of the Legislature.

For more information about this project, contact Abigail Conner, aconner@tompkins-co.org.

Municipal Grants and Assistance

A number of opportunities are available to municipalities through the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability.

• Business Energy Advisors (BEA) Program(PDF, 305KB) (municipal buildings eligible)
• Natural Infrastructure Capital Program(PDF, 134KB)
• Housing Affordability and Supportive Infrastructure Grant (HASIG) Program(PDF, 183KB) 
  The HASIG grant cycle for 2025 is now closed.
• Consultant list(PDF, 217KB) (for planning services as well as housing and infrastructure grant assistance)

239 Development Review

NYS (New York State) General Municipal Law(PDF, 325KB) (§239 l, m & n) requires that communities in Tompkins County refer certain development applications, proposed zoning changes, and comprehensive plans to the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability for review, comment, and recommendations before taking final action.

The Tompkins County 239 Review Guide(PDF, 500KB) (May 2021), and its appendix(PDF, 3MB), which includes the Tompkins County Energy Recommendations for New Construction(PDF, 136KB) (2018), are prepared by the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability. The guide was developed to provide clarity to the referral and review process required by State law. This law, commonly referred to as GML §239, was established to encourage and coordinate inter‐community and county‐wide planning and zoning decisions between local municipalities and county planning officials.

This guide consists of three sections. Section one provides an overview of the basic GML §239 legal requirements for referral, review, and the types of projects for referral. Section two provides the guiding policy documents and recommendations that are typically used by the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability during the review process. Finally, section three addresses the process used by Tompkins County to accept, review, and complete referrals.

To submit a 239 review for County review, municipalities can utilize the online 239 Planning and Zoning Action Referral Form.

For questions on the County Development Review process, please contact the Department of Planning and Sustainability.

The County Department of Planning and Sustainability has developed a strategy for Development Focus Areas, entitled Building Vibrant Communities in Tompkins County(PDF, 2MB). The Strategy was endorsed by the Tompkins County Legislature October 2, 2012.

The Development Focus Areas Strategy:

• Identifies Development Focus Areas where new development should be encouraged (in short, where public water, public sewer, and transit services are already provided).
• Describes the type of development that should occur (more mixed-use development that supports transit, walking, and bicycling as viable transportation options).
• Defines, in broad terms, the steps that can be taken to support the shift away from a sprawling pattern of development to a more concentrated or nodal pattern.

The Development Focus Area Strategy presents an analysis of established Development Focus Areas (the urban center, the villages, and rural hamlets) and assesses emerging Development Focus Areas, those places where private investment in housing, jobs and services, and public investment in transportation and sewer and water infrastructure, and public facilities have already provided the basis for additional development.

While the work to prepare this strategy was undertaken by the County, its success is dependent on local governments to put into action. Without the local policies in place to make this happen, this strategy will never succeed.

Tompkins County Building Code Administration and Operations Study(PDF, 5MB) (2024)

Tompkins County Land Use and Land Cover Map

2020 Ithaca Area Economic Development Water & Sewer Study Update(PDF, 17MB)