Tompkins County Awarded $1 Million for Housing Infrastructure Project

Published on July 07, 2025

Tompkins County has been awarded $1 million through New York State’s County Infrastructure Grant Program to support critical infrastructure construction for The Woods, the first phase of the ambitious SouthWorks Ithaca master-planned community. This award, announced as part of the first round of funding under the County Infrastructure Program, 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.

In early 2025, New York 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.

Transforming a historic site into a mixed-income community

The Woods is the first residential phase of SouthWorks Ithaca – a master-planned, mixed-use redevelopment of the former 95-acre Emerson Power Transmission industrial site on South Aurora Street into a vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood in the City and Town of Ithaca. With environmental review complete and zoning approvals secured, this $1 million grant will fund essential infrastructure to unlock the first 100 affordable housing units in The Woods, including:

• 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;
• Erosion and sediment control measures.

“This infrastructure investment is a major milestone for Tompkins County and a launchpad for mixed-income housing,” said County Legislator Greg Mezey, Chair of the Housing and Economic Development Committee. “We are excited to see a long-vacant property transform into a thriving, inclusive community, starting with affordable apartments, thanks to this state funding.”

Public-private partnership with equity at the core

Importantly, the $1 million County Infrastructure Grant is matched entirely through other grants and private investment, at no cost to County taxpayers. The equity partners include:

• Shift Capital, LLC, a certified B Corporation real estate developer;
• L Enterprises, a real estate developer who was the original visionary for SouthWorks;
• USC Builds, a certified Minority Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) real estate development and construction company;
• Xylem Projects, a certified Minority Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) real estate development company;
• Beacon Communities LLC, a privately owned real estate firm that develops, acquires, invests in, and manages a wide range of multi-family housing.

“This is exactly the kind of smart, targeted investment that turns community vision into reality,” stated Katie Borgella, Commissioner of Tompkins County Planning and Sustainability. “This grant positions Tompkins County to lead on affordable housing, sustainable redevelopment, and economic revitalization, all while preserving local character and leveraging private capital.”

“This grant unlocks our first residential units in the form of an affordable housing project with Beacon Communities,” said Robert Lewis, Development Project Manager at Shift Capital. “This is a huge step towards our commitment to bringing 915 units of housing to Tompkins County and the Ithaca community.”

“Beacon Communities is grateful for the support of Tompkins County and ESD in selecting The Woods project for this grant,” stated Dan Bellgraph, Senior Development Director at Beacon Communities, LLC. “This grant is the first critical building block needed to secure other funding for the project. We’re eager to launch this first phase of housing at The Woods to address the need for more housing in Ithaca.” 

SouthWorks Ithaca envisions:

• 915 total residential units;
• 900,000 square feet of new housing;
• 821,000 square feet of adaptively reused industrial and commercial space;
• Mixed-use development that includes light industrial, commercial, food/beverage, retail, and recreation;
• A walkable, mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood with open space, recreation areas, and multimodal infrastructure.

Throughout the site’s history, everything from industrial chains, automotive parts, critical components for bicycles, motorcycles, typewriters, and calculators was manufactured on site. Notably, during World War I, the Tommy Plane was built at this site. Morse Chain occupied the facility from 1906 until 1928, when the company merged with BorgWarner, which owned the property from 1928 to 1982. Emerson Power Transmission continued manufacturing at the site from 1983 until its closure in 2011. More details about SouthWorks Ithaca can be found on the website. To request a site tour, contact Sarah Barden at Shift Capital.