The town of Ithaca is set to receive nearly $250,000 in state funding to support local housing development efforts.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced this week that Ithaca will receive $243,000 as part of a $5 million statewide grant program aimed at helping pro-housing communities boost housing production.
The funding can be used for technical assistance projects, including creating master plans, conducting market studies and zoning analyses, and streamlining building permits to accelerate new housing construction.
“The Pro-Housing Communities Program is a true partnership between the State and localities that tackles the housing shortage, makes it possible for people to live in the communities of their choice and serves as an effective vehicle for aligning housing and local economic development,” Governor Hochul said. “That’s why we are making additional resources available to the 400-and-counting certified Pro-Housing Communities that will help them succeed in creating the housing New Yorkers want and need.”
Governor Hochul signed Executive Order 30 in July 2023, creating the Pro-Housing Community Program, which recognizes and rewards municipalities actively working to unlock their housing potential and encourages others to follow suit. Under the Program, which is administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), local governments that are taking action to support housing growth to address the housing shortage throughout the State can apply to become certified. After becoming certified, localities have exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. Since the launch of the Pro-Housing Communities Program, these state funds support up to 20,000 more homes statewide.
State officials say the grants are intended to help communities address housing shortages and make it easier to build new homes.
