Ithaca staff outline temporary camping pilot, navigation‑hub plan and site improvements for Southwest parcel

City staff presented a draft encampment-response report recommending a time-limited pilot to allow managed camping on a portion of the city‑owned Southwest parcel (near the Tompkins County Solid Waste Center) paired with a staffed navigation hub offering services, and recommended a series of site improvements and safety measures.

Deputy City Manager (presenting) and the city’s encampment response coordinator, Kanish Fatima, told council the approach is intended to reduce harms associated with informal encampments while providing outreach, access to services and safer, designated places for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Staff described the proposal as a phased, 2–3‑year pilot that would rely on existing capital funds to make site improvements and would require operational partnerships for a staffed navigation hub.

Site concept and proposed improvements: staff showed an updated site plan that reduces camping in wetter or hard-to-access areas and concentrates leveled, mulched camping plots (each roughly 1,250 square feet), pedestrian access with solar LED path lighting, numbered zone markers to aid first responders and outreach workers, and a centralized amenities area for potable water, storage and toilets if feasible under state environmental-health rules. Staff also proposed fixed fire rings designed for controlled burning of approved fuels, improved emergency vehicle access (widened access road using millings rather than new paving), selective dead-tree removal and small on-site firefighting apparatus (smaller, off-road-capable vehicles to respond to brush fires), plus enhanced signage and mapping so callers and responders can identify site locations quickly.

Navigation hub, partners and operations: staff recommended a staffed navigation hub — ideally in an existing nearby building — that would provide showers, laundry, storage and case-management access to benefits and shelter resources. The hub would be staffed (staff suggested two to three people per shift for oversight and case navigation) and operated in partnership with Tompkins County departments and nonprofit providers; county participation, staff said, would be critical to deliver entitlement programs and sustain operations beyond short-term city funding.

Calls-for-service analysis and safety context: staff reviewed 2023–24 911 center data for several recurring encampment locations. They showed that an intensive cleanup of a Brindley Street triangle encampment in 2024 corresponded with a notable drop in police, fire and EMS responses for that site in subsequent months. Another larger area behind a commercial parcel (request-coded in the transcript as “Jungle 2”) recorded higher overall calls (about 90 calls in 2024), though staff cautioned an important share of calls identified as “property checks” were officer-initiated community contact rather than only reactive emergency calls.

Budget and timing: staff provided early ballpark figures for capital improvements to the Southwest parcel and estimated roughly $380,000 to execute the improvements described in an initial phase. Staff said that sum would be “less than half” of the capital resources council has previously set aside for related work (staff referenced the total capital set‑aside at roughly $800,000). Operational costs for a navigation hub — staffing and rent — were not yet fully defined; staff said additional county partnership and funding planning are needed. Staff proposed that council accept the report and recommended policy edits at the next voting meeting (May 7) so implementation can begin as weather allows.

Council questions and public input: councilmembers and public commenters raised questions about long-term funding, where navigation-hub services would be located and whether county commitments to operating costs would be secured. Neighbors and community organizations emphasized fire prevention, communications and meaningful outreach to people living outdoors. Staff said they will continue detailed outreach, refine conceptual site plans using GIS data and coordinate with county and nonprofit partners.

Ending: Staff will bring a resolution accepting the report and updated administrative-policy edits to the next voting meeting; if council accepts the report, staff would begin phased implementation while pursuing county partnerships and monitoring neighborhood impacts.