Cayuga County staff to submit state infrastructure grant application to support Park Grove 70‑unit market‑rate housing in Auburn

Gary Folger, Cayuga County director of planning, and Park Grove representatives presented a proposal to use the new County Infrastructure Grant to extend public water, sewer and roads to a proposed 70‑unit market‑rate housing project near Bloomfield Manor in the city of Auburn.

Folger said the County Infrastructure Grant is available only to counties and that two award tiers exist: up to $1 million for projects supporting 10 or more housing units (with a 50% non‑ESD cash match required) and up to $500,000 for smaller projects or place‑making initiatives. Folger and county staff proposed pursuing the $1 million option for the Park Grove project because the developer estimates more than $1 million in infrastructure costs for extending utilities and roads into the site.

Park Grove’s Tim Crowley and Tayah Mazola said the planned development will consist of 70 townhome‑style apartments with a mix of one-, two‑ and three‑bedroom units, garages for each unit and amenities such as a clubhouse, pool and dog spa. Crowley described the project as market‑rate (not subsidized) with developers estimating a total development cost of about $23 million; the county application would cover only public infrastructure costs. Folger said developers told county staff they target residents with household incomes around $100,000, and the development team said construction will prioritize local subcontractors where feasible.

County role and costs: Folger said Cayuga County would act as the grant applicant and would regrant any award to the city of Auburn, which would administer contract oversight. The developer will reimburse the county’s application fee and staff time used to prepare the application, Folger said, so the county expects no net cost to submit the grant. If awarded, ESD (Empire State Development) requires a 50% non‑ESD cash match; Folger said the county and developer plan to combine other grant opportunities (including a Northern Border Regional Commission opportunity for the Doble Island bridge project) to minimize county cash outlays.

Timing: The county noted the grant rolled out quickly and that the first round awards are being made on a rolling basis; Folger said the application deadline is April 1, and that a second round is likely. The county’s charge was to find a “shovel‑ready” project that could start construction within months of award and be under construction within roughly a year of contract.

Questions from legislators covered whether the project would be gated (Crowley said it would not), the developer’s record of similar projects in Ithaca, Henrietta and Dryden, and whether local subcontractors would be used for construction (Park Grove said it will make best efforts to hire locally). Auburn representatives thanked the legislature for considering a resolution to submit the grant application.

No formal award was made during the presentation; county staff said they will return with a resolution for the Legislature’s consideration to act as applicant and to regrant any award to the city of Auburn.