Ithaca URA committee recommends 10-year lease extension for downtown child care site

The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency Neighborhood Investment Committee voted unanimously to recommend a 10-year renewal of the Downtown Ithaca Children’s Center (DICC) lease and unanimously accepted the committee’s January meeting minutes.

DICC currently occupies the site under a sublease arranged through IRA and pays nominal rent ($1 per month). Staff explained the existing arrangement dates to city council authorization in 1995 and that the proposed 10-year renewal would follow the same terms and continued use as a drop-in children’s center. Committee discussion focused on the procedural steps required under local rules prior to final approval: completion of a public hearing, IRA recommendation to Common Council, and Common Council final approval; County Council also must approve the sublease from IRA to DICC as described by staff.

Staff described the organization’s request as a straight renewal “to renew the lease for 10 years, still operating as DICC with no changes,” and said the shorter term (10 years vs. the original 30-year arrangement) likely reflects uncertainty about space needs or future opportunities but that no substantive concerns were anticipated. Committee members asked about building condition and space constraints and whether DICC might seek additional space in future years; staff replied demand for the program could exceed what fits at the current site and that DICC has used complementary spaces in the past.

The committee also approved a resolution that included authority for the IRA chairperson to execute documents related to the lease recommendation. The recommendation, if approved by the IRA board and Common Council, will be followed by the statutorily required public hearing and county-level approvals before a new sublease is executed.

Next steps: staff will prepare the public hearing materials and forward the committee’s recommendation to the IRA board and then to Common Council for final action.