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County to solicit projects for $1M NYS infrastructure grant; committee prioritizes housing support
Summary
Staff outlined a county solicitation for the new Empire State Development County Infrastructure Grant Program and the committee directed staff to focus proposals on infrastructure that unlocks housing, with applicants responsible for the 50% local match and a 1% administrative fee.
Tompkins County planning staff on Thursday outlined a fast-moving opportunity from New York State’s Empire State Development to win infrastructure funding for projects that enable housing development, and the Housing & Economic Development Committee directed staff to solicit project ideas emphasizing housing.
Megan (Planning & Sustainability) told the committee the County Infrastructure Grant Program allows each eligible county outside downstate to submit one project request to Empire State Development. Awards may be up to $1,000,000 if the infrastructure supports creation of at least 10 new housing units; projects that do not support the creation of at least 10 units are limited to $500,000. The program requires a 50% local match and a 1% administrative fee to Empire State Development on awards.
"If you're supporting creation of new housing, that's a $1,000,000" award, Megan said, describing the match requirements and the first-come, first-served nature of the funding. Staff said projects must be near-shovel-ready: construction should be ready to start within one year and complete within two years of award.
Why it matters: The program offers a chance to leverage state funds for infrastructure tied to housing development at a time when local leaders have prioritized housing. The County must act quickly: although the April 1 application deadline exists, ESD treats awards on a first-come, first-served basis against a $50 million statewide pool for eligible counties.
Committee decisions: Legislators signaled unanimous support for prioritizing applications that fund infrastructure enabling housing. They also asked staff to solicit expressions of interest from developers, municipalities, water/sewer purveyors and other partners and to vet top ideas with a short internal review team. On the fee and local-match question, the committee agreed to set applicant expectations that the project sponsor provide the 50% match and pay the 1% administrative fee; staff will note that county funding of the fee could be considered for an exceptional project but is not the default.
Next steps: Staff will distribute a solicitation and convene outreach to municipal and developer partners immediately, with a goal of returning a top recommendation to the committee by its Feb. 5 meeting so the county can submit an application well before April 1 if warranted.
Ending: The committee asked staff to proceed quickly and focus the county’s first submission on infrastructure that unlocks affordable housing development.
