Town Comprehensive Plan under review by Newfield Planning Board

During the Dec. 6 Newfield Planning Board meeting, Tompkins County Legislative Representative Randy Brown reported that Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) is making a  strategic shift to rehabilitate homes in rural areas, extending beyond its urban housing focus. Communities are encouraged to identify at least five residences needing repairs, regardless of their occupancy status, and submit those properties to INHS for possible funding.  

According to Brown, the owners of qualified properties will be contacted by INHS and guided through the process of applying for grants. Eligibility requires the homeowner to reside in the house, as INHS will loan up to $100,000 in funds for repairs and subsequently hold the mortgage. 

The program, originally known as Better Housing in Tompkins County, has been integrated into INHS. Until now, this program has had limited rural engagements but is shifting its efforts to include rural areas. 

The board will promote this initiative and compile a list of potential properties for Ithaca Housing Authority’s consideration.  

Mike McLaughlin, a member of the Newfield Planning Board,  is reaching out to community members, the fire department and code enforcement officers to identify possible grant applicants.   

“I’m going to try to gather the names of people who might qualify for this Ithaca Housing Authority grant, and then we’ll be giving those names to Ithaca Housing Authority, who already has in place a system to contact,” McLaughlin said. 

Inquiries about this program should go through the town clerk on the town of Newfield’s website.  

The availability of housing grants is one of several action items the board is undertaking as it begins a review of key sections of the 2013 Newfield Comprehensive Plan. Also under review are the protection of agricultural lands and ways to develop local businesses. 

“I’m really frustrated about the lack of input,” McLaughlin said. “We all talk about wanting to know what this town wants, how we can help this town and guide it in the direction that this town wants to go in, and I don’t know that I feel empowered by the input that we’ve gotten.” 

Instead of large gatherings, the board plans to host small meetings to gather feedback, foster new ideas and further align planning actions with community members’ interests. The series of meetings, to be scheduled beginning in January, will also help to collect insights for developing proposals and grant applications for specific action plans.   

“Our goal here is not to rewrite this document,” said Debra Eichten, acting chair of the planning board. “Our goal here is to take a section of it or two sections of it and say in 10 years’ time, ‘Have we done what these aspirational goals state, and if not, why not?’” 

Residents interested in participating are encouraged to visit Get Involved and Stay Informed on the town of Newfield’s website (newfieldny.org).