O’Mara notes announcement of September 15 auction for site of DOT maintenance facility in Tompkins County: Has long supported city and county redevelopment effort

Ithaca, N.Y., August 12—Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) today welcomed progress on the future redevelopment of state-owned land in the city at the site of the state Department of Transportation (DOT) maintenance facility, which has long been viewed as central to the city’s long-term waterfront redevelopment strategy.

O’Mara pointed to a legal notice in today’s Ithaca Journal announcing that the state Office of General Services (OGS) will auction the property on September 15.

“We have been working toward the redevelopment of this property for many, many years and so it’s good to see this progress.  I have welcomed opportunities throughout this time to work with city, county and state officials to help secure resources to assess the economic and community development value of the property, help facilitate the relocation of the DOT facility and, overall, highlight this project as an exciting place for waterfront redevelopment,” said O’Mara, whose 58th Senate District encompasses a part of Tompkins County including the city and town of Ithaca.     

Throughout the longstanding effort by the city of Ithaca and Tompkins County, O’Mara has strongly supported the relocation of the DOT maintenance facility at the end of Third Street in the city.  In 2014, he helped the county secure a state Local Waterfront Revitalization Program Grant to conduct a key study assessing the feasibility of the relocation.    

O’Mara has consistently highlighted the nearly eight-acre waterfront property on the Cayuga Inlet as the most valuable waterfront location in the city for redevelopment as a mixed-use site that could bolster the local economy, improve waterfront access for residents and  visitors alike, and help generate local revenues.  

The state has owned the property since the 1970s.

The DOT is currently relocating its maintenance facility to a new location near the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.  The move is expected to be completed by the end of the year.