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There is more that goes into building a new housing project, but those three components have been important in getting the city of Auburn and Cayuga County to this point. 

Park Grove Realty, a Rochester-based developer, is planning a $23 million project to construct 70 townhome-style apartments on the city's west end. The housing units would be appealing for young professionals, especially workers at major employers in Cayuga County and future Micron workers in the region. 

The project is years in the making. From interviews with key leaders and comments at the Cayuga County Legislature meeting in February, ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» details how this plan is moving forward. 

The meeting

One of Jonathan Anna's first acts as Cayuga County Legislature chair was to walk from his office on State Street in Auburn to Memorial City Hall. 

Anna wanted to meet and open communication with Mayor Jimmy Giannettino. Although Giannettino wasn't there at the time, they connected by phone and agreed to meet the following week. 

During that meeting, Giannettino and city staff detailed the proposed Bluefield Pointe housing project to Anna and mentioned the state's County Infrastructure Grant Program. As the name suggests, the new funding source is available to counties, not cities. However, counties awarded funding may re-grant the monies to another entity or municipality.

"When we were talking about the fact that the way the state laid this out, you had to apply through the county," Giannetino said in an interview with ÈËÊÞÐÔ½». "We got our pro-housing designation, but there weren't really any other mechanisms for us to try and get this money. We expressed that to (Anna)." 

Anna listened and reviewed more information about the proposal after the meeting. What he found is a concept that aligned with his economic development vision for the county. 

"This is an opportunity," he told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½». 

The grant

The County Infrastructure Grant Program was established in 2024. It is administered by Empire State Development, the state's lead economic agency, and provides up to $50 million for county-led infrastructure projects. 

There are two tiers of awards. Counties can get up to $1 million for projects that support the construction of at least 10 new housing units, according to Empire State Development. Awards of up to $500,000 are available for non-housing projects.

After learning more about the Bluefield Pointe plan, Anna wanted to pursue the maximum $1 million award. He discussed it with the county's Department of Planning and Economic Development, which was already working with the city. 

Some county officials wanted to apply for a $500,000 award to support the Deauville Island bridge replacement project at Emerson Park. Instead of seeking funding for the bridge in this round, the county will pursue other options. One is to apply for a $2 million grant through the Northern Border Regional Commission, a partnership between the federal and state governments to boost economic development. 

Empire State Development has said there will be a second round of funding. The county will apply for a $500,000 award to support the Deauville Island bridge project. 

For now, though, the focus is on the housing project. 

Park Grove Realty will cover the $250 application fee. Anna told Kari Terwilliger, director of the county's Department of Planning and Economic Development, to contact the developer and ask if they would reimburse the county for preparing the grant application. They agreed to cover those costs, too. 

With those commitments from the developer, there will be no cost to the county to apply for the grant. If it is awarded the money, it will be re-granted to the city. The funding would be used for infrastructure upgrades at the project site.

The county Legislature voted at its Feb. 27 meeting to submit an application for a $1 million grant. 

The project

Tim Crilly, director of development for Park Grove Realty, told the county Legislature the firm began working with the city of Auburn three years ago to find a site for a "high-quality housing" project. 

Meanwhile, Park Grove was the developer of the cancer center at Auburn Community Hospital. Construction began in fall 2022 and the facility opened in early 2024.

The cancer center's completion allowed Park Grove to refocus on plans for a market-rate housing project in Auburn. Assistant Auburn City Manager Jennifer Haines said at a City Council meeting in February that the initial plan was for 52 Metcalf Drive owned by the Auburn Enlarged City School District. 

The County Infrastructure Grant Program was discussed during a housing subcommittee meeting — Haines serves as the panel's chair — and the city renewed its push for a housing project. A new site was needed, though, because the school district decided it would not sell the land on Metcalf Drive.

There is city-owned property on the west end near Bluefield Manor, an independent retirement community. That's where Park Grove wants to build 70 townhome-style apartments. 

According to Crilly, there will be 21 one-bedroom, 35 two-bedroom and 14 three-bedroom units. The rents would be $1,775 to $1,795 for a one-bedroom apartment, $2,145 to $2,250 for two bedrooms and $2,450 to $2,495 for three bedrooms. 

The apartments, Crilly explained, would be equipped with stainless steel appliances, modern lighting and plumbing fixtures, quartz countertops and a washer and dryer. The bedrooms will be carpeted, while luxury vinyl flooring will be used in other areas of the units. Other features include a balcony and patio and large walk-in closets. Each unit will have its own entryway and garage. 

"We think it's important that the best stuff is in these sorts of developments," Crilly said. "That's what everyone is paying for at the end of the day. 

The amenities don't end in the units. There would be a clubhouse with a community room, a dog park, exercise facility, pickleball court and pool.

Park Grove has similar developments in Ithaca and the Rochester area. Those projects have been successful, according to Crilly. 

"We have very high occupancy rates," he said. 

The project, which must be approved by city boards before construction begins, would generate short-term and long-term economic benefits. It will create 231 construction jobs and the developer's contractor may seek local companies to do some of the work. 

The apartments are geared toward households earning $100,000 or more annually. These are people who would live and spend their money in the community. The annual sales tax revenue from tenants would be $212,800, with the county's share being $106,400. Mortgage tax recording fees would total $38,000, according to Crilly.

When it opens, Bluefield Pointe will have two employees — a property manager and a maintenance supervisor. 

Crilly said Park Grove is excited about the project. 

"It's been a long time coming for the city of Auburn," he continued. "We spent a lot of time and effort trying to find a great site." 

The optimism

The developer and local leaders are excited about the project. 

City leaders recently toured Nucor, according to Giannettino, and the company told them that their workers, who earn more than $80,000 a year, have trouble finding housing in Auburn and Cayuga County. For the type of housing that Bluefield Pointe would offer, the employees need to move to neighboring Onondaga County. 

Anna and Giannettino agree the project is good for the city and county. Anna added that it will show developers the county is "open for business and we're ready to grow." 

The project will help attract more people to the area, according to Giannettino. It will also help the city and county prepare for an influx of residents when Micron opens its chip fabs by the end of this decade. Crilly told county legislators there is "a great demand" for this type of housing, some of which is driven by Micron's plans.

"We just gotta get one of these projects off the ground to show that this can happen in Cayuga County," Giannettino said.