Ithaca council members brief Tompkins County Legislature on rezoning, homelessness task force and short-term rental enforcement

Ithaca Common Council members Pierre Saint Perez and Patrick Keel addressed the Tompkins County Legislature Jan. 7 to summarize the mayor’s recent state of the city remarks and to flag policy initiatives the city will pursue in 2025.

Saint Perez and Keel said the mayor will propose incorporating a bike-share program into the city budget for 2026, that the city believes it has a competitive Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) application, and that the mayor announced a city task force on homelessness that will work with community groups and the county. "We are trying and I'm sure with our rezoning we will continue to try ... I'm asking each every one of you to work with your town boards ... your communities need to pitch in," Saint Perez said, urging cooperation across municipalities.

Keel said the city is moving to curb short-term rentals by ordinance, limiting rentals to owner-occupied properties through a strict permitting process. He told the legislature the city will pair the ordinance with an enforcement plan that compares online listings to permits; "we're anticipating it decreasing significantly once that policy is in full effect," Keel said.

Keel and Saint Perez also noted state support for a comprehensive city rezoning and said the city will share progress reports with other local governments. The council members did not propose county actions but asked legislators to coordinate where possible on housing and planning issues.

Legislators asked for clarification about timing and enforcement; council members said committee and staff reports will follow and encouraged county-level cooperation on housing supply.