Welcome

Mixed-Income, Mixed-Use Project in Trumansburg

A new development, Village Grove, is emerging in Trumansburg. It's a mixed-income, mixed-use project located on the south side of the village.
Originally proposed as Hamilton Square in 2017, and the subject of much controversy during its subsequent review process, the development consists of 46 rental units, nine market rate lots, and 10 affordable for-sale townhomes to be sold into the INHS Community Housing Trust.

Forty rental apartments will be housed in a two-story elevator building focused on housing for seniors, and the other six will be located in two townhome buildings with three units in each string and are aimed more towards younger families.


The project also includes a new facility for the Trumansburg Community Nursery School. Ithaca’s HOLT Architects is responsible for the architectural designs here.

The apartment building will include a community lounge, laundry facilities for use by residents, and management and maintenance offices. The goal of Village Grove is to create an intergenerational, mixed-income community where seniors can age in place and young families can purchase homes in the competitive local housing market.

INHS has contracted with Purcell Construction to handle the buildout of the 46 lower-income rental units, as well as the new nursery school.

The residential buildings are largely finished from the outside, while the new school has been sheathed and fitted with windows, but has yet to receive its exterior fiber cement façade. Sidewalks and fresh paving are in place, as are EV chargers and a new playground. The first phase’s construction cost is about $27 million, with completion of the first units anticipated by the end of this year.

The apartment building has been designed with a number of green energy features. It features all electric systems including triple pane windows and doors, geothermal heat pumps for heating, cooling, and hot water systems, advanced insulation to meet Passive House standards, and off-site solar production from a Renovus solar farm to achieve net-zero energy.

The rental application for the apartments was posted in late July, with units ranging from $775 for a one-bedroom to $1,260 for a three-bedroom for income-qualified applicants. As these units typically see high demand, those deemed eligible will be selected via lottery, with the first tenants moving in during December. The affordable for-sale homes are slated for construction at a later date.

- Brian Crandall, Ithaca Voice, 9/18/24