SouthWorks: Four Neighborhoods
SouthWorks will be composed of four distinct neighborhoods, each with a unique mix of buildings that reflect the character and purpose of its area. Together, they will form a vibrant, 95-acre mixed-use community that connects seamlessly to surrounding neighborhoods and supports a wide range of uses, residents, and experiences.
The Gateway
The Gateway will be the primary entry into SouthWorks and serve as a welcoming landing spot for residents, visitors, and community members. The Gateway will include a dynamic mix of space for a variety of users - culture, commercial, retail, and residential- and include both adaptive reuse and new construction. It aims to provide open space and serves as a trailhead for the Gateway Trail, the proposed multi-use trail that will run along the northwestern edge of SouthWorks, bridging Six Mile Creek Preserve to the east to Buttermilk Falls State Park to the west.
The Gateway Trail
SouthWorks plans to serve as a trailhead for the Gateway Trail, the proposed multi-use trail that runs along the northwestern edge of SouthWorks, bridging Six Mile Creek Preserve to the east to Buttermilk Falls State Park to the west. It will connect a missing link in the Gateway Trail, ultimately connecting the Black Diamond Trail to the South Hill Recreation way, allowing complete circulation throughout the City of Ithaca. The design team is currently exploring ways to have the Gateway Trail connect to a trail system for walking and biking that will be integrated throughout the site itself.
The Chainway
The Chainway will be the heart of SouthWorks, where buildings full of character will be converted into apartments, work studios, shops, and dining. It will play a crucial role in creating connectivity throughout SouthWorks and between the site and the Town and City of Ithaca, serving as the foundation for a cohesive, accessible, and integrated community.
SouthWorks Innovation Hub
SouthWorks is a hub of ingenuity, entrepreneurialism, and community—offering adaptive spaces for ideas ready to take off and for those reaching new heights. With flexible office, makerspace, and light manufacturing options, we support businesses of all sizes, from sole proprietors to large enterprises. Our Innovation Hub aims to keep business and creativity humming with artist studios, urban manufacturing, light industrial, workshops, and more.
The Hills & The Woods
Apartment living has never seen a view like this. To borrow our local phrase…the view from the Hills and the Woods is gorges! Living at SouthWorks will offer a variety of modern residences for a diversity of households, well connected to on-site features, amenities, and trails. Natural elements meet modern living in the planned townhomes and apartment residences.
A Variety Of Homes For A Diversity Of Households
Bridging South Hill and Downtown Ithaca, SouthWorks aims to mix elements of a bustling urban environment and an inclusive small-town feel with a variety of modern residences, from apartments to townhomes. Minutes from Ithaca’s key attractions, SouthWorks offers residences, recreation, dining, and entertainment options for residents and visitors alike.
Our housing plan is designed to expand access and reduce inequities in Ithaca’s housing market. SouthWorks will include a mix of 20% affordable housing, 40% workforce housing, and 40% market-rate housing, increasing both the affordable and attainable housing supply in the area. This mix will be delivered through a combination of new construction and adaptive reuse of existing structures for multifamily residences, creating a diverse and inclusive residential community.
The SouthWorks team has also partnered with Beacon Communities to develop SouthWorks’ first phase of the multifamily development initiative. At SouthWorks, they will develop, own, and manage approximately 150 affordable and mixed-income apartments featuring 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units.
Join us in one of the Best Places to Live in the US.
The City of Ithaca is centrally located at the heart of Tompkins County, surrounded by the Town of Ithaca, at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. Ithaca continuously receives accolades for being one of the smartest cities, best college towns, and best places to live in the U.S.
If you’re interested in being a part of a new, dynamic neighborhood, SouthWorks is the place for you.
Please check back here as we begin to design and build mixed-income housing at the site. Join our email list for updates.