Center of Government

2021

• The County Legislature took action to purchase a property at the corner of Buffalo and North Tioga Streets in the City of Ithaca with the plan of constructing an office building that will serve as the Tompkins County Center of Government. 

2022

• In February, the County took ownership of the two properties on the 300 block of North Tioga Street adjacent to the Main Courthouse.
• The Legislature approved moving forward with a program space study update in April 2022. The space study update was completed and presented to the Facilities & Infrastructure Committee in July 2022. 

2023

• The Legislature decided to move forward with the Center of Government Building project in September 2023.

2024

• The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) commenced a review of the proposed project site that was believed to contain buildings in the historic district.
• After an RFP process, the County hired HOLT Architects for architectural design and engineering services in December.

2025

• In April, SHPO provided a conditional approval to deconstruct the Professional Law building, Key Bank building, and Annex C.
• In May, the Legislature amended a 2024 resolution, updating the placement of departments that will occupy the Center of Government.
• In June, Town Hall meetings are scheduled in different parts of the county, and an online survey is made available to solicit public feedback on current access to government services and improving service delivery.

   

  
  

   

The proposed project involves constructing a 48,000-square-foot Center of Government designed to:

1. Meet current and projected office space requirements

2. Get out of existing leases and consolidate County departments

3. Provide residents with more integrated services (improve convenience and efficiency)

4. Provide residents with equitable access to services via bus, bike, walk, or drive in one location

5. Meet the County’s Green Building Policy requirements

6. Maintain and enhance the economic vitality of downtown

7. Design for flexibility. Create a building that will accommodate future growth and change

8. Complement and enhance the character of the Historic District

9. Create a government campus around DeWitt Park

The current estimate for the new construction project totals $50 million. This funding will consist of a combination of cash, debt financing, and available grant opportunities as outlined in the 2022 Capital Plan. The funding will cover all phases of the project, including deconstruction of existing facilities, planning and design, construction of the new building, and renovations to the Old Jail and portions of the Daniel D. Tompkins Building

This new facility will replace the existing buildings at 300 and 308 North Tioga Street and 128 East Buffalo Street, all of which will be deconstructed as part of the project.

To prepare for construction, the County must relocate the departments currently housed at 128 East Buffalo Street - Assessment, Board of Elections, and Information Technology Services. A carefully coordinated relocation plan aims to minimize service disruptions and ensure continuity of operations.

The relocation effort will involve:

• Securing leased space for displaced departments
• Moving staff currently located in the Old Jail into the Mental Health building
• Relocating Information Technology Services (ITS) to the Old Jail to establish a dedicated County Information Systems space
• Ensuring ITS establishes server connectivity at all new locations
• Allocating sufficient time for County Facilities staff to install connectivity lines, move furniture, and reconfigure spaces

Departments involved in this project:

Departments-Occupying-Buildings-for-COG-Project.pdf(PDF, 445KB)

You are invited - Help shape the future of county government!

The Tompkins County Legislature and Administration invite residents to participate in the planned Town Hall meetings that are scheduled throughout the county in June. The purpose of these meetings is to gather information from residents about what they would like to see in a new Center of Government Building, including how they currently access County services and how that access could be improved, and to inform the design of the project. Public engagement sessions will take place periodically as the building design progresses to ensure residents’ voices are heard.

We want your input!

Share your thoughts on:

• how you currently access County services and how that access could be improved
• what you would like to see in a new Center of Government building
• your desired design features of the project

Fill out the survey below and help shape the future of county government services: