Cayuga County Launches Project to Identify Vacant and Underused Properties

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Cayuga County officials are launching a new planning initiative to identify underutilized and potentially contaminated properties across the county. The Countywide Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Pre-Planning Inventory and Analysis project will assess vacant, abandoned, and environmentally affected sites in all towns and villages except the City of Auburn, with the goal of creating a mapped inventory and identifying priority areas for future redevelopment and cleanup. Two public meetings are scheduled to introduce the project and gather community input.

Why it matters

This project aims to help guide long-term redevelopment in Cayuga County, integrate with ongoing local planning initiatives, and attract public and private investment to revitalize underused properties and address potential environmental concerns.

The details

The BOA project will assess vacant, abandoned, and environmentally affected sites across Cayuga County, excluding the City of Auburn. The goal is to create a mapped inventory and identify priority areas for future redevelopment and cleanup. Two public meetings are scheduled to introduce the project and gather community input - one in Locke on April 22 and one in Auburn at the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES on April 23. Following the meetings, a public survey will be released to collect additional feedback. The project is funded by the New York State Department of State through the Environmental Protection Fund and is being conducted with consultants Fisher Associates and MUD Workshop.

• The public meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23, 2026.
• The public survey will be released following the meetings.

What’s next

Following the public meetings, a survey will be released to collect additional community feedback on the BOA project and potential redevelopment priorities.