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Haines, the planning and economic development director for the city of Auburn, is leading a recently-formed Cayuga County subcommittee centered on housing development. The group was created in the wake of Micron, a leading company for semiconductor chips, announcing last fall it intends to invest $100 billion over 20 years to create a chip plant in the Onondaga County town of Clay. The facility, set to begin construction in 2024, is expected to generate 9,000 new jobs, plus around 40,000 more positions in supporting industries.

That housing subcommittee started meeting in December and boasts housing developers, realtors, Auburn and county officials and more as members. It is part of a larger committee put together in late 2022 to find ways to capitalize on the Micron undertaking. The other subcommittees are centered on site development, energy and training and employment.

Haines said her group has been working to identity sites for housing development within the city and Cayuga County overall. The subcommittee has mapped out city-owned and privately-owned sites in Auburn and private sites in the county that could be good opportunities for development.

"We are in the process of reaching out to private owners to gauge their interest," she said. 

It is crucial for these sites to have water and sewer infrastructure, Haines added, mentioning that she believes "in the city, we are very well positioned for pretty much any site." She also noted the Auburn government has been investing in city water and sewer work for years. 

Another important aspect of the group's work is ensuring "we have a good understanding on local and regional data for housing needs," Haines said. She also said the subcommittee is working to acquire information on what Micron employees are looking at for housing and to get a sense of what existing businesses and residents in the county believe are the housing needs for the area.

"We're going to be working on gathering that data and information," Haines continued. "The point of that is so that we can then put that information together and connect that with housing developers, who will be very important to us in meeting housing needs. Whether it's rehabilitation, construction, we want to make sure we have good data so that developers can see the opportunities."

To that end, Haines said the city aims to put out a request for proposals for a housing market study, with both Auburn and Cayuga County intended to be included in the study's scope. The city is hoping to have that request completed later this month. She also noted the last housing market study commissioned by the city was in 2006.  

"Lot of things have happened in that timeframe, there's been a lot of housing that has been developed in our community since then," Haines said. "So we need to just acknowledge that and (look at) what are the new needs for housing in both the city and the county?"

The subcommittee also wants to identify housing developers who might be interested in development in Auburn and Cayuga County.

"Identifying housing developers is another key piece, once we have the data. So we are pursuing that as well," she said.

Haines also said the city has been gauging interest from developers for potential housing developments within the city and the county. She also expressed enthusiasm over the group's work.

"It's really great to have the talent and and expertise and experience of this committee around the table to talk through these issues," she said. "Micron is the catalyst for this discussion, but it's great work to do either way. It's definitely been really refreshing to get everybody's perspective on this issue and make sure we are working as a team to get ready for whatever development we can attract here."

Housing subcommittee member Donna Adams, who lives in Throop and is a licensed real estate salesperson with the Camillus branch of HUNT Real Estate, said via email she believes Cayuga County and Auburn are well positioned to respond to housing needs.

"While Micron has provided the catalyst for the organized effort, this is a continuation of a conversation that has been happening in the community for some time now about (readying) ourselves for housing development," she said.

She also said she believes the group's focused efforts in the area "will serve the community well, whether its Micron that (provides) the opportunity, or other potential developments that come our way."