ITHACA, N.Y.–Rent prices have nearly doubled for Ithacans during the past 16 years, sweeping dual-income families and white-collar workers to the periphery of the city. Taking notice, Mayor Svante Myrick said, “The issue of affordable housing is really the greatest concern [in Ithaca] today.”
Using U.S. Census tract data, The Ithaca Voice has compiled housing statistics for neighborhoods of Ithaca City to document the changing landscape–neighborhoods: Downtown, Collegetown/East Hill, Cornell, Fall Creek, Washington Park, West Hill, Southside, South Hill, and Belle Sherman & Bryant Park areas.
In 2000, median rent across Ithaca city was $574/month, and median income was $21,441/year. In other words, Ithacans were spending approximately 32 percent of their income on rental payments, which is slightly above the generally agreed upon 30 percent guideline.
For the years 2010-2014 – the most recent housing data – median rent in Ithaca city had skyrocketed to $989/month, with median income rising to $30,318/year. Now, Ithacans are spending approximately 39 percent of their income on rental payments, which is significantly inflated above the recommended 30 percent.
Myrick said, “The environment we’re in is because of policy decisions from 10 years ago, and building decisions from five years ago that were based on those policy decisions.” However, overcoming policy decisions and development initiatives are the reality of our democratic transition of power. For this reason, balancing decisions from Ithaca’s past, while striving towards future goals, has become Myrick’s priority for overcoming Ithaca’s housing crisis, he said.
The following maps slide back-and-forth and demonstrate how the median rental price in 2000 ($574/month) compares to rent in 2016 ($795/month) . Note: when adjusted for inflation, $574 in 2000 becomes $795 in 2016; also, don’t forget that median rent is now $989/month.
(Median Rent Comparison 2000/2016 – Source: U.S. Census Data)
Comparing the two maps above demonstrates how the housing crisis has transpired over the last 16 years – a noticeable increase of rental prices sweeps from the East of Ithaca, to the West, making it harder and harder to live closer to the city center.
Looking out from his office window in downtown Ithaca, Myrick said, “We’re seeing a lot of construction around us, but the rent hasn’t calmed down yet.” Citing the Collegetown Terrace development project, Myrick notes that there is a problem in the short term: “You can replace the old 400 units with 1200 new apartments [in Collegetown Terrace], but while building those apartments we’re out of 400 apartments.”
Although Collegetown is perhaps the epicenter of Ithaca’s housing problem, it is hardly the only neighborhood that suffers from increased rents. For example, in 2000, South Hill’s median rent was $554, which is twenty dollars lower than the Ithaca City median in 2000 ($574); now, South Hill’s median rent is $993, which is $4 above Ithaca City’s inflated median average ($989). Just in South Hill, the median rent has increased 79 percent over the last 16 years.
Like South Hill, all other neighborhoods have increased median rent from 2000 to 2016, but the exploitative aspect of the landlord/renter relationship is expressly seen in the East Hill neighborhood. Considering all of Ithaca City’s neighborhoods, East Hill consistently has the highest median rent – $619 (2000), and $1,075 (2016) – and also the highest percentage of housing that is dedicated to renting – 96.73 percent (2000).
|
Housing (Census Tract #) | Housing, Median Rent ($), 2000 | Housing, Median Rent ($), 2016 |
Housing, Median Rent, % Change from 2000 to 2016 |
| Downtown (0100) | $525.00 | $859.00 |
64% |
|
East Hill (0200) | $619.00 | $1,075.00 |
74% |
| Cornell (0300) | $532.00 | $947.00 |
78% |
|
Fall Creek (0700) | $563.00 | $927.00 |
65% |
|
Washington Park (0800) | $469.00 | $863.00 |
84% |
|
West Hill (0900) | $585.00 | $785.00 |
34% |
|
Southside (1000) | $398.00 | $588.00 |
48% |
|
South Hill (1100) | $554.00 | $993.00 |
79% |
| Belle Sherman & Bryant Park (1300) | $592.00 | $975.00 |
65% |
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016)
As median rent increases, so must family income, or else tenants are forced out of their homes. Family income has increased over the past 16 years, but it has not been proportional. Low-income families are affected the most when income doesn’t rise as the cost of rent rises.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) 2014 Poverty Guidelines: a family/household with 2 people and an income totaling $15,730 fulfills the poverty criteria; a family/household with 4 persons and an income totalling $23,850 fulfills the poverty criteria, too.
How does this look in Ithaca? Well, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2014 Ithaca had 25.6 percent of households with an income less than $24,999. While the statistics are not exact, the numbers illustrate that a large swath of Ithacans are flirting with the poverty line, meaning that they are either low-income residents or encumbered with poverty.
Family income averages – depicted below – demonstrate whether or not low-income families are able to reside in Ithaca’s neighborhoods:
(Family Income Median, adjusted to poverty line in 2000 & 2014, respectively. Source – U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2000 & 2014)
In 2000, low-income residents were still dispersed among Ithaca’s neighborhoods, particularly East Hill, Washington Park, and Southside – even Downtown and Fall Creek were relatively affordable. Currently, only Washington Park, Southside, and West Hill neighborhoods are equipped to serve low-income residents, suggesting that low-income families are forced into smaller, more concentrated enclaves.
In fact, a trend emerges when comparing the family income averages in a geographical context – family income averages are starkly different in neighborhoods on the West side of Ithaca when compared to the East part of Ithaca for 2016.
Further troubling, the Ithaca housing market is not responding to the housing crisis by lowering rent. Landlords and developers are forgoing tenants. Instead, landlords are incurring a loss on vacant rooms rather than lowering rental prices.
Although this aspect of the housing crisis may seem counterintuitive at first, the map below illustrates the rise in vacancy from 2000 to 2016.
(% Vacant Units, 2000/2016. Source – U.S. Census Data)
The fluctuation of median rent from 2000 to 2016 captures Ithaca’s housing crisis in one simple, neat statistic, but that’s not the entire story. Neighborhoods are experiencing internal struggles, too. Families that were living in diverse neighborhoods are now concentrated in specific neighborhoods, deteriorating the diverse fabric of Ithaca.
Despite the pressing issues – higher median rent (even after the price has been adjusted for inflation), stagnating family income, and the increase of vacant units – Mayor Myrick says that “The facts on the ground can change faster than people’s mentality will change.” He advises Ithacans that “understanding why costs are so high, will help them accept the prescription” of building more affordable housing in more of Ithaca’s neighborhoods.