A Place & Partnership


Downtown Ithaca, as we call it, is a business Improvement District (BID) founded in 1997 (formally known as the Ithaca Business Improvement District, or IBID). This is a zoned district of Ithaca, New York and spans 12 square blocks of the city.

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance(DIA), also founded in 1997, is a State of New York chartered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization charged with the revitalization, development, promotion, and management of Downtown Ithaca (IBID).


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A Place For Everyone

‍Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are essential to the Downtown Ithaca Alliance's mission of working toward promoting a more inclusive and representative Downtown Ithaca. We respect, value, and celebrate the unique characteristics, backgrounds, and perspectives that make each person who they are. We believe that by bringing a diverse spectrum of individuals together, we will more effectively address the issues that face our community and its surrounding neighborhoods.


What the Alliance Does

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is a comprehensive downtown revitalization & management program engaged in 6 principal areas: Business Retention & Development, Marketing & Membership Services, Government Relations, Late-Night Economy, Environmental Infrastructure, Special Events, and Transportation.

Each year the Downtown Ithaca Alliance undertakes a number of tasks, activities, and programs designed to advance and support downtown revitalization, management, and promotion.  These actions comprise the DIA Annual Work Plan. 

The programmatic work of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance has been organized by the following: 

Our Vision

We envision Downtown Ithaca as a safe and vibrant, inclusive community of diverse people and businesses; a place that is memorable and captivating, where people aspire to return. We will continuously work toward a sustainable Downtown Ithaca that fuels both the regional economy and the psyche of our City, County, and region, and a place where commerce, residential living, and our social community successfully, intersect and interact.

 


The Alliance Mission. . .

"The Downtown Ithaca Alliance works to enhance and improve Ithaca's urban core. We work in partnership with state and local governments, retailers, developers, property owners and other organizations and neighbors to nurture downtown Ithaca as a place where commerce and community engagement come together to create a vibrant and welcoming environment.”


A Non-profit Community Organization

Our Values

At the Downtown Ithaca Alliance and in our Downtown community, we value:

- Teamwork and Partnerships
- Diversity, Inclusion and Social Equity
- Research and Idea Sharing
- Evolution and Change
- Communications, Dialogue and Public Input
- Our Community of Constituents, Employees, Board Members and Volunteers

The Staff

The organization is staffed by a team of full-time and part-time employees working together to cover the scope of the organization's annual work plan.

Meet the Team

The DIA Board

DIA is monitored & advised by an elected board of directors consisting of property owners or their representatives, commercial tenants, residents, educational institutions, and local government officials.

Meet the Board

Public Meetings

Board and committee meetings are open to the public. 

Board meetings generally occur every 3rd Monday of the month at 6pm at DIA, unless otherwise noted. 

Schedules & Agendas

Planning & Building for Tomorrow

2030 Strategic Planning

The DIA is working in collaboration with the City of Ithaca on the its 10-year strategic plan.

The process kicked off in 2019 and has involved data gathering, research, input and idea collection from community stakeholders and interests groups spanning outward into Tompkins County.

Learn More About the Process

Get involved.  Be Heard.  Share your thoughts and ideas about what would you would like to see happen in or how downtown should grow over the next 10 years.

Take the Ithaca Resident Survey:

2030 Ithaca Resident Survey

Visit our Doing Business page to learn more about economic development work downtown.

Economic Development