TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.(WENY)-- Tompkins County's 'City Harbor' project is slated to begin this May and it is going to be a complete face lift for the Cayuga inlet.

"Well it's certainly going to add some housing. It's going to have development in an area that hasn't had it before. You know this has been a marina and basically boat storage and now it's going to be I think far more of a community resource," says Rich John, Chair of Industrial Development Agency.

Along with brand new housing, the project proposes a public promenade, new boat access, and a Guthrie medical building adjacent to the residential space. Developers told WENY News that this is going to really help break the disconnect between downtown Ithaca and the waterfront.

"What you're seeing now with all of the development on the West end and here at City Harbor is a movement to connect the city with the lake again. I think that's really exciting, you're basically making a whole new neighborhood here," says John.

Partner Developers tell WENY they hope this will not only bring the community together more -- but also give those who have always wanted to live on or near the water the opportunity to do so in a brand new way.

"It will allow people that have wanted to be on the lake, or maybe they wanted a lake cottage all of their lives and they haven't been able to make that happen because there is just so many cottages and lake access homes and they'll be able to enjoy this beautiful, natural resource and be walking distance of downtown," Elizabeth Ambrose, Partner of the 'City Harbor' project. 

Developers were also excited to announce the new HVAC heating and cooling system, which will run throughout the residential and medical facilities. 

"The system will use clean, treated water headed toward Cayuga Lake as an energy source to heat and cool the complex’s residential and medical areas. The system will use 8-10 percent of the incoming water flow for heat exchange. After a 30-foot stretch, the water will return to the outbound effluent pipe. The system eliminates natural gas usage, reduces the electric load and draws on energy from water that is already on site."

If you would like to learn more about the 'City Harbor' project and what is in store for Tompkins County over the next few years, you can click here.