HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-21 PB Final Minutes
Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4
November 21, 2023
Planning Board
Zoom Hybrid Meeting
Meeting Minutes
November 21, 2023
Approved: December 5, 2023
Board Members Present: Chair Pete Angie, Karl Klankowski, Mo Klein
Board Members Present on Zoom: Linda Liddle
Board Members Absent: Rebecca Schneider, Bart Gragg
Quorum Present
Applicants Present: Robert Thomas, Elizabeth Thomas
Town Board Members Present: Rich Goldman
Town Staff Present: Niels Tygesen, Mollie Duell
Members of the Public Present: Crystal Buck
Proceedings
Chair Pete Angie called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM at Town Hall.
Motion: Klein made a motion to appoint Klankowski as a voting member for the duration of the
meeting; Chair Angie seconded.
Vote: Klein, aye; Chair Angie, aye.
Motion Carried.
Approval of Agenda
The board briefly discussed remote voting policies for the Planning Board.
Motion: Klein made a motion to approve the amended agenda; Klankowski seconded.
Vote: Klankowski, aye; Klein, aye; Chair Angie, aye.
Motion Carried.
Approval of Past Minutes
Motion: Klein made a motion to approve the November 7 Planning Board meeting minutes as written;
Klankowski seconded.
Vote: Klankowski, aye; Klein, aye; Chair Angie, aye.
Motion Carried.
Privilege of the Floor
No members of the public addressed the Board pertaining to items not on the agenda.
Old Business Items
MNSUB2310-02: Thomas 2 Lot Land Division Final Plat Review, Public Hearing
The applicant and property owner, Robert and Elizabeth Thomas, applied for a minor subdivision for the
subject site to subdivide the existing 13.4 acre lot into two lots; ‘Parcel A’, approximately 6.75 acres, and
‘Parcel B’, approximately 6.65 acres. The A/R zone requires a minimum lot area of 2 acres, 200 feet of lot
depth, and 400 feet of lot width at the front property line per the Code of the Town of Ulysses (CTU)
212-29.
Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4
November 21, 2023
The applicants had no new information regarding the application.
No members of the public offered comments about the proposed subdivision during the public hearing.
No Planning Board members had any further questions about the Environmental assessment form.
Motion: Klein made a motion to approve Planning Board Resolution 2023-024: Resolution of SEQR
Determination for the Thomas 2 Lot Land Division Located at 3406 Gorge Road, Town of Ulysses, Tax
Parcel 14.-1-28.3; Klankowski seconded.
Vote: Klein, aye; Klankowski, aye; and Chair Angie, aye.
Motion Carried.
Chair Angie read the conditions of approval for the subdivision and asked Thomas if the conditions were
understood; Thomas replied yes.
Motion: Klein made a motion to close the public hearing; Klankowski seconded.
Vote: Klein, aye; Klankowski, aye; and Chair Angie, aye.
Motion Carried.
Motion: Klein made a motion to approve Planning Board Resolution 2023-025: A Resolution of Final
Subdivision Approval of the Thomas 2 Lot Land Division Located at 3406
Gorge Road, Town of Ulysses, Tax Parcel 14.-1-28.3; Klankowski seconded.
Vote: Klein, aye; Klankowski, aye; and Chair Angie, aye.
Motion Carried.
Thomas asked what the next steps are; Tygesen responded after the map is signed it must be brought to
the county assessment office.
Tompkins County Ag District 2 8-Year Review, Cornell Co-op Extension
Crystal Buck, Farmland Protection and Ag Marketing Educator with Cornell Co-op Extension, met with
the Planning Board on November 7, 2023, to discuss Ag districts and solicit input on specific parcels the
Town thinks should be added to or removed from the district as part of the Extension’s comprehensive
8-year review process currently underway. The Board asked for additional information to continue the
discussion to the November 21st meeting.
Crystal Buck presented a map of Ulysses depicting areas where current and proposed ag district parcels
overlap with the Conservation Zone.
Buck noted state regulations would override certain local zoning regulations if the parcel contains an
active commercial farming operation. Non-commercial agricultural operations such as a homestead
would not have the same benefits as commercial farms.
Buck reviewed terminology and classification parcels on the map with the Planning Board.
The Planning Board examined different parcels located within the Conservation Zone that are being
proposed for addition to the ag district.
Buck noted that being located in an ag district does not automatically mean that a parcel is receiving
agricultural assessment.
Tygesen noted there appear to be data errors shown on the map, referencing the parcel where the CARS
rehabilitation facility is located. The map shows the parcel as having an agricultural use; Tygesen asked
how the data was sourced.
Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4
November 21, 2023
Buck explained that the data used for this map is out of date by many years, and what is represented is
not definitive. However, using the old data is seen as a method to overreach, rather than miss details.
Chair Angie asked who makes the final determination; Buck responded the county legislature.
Chair Angie suggested it would be best if no parcels are removed from the ag district in the Conservation
Zone, but no new parcels should be added, referencing page 47 of the 2009 Comprehensive Plan.
Klein noted he recently read that Cayuga lake is experiencing more water quality issues, pointing
concerns at potential runoff issues due to leniency on farm operations close to the lake.s
Klankowski agreed that the parcels in the Conservation Zone should not be added to the ag district due
to their location near Cayuga Lake and Taughannock Creek.
Chair Angie and Liddle agreed that working farms should not be removed from the district.
Chair Angie directed attention to area number 4 on the map. Klankowski noted one of the parcels was
the Thomas property, which was just approved for subdivision, and will most likely become residential.
The Planning Board agreed none of the parcels in this area would be suitable for the ag district; Klein
noted the southern portion of the area is forested.
The Planning Board agreed that the other parcels on the map do not raise any concerns, but the areas
labeled 1, 4, and 5 should be removed.
2023 Board Member Training
Tygesen asked if any board members had questions about training requirements.
Klein noted Schneider will hopefully be able to provide an hour-long training course.
New Business Items
MNSUB2310-03: Burruss 2 Lot Land Division, Sketch Plat Review
The applicant and property owner, John-Michael Burruss, applied for a minor subdivision for the subject
site to subdivide the existing 12.15 acre lot into two lots. The CZ zone requires a minimum lot area of 5
acres, 450 feet of lot depth, and 400 feet of lot width at the front lot line per the Code of the Town of
Ulysses (CTU) 212-54. Flag lots are permitted in the CZ zone per CTU 212-54.K, subject to the
requirements of CTU 212-130 which requires the pole(s) of the lot(s) to have a minimum width of 50
feet and a minimum depth of 100’, and permits a parcel to be subdivided into no more than two flag
lots.
The applicant was not present at the meeting.
Chair Angie noted that the Planning Board will need to make recommendations to the Board of Zoning
Appeals due to variances being required for the proposed subdivision.
Chair Angie stated he has additional questions about the shared driveway agreement.
Klein asked if the shared driveway serves as the frontage for the parcel it is attached to.
Chair Angie asked to additionally see a topography and wetlands on an updated survey map, noting he
could not provide more specific comments for the BZA until further details are provided.
Liddle spoke about the previously approved subdivision requiring a variance on Dubois Road, where it
was determined that the proposed configuration of the subdivided parcel was acceptable due to one
side of the parcel having enough length, even though frontage requirements were not met. Liddle
suggested using similar logic when considering this proposal.
Chair Angie noted that the Dubois Road subdivision followed a series of other divisions from the same
parent lot.