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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-05 PB Final Minutes Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4 May 5, 2026 Planning Board Zoom Hybrid Meeting Meeting Minutes May 5, 2026 Approved: May 19, 2026 Board Members Present: Chair Karl Klankowski, Linda Liddle, Jeff McDonald, Mo Klein Quorum Present Applicants Present: Maureen Foley, Andrew Sciarabba, Ken Kearl Applicants Present on Zoom: None Public Present on Zoom: Leslie Webster, Paula Arzac Town Staff Present: Niels Tygesen, Lori Asperschlager Town Board Member Present: Elizabeth Weatherby Proceedings Chair Karl Klankowski called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM at Town Hall. Approval of Agenda Motion: Liddle motioned to approve the agenda; Klein seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Motion Carried. Board Member Reports Liz Weatherby gave updates: • Town Board viewed the comments from the Board of Zoning Appeals regarding data centers definitions. o Will look at the definitions again and work with a few other local municipalities to refine. o Will bring back to the Planning Board for another review. • First public hearing for the comprehensive plan at the Town Board meeting on Tuesday, May 12 at 7pm. • Applications will be reviewed for a new planning board member. Approval of Past Minutes Motion: Klein motioned to approve April 21, 2026 minutes; McDonald seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Motion Carried. Privilege of the Floor No members of the public were in attendance for privilege of the floor. Motion: Klein motioned to close privilege of the floor; McDonald seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Motion Carried. Old Business Items SPR2511-02: Foley Brenner Site Improvements, Final Site Plan & Public Hearing The applicant and property owners, Maureen Foley and Jason Brenner, propose site improvements including grading, replacement of existing stairs, and stormwater infrastructure and landscaping. Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 May 5, 2026 Motion: Klein motioned to open the public hearing; McDonald seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. No members of the public spoke at the public hearing. Motion: Klein motioned to close the public hearing; McDonald seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Andy Sciarabba shared that the Town Board approved the ODAs for 1191 and 1195 Taughannock Blvd at the special town board meeting directly prior to this evening’s meeting. Weatherby spoke about the reason behind the special town board meeting. The town board did not want the access road improvements triggered for normal maintenance or repairs. The clarification is if owners add a room (ex. a level, or an addition) and increase the occupancy it would trigger a need to widen the road to 30 feet. This feedback came from the fire department that they cannot get a big rig fire truck down the access road. The neighbor at 1193 Taughannock submitted written comments ahead of the meeting (attached). The applicant will meet with the neighbor and address concerns. However, a lot of the equipment will come in by barge. Neighbor at 1193 Taughannock Blvd joined the meeting. Motion: Klein motioned to re-open the public hearing; Liddle seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Sciarabba addressed her questions and they will meet to discuss further. Motion: Klein motioned to close the public hearing; Liddle seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Motion: Klankowski moved draft resolution for discussion; McDonald seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Motion: Liddle moved to approved Planning Board Resolution No. 2026-010 A Resolution of Final Site Plan Approval of the Foley Brenner Site Improvements Located at 1191 Taughannock Boulevard, Town of Ulysses, Tax Parcel 30.-3-9; Klein seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. SPR2401-02: Kearl Site Plan Amendment, Final Site Plan & Public Hearing The applicant and property owners, Kenneth and Patricia Kearl, applied for a site plan amendment for the subject site to permit civil work within the HpE steep slope overlay including grading, excavation, and fill of approximately 50cy, retaining walls, steps, rip-rap, gabions, and realignment of the driveway. Motion: Klein motioned to open the public hearing; McDonald seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 May 5, 2026 Neighbor at 1509 Taughannock Blvd, Leslie Webster, spoke about her concern of the site plan amendment submitted. Webster wonders if this request should be a variance rather than an amendment due to removing more than 10cy of soil (applicant wants to remove 40cy). Concerned about the changes to the landscape with permeable surfaces rather than the natural landscape. Also asked a question about whether the proposed gabion north of the cement pad is not at least 50 feet above the mean high water line. Motion: Klein motioned to close the public hearing; Liddle seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. The applicant spoke about the project. • The 40cy of fill to bring in was estimated and includes bringing in rip-rap stone, gabions, top soil. o Will not be digging a hole a removing 40cy of soil. • Stormwater system was approved by the Planning Board in 2018. • Landing and stairs were approved in all previous plans. • Most of the soil that is planned to be moved as part of the project has already happened prior to the stop work order. • DEC has come and staked out the high water mark and they didn’t have any concern about the landscaping plan. Liddle brought up a question about the need to have gabions (from the 2024 plan vs rip rap in a 2018 plan). Are the gabions there to support the driveway? Applicant responded to Liddle’s question: • At the request from a previous planning board member that gabions be used but there is nothing structural for this element of landscaping. • Intention to use gabion size stone, not large stones, to help direct the water down the hill side. • The neighbor to the north excavated his property and changed the flow of the water. • In 2018 was approved by the planning board to install the stormwater system and the system is currently functioning without the use of gabions. Klein spoke about design standards regarding the cubic yards 212-48.D.3 and Tygesen confirmed it does conform to the design standards. Tygesen spoke regarding previous plans brought to the planning board and approvals. There might have been more vegetation on the site at that time and the current planning board can require more native vegetation to be planted. More discussion about the gabions and McDonald brought up the possibility of a combination of gabions and vegetation to keep the hillside from washing out. Applicant plans to bring top soil and plant grass. Brief discussion about the current storm water system of the applicant and neighbor. Liddle brought up the multiple accesses down to the beach instead of just one. Applicant spoke about the need for safety to get down to the lake and not walking on wet grass when it could be slippery and having a 5 ft gravel pathway. Klankowski spoke about the letter from neighbor to the north, Sprole. The parking area is staked out and it is necessary to get that marked on the site plan and the court case docket number should be Planning Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 May 5, 2026 referenced on the site plan as well. The deed will need to be changed at the time of a future sale. The applicant said the surveyor used to survey the parking area was the expert witness during the court case. P&S Excavating moved the limestone blocks on Monday and moved limestone rip rap in the parking area and moved one stone away of the neighbor’s concrete plan. Tygesen answered questions that came up. • This is a site plan amendment, after granting approval in 2017 o There isn’t anything majorly different (proposed plan now has a path instead of a driveway down to the beach and the stairs are configured differently) • Code 212.62 excludes fences and walls that are less than 6 feet in height. The gabions are 4 feet in height so are exempt and wouldn’t trigger Army Corp standards. Klein would like to have the width of the proposed gravel pathway added to the site plan. McDonald asked about the comment that was brought to the board by Sprole regarding safety and access for using the driveway as a turnaround. Kearl stated that the judge ruled that they are not allowed to trespass on his property to gain access to the parking area. In addition, the gravel parking area is not allowed to be fenced or have plantings on it. Motion: Klein motioned to table the discussion until May 19; Liddle seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Kearl stated that in January he worked with the surveyor to move the path 11 feet from the property line ahead of the judge’s ruling. Board Member Reports Brief discussion about the right of use by adverse possession for 1517 Taughannock Blvd to use the gravel parking area on 1513 Taughannock Blvd’s property. Tygesen stated that Kearl is not required to update the deed with this information. Motion: Klein motioned to adjourn; Klankowski seconded. Vote: Chair Klankowski, aye; Liddle, aye; McDonald, aye; Klein, aye. Motion Carried. ADJOURNED at 8:12PM Respectfully submitted by Lori Asperschlager, Planning Board Secretary 1 Niels Tygesen From:Paula & David Baird Sent:Tuesday, May 5, 2026 8:00 AM To:Niels Tygesen Subject:Public Comment - Foley Brenner Site Improvements, SPR2511-02 Dear Town Planner and Planning Board Members, I am a neighboring property owner at 1193 Taughannock Blvd. and am writing about the Foley Brenner Site Improvements project at 1191 Taughannock Blvd. (Project File No. SPR2511-02). I have no objection to safety or site improvements, and I hope the following practical questions can be considered as part of the review. Because there is no other land access to 1191 Taughannock Blvd., construction equipment will need to use our shared access road. I'd appreciate it if the applicant could provide a construction access plan that addresses a few things: 1. What types of equipment and vehicles are expected, and how heavy are they? 2. Will the road condition be documented before work begins? 3. Who would be responsible for repairing any damage caused by construction traffic? 4. How will access for residents and emergency vehicles be maintained during construction? I also want to mention that the road has a significant incline and overhead power lines running along it. I'd welcome confirmation that utility clearance and slope safety have been taken into account for equipment traveling that route. Finally, I believe 1191 Taughannock Blvd. shares a well with our property. It would be helpful to know whether the shared well, water lines, and related infrastructure are identified on the site plan, and whether any grading, excavation, or equipment access could affect our water supply. If any interruption is possible, advance notice to neighbors and a clear plan for addressing any construction-related damage would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and for the opportunity to comment. Warmly, Paula Arzac 1193 Taughannock Blvd