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HomeMy WebLinkAbout219 Kelvin Place Zoning Officer's ReportKate Supron, Mayor Mary E Mills, Clerk Angela M Podufalski, Deputy Clerk Joan M Mangione, Treasurer Brent A Cross, Engineer Village of Cayuga Heights MARCHAM HALL 836 HANSHAW ROAD ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850 (607) 257-1238 fax (607) 257-4910 ZONING OFFICER’S REPORT DATE: December 12, 2013 TO: PLANNING BOARD FROM: Brent A. Cross, Zoning Officer RE: 219 Kelvin Place REPORT: The existing house was originally/previously constructed as a three family dwelling with a separate apartment (with kitchen/bath) on the 3rd floor. At some point in time, the fire code required that this apartment have a second means of egress to remain compliant. At that time, the previous owner decided to “decommission” the 3rd floor apartment in lieu of investing in the construction of a second means of egress. Therefore, the building classification was changed to two-family. Even though the house is located in a Multiple Housing District, where there is no limitation of unrelated occupants, as a two-family dwelling it is limited to a maximum of 4 unrelated occupants. Therefore the current owner would like to have the benefit of the original three-family construction. I have received a building permit application for construction of a new exterior stairs to the provide access to/from the “apartment” on the third floor. As a result, the classification of the property will change from two-family to three-family. Therefore, the change in occupancy may be considered an activity that “extends” the use, which could require Site Plan Review by the Planning Board. The developer will make a preliminary presentation at the 12/16/13 Planning Board meeting to determine if SPR is needed. If it is determined that no SPR is needed, I am prepare to issue a building permit for the new stairs. Otherwise, if there are no significant unaddressed issues, the PB will need to schedule a public hearing for the next meeting and make a SEQR classification (possible Unlisted Action). Since the property is also located within 500’ of the City municipal boundary, I will forward the project information on to the Tompkins County Planning Department for NYS GML 239 review so that we will have their comments prior to the public hearing. The house is located within the Cornell Heights Historic District. This is a district that was created by the National Park Service (NPS) in 1984. Since the Village does not have any historic preservation regulations, the Site Plan Review process is not contingent upon approval by the NPS or the NYS Office of Historic Preservation. Such approval would only be required if the project included funding from a NYS or Federal program.