HomeMy WebLinkAboutProposed VCH Comprehensive Plan Review.PDFY*wpkLxx **rzlr.tY
www ewvffiwT&T #F YZ"W[Z{XW*
t 2n 4A**lt { ttzzvt .*tx * e\
XtLeara.i{ew Yor}c t 485*
frq.|z,tartl t. l&*rx, k1.{}?
tk z *z.zzz issi *rt*.x etd Yl. a rzxx irzg
nruq * * xrzwttzzi$ ft *tr;Na*2"^abffi |t"y
'T *,tu*y*lwrzr: 46{t7 } 27 4*X X*tj
v.tax {{tt}7} J74-5578
3u1z:17.2t313
WxrttnIZarmx" {)fuair
"€tllxyp*t{}"a"2'*ge1;1*ig*t*711**ning{l*,u:r3
#3*Tlxn**w 74*xti
Zthn*'a"AV 14'*('r)
ALwt E4*vl*uw Wuar*ua*zzt tez $&3* *8, *w szzt? *.r* &t *^he W*w V crr\{ #t"*tx r'.ixzaxr*l. Wt*t*T:*i1z*,tr 4**w
&*t\*w Yvczp***& W&\tzagt: <t{ *agagx K'At:igWu 4)*azzl>r+:Zuxmslv* YZzzzz
73 t:xr' ?&r . Tl,r'nl*s :
'Ilfuix 1*t1.xt" a*J*n<>w1t:t1g** vtlLz{ r*{*rc*} *{ t?se pr*p*s*l i**ntifr** ah<sv* t}r t*vi*v,' '&111'"1 **Tu.:1}\tl2ttty th*
'|4mpkin,t il***ty Tlx*nirzg,l3xp*rLm*':'LTrlrs.LLtltat,lr, !823# -1, -m xntJ -rz *t tk*N*w T*rlt ;\t*t* {i***rxl
?&wni*ip*}. I.,avt"'!h*'a3*p.a*xv*r*h:*s r*vi*w*dth* p*syt*xatr'axriY^t*s &e1*JrT*itztti th,:aI **r\ainpr*vi*r*tt* *d {h*
tpw*yte>:*xt1 y*,:ziNgam*n&m*r&a m*y \z*v'* r.it*#*"tivx in{rr**cl::-':::n**ily t>r *tz*nty-'ui&x itttpatts.W* t**<ttvsTw:*rn
rnqs*i***tign *t t:l:* pr*p*s*1.. It th*'ffi'**,r* t|t>*s rz*L tx*orptsr*l* ibts r';,a*mntrn&atittx i*tt: its, ap ra'i*l, '*ztt;h
appr*v"*1'"vitr1 r*qnir*, *. vEtl* a1t s "iiutS*rm*i*rzty {,m':*ningrzz*j*tity p\:*s *r*} *t' 'aiL srt*rrz1>*rs *{ lle.: **t:ir;t*ut-
*:,*kingl>tz*y.
?&*x*uwaaz*.*'tza&*a3&lTtztbltSxfl itfr aszz
x h, stattz&r***mmx**9ati*n clt tk* Fliltage $'{}tt,z:wgs f{e ights {-l*mi}r#lze,nsiv* }}trw i* trs "T3xv*l*p
ir::*1*sill::*4, *r int:entivx:r*ning t:itl]k ttt citr;\3\Lrti*c tlevetr*p*t* t* 'pr*vihx m'xk.xt. raz* aft*r&xls1*
lz*u"*in,g ttxils uz tx r:*!v nti:t*&^tasx 'x<>ning 'j,zsLti*t"" W * **rnm*nd t?z* \/i\"l"egx. frtr a.rjtAru**sitlglki*
irxpt>rtxnt. *IT*rr\x\ttr* h*tz*z*g ir;s:t-t*; v,r* &'s hqsw*ver r***mm*md lhat th .*.t tqi*lx 1z* utilizx& :x *a*h {}t'
t*x V'tl\wg;*,' s z*nx* art& r'*t jzsnt ltmit th:* t* a ptzt*ntiatr m*w* zztzzc,S*:L)#/* ';{,{}11*" 'T'b* T ill*g*. uutz pt*rzz*t*
atI*r'L*bl* h***ing,zst r**xy 'iilt*r*nt wayx thr*vgrt tTtt:s* z+s,:asus"t:s, with $u'aryt pr*Ser:z.t; b*tzzg
r**zz*a*ty *ntj *t)?*yx Ssrtsvttiingin**ntivxs i* t?r:ti*1**rrs tt;r*uglz t*tt*v'itrr\Tt"ix*ztt, *zs.* tt*tv prt4**1.*, *zz*h
,,2* &*rr*ily \s'anu*.*n.. *r parking'd,&ivr:rl. **zn* pr*grarn* r*qwtrr *'*sh *r*lribwtiqnr, tr: ail $illitr*.tr*hlc)
,'s<tttsizsg {xn*, w&z\e *tlzers irzv*Tv* r{xnsfru*tit::r *{ 'a'ittzrr}ab\e zsxztx within ih* r}xv*1*;:m*nt . W *
re*ssmtNta* f?rat th* Ssl'*n i*xr*i$ th* n*e* t* i**1ut1*tr*tstlt irv:1'vxirs*u'"v **& int:*rztiv* n"l*a$urr$ in t?l*
Vi11*g*'* r,*r:ilrg *relia:aerrr* t*r u1I'z*ning;iljstric.ls. S**: the {ln*tznly'* M*d*} ks*Lu"st;s;x:ary a:xd Ltwxntzve
f-*nix:g{3rt3inx*r;s: arWW:,lLW.w:g,v*W*ir*: q,,er#pLasnjn*lh<ws,i,t}#Sbg*#.
I n r tus i on t {zroug fi | Di't, t $ ;.tJ
*t'a,cr {4trnxzz**ts
'tk*Ti3l?ag* {}*zxprtic*nst' e Ff*ez ****a* *:u*}l*iat j*ir &*t*i1wgt?ze rxs*',zr**,* nl tlt* Villag*'*tlzre*
\)xiq*xW,atzsratr &;r*as {\}Nlas} axd iw:12t4*s gx*t3 slr*I*gis.s {*T tn*t*'a,*i*gYt3:{3t*4ti*17. Flx*s*'**ta th*t
tlz*'I *'*:y:kixn |)*rarrty [Irvir**m*nt*l Wtarzag*ntxxtt {)*wn*il {Ir;}l,{..].} is tx tlv* firt:?{:{:)** ttt tzTlating s*,vt:r*l
*t thx \J ,& tl*t*fu;x**'*b*ax .*ari*a ax*1 in:tt;trrmati*t'2, a*:& p\*tzs t<> |r'uv* &*t int*rzn'ett** $n*lir,x& thi*
fajj. &&*ttkwtlJly,th*, &il!'l{l's {tzvnsit:e Fta*ta *f t*mpkins #*nanti,:, NYli,*'ti}:mgi&qry;g*ffi$Cdn#:
ty:t.q-trw*m*1&trsl1?';nyxvnv+Jitp?t**t,tt t*WWns$,.V*U.prf,w,1tt*fi*ttp**t2*tIp*rztz<1.i**11y,vnyb*
ws*tztl ix a&vwn*xzg lYw i**xZtfr*rl$,**1*gir& ftiv*ysjiy tib3*t*v*. &1s*, th*. t)*txtt"zt's S*xrti* I4rs**r**s
Invxzt*ry tlWt/*xl#A.Urs,k ]rlv*p.,tzfgl,#xt11 tw{W"ii.$.*s*i**#m*w*X*-q.7} Tnay 1:r*r'e ***tr'*i ilt
pr*l**ting ***ti1{; ta***t$.
"Tk* Yt{tag;e o;f {}*pveya l{e ig}zts C*rnprxk*usivx Pl*n lnr.lzs&'t* a tt:#tlrnm*t} dati<>n tr"r "'atitlpi *Lreazn
bwt{*r *y&ix*nw:,; *'zl*t wllX pv*tt:t:t ripxri*zs *<trrid*m fww d*v*lttpme*x ir*p"&*1tr","' $1* trypla*d Lhe
ix*\x.*i*tn *t thi'* rx**mm**&*ts*n" Wfuxn it **mxx t* implem*xzt *zi* *,*p**t *f ?ir* pla* r,"'e recommend
tha+, th* Vztrlage **t*slixh ah*lfes *'t 1** {**t ar; meetiwra* **r*p*r*x*i*1 ritr**rn b*nks. Wc further
Tt:**TfrKrrs&&tkattlzc frrsL 3{} {wet *dlbe. r:-uft*r *&ja**ntt* th* u}a*xmb* rn*int*in*:t ** ftaturatr v*g*tafu*x.
fily th* ?il}ag*'* iruer:f zrrt{:{rft'tt,1t*xt s\r*ar*s.;;* &trs* rt*{}'iriz13*t1* ts*{t*tx *t 3* twt ** ttt*as'}r*8. !Y*m
*rreur#in:nk" "Thi+; r**tp"ntm*n&ati$t\ ie t'utl3r justi fr** xx * mtn)*z*tn *l'*:tt:lavJ *';t *t* :;*isnti{i* *vidntnr;*
r*gxr$e*y;tb* v*ltt* *t s]*.*aw'*tz{t*rs"'l*rxpki** t*arnW Ylx**i*ghtux a *xzxb*r *f r*ii*er*r:s" in*.l*cling
* yn*elc} *trtt.g;fftbwttm *r&rx*zszt:x *ndpl*nting guide" avaiSabl* ytt'*r r*vi*w u*& r'*xsit3*rati*n et
bllgiiwvvJ* :#-a**r"ppsls#s:td:sfl,t*,sfu,.
&a a p*rt,*{ lt:r: t*a*y's'l}xv*J*pzxmt T;*tus &r*a* *at*W w* r**rsmm*nd ttrtat'tri*tablit}r*ci S*dex",
*tw?*t*blhr*Vt1lap*ttxyugxtr$*:ighf*i *n*.t***vxl*p*&*tttxtrxsitSoa:rti*14*nsikx*h*tw**a&a:"n*
15 dra,*llin& ztxtt* p*r axr*. Vdk*x it q*mex t* *pdati:ng {h*Yi\\t*gx'a zxsxi**,;*d*, we: rssr:ffifi}end
rxtlazringthuttzxw r*sid':ntx*l dvv*l*pmmt *r:}ri*v*, *tatnilrrirunm,***,4 tlw*Lltxgttnitp*r *xx
'rai'*itutzzx*tu*&*r&vtith'eintlzxxxtji*,*rr**1* ean*irj**tive *{Ts*t:tzs*xzt1"*1}{}*xr}.1,5*t}r**kil*ntial
&v',,*Tltxg,ffiit* w)t*ffi tlt*7w1{,mi1* w'alktx *i*tan*e *t tht* **nt*r of lh* itode whcrrr scrvic*s are
ys tz'; i &**, i "r;,, t q*zzzvtztx:rity {**rn'*r *,
W* xpplxutd, tlt*.Vttr1agp" s pri*ritirat:i*n of *afuo a*rtw*t;e&pttJe*tria* imyw:*v*mxnt*b*tw**n. ma3*r
eqtb{ry x*&*s an*r*atstxmxzd tlt*t xrzitlyx*s xx,S plan*i*g t*t tlt*x* ir*p *v*,n*:*t* itzr:tttpwat* altr *t tlt*
xrtrz*un&ing jtxixtii*tir:nxaxuLst*k*h*1&*r*"
t7**c* int*rm. ws *t y*ut' c'x.*i*tcan #c7 that wE *afi mak* it a p*rt *t fri* r*t;tx*.
9in*x*ly.
*i-")-''
'i". \'-'\../\.\
T;"dw*r*{,Wnrx, &IfY
il*mmi *sior:cr *i- Itlanurug
*tzd {.*;;ltrzuxzil3,q}ur;i;*i nx1isitrity
-t*i:.--.".* ."... .tt., L"
f n* {us i* rt x &r* ug {z t* i* xrcirg
ylFfl?::f"?ffi#eishts
Ithaca, NY 1485Q
Edward C. Marx, AICP
Commissioner of Planning
and Commu nity Sustainability
121 East Court Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
Dear Mr Marx,
Thank you for your letter of July 17,2012 reviewing the June 30, 2012 dratt of the
Village of Cayuga Heights Comprehensive Plan. We appreciate your support for the
majority of its contents.
Your Recommended Modification
The Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board has discussed the modification
recommended by the Tompkins County Planning Department and has also brought it to
the attention of the Board of Trustees at recent meetings. Although the public input/
document editing phase is still underway, the Board of Trustees ("the decision-making
body") and the Planning Board have determined not to incorporate this recommended
modification into the final comprehensive plan document. In doing so, the Trustees
recognize that their vote to approve and adopt the final version of the plan will require a
supermajority (majority plus one) of their membership. The reasons for this
determination are as follows:
We consider that while the notion of encouraging affordable housing throughout
the Village is admirable in theory, we don't believe it is a practical idea. The
development density necessary to provide significant numbers of affordable
housing units in the historic residential areas of Cayuga Heights cannot be
achieved without severely damaging the character of the community or impinging
upon steep slopes, woodlands and stream corridors. The types of incentives and
density bonuses referenced in the letter may work well when a developer is
constructing dozens of living units on an undeveloped site. In Cayuga Heights
however, the existing lot sizes and configurations, combined with the fact that
most areas of the Village are essentially built out, dictate that any new
development or redevelopment will be very small scale, a few units per site at
most. To ensure that 1 0"/o of all newly constructed units are affordable as the
suggested Model Incentive Zoning Ordinance or Model Inclusionary Zoning
Ordinance suggests dictates the development of at least 10 dwelling units per
site. There may be a couple of sites where the sum total of redevelopment could
conceivably approach such a threshold, but even if such sites exist, they are so
few that any such requirement by the Village would have minimal impact on the
provision of affordable housing.
Even if an affordable housing "density bonus" were to be created, some sort of
major public cash subsidy would still be necessary to make a small scale
development viable The chances of a subsidy being made available is highly
unlikely. Finally, apart from the neighborhood close to Community Corners,
Cayuga Heights lacks the scale of public transit necessary to support a
Village-wide affordable housing program.
This does not mean that the Village is ruling out providing opportunities for
affordable housing in the future. As you note, the draft plan calls for new zoning
measures applied to the commercial center that could be structured in such a
way as to result in the creation of a number of affordable housing units. lt's also
possible in the future that a Planned Development District could be created
elsewhere if a few large enough sites become available whereby the Village
could negotiate with a developer to achieve affordable housing goals.
Your Other Comments
With regard to your other suggestions, we appreciate that you support the adoption of a
stream buffer ordinance to protect riparian corridors in the case of new developments.
However, we do not consider the suggested stream buffer setbacks are realistic in the
already developed areas of the Village. In our opinion, buffers 100 feet in depth with 50
feet being maintained in natural vegetation would have been very appropriate 100 years
ago, prior to the development of Cayuga Heights and the Northeast section of the Town
of lthaca. However, with the exception of Pleasant Grove east of Triphammer Road and
Renwick Brook through the Kendal at lthaca property, there are very few segments of
streams in the Village that do not now run through developed areas. Pretty much the
entire watershed of Renwick Brook upstream of North Triphammer Road runs through
intensely developed lands. Consequently, most of the run-off originates in areas
beyond what might be designated as buffer zones. In addition to nutrient loading and
other pollution from lawns, the streams in the Village receive large volumes of urban
run-off from the miles of streets that have been built over the past 100 years. Given this
reality, we consider that introducing the type of village-wide stream buffering suggested
by the Tompkins County Planning Department would place an unnecessary burden on
property owners and on the Village to enforce such measures with little contribution to
maintaining or restoring stream quality.
Sincerely,
Martin Harms, PhD, FAIA
Chair
Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board
cc. Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees
Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board