HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020_1030_317 E Upland Rd Site Evaluation Final T . G . MILLER , P . C .
E N G I N E E R S A N D S U R V E Y O R S
605 West State Street,Suite A I Ithaca,NY 14850 1 phone 607-272-6477 1 fax 607-273-6322 1 www.tgmillerl2c.com
October 30, 2020
Mr. Robert Buote
187 Hillcrest Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
Re: 317 E Upland Road,Village of Cayuga Heights
Tax Map Parcel 10.-4-9.22
Feasibility Study for New Residence
Dear Mr. Buote,
We've completed our public records research, zoning analysis and site visit and offer the
following findings and opinions as they relate to constructing a residence on the vacant
parcel. We understood the proposed residence could be a single-story structure of roughly
3,000 square feet.
Study Criteria
Our evaluation of the parcel included a review of the following:
• Applicable zoning setbacks, lot coverages and allowable uses
• Wastewater Disposal Requirements
• Water connection requirements
• NYSEG electric and gas connection requirements/restrictions
• Highway curb cut requirements
• Soil conditions
Site Characteristics
The parcel is a net 0.78 acres to the street line and is currently vacant, unimproved land. At
the time of our site visit on October 15, 2020 there were no visible indications of remnant
above-grade structures. No intermittent streams were found coursing through or adjacent
to the parcel. There are no exposed or eroded soils and the ground is well stabilized with
vegetation.
Based on the Village's Natural Resources Map there are no unique natural areas, however,
approximately half of the site is designated on the Village's Zoning Maps as containing 15%-
25% steep slopes. No area with such slopes may be developed without obtaining site plan
approval from the Village's Planning Board.
David A.Herrick,P.E. Donald M.Harner,P.E. Lee Dresser,L.S.
Frank L Santelli,P.E. LEED A.P.,C.P.E.S.C. Darrin A.Brock,L.S.
Andrew J.Sciarabba,P.E.
There is cluster of mature pine
and deciduous hardwood trees = s
that appear healthy which stands
somewhat in the centroid of the
parcel. The eastern edge of the ,
tree canopy is also the lower ,;
boundary of the steep slope area. ,,
The relatively open area east of :
the trees is seemingly suitable for -
a residence but will encroach into a
the steep slopes zone. Per a conversation with Mr. Brent Cross,Village Zoning Officer saving
substantially sized trees has been an acceptable reason to build in the steep slope area but
such a determination will be subject to the review and findings of the Village Planning Board
during the Site Plan Review process.
Other noted observations from the site visit include:
1. A debris pile consisting of
rock and concrete rubble is
present adjacent to the north
property line. None of the
debris was moved to
ascertain what may exist
below the debris surface.
2. The adjoining landowner to
the north appears to be
maintaining'lawn'beyond the
common property line as well as a mown'path'across the northwest corner of the parcel.
3. The current landowner, or others, have planted a number of small pine tree seedlings
within the steep slope area that are marked with small orange flags.
With respect to public utilities, water, sanitary sewer, electric, and natural gas are all
accessible for residential connections along East Upland Road. There is no evidence of a
storm sewer system or formal open ditch along the parcel road frontage.This was confirmed
by Mr. Cross who noted that during ambient wet conditions runoff from the land does flow
across the sidewalk.
Relative to stormwater management, there are no Village requirements for permanent
stormwater practices for construction of a single-family residence,however, Mr. Cross noted
the Village Planning Board could encourage a site plan to incorporate such practices.
T.G.Miller,P.C. 2
Zoning Compliance
The parcel is located in the in the Village's "Residence Zone" district. The Zoning criteria are
summarized on Sheet 1, Zoning Evaluation and Vicinity Map. Compliance with the zoning
regulations should not be an issue. It is noted that Site Plan Review conducted by the Village
Planning Board for construction of the residence will be applicable per Article XVII, Section
305-116 of the Zoning law.
To avoid a variance proceeding, the design of the residence will need to conform with the
building height, parking and lot coverage restrictions which are summarized below.
1. No building shall be erected to exceed 25 feet in height. The height of a building shall be
measured from the lowest point of the existing grade at the building foundation to the
average height between eaves and ridge for pitched roofs and to the highest part of the
parapet for flat roofs.
2. Two garage or off-street parking spaces are required for each dwelling unit. Off-street
parking spaces outside of garages may be located within the area of any front yard
provided that no more than 15% of any required front yard is so occupied. Parking is not
permitted on lawns, sidewalks, or other areas not developed for the parking of motor
vehicles.
3. A proposed residential building inclusive of a garage can occupy up to 3,693 square feet
of the lot area before exceeding the 12% allowance.
Wastewater Disposal
Requirements -Any building that has sanitary facilities, or includes a dwelling unit, must be
connected to the Village's sanitary sewer system. All sanitary sewer construction shall be in
accordance with Village specifications or as approved by the Village Engineer. A Sewer
Permit Application must be filled out for all new connections. No person shall uncover,make
any connections with or opening into the sewer system, or construct, alter, repair, or use any
drain, building sewer or other lateral sewer to connect with the public sewer, without first
obtaining a permit from the Village. The permit is required to be kept at the site and be
available upon inspection.
Proposed Condition -An 8-inch diameter transite sewer main runs along the west side of East
Upland Road and slopes from north to south. Wastewater is treated at the Village's facility
on East Shore Drive and there is capacity in collection system and treatment plant to
accommodate the residential connection.According to Village sewer maps, the invert of the
main is approximately 5 feet below the surface of the road. Based on the natural slope of the
parcel,a connection to this main with a gravity sanitary lateral through the southwest corner
of the parcel should be readily achievable. If a basement is considered for the residence,then
a closer examination of the sewer main inverts relative to the basement floor elevation
would be necessary. The road will need to be 'open cut' and restored in order to connect a
service lateral to the main. A Street Opening Permit will need to be obtained by the
excavation contractor with a required $1,000 security deposit.
T.G.Miller,P.C. 3
Water Connection
Existing Water System - The source of water supply is the Southern Cayuga Lake
Intermunicipal Water Commission (aka Bolton Point). The Village of Cayuga Heights is a
member of the Commission and there is sufficient capacity in the storage and distribution
system to allow a residential connection. The Village's water main is located on the eastern
side of East Upland Road, and is a 6-inch diameter pipe. Water service materials and
installation methods are to be in accordance with Village specifications or as approved by
the Village Engineer. Bolton Point is responsible for making the service tap at the main,with
the property owner covering the cost of this connection. Bolton Point requires separate
trenches for water and sanitary sewer laterals. The service pipe shall be laid at not less than
4 feet below the surface of the street. House services shall be a minimum of 3/4-inch
(preferably 1-inch) and be Type K soft copper water tubing.
Proposed Water Connection -Assuming four persons per single-family home, and based on a
maximum daily per capita water use of 100 gallons, the average day water demand for the
residence is estimated to be 400 gallons. Given the relatively short distance to the centroid
of the parcel, a 1-inch service connection is sufficient. The water meter is purchased from
Bolton Point and installed at the residence in accordance with Village and Bolton Point
Requirements. Bolton Point now utilizes Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology to
collect water consumption data for quarterly billing purposes.The homeowner will not have
to record or report water use.
NYSEG Electric and Gas Connection Requirements and Restrictions
Electric - NYSEG has overhead electrical service /
available with 2 poles in close proximity to the
parcel. The pole opposite the southwest corner is %
located on the opposite side of East Upland Road. In
ay x rr�L,
all likelihood, overhead service from this pole will
require placing a new pole on the east side of the
road. The extension of secondary power to the4
residence would presumably be installed in conduit
underground to the exterior, building mounted
meter. The second NYSEG pole opposite the
northwest corner of the parcel is located on the east
side of the road.This pole may afford an opportunity S,aP
exuo `f'"
to extend secondary power down the pole and
underground to the residence. The final
determination of the route and new infrastructure
will be determined by the NYSEG electrical
distribution engineer once a new service request application is filed.
T.G.Miller,P.C. 4
Natural Gas-A gas main is accessible along East Upland Road. Currently, there is no known
moratorium on new gas services in this vicinity of the Village. However, the NYSEG gas
engineer would not confirm that a new connection would be approved until proposed gas
loads are submitted to NYSEG through a new service request.
Highway Curb Cut
Requirements - The surface of the parking area shall be crushed stone, brick, concrete,
asphalt, permeable pavement, or similar material. All newly constructed driveways shall
have adequate provisions to prevent surface water from draining to or across adjoining
properties, sidewalks or streets during, at a minimum, a ten-year storm event. The portion
of access driveways between the edge of pavement of a public street and a sidewalk, where
a sidewalk exists, must be hard surfaced with concrete, brick, asphalt, or other material
approved in writing by the Village Engineer. Driveways must be at least 8 feet wide on
premises improved only by a one-family dwelling or a two-family dwelling. Maximum
driveway width shall be 24 feet. Any vegetative screening must be so designed that it shall
not interfere with sight lines necessary for pedestrian and driver safety.
Proposed Condition-Siting a proposed driveway will need to consider ' �
the available sight distance looking north on East Upland Road as well
as disturbance to the mature tree cluster, if the trees are to remain.A t
high point on East Upland Road opposite the northwest corner limits
the sight lines, or distance,when exiting the driveway. If the driveway
curb cut cannot be placed at the northwest corner, then it should be .,
located as far as possible to the south. Because there is a sidewalk I5
running along the full length of the parcel, the area of the driveway
between the edge of road pavement and sidewalk will be hard-
surfaced with concrete, brick or asphalt. If the sidewalk is damaged -
during the construction of the residence, the damaged sidewalk must
be replaced by the homeowner prior to the completion of
construction activities. A standard concrete sidewalk cross section is
generally not intended to be driven upon so replacement of the 3
sidewalk within the footprint of the driveway is recommended.
Provisions to prevent driveway surface water from draining across
the sidewalk and into East Upland Road could be achieved by pitching the driveway
pavement to shed runoff onto adjacent lawn areas versus straight down the driveway.
Soil Conditions
Publicly available and meaningful soils information for the urbanized area of Tompkins
County is limited. There have been recently completed and proposed real estate
development projects in close proximity to the parcel. Our affiliation with these projects
afforded us access to subsurface investigation data from which we are making general
T.G.Miller,P.C. 5
assumptions about conditions on the parcel. The nearest data point for soil and bedrock
conditions is within 250 feet of the parcel and also along the east side of East Upland Road.
In general, a soil boring found an 8-inch layer of topsoil underlain by soft silt and clay to a
depth of 6 feet. Between 6 and 9 feet the material is similar but stiffer in consistency. Below
9 feet hard silt and dense sand may be encountered with weathered shale at roughly 10 feet.
A core sample of the rock found the rock to be quite competent which may not be easily
ripped by conventional earthwork equipment.
It is a risk to assume this condition would be duplicated on the parcel and a thorough
subsurface investigation by a qualified professional within the parcel boundaries should be
conducted to derive any conclusions. With that said, if similar soil conditions were
encountered, the concept of constructing a basement within the residence could be
considered. Critical to planning for a basement will be the understanding of groundwater
conditions. If groundwater is perennially high, waterproofing and foundation drainage is an
absolute necessity.The ability to drain groundwater away from the foundation is dependent
on having sufficient slope away from the residence and a pipe outlet location on the parcel
that will not negatively impact adjacent lands or the Village sidewalk and road. Lacking a
formal Village ditch or storm sewer system along East Upland Road it will be difficult to site
an appropriate pipe outlet.
Opinion of Suitability for Residential Construction
In my professional opinion, the vacant parcel at 317 East Upland Road is well suited for the
construction of a single-family residence. The only notable concern is that a large portion of
the parcel falls within the Village's steep slopes designation. As depicted on Sheet 2, Lot
Sketch Plan if the steep slopes area is to be avoided for residence construction,then a greater
number of the mature pine and deciduous hardwood trees may need to be removed.In either
case, review and approval of the site plan by the Village Planning Board will be necessary
and you will have the opportunity to present multiple site layout options for the residence.
To a lesser degree, another concern is the inability at this time to obtain a definitive answer
to the question of natural gas service. While it is anticipated that a residential connection
should be available, only the submission of a new service request with gas load information
will trigger NYSEG to provide a formal decision.
It has been a pleasure to work on this Study and I look forward to addressing any questions
or comments you may have. Thank you.
Respectfully,
David A. Herrick, P.E.
Enclosures: Sheets 1-3
T.G.Miller,P.C. 6
ZONING: \ / J / J T
1. ZONE - RESIDENCE ZONE / 1
2. MINIMUM LOT SIZE. 1
a. REQUIRED MIN. AVG. WIDTH 125FT/
MIN. AVG. DEPTH 15OFT �_ T.G. MILLER, P.C.
b. EXISTING - MIN. AVG WIDTH >125FT/ �� / / J / / _ / ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS
MIN. AVG. DEPTH >15OFT 1 / / / /� �1 605 WEST STATE STREET, SUITE A
3. WIDTH IN FEET AT STREET LINE: l �j / r I ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850
a. REQUIRED - 75FT — — / I 40� / / / WWWO.7G 2172-6 770M
b. EXISTING - 219FT ^ ( f
4. MAXIMUM/MINIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT f I 1 l
a. ALLOWED - 25FT/NO MINIMUM _ \ �� �q �— — 'f C 0
b. PROPOSED - <25FT
5. MAXIMUM PERCENT LOT COVERAGE BY ,
BUILDING
a. ALLOWED - 12% /
b. PROPOSED - 3,OOOSF=8.8%
6. YARD REGULATIONS / j 1 1 I J _ — ✓ 1 Q 0 Y
1 \ _ 0
a. FRONT
1. REQUIRED - 25FT / _� \ _
2. PROPOSED - 25FT � U 0. /f �\ z
b. SIDE \
1. REQUIRED - 15FT EACH ��64
�. 0 4-6
2. PROPOSED - 15FT (EACH) \ _ / ° \ �� �� — ���� — o
c. REAR _
1. REQUIRED _ 15FT / / I I Q� 5 \ ' W e e /�� � Y
2. PROPOSED 15FT i / ( ° \� II \ �� a D_
YquNG (I11 .
ui
\ TAX MAPN,00. 10. l 1 A I
�^"�" 0 1 I 1 I I( ( �FI I M 92156 ST 0 4S 9(R.O.) �— �� I W
A�
ry0 B. . �\ w W
I k° � 19.,8• U Q
10 \ D;6 3��(6R.D \ \ w w
N 309 FAS7UP}� �R�Q\\\1 �\ 1 1LLI
AX MAIQ No. 1 Q—I4— .1 �\ \\\\ / \ O V J
I III � �1���� L1 >
V C N—L0 T 9 A C 1 I LJ—
J
OIS
' LITO
ETT
LiJ
IDAR N TL--L k° / % 1 1 �'�IJR
SHEET TITLE
e> 1 \ "Ejg3(
E� ING NDITIO ORM TI N I ON MAPPIN ( / = g 6 1� C�O �I ( _ —JOSEPH OWAN NANCY COWA Z0NING
PROV ED�BY IT OMPKI S CO IS VI T�E NOR IN \ No. AST UPoNDDI °7{0 O�f¢{YA I � /l` ( � J
NID ) P I NTS A E IN D TM 1 IN TI1MT No. 54 69-003 C�N¢ DgT D T I ' / S EVALUATION A N D
TS( M ER A E L ATI N (zy I D 88, 0 POND — 10—a- 2� 111 C" U VICINITY MAP
2 3,\METE S. TH D T� RE OJECTED T STATE PLAN NEW
YO'RK ENTRAL 00 PdATE SYST IN D THE EL�`CfA I I / I I �` `�'
E— I � DATE: JOB No.
UNITSjERE �` ERT D TO EET A WELL 0 RRESP_OND THE — `
LID IT
DATA. fH F THI APP AGREES TO CCEP J \\\ 1 \ / 10/30/2020
III ( I \ \ SCALE: E20 42
THE DPTJA FU L KNOW L E 0 AND \ COWAr� (R.o. I > I 1 \� TA G PHI AS SHOWN
OMISSIO AY E IST AN� TO HOLD H N D T.G. M I ( �"�36�-�03� I T,o6R 0(.)\ \ DruwNASR SHEET
P AR ESS 0 DAM GE TH T RES )FROM AN ( \ \
INA PROP ATE SE OF T I P I I ` \1� �II 1 \ 0 I
0� 3 0 CHECKED:
M I 1 DAH
NOTE:WATER AND SANITARY SEER // \ \
APPROXIMATE LOCATIONS. U'fILII L/( TIONS \ \ \ \ \ \
TO BE VERIFIED IN FIELD./ I ) \ \ G
�PPROXI LOCATION — T.G. MILLER, P.C.
F DEBRIS \ \ ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS
/ + / 605 WEST STATE STREET, SUITE A
/ / I ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850
WWW.TGMILLERPC.COM
607-272-6477
4
CO* APPROXIMATE 15%-25% / ° / I I E� Q w
PER �IDAR CONTOUF.� / I I z
z
lb 0
►--� z
POSSIBLE A,0001SIF
�o 15� _ \ I RESIDENTIAL\ BUIL ING
I m
�� \ \ LAYOUT \ I I W
W
w
vn g
ORTIOJG OF
DRIVEWAY THAT
MUST �E PAVE I
BU DING �ETtACK A EA W\ \ � \ Z NI G OD � z
SHEET TITLE
LOT
SKETCH
s. . I I I \ I PLAN
B.S. . . . B.S. 30,t ` \ \ \ \ \ \
DATE: JOB No.
\ \ \ �CALE
10/30/2020
179. 18' DATA GRAPHIC SCALE: E20-42
AS SHOWN
\ APPROXIMATE 1j%-25% PER 46.04 DRAWN BY: SHEET
VILLAGE STEEP SLOPES MAP I ASR
\ \ \ \ \ 1 \ \ \O 60 CHECKED: 2
DAH
NOTE:WATER AND SANITARY SEER�� //SH
APPROXIMATE LOCATIONS. U'fILII L/O�CATIONS \ \ \ \ \
TO BE VERIFIED IN FIELD. I ) \
/ PPROXI LOCATION - T.G. MILLER, P.C.
� DEBRIST�ILE \ \ ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS
F
/ + / 605 WEST STATE STREET, SUITE A
/ / I ITHACA, NEW YORK 1,1850
/ / I �� I / — 4 WW607-272-64.COM
� � e s \ � 1 607-2�z-6477
CO* APPROXIMATE 15%-25% w
\PER �IDAR CONTOUF. \ / I I Z
+ \� \ 39 1 \ \ \ / E--4w Z
a �
Lu
/ QAr LLJ
�y OS�IBLE 3�000± F 1 I U }
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING I I/ I z
�// �/// Tlt
wry \ E--4o w
CO 0
1 I o v) 5
w >
ORTIOJ OF
DRIVE AY THAT W
G
N
MUST�E PAVE I\ \ I BU DING 5ET A IK AEA
Z NI �OD � z
/ \ I � 1
SHEET TITLE
ALTERNATE
LOT SKETCH
B.S.B. PLAN
B.S. . BS. �I 30,t
DATE: JOB No.
1 \ 10/30/2020
179. 18' \ \ \ \ \ \� �CALE
SCALE: E20-42
DATA GRAPHIC AS SHOWN
\ APPROXIMATE 1�%-25% PER \ 6.04 DRAWN BY: SHEET
ASR
\ VILLAGE STEEP SLOPES MAP \ \ \ \0 40 60 CHECKED:
3