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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes1 Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board Meeting #95 Monday, July 26, 2021 Marcham Hall – 7:00 pm Minutes Present: Planning Board Members Chair F. Cowett, A. Monroe, R. Segelken Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross, Attorney R. Marcus, Deputy Clerk P. Rich, Trustee M. McMurry, Alternate Member M. Johnston Guy Donahoe, Architect, Donahoe Group Members of the Public Item 1 – Meeting called to order • Chair F. Cowett opened the meeting at 7:00 pm. • Chair F. Cowett stated that Kirk Sigel has resigned as the Board’s Alternate Member and Matt Johnston has been appointed by the Village’s Board of Trustees as the new Alternate Member; Board Members J. Leijonhufvud and E. Quaroni are unable to attend the meeting, and Alternate M. Johnston is appointed a full voting member of the Board for this meeting. Item 2 – April 26, 2021 Minutes • The Board reviewed the minutes of the April 26, 2021 meeting. Motion: R. Segelken Second: A. Monroe RESOLUTION No. 323 APPROVING MINUTES OF APRIL 26, 2021 RESOLVED, that the written, reviewed and revised minutes of the April 26, 2021 meeting are hereby approved. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, A. Monroe, R. Segelken Abstained – M. Johnston Opposed – None 2 Item 3 – Public Comment • No members of the public wished to comment. Item 4 – Site Plan Review – 317 East Upland Road • Chair F. Cowett stated that at its April 26 meeting the Planning Board accepted the proposed project, a single family residence on a vacant, unimproved lot at 317 East Upland Road, for further review, declared itself lead agency for SEQRA, categorized the project as an unlisted SEQRA action, and scheduled a public hearing for its May 24 meeting; the May and June meetings were cancelled and the public hearing will instead be held at this meeting; the applicant has submitted a revised site plan for this meeting which includes a planting plan, a stormwater management plan, and an erosion and sediment control plan; the revised site plan has been posted to the Board’s webpage where it is available to the public; following the public hearing, the Board will continue its review of the project. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that, following the cancellation of the Board’s May 24 meeting, owners of property within 200 feet of 317 East Upland Road were re-notified about the public hearing at this meeting. • The public hearing commenced at 7:06 pm. • C. Ashman, 398 East Upland Road, asked why there is a need for site plan review for a project of this kind. • Chair F. Cowett replied that several years ago the Village’s Board of Trustees amended the Village’s Zoning Law to include site plan review for projects of this kind after the construction of a residence on West Remington Road involved clear cutting trees on the site which upset nearby property owners. • M. Mecenas, Upland Road Estates, asked what qualifications and expertise are required for Planning Board members. • Attorney R. Marcus replied that no qualifications or expertise are required according to New York State statute, but Planning Board members are required to do four hours of training annually. Motion: M. Johnston Second: A. Monroe RESOLUTION No. 324 TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING RESOLVED, that the public hearing regarding the site plan review for the proposed residence at 317 East Upland Road be closed. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, A. Monroe, R. Segelken Opposed – None 3 • The public hearing closed at 7:11 pm. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that the project site is more than 500 feet from a municipal boundary and therefore is not subject to GML §239 review by Tompkins County. • Chair F. Cowett asked Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross to discuss the project’s revised site plan with emphasis on the stormwater management plan. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that the revised site plan contains a stormwater management plan prepared by RZ Engineering of East Syracuse, NY; according to the plan and calculations provided, post-development runoff will be equal to or less than pre-development runoff; stormwater will be collected both from impervious surfaces related to the project and from the hillside east of the residence; it will then be directed via a swale system to a stormwater detention basin in the property’s southwestern corner with an outlet to the Village’s stormwater system; Village DPW made improvements to the stormwater swale in the East Upland Road right-of-way in anticipation of this project. • R. Segelken asked if all work done by the Village ocurred in the right-of-way. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross replied that DPW only made improvements in the right-of-way; the Village is not allowed to make improvements on private property. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross further stated that he will require the detention basin to be constructed early on in the project in order to detain runoff collected during construction as part of the erosion and sediment control plan. • Chair F. Cowett discussed the project’s planting plan; the site plan requires that most trees on the site, including large mature trees near East Upland Road, be removed to facilitate construction; he surveyed the trees near East Upland Road and found that some were not in good condition; the planting plan proposes to replace the trees removed for construction with a diversity of primarily large growing species; this is consistent with the applicant’s objective of restoring an informal wooded setting. • M. Johnston stated that the trees proposed in the planting plan will also reduce energy consumption and stormwater runoff. • G. Donahoe, Donahoe Group, agreed and stated that aesthetic considerations were also important; attention was given in species selection to tree maturation over time and consistency with neighborhood character. • R. Segelken asked if the proposed trees were disease resistant. • G. Donahoe replied that they were. • Chair F. Cowett agreed and stated that three ash trees on site, which are vulnearable to the emerald ash borer, are among the trees to be removed; he asked G. Donahoe if the plant species to be installed on the steep slope to the east of the residence for slope stabilization had been selected yet. 4 • G. Donahoe replied that these plant species have been selected and are listed on the planting plan; species will be planted densely supplemented with wood chip mulch to further promote slope stabilization. • M. Johnston asked Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross if he has received questions or comments about the project from neighboring property owners. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross replied that he has had discussions about the project with neighboring property owners, some of whom are attending the meeting. • The Board discussed the project in relation to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and reviewed the applicant’s responses to the questions in Part 1 of the SEQRA short form. 5 6 7 8 • The Board accepted the applicant’s responses to the questions in Part 1 of the SEQRA short form. • The Board reviewed Parts II and III of the SEQRA short form. 9 10 11 Motion: A. Monroe Second: R. Segelken RESOLUTION No. 325 TO DETERMINE PROPOSED ACTION WILL NOT RESULT IN AN ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT RESOLVED, that the Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board has determined that the proposed project at 317 East Upland Road will not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, A. Monroe, R. Segelken Opposed – None • The Board discussed § 305-117.B of the Village’s Zoning Law, “Factors to be considered by the Planning Board in site plan review,” and made the following findings: o Location and site of the use: The site is located at 317 East Upland Road in the Village’s Residence zoning district. The Tompkins County property class code is 311 for residential vacant land. o Nature and intensity of the use: The proposed use is a single family residence with three bedrooms, a home office, and a two- car attached garage and driveway. The nature and intensity of this use are consistent with neighborhood character. o Size and topography of the site: The site is 0.78 acres. The land is sloped with an approximate 11% slope from the lot’s northeastern corner to its southwestern corner. A substantial area in the eastern portion of the lot has a grade between 15 and 25%, but there is sufficient building area in the western portion of the lot with an approximate 8% slope sufficient to accommodate residence construction and this is compliant with the Village’s Zoning Law. o Location of the site in respect to road access: The site is adjacent to East Upland Road on its western property line. Access to East Upland Road will be provided by one driveway and curb cut. 12 o Provisions for parking: § 305-90.F.1.a of the Village’s Zoning Law requires that, for a one-family dwelling, two off- street parking spaces be provided. The project is a single family residence with one dwelling unit, and the two-car attached garage and driveway provide at least two off-street parking spaces. Therefore, parking provisions are compliant with the Zoning Law. o Relationship of improvements and lot size to the parking area: Improvements include a residence, two-car attached garage, and driveway. The parking area consists of the garage located to the north of the residence and a driveway apron containing a vehicle turn around and two exterior parking spaces if needed. o Traffic and noise generated by the proposed use: The project is a single family residence in the Village’s Residence zoning district. It is likely that noise generated by the proposed use will be minimal. The site is currently a vacant lot and improvement with a one-family dwelling may generate increased vehicular traffic, but this increase is likely to be slight. o Landscaping: The applicant has stated that landscaping aims to create an informal woodland setting rather than a formal garden. A planting plan specifies trees to be planted to replace those removed for construction. The steeper slopes east of the residence will be landscaped with plants to stabilize them, and any disturbed areas not defined by specific landscape features or structural development will be put into lawn. o Architectural features: The house is modern ranch in style, emphasizing horizontal lines and utilizing a mix of materials including exposed stone foundations and a standing seam steel roof. o Location and dimension of the improvements: The residence is located 50 feet east of the western property line and 29 feet from the southern property line, and the two car attached garage is located 44 feet from the northern property line. Lot coverage is 10.95% and the driveway has a slope of 4.0%. The location and dimension of these and additional improvements are compliant with zoning regulations for setbacks, building height, and lot coverage. 13 o Impact of the proposed use on adjacent land uses: The project is a single family residence. Adjacent land uses are residential and consist primarily of single family residences. Therefore, the proposed use is consistent with adjacent land uses and its impact on adjacent land uses is expected to be slight. o Impact of the proposed use on the environment: The residence has been located to avoid construction on the site’s steeper slopes in the eastern portion of the lot. These slopes will be landscaped with plantings to stabilize them. Trees will be planted to replace trees removed for construction as shown on the planting plan. Proposed stormwater practices account for both offsite and onsite stormwater peak runoff. These practices include a series of sump basins, a detention basin in the property’s southwestern corner with 3,046 cubic feet of stormwater storage, and a rain garden to receive runoff from the garage roof. Calculations provided establish that post-development peak stormwater flows for 1 year to 100 year storm events will be less than or equal to pre- development stormwater flows. The Planning Board categorized the project as an Unlisted Action for SEQRA, conducted a SEQRA review, made a negative declaration of adverse environmental impact, and found compliance with SEQRA. o Impact of the proposed use on infrastructure and existing Village services, including sewer, water, stormwater management, solid waste disposal, fire protection, police protection, and road maintenance: The residence will connect to public potable water and public wastewater treatment facilities, but its utilization of these facilities will not substantially impact them. The Village has improved the drainage swale on East Upland Road between the sidewalk and road pavement, and the stormwater detention basin in the property’s southwestern corner will be connected to this swale via a 4 inch pipe. Stormwater practices will mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff on Village stormwater management and the proposed use will not significantly impact other Village services. o Provisions made for reducing energy use or incorporating renewable energy systems into project design: The residence complies with or exceeds the updated energy code, but no additional provisions have been made for reducing energy use or incorporating renewable energy systems into project design. 14 o Effect on population density, if any: The site is currently a vacant lot and will be improved with a single family residence and attached garage. Population density will be increased, but this increase will be slight and does not conflict with neighborhood character. o Any other factors reasonably related to the health, safety, and general welfare of Village residents and consistent with the Village's current Comprehensive Plan: Recommendation 1.4 of the Village’s current Comprehensive Plan advocates that the Village continue its historic role as a residential neighborhood. This project is consistent with that recommendation and with the health, safety, and welfare of Village residents. • The Board discussed whether to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the proposed project. Motion: R. Segelken Second: M. Johnston RESOLUTION No. 326 TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT 317 EAST UPLAND ROAD RESOLVED, that, based upon the findings made by the Planning Board in consideration of § 305-117.B of the Village’s Zoning Law, the proposed project at 317 East Upland Road is hereby approved. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, A. Monroe, R. Segelken Opposed – None Item 5 – New Business • The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 23, 2021 at 7:00 pm. Item 6 – Adjourn • Meeting adjourned at 8:02 pm.