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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes1 Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board Meeting #106 Monday, December 19, 2022 Marcham Hall – 7:00 pm Minutes Present: Planning Board Members Chair F. Cowett, E. Quaroni, M. McMurry, Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross, Attorney R. Marcus, Deputy Clerk A. Jacot, Alternate Member M. Johnston, Mayor L. Woodard L. Schill, Cornell University Planner T. Norman, Cornell Project Manager J. Taliento, LaBella Associates R. Kawecki, Bousquet Holstein PLLC Item 1 – Meeting called to order • Chair F. Cowett opened the meeting at 7:03 pm. • Chair F. Cowett stated that Board Members J. Leijonhufvud and R. Segelken are absent and appointed Alternate M. Johnston a full voting member of the Board for this meeting. • Attorney R. Marcus stated that R. Kawecki, an attorney at his firm, will be observing the meeting via Zoom. Item 2 – September 26, 2022 Minutes • The Board reviewed the minutes of the September 26, 2022 meeting. Motion: M. McMurry Second: E. Quaroni RESOLUTION No. 360 APPROVING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2022 RESOLVED, that the written, reviewed and revised minutes of the September 26, 2022 meeting are hereby approved. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, M. McMurry, E. Quaroni Opposed – None 2 Item 3 – Public Comment No members of the public wished to speak. Item 4 – Cornell Child Care Center – Site Plan Review • Chair F. Cowett stated that the Cornell Child Care Center, 150 Pleasant Grove Road, adjacent to Lot A, proposes to install a geothermal ground-source heat pump system to provide both heating and cooling for the Center; air conditioning is currently provided by air chillers that have reached the end of their service life and are due to be replaced; Cornell has determined that geothermal ground-source pumps would be ideal for this facility, providing a sustainable and more efficient heating and cooling source to the facility while also eliminating natural gas use onsite; installation includes construction of a 20’ x 35’ addition to the Center for the purpose of containing the mechanical equipment associated with the wells and pumps; heat exchangers will be located on the roof of the existing Center building; approximately two-thirds of the addition structure will be built into the ground with the remainder of the structure, including its flat roof, visible above ground; due to the exterior site construction and increased intensity of land use associated with the project, which is located in the Village’s Multiple Housing Zone, site plan review by the Village’s Planning Board is required by § 305-116.A.1 of the Village’s Zoning Law. • Chair F. Cowett stated further that, because the project is located within 500 feet of a municipal boundary, in this case the boundary with the Town of Ithaca, a GML §239 referral to the Tompkins County Planning Department is also required. • M. Johnston stated that he is an employee of Cornell, but there is nothing in his employment that would impair or influence his judgment in reviewing this project. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that a geothermal project would not necessarily trigger site plan review, but that site plan review is warranted due to the building addition and construction. • L. Schill, Cornell University Planner, made a Powerpoint presentation and discussed the project; the Child Care Center’s air conditioning system, installed in 2008, needs to be replaced; this offers an opportunity for Cornell to further its sustainability goals; Cornell’s lake source cooling system is too far from the Center to be connected to it; however, open space adjacent to the Center suggested the possibility of installing a geothermal ground-source heat pump system for heating and cooling; a test well drilled last summer supported the viability of a geothermal system, which would be the first such system installed at Cornell, and moved project development forward; the project will involve constructing a 20’ x 35’ building addition to the Center to contain mechanical equipment and also a 0.1 acre field consisting of 21 geothermal wells located between the Center and Pleasant Grove Road; the project will be located almost entirely in the Village of Cayuga Heights except for three wells which will be located in the Town of Ithaca; the Town has judged the three wells to be a 3 negligible intrusion and will defer to the Village in conducting site plan review for the entire project; the sidewalk on the west side of Pleasant Grove Road parallels the well field, but the well field poses no risk to pedestrians and will be nearly imperceptible when completed; an existing split rail fence between the sidewalk and the Center will be removed temporarily during construction and restored afterwards; a temporary driveway leading in from Pleasant Grove Road used for test well drilling last summer will be used for project construction; the building addition will be largely below grade, including a tunnel connecting pipes from the well field to the Center; there will be 700 square feet of new roof associated with the building addition, which will increase storm water runoff, but this increase in runoff is not substantial and can be easily accommodated by the stormwater management plan and practices approved for the Child Care Center when it was first built; five trees along Pleasant Grove Road west of the sidewalk, located between the split rail fence and the Center, will be removed for construction and replaced when construction ends with comparable tree species selected by the University Landscape Architect. • M. Johnston asked, given that the building addition is largely below grade, whether its foundation will be weather-proofed to account for the ground water on site. • L. Schill replied that it would be. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross asked what will be located on the roof of the building addition. • J. Taliento, LaBella Associates, replied that there will be guard rails on the roof per code and that some mechanical equipment may be added in the future as needed. • J. Taliento stated further that the below grade tunnel containing piping from the Center to the addition’s mechanical room will not be accessible from the Center and children will not be able to enter it; there will also be exterior fencing surrounding the addition to further ensure that children are kept out. • E. Quaroni asked if children will be able to get into the wells. • J. Taliento replied that the well heads will be ten feet below grade and children will not be able to access the well head system; there will also be fencing during construction to prevent children from wandering onto the well field. • M. McMurry asked about the fencing material surrounding the addition. • J. Taliento replied that it will be chain link fencing six feet high. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross asked if the heat exchanging units on the Center’s roof will be replaced. • J. Taliento replied that the heat exchangers will be replaced. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that he has already contacted the Tompkins County Planning Department pursuant to a GML §239 referral; the County reviewed the project and stated that it has no concerns; he has also contacted Town of Ithaca Code Enforcement and Planning; the Town reviewed the project and, given its limited scope in the Town, will defer to any action taken by the Village’s Planning Board, but would like any stormwater management and erosion and sediment control 4 practices associated with that portion of the project located in the Town to adhere to the same standards as that portion of the project located in Cayuga Heights. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross further stated Pleasant Grove Road is a County road and the right-of-way is owned by the County; he anticipates no concerns from the County’s Highway Department about the project, but he will contact them to confirm. • Attorney R. Marcus asked Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross to obtain a statement from the Town of Ithaca stating that the Town has no objection to the Village’s Planning Board acting as lead agency for SEQRA review of this project and also written acknowledgement from the Tompkins County Planning Department stating that the County has no concerns pursuant to the GML §239 referral. • M. Johnston asked if signage will be posted during construction pertaining to and explaining the project to pedestrians on Pleasant Grove Rd. • L. Schill stated that such signage can be posted during construction consistent with the Cornell signage template. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross asked if there will be a contractor’s office and/or porta johns on site and, if so, where will they be located. • T. Norman, Cornell Project Manager, stated that a contractor’s office is not contemplated, but there will be porta johns locacted within the construction project fence and screened from view by green fabric on the fence. • Chair F. Cowett asked how the wells will be dug. • T. Norman replied that the wells will be dug with a drill attached to a truck; any drill spoil from the wells not reused at the site will be removed. • E. Quaroni asked whether there will be any intrusion of ground water into the wells. • J. Taliento replied that the wells are a closed loop system and there will be not be any ground water intrusion. • E. Quaroni asked whether the wells will impact any aquifers. • L. Schill replied that no aquifers have been mapped on the project site. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that the RaNic golf club, which is located near the project site, recently test drilled a well looking for irrigation water for use on the golf course, but found no water after drlling down more than four hundred feet; therefore, in his opinion, it is very unlikely that wells drilled for this project will impact any aquifers. • Chair F. Cowett asked L. Schill if the powerpoint presentation can be made available to the Village for posting on the Planning Board’s webpage. • L. Schill replied that the powerpoint presentation will be made available. 5 Motion: M. McMurry Second: M. Johnston RESOLUTION No. 361 TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT THE CORNELL CHILD CARE CENTER FOR SITE PLAN REVIEW RESOLVED, that the Planning Board accepts the proposed project at the Cornell Child Care Center, 150 Pleasant Grove Road, for site plan review. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, M. McMurry, E. Quaroni Opposed – None • The Board discussed the project in relation to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and whether to declare itself lead agency for this project. Motion: M. Johnston Second: E. Quaroni RESOLUTION No. 362 SEQRA REVIEW OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT THE CORNELL CHILD CARE CENTER RESOLVED, that the Planning Board declares itself lead agency for SEQRA review of the project at the Cornell Child Care Center, 150 Pleasant Grove Road, contingent upon the agreement of the Town of Ithaca. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, M. McMurry, E. Quaroni Opposed – None • The Board discussed the project in relation to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and whether to categorize the project as a Type I, Type II, or Unlisted SEQRA action. • Chair F. Cowett stated that this is a nonresidential project physically altering less than 10 acres of land and therefore could be categorized as an Unlisted SQERA action. • Attorney R. Marcus stated that the project could instead be categorized as a Type II action pursuant to § 617.5.C.3 and § 617.5.C.9 of the Codes, Rules, and Regulations of the State of New York; § 617.5.C.3 contains a 2018 revision of SEQRA and pertains to a “retrofit of an existing structure and its appurtenant areas to incorporate green infrastructure;” § 617.5.C.9 pertains to the “construction or expansion of a primary or accessory/appurtenant, non-residential structure or facility involving less than 4,000 6 square feet of gross floor area and not involving a change in zoning or a use variance and consistent with local land use controls, but not radio communication or microwave transmission facilities.” • The Board agreed that the project could be categorized as a Type II SEQRA action and that no further review of adverse environmental impact is required under SEQRA; the applicant will not need to complete Part 1 of the SEQRA Short Environmental Assessment Form, nor will the Board need to complete Parts 2 and 3 of that form, but the Board will still consider environmental factors in making findings related to site plan review per § 305-117.B of the Village’s Zoning Law. Motion: E. Quaroni Second: M. McMurry RESOLUTION No. 363 CATEGORIZING THE SEQRA ACTION TYPE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT THE CORNELL CHILD CARE CENTER RESOLVED, that the Planning Board categorizes the project at the Cornell Child Care Center, 150 Pleasant Grove Road, as a Type II SEQRA action pursuant to § 617.5.C.3 and § 617.5.C.9 of the Codes, Rules, and Regulations of the State of New York. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, M. McMurry, E. Quaroni Opposed – None Motion: M. Johnston Second: M. McMurry RESOLUTION No. 364 TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT THE CORNELL CHILD CARE CENTER RESOLVED, that a public hearing will be held at Marcham Hall on Monday, January 23, 2023 at 7:10 pm regarding site plan review for the proposed project at the Cornell Child Care Center, 150 Pleasant Grove Road. Aye votes – Chair F. Cowett, M. Johnston, M. McMurry, E. Quaroni Opposed – None 7 Item 5 – New Business • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that an application is pending for a special use permit to convert a sorority at 509 Wyckoff Road in the Village’s Multiple Housing Zone to an affinity house which would provide housing for members of the Cornell men’s ultimate frisbee team; the applicant was unable to submit sufficient documentation in time to appear at the Board’s November 28 meeting and scheduling conflicts associated with holiday travel precluded the applicant appearing before the Board at this meeting, but the applicant is likely to appear at the Board’s January 23 meeting; it is possible, given the number of sororities and fraternities located in the Village, that additional applications such as the one for 509 Wyckoff Road may be submitted in the future. • Chair F. Cowett stated the Village’s Board of Trustees will be considering at its December 21 meeting an amendment to the current definition of an affinity house contained in the Village’s Zoning Law; it might be helpful if, prior to the Planning Board’s January 23 meeting, Planning Board members either listened to the Trustees meeting via Zoom or to the recording of the Trustees meeting; he will forward them the link to the recording of the Trustees meeting when it becomes available. • Code Enforcement Officer B. Cross stated that there are no updates to the RaNic golf course’s application to create a Planned Development Zone (PDZ); if and when a PDZ is approved by the Village’s Board of Trustees, the Village’s Planning Board will then be charged with conducting site plan review for the RaNic project. • The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 23, 2023 at 7:00 pm. Item 6 – Adjourn • Meeting adjourned at 8:08 pm.