HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-09-28 PAB Minutes 1
PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD 2
Wednesday, September 28, 2016 3
SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM 4
125 East Court Street 5
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DRAFT MEETING MINUTES 7
Members Attending: 8
Name Representation
Martha Robertson P Planning Committee
Monika Roth A Agriculture
Kathy Schlather P Human Services
Rob Steuteville P Built Environment Design
Andy Zepp P Land Pres/Public Land Mgmt
Dooley Kiefer P Associate Member
Others Present
Tom Knipe P Prin. Planner/Tourism Prog.
Dir.
Ed Marx P Commissioner of Planning
Scott Doyle P Senior Planner
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Call to Order & Changes to the Agenda – Chair David Kay called the meeting to order at 9:10 AM. 12
A quorum not yet being present, the approval of minutes was deferred until later in the meeting. 13
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Commissioner’s Report – Ed Marx reported the following: 15
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The Housing Needs Assessment was presented at a public meeting on Sept 6th, and the results and how they 17
might be applied to developing the update of the Housing Strategy will be discussed at next month’s 18
meeting. 19
Ed was invited to participate in a project committee for a NYSERDA/NYSDOT grant-funded project entitled 20
“What does it really cost to live here?” The project is sponsored by Ithaca Carshare and will look at 21
measuring housing and transportation costs at varying locations in Tompkins County. 22
Two interns have been contracted to work with the Planning Department on the Habitat Connectivity project. 23
The County Legislature passed a resolution in support of the Town of Dryden’s Transportation Alternatives 24
Program grant application for the Dryden Rail Trail development between Game Farm Road and Route 13. 25
The department presented our budget proposal to the legislature’s Expanded Budget Committee and received 26
support for partial funding of an Energy Navigator program. Other sources of funding are being sought to 27
allow a three-year pilot project to implement a key recommendation of the Energy and Economic 28
Development Task Force. 29
The Community Housing Development Fund Oversight Committee has approved a grant to develop the 30
former Holochuck Homes property as affordable townhomes. 31
A draft of the Town of Lansing Comprehensive Plan has been completed, and the department will be 32
reviewing it over the coming weeks. 33
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Tompkins County Tourism Program 35
Tom Knipe presented an overview of the County Tourism Program. He noted that Tompkins County has 36
entered into an agreement with Air BnB whereby they will pay Tompkins County the room tax on stays at 37
Air BnB properties in Tompkins County. This is the first such agreement negotiated in New York State. 38
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Name Representation
Martha Armstrong P Economic Development
Todd Bittner E Natural Environment
Joe Bowes P Housing
Sue Cosentini E Business
Fernando de Aragón E Transportation
John Gutenberger E Education
Dave Herrick E Facilities/Infrastructure
Ruth Hopkins E At-Large
Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources
David Kay P Local Planning (urban)
Darby Kiley P Local Planning (non-urban)
Gay Nicholson A At-Large
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Future Member Reports 41
David Kay and Ed Marx reported on a discussion they had regarding making reports from PAB members a 42
recurring part of meeting agendas. It was felt that Sue Cosentini’s report in August had generated a lot of 43
interest, and David and Ed thought that the board might be interested in hearing about the work some of the 44
other members are doing. David suggested this might be included on the agenda once a quarter as other 45
business permits. There was general agreement that this is a good idea. In response to a request for potential 46
future presentations, Rob Steuteville noted that a presentation on the Form Ithaca report would be 47
appropriate sometime this fall, and Rod Howe noted that in a few months he would be ready to give an 48
update on the proposed Heritage Education Center. 49
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Capital Reserve Funding Request 51
Scott Doyle introduced the request for Capital Reserve funding from the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Scott 52
noted that the property is in a Natural Features Focus Area, includes part of a UNA, and hosts a stretch of the 53
Finger Lakes Trail. Andy Zepp explained that the Land Trust is undertaking an acquisition of 144 acres in 54
the Town of Danby adjacent to Danby State Forest. The property would eventually be sold to NY State for 55
inclusion in the forest. The anticipated sale price is $181,000 and $6,500 is being requested to help pay for a 56
needed survey. A quorum now being present, Martha Robertson moved to recommend that the legislature 57
approve funding for this request, seconded by Martha Armstrong. All were in favor. 58
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Approval of Minutes 60
Martha Robertson moved approval of the minutes of August 24, 2016, seconded by Martha Armstrong. All 61
were in favor without changes. 62
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Announcements 64
Martha Robertson announced that there will be a Housing Summit at the end of November to address the 65
community’s housing crisis. 66
Dooley Kiefer noted that the Cargill new mine shaft proposal is seeking a sales tax abatement from the IDA. 67
She noted that there are some concerns regarding the mining activity, which takes place underneath Cayuga 68
Lake. The DEC permit says that documents regarding the proposal were sent to the Town of Lansing. 69
Rob Steuteville noted that the White House had issued a report this week indicating that some zoning and 70
local land use laws are creating a drag on the national economy by hindering the development of much 71
needed housing. Among other recommendations are allowing accessory dwelling units in all areas, 72
eliminating or modifying off-street parking requirements, allowing greater density, and providing for “by 73
right” development. 74
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Adjournment 76
The meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m. 77
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