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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-03-28 PAB mtg packetv2Inclusion through Diversity Katherine Borgella, AICP Telephone (607) 274-5560 Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability www.tompkinscountyny.gov/planning AGENDA PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday March 28, 2018 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Scott Heyman Conference Room, Old Jail - 125 E. Court Street Call to Order/Agenda Changes – David Herrick, Chair January 24, 2018 Draft Minutes Approval – David Herrick Introduction of New Staff – Katie Borgella and Nick Helmholdt Discussion: County-owned Forest Lands Update and Recommendations – Scott Doyle Commissioner’s Report – Katie Borgella Member Reports Adjournment 9:00 am 9: 05 am 9:10 am 9:20 am 9:50 am 10:00 am 10:30 am Please allow1 ½ hours for this meeting. Tompkins County DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY 121 East Court Street Ithaca, New York 14850 If you will be absent, please notify Kristin McCarthy 274-5560 or kmmccarthy@tompkins-co.org 1 PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, January 24, 2018 OLD JAIL CONFERENCE ROOM 125 E. Court Street, Ithaca NY 14850 DRAFT MEETING MINUTES Members Attending: Guests: None Call to Order: Commissioner Katie Borgella called the meeting to order at 9:10 am as the chair, David Kay, had yet to arrive. Agenda Review/Changes: The Oath of Office was moved to earlier in the meeting. Administering Oath of Office – Maureen Reynolds County Clerk Maureen Reynolds swore Marcus Riehl, Joe Bowes, Susan Mann, and Leslie Schill into their new terms on the PAB. Draft Minutes Approval: Rod Howe moved, and Fernando de Aragón seconded, approval of the November 29, 2017, draft minutes. The minutes were approved with minor editorial changes. Welcome to Newly Appointed Members – David Kay and Katie Borgella Katie introduced and welcomed new member Marcus Riehl to the Board and acknowledged all of the members who recently renewed their seats. Everyone then went around the table and introduced themselves to Marcus. Katie reported that Anna Kelles is the new chair of PDEQ and will be joining the Board for future meetings. Also, two candidates who had applied for seats on the PAB but were not selected had been informed of the status of their applications. Report and Election of New Officers – Nominating Committee Monika Roth presented the 2018 slate of officers for a vote by the PAB. The committee nominated David Herrick as chair and Darby Kiley as vice chair. There no additional nominations from the floor. Name  Representation Name  Representation Martha Armstrong P Econ. Development Martha Robertson P Legislature Joe Bowes P Housing Monika Roth P Agriculture Sue Cosentini E Business Leslie Schill P Education Fernando de Aragón P Transportation Kathy Schlather P Human Services David Herrick P Facilities/Infrastructure Rob Steuteville A Built Environment Design Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources Andy Zepp E Land Pres/Public Land Mgmt David Kay P Local Planning (urban) Dooley Kiefer E Associate Member Darby Kiley P Local Planning (non-urban) Others Present Susan Mann P Energy Katie Borgella P Interim Commissioner Gay Nicholson E At-Large Kristin McCarthy E Administrative Assistant Marcus Riehl P Natural Environment Megan McDonald P Associate Planner 2 Appointment Nominating Committee – David Kay David Kay moved to appoint David Herrick as chair and Darby Kiley as vice chair. Motion carried unanimously. Legislature Chair 2018 Message and Organizational Structure – Martha Robertson Martha Robertson provided an overview of what to look forward to in the coming year from the Legislature in terms of committees and other activities. She started with a quick summary of the sea changes that have taken place at the County over the last six months in terms of personnel and other structural adjustments. She gave a little background on the incoming County Administrator, Jason Molino, who will be in office (physically) starting in early February. Five new legislators recently joined the County and Anna Kelles will serve as vice chair of the Legislature. A new legislator will serve as vice chair of each committee, as it is a great learning experience; however, one exception is Shawna Black, who will serve as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. Overall priorities for the year include ensuring a smooth transition period with the changes in administration and representation, as well as preserving policies and funding that could be at risk with the governor’s budget and happenings in Washington, D.C. and safeguarding relationships between the County and various state and federal bodies. Last, Martha R. stressed the equal importance of continuing to make progress on long-term priorities such as energy, economic development, housing, criminal justice, transportation, and other issues Discussion: Enhancing Understanding of the Rental Housing Market – Megan McDonald Megan McDonald updated the board members on efforts to gain a better understanding of the housing market in Tompkins County, which stems in part from the process that led to the County Housing Strategy. In particular, during the Housing Needs Assessment, there was disagreement over the vacancy rate. There is a rental housing development boom happening in the city, and quite a few landlords have expressed concern about the changing market. Another complicating factor is the need to consider future housing needs when examining vacancy rates. To that end, there is a monitoring piece built into the Housing Strategy. One possible evolution would be the transition of vacated student housing into workforce housing or housing for other underserved markets. Funds set aside from the Legislature’s Contingency Fund were earmarked for implementation of the Housing Strategy. Part of that funding was used for a small infrastructure study with the Town of Dryden to explore the potential for housing development on a property there. The remaining funds could possibly be used to hire a consultant to help the County develop a methodology for a rent and vacancy survey. An RFQ was released and the County had conversations with consultants. However, the costs would have been prohibitive to proceed with such a study. Commissioner’s Report – Katie Borgella • Tom Knipe’s last day is Thursday (Jan. 26). The Department continues recruiting for his replacement. • Department also continues searching for a housing planner and business energy navigator. • Department will be remodeling the office in mid-February and will be looking to re-home old furniture. • The business energy navigator position is partially funded by a Clean Energy Community Grant. Part of the grant will also go toward greening the County fleet. • Planning staff have been meeting with local government officials to see how the County might better support development efforts in their municipalities. • In terms of funding, they are still waiting to hear about a disaster recovery grant, applied for a HeatSmart 3 grant, and will be administering the Cayuga Lake Blueway Trail. 3 • Department is also looking over its General Municipal Law 239 Review guide. Member Reports • Fernando relayed that in April a pilot bike share program will launch within Cornell and the City of Ithaca with roughly 150-200 dockless bikes. It’s a collaboration between Ithaca Car Share/Bike Walk Tompkins funded by a NYSERDA grant. • Kathy Schlather reported that the volunteer-led Point in Time Count of homeless individuals in Tompkins County took place recently. There has been a steady increase in the number of homeless in the County over the last few years, including a notable increase in people staying at shelters over the last six months. Adjournment: Chair David Kay declared the meeting adjourned at 10:40 am. Forest Lands, Newfield Recommended Actions No Action Recommended for Old Growth Recommended for Hardwood Harvest Recommended Softdwood Harvest Forest Lands, Newfield Hydrology Tompkins County Planning DepartmentFebruary 2018 500 0 500 1,000250 Feet ­ J A CKSONHOLLOWRDV A NKIRKRDB U L L H IL L R D C H A F F E E C R E E K R D GOLDEN DEERDR W A R R I S R DSCHOOLHOUSERD IR IS H HILLRDDASSANCERDSTARKSRD«11«12 «13 «13 «13 «14 «17 «16 «16«15 «18 «18 «20 «20 «29 «21«21 «21 «22 «22 «23 «2 «3 «4 «7 «5 «5 «6 «1 «8 «8 «1 «1«9«10 «24 «24 «25«27 «28 «26 «26 Town of Newfield 2018 Reco mmended County Forest Actions Inclusion through Diversity Page 1 of 3 Katherine Borgella, AICP Telephone (607) 274-5560 Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability Memorandum To: Members of the Tompkins County Planning Advisory Board (PAB) From: Scott D. Doyle, AICP, Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability Re: Introduction of Recommended Actions for County Forest Management Date: March 21, 2018 Background In the 1930s Tompkins County acquired four parcels of land in Newfield and one parcel in Caroline as a part of reforestation efforts in New York State. The State Reforestation Law of 1929 and the Hewitt Amendment of 1931 set forth the legislation which authorized the Conservation Department to acquire land like this by gift or purchase for reforestation. A condition of these “reforested lands” is that they shall forever be devoted to watershed protection, the production of timber and forest products and recreation. In 2007, the County created the Tompkins County Forest Management Plan in response to an interest to sustainably manage its 549 acres forest lands managed by Tompkins County. It was also thought that a high- quality sustainable forest management plan could serve as a model for other forest owners in Tompkins County looking to obtain income generation over the long-term through sustainable harvesting practices. In order to implement the harvest recommendations outlined in the Forest Management Plan the plan requires the hiring a forestry consultant to visit timber stands, document the current state of each stand in relation to plan recommendations, and advise the County as to all aspects related to timber harvests, including the bid process. In late summer 2017, the County issued a RFQ for forestry consultants in and identified Forecon Forestry and Natural Resource Consultants of Cortland, NY as the preferred firm to assist the County with this process. In late 2017, the County entered into a 2-year contract with Forecon to assist in advancing forest management practices based on the 2007 County Forest Management Plan and potential for the County forest land to be managed for old growth. Our contracted forester from Forecon has had the opportunity to visit each of the County Forest stands in Newfield as identified in the 2007. Based on the initial field assessment of those stands Forecon has the following recommended actions. County Forest Land Harvest Recommendations The County Forest Plan outlines several goals including maintaining forested riparian corridors; promoting healthy forest regeneration, growth of native northern hardwoods and manage for the production of high quality forest products. To achieve those goals the plan recommends utilizing a range of Best Management Practices (BMPs) through an even-aged approach to forest management. The Forest Management Plan identifies 28 different forest stands in the Town of Newfield, each stand has different species and harvest recommendations associated with them. Tompkins County DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY 121 East Court Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Inclusion through Diversity Page 2 of 3 Stands Recommended Managing for Old-growth Stands 11, 17, 27, 29 & 32 Some of the County forest stands lend themselves to the more limited management to allow the development of old-growth characteristics. Forests with old-growth characteristics can be ecologically significant in that they may become home to rare species which are dependent on this type of habitat. Of the 28 stands in Newfield, the Forest Plan specifically identified five stands to have very limited management that supports Old-growth. Our contracted Forester further recommended added stands (2, 3, 9, 10 & 23) be managed for old growth based on his on site assessment. The total acreage in the County Forest Land in Newfield recommended for Old-growth management is 24 acres. Managing Stand 12 to support Adjacent Old-growth Some stands adjacent to those recommended for old growth are recommended for management in a way that supports nearby Old-growth development. Such is the case for Stand 12. A shelterwood treatment is recommended for this stand which is directly adjacent to Stand 11 which is managed for Old-growth. At this time the regeneration (hemlock and white pine) in Stand 12 is advanced, well over the browse line and should be released. The red oak in this stand is showing signs of decline and rot especially in the upper logs. Marking should focus on leaving the best 40-60 square feet of basal area throughout the stand in the dominant/co-dominant crown position while removing the mid story and suppressed trees to promote growth of the saplings. This will change this stand from a red oak and hemlock sawtimber stand to a white pine/hemlock sapling/pole stand with scattered red oak sawtimber trees. This is naturally a hemlock/white pine site so trying to promote hardwoods such as oaks, maples and cherry will likely fail. Thinning Stand 12 will create “edge habitat” which is helpful for many types of wildlife and old growth development in the adjacent Stand 11. Stands Recommended for Hardwood Harvest Stands 4, 5, 6, 7 & 18 Five of the stands identified in the Forest Plan totaling 86 acres are currently recommended for hardwood harvest. The goal for a hardwood harvest on these will be a pre-salvage of the white ash in to capture value prior to destruction by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in all stands (EAB was confirmed in the Arnot Forest just south of this location in March 2018). Specifically sawtimber 14” Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and greater should be marked for harvest. Our forestry consultant recommends that white ash removal will be left evenly spaced in hopes that they will seed in and have a chance to flourish once the EAB has moved through the area. Once the white ash have been removed thinning, the harvest will then focus on the removal of diseased, damaged or otherwise undesirable growing stock (UGS) across all size classes to improve forest health and allocate more resources to the most vigorous “crop” trees. These residual crop trees should have the canopy open on at least two sides to promote growth. Once white ash sawtimber and UGS have been removed some mature stems will be evaluated for and marked for harvest that are in decline and will lose value by the next harvest. Stands Recommended for Softwood Harvest Stands 21, 24, 25, 26, & 28 Six of the stands identified in the Forest Plan totally 87 acres are currently recommended for softwood harvest. All of the noted stands are old red pine plantations that have been thinned in the past and are now showing promising signs of hardwood regeneration. The primary hardwood species found Inclusion through Diversity Page 3 of 3 throughout the stands are red maple, white ash, and a few scattered Northern red oak. These hardwood trees have been able to not only survive the intense amount of shade from the red pine but they have also begun to thrive and advance themselves into a more dominant position in the understory. A red pine thinning would greatly benefit these stands by completely releasing this advanced hardwood regen to allow more efficient nutrient and sunlight distribution. By allowing the new cohort to thrive, it will benefit future generations of wildlife as well as timber and overall forest production. As we can see from other stands red pine is very susceptible to wind throw especially following thinning. If thinned the red pine in these stands will need to be monitored annually and inspected as soon as possible after heavy wind events. Stands Recommended for No Action at this Time There are additionally a total of 304 acres of County Forest land in Newfield where no forestry actions are recommended at this time. Best Management Practices (BMPs) BMPs outlined in the plan will be closely adhered to as a condition of the harvest including forestry activity only ground is completely frozen and clearly defined riparian areas will be delineated with ribbon and paint so it is very evident to the harvester within each stand. Harvesting restrictions will be in place within 100 feet of the high water mark along streams in these stands. Stream crossings will also be minimized and no added permanent roads or skid trails will be created. Budget Implications In bidding the noted11 stands for timber harvest we anticipate being able to pay for the services of our contracted forester and also receive added revenue for the timber. It is the added intention that this work result in long term health of forest land including Old-growth potential. Contact Information Scott D. Doyle, AICP / 274-5560 / sdoyle@tompkins-co.org Attachments • Exhibit A: Map of 2018 Recommended County Forest Actions 1 PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, November 29, 2017 OLD JAIL CONFERENCE ROOM 125 E. Court Street, Ithaca NY 14850 DRAFT MEETING MINUTES Members Attending: Guests: None Call to Order: Chair David Kay called the meeting to order at 1:30pm. Agenda Review/Changes: There were no changes to the agenda. Draft Minutes Approval: Martha Robertson moved, and Kathy Schlather seconded, approval of the October draft minutes. The motion was carried unanimously by the members present. Presentation/Discussion: Update on Cornell Housing Development – Leslie Schill, Cornell University Planner • Leslie updated the group on housing development on the Cornell University campus, including development on North Campus, Maplewood, and East Hill Village. She also said that Cornell is in the early stages of conducting a review of its workforce housing and is currently reviewing what peer institutions are doing for their employee housing needs. • The Maplewood project is coming along with some siding installed on the townhouses already. It is a mix of townhomes and apartments with a total of 900 beds. The goal is for full occupancy in fall 2018. ERD is the developer with a land lease from Cornell. • Martha R. inquired whether it will be limited to graduate student residents. Leslie responded that the priority is to house graduate students but other groups will not be excluded. David K. and Kathy Schlather both asked if there was any empirical data on where residents would have lived before and where they would go after living in such university housing. Such information would prove helpful in assessing the impact of campus housing on the broader housing market in Tompkins County. Leslie posited that perhaps a post-occupancy survey of the first round of tenants could shed some light. • East Hill Village is in deep research mode working to balance commercial and residential needs, as they want to be sure not to be in competition with downtown. Name ✓ Representation Name ✓ Representation Martha Armstrong P Econ. Development Monika Roth E Agriculture Joe Bowes E Housing Leslie Schill P Education Sue Cosentini P Business Kathy Schlather P Human Services Fernando de Aragón P Transportation Rob Steuteville A Built Environment Design David Herrick E Facilities/Infrastructure Andy Zepp P Land Pres/Public Land Mgmt Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources Dooley Kiefer P Associate Member David Kay P Local Planning (urban) Others Present Darby Kiley P Local Planning (non-urban) Katie Borgella P Interim Commissioner Susan Mann E Energy Kristin McCarthy P Administrative Assistant Gay Nicholson P At-Large Megan McDonald P Associate Planner Martha Robertson P Planning Committee 2 • In regards to the expansion of housing on North Campus, Leslie started with background information on Cornell’s Housing Master Plan, which aims to find short- and long-term strategies for student housing, in context with the Comprehensive Master Plan for the Ithaca Campus. Part of that process involved locating open areas for development or areas for redevelopment. The “CC Lot” was identified as a strong contender for redevelopment. • Cornell would like to be able to keep its promise of supplying first-year, sophomore, and transfer students with housing. The university may begin to mandate that first- and second-year students live on campus. Starting in 2020, Cornell intends to add 275 undergrads per year to the freshman class for four years. • There are 3,400 beds on North Campus now and they intend to add 2,000 new beds. Twenty-two potential sites were identified on Cornell land, but they were quickly reduced to 9. Part of the plan on North Campus is to create an expanded first-year housing area, and a “Sophomore Village” on a 5-acre location in the CC Lot area that would create a community for second-year students. It would have a 1,200-seat dining hall and 800 beds. • Another site slated for development is the North Campus recreation fields located off Pleasant Grove Road. The university expects to build housing for first-year students there. According to Leslie, a lot of zoning research had to be done because that area is at the boundary of several municipalities. Discussion: Housing Capital Reserve Fund Proposal – Martha Robertson • Martha R. spoke to the group in detail about her proposed housing capital reserve fund to address the issue of affordable housing and instability in the housing market in Tompkins County. A lively discussion ensued, with members asking questions and offering feedback. The proposed fund, which is modeled after the Capital Reserve Fund for Natural, Scenic, and Recreational Resource Protection, would allocate $3 million in one-time funding, pulled from the Unassigned General Fund Balance. • The fund could be used as leverage to bring in other monies from private employers, etc. It also could serve as incentive funding for building affordable units. The County, however, cannot “gift” the money directly. A different structure would need to be created, perhaps a fund TCAD manages. • Gay Nicholson asked her fellow members to keep in mind the economic and social justice aspects of this issue; too many residents in our community are stuck living in substandard housing. She argued that the first step should be determining the most beneficial and cost-efficient use of such funds: to rehab existing affordable housing or build new construction. She suggested a pilot study be done to identify worst-case housing units in terms of poor insulation, energy efficiency, etc., and come up with a methodology to address it. Rod Howe concurred with Gay on this approach. • Sue Cosentini said that she thinks funding should be designated for construction of energy efficient single family homes (SFH) close to the City of Ithaca. In her opinion, it would entice more SFH developers to build in our area. Martha R. said attention would be paid to the development focus areas. • Andy Zepp passed around information about the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB). The VHCB was created by the State Legislature in 1987 in response to community concerns over how development was changing the character of the Vermont landscape. That model addresses and funds projects around affordable housing, environmental preservation, and historic preservation. • Martha R. wants to ensure the fund isn’t used to develop housing that could be taken care of by market forces. David K. stressed the importance of focusing on what can be accomplished in concrete terms with this relatively small amount of money. • Megan MacDonald added that it is costly to perform an environmental site assessment, a process that needs to be done at the start of a project. A capital reserve fund could possibly be earmarked for such occasions. 3 • Martha R. requested that fellow members forward additional comments to her via email. Recommend New Member Appointments to PDEQ – Katie Borgella • Katie shared the latest developments in PAB member applications and new member recruitment. She welcomed thoughts and insights from the Board. • Martha Armstrong, Joe Bowes, Andy Zepp, and Fernando de Aragón have all chosen to renew their seats on the Board. Katie will recommend their applications to Planning, Development and Environmental Quality Committee ( PDEQ) shortly. • She will also be recommending Marcus Riehl, a senior natural resources planner with NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, for the Natural Environment seat. • No one as of yet has applied for the second Education seat. • There was considerable discussion around two other new candidates, both of whom applied for the vacant At-Large seat. • Several members thought that the PAB should revisit the overall list of PAB seats to ensure the right mix is at the table before filling the at-large seat. In addition, several expressed a desire to focus even more effort on attracting applicants from under-represented populations in the community. • Katie said she would take everyone’s feedback into consideration while deliberating over her recommendations to PDEQ on appointments. Appointment Nominating Committee – David Kay • Monika Roth, who wasn’t at the meeting, has agreed to serve on the Nominating Committee. Rod and Fernando said they will be on the committee as well. Interim Commissioner’s Report – Katie Borgella • Tom Knipe, principal planner/tourism program director, has accepted a position with the City of Ithaca as deputy director of economic development. His last day with the County will be January 24, 2018. • The redesign of the Planning and Sustainability Department office continues to move forward, albeit more slowly than staff would prefer. However, the space will soon need to accommodate two more staff members so this project is being bumped up on the priority list. • The department plans to fill the new housing planner position within the next couple of months. • The department received $250,000 in NYSERDA grant funds to green the County fleet and launch a business energy navigator program. Announcements – David Kay • In regards to the Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability appointment, no formal decision has been announced publicly by the Legislature. • David K. said the PAB did ultimately have a small consultative role in advising on selection of the new commissioner. It was not an ideal process, however, and serves as a learning experience for the future. (No one discovered that the PAB was supposed to be involved formally in hiring the commissioner, per the County Charter, until the search for one was already substantially under way.) Member Reports • Fernando announced that the Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council is recruiting for a transportation analyst. Adjournment: Chair David Kay declared the meeting adjourned at 3:06 pm.