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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-05-23 PAB Final Minutes1 PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, May 23, 2018 Old Jail Conference Room, 125 E. Court Street, Ithaca NY 14850 FINAL MEETING MINUTES Members Attending: Guests: None Call to Order: Chair David Herrick called the meeting to order at 9:04 am. Agenda Review/Changes: There were no changes to the agenda. Draft Minutes Approval: Sue Cosentini moved, and Rod Howe seconded, approval of the March 28, 2018 draft minutes. The motion was carried by the members present except for Martha Armstrong, who abstained because she missed the March meeting. Introduction of New Staff – Katie Borgella Katie Borgella introduced new staff members David West and Darby Kiley to the Board. Election of New Vice Chair – Monika Roth Rod Howe volunteered to serve as vice chair. Action: Monika Roth moved to nominate Rod Howe as vice chair of the Planning Advisory Board. Andy Zepp seconded. Motion carried. Draft 2018 Work Program– Katie Borgella Katie presented the draft 2018 Work Program for the County Department of Planning and Sustainability and asked PAB members for their feedback. The document in its entirety was included in the May agenda packet for anyone seeking more details. Here are a few highlights from Katie’s presentation as well as the from the Q&A session that followed: • The Work Program touches on the organizational culture of the Department and for the first time includes a Mission and Vision Statement to guide and explain the Department’s work. • It features 13 Key Activities for 2018, including 3 planning initiatives, 7 implementing actions, and 3 strategic efforts. A few of these Activities are updating the Energy Strategy, implementing the Cayuga Name  Representation Name  Representation Martha Armstrong P Econ. Development Kathy Schlather P Human Services Joe Bowes P Housing Rob Steuteville A Built Environment Design Sue Cosentini P Business Andy Zepp P Land Preservation/Public Land Management Fernando de Aragón E Transportation Dooley Kiefer E Associate Member David Herrick P Facilities/Infrastructure Others Present Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources Katie Borgella P Commissioner David Kay E Local Planning (urban) Scott Doyle P Associate Planner Anna Kelles P PDEQ Nick Helmholdt P Tourism Program Director/Principal Planner Susan Mann P Energy Darby Kiley P Associate Planner Gay Nicholson E At-Large Kristin McCarthy P Administrative Assistant Marcus Riehl E Natural Environment Megan McDonald P Deputy Commissioner Monika Roth P Agriculture David West P Senior Planner Leslie Schill P Education 2 Lake Blueway Trail, and improving the Department reaches everyone in our community, especially underrepresented populations. • The Department is developing a user-friendly GML 239 guide to share with municipalities, as well as developing a way to offer free GIS services to municipalities and nonprofits. • An internal system exists for tracking project workflow and other aspects of the Work Program, but per a suggestion from a PAB member, staff will explore options for external end-of-year reporting on progress made, as well. Draft Tompkins County Habitat Connectivity Strategy – Scott Doyle Scott Doyle shared the final draft of the County’s Habitat Connectivity Strategy with the members. He first brought the Strategy to their attention in April 2017 with a presentation by two Cornell graduate students, Hannah Plummer and Andrew Varuzzo. That presentation focused on the pinchpoints of habitat connectivity in the County. The current draft gives an overview of the topic, but also identifies specific actions that can be taken to improve connectivity. • A PAB member noted that agricultural land is not well represented in the plan. • A PAB member asked if County had identified privately held land in connector spots, and if so, whether staff had strategized on how to approach those landowners. He also suggested a few changes to the language in the document. Possible Initiatives for Natural Infrastructure Capital Program – Scott Doyle Given that there was nothing substantial to report on the agenda item regarding NYSDEC’s forthcoming action plan for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), Scott approached the members instead for feedback on two possible pilot projects connected to the County’s Natural Infrastructure Capital Program. As part of this program, the Department is looking at innovative ways to work on small-scale stormwater management projects. To that end, two pilot projects with the County Highway Department are being considered for this summer: the Dubois Road Ditch Improvement Project and the County Public Works Facility Stormwater Improvement Project. The first addresses a need to reduce sediment from road ditches and could benefit from State funding for HABs research as there are indicators that the blooms might be transferred via sediment. The latter proposes constructing a small rain garden at the base of the Highway Department parking lot on Bostwick Road as part of parking lot resurfacing. Action: Sue Cosentini moved, and Susan Mann seconded, to endorse the Dubois Road Ditch Improvement Project and the County Public Works Facility Stormwater Improvement Project. Motion carried. Scott will bring the two demonstration projects to PDEQ next for consideration. Cornell Summer Operations – Leslie Schill Leslie Schill updated members on construction and other operational projects planned for Cornell’s campus over the summer. As part of her talk, she shared a PowerPoint presentation that her department will be giving to the university’s board of trustees. In addition, she provided a URL to Cornell’s Summer Projects Interactive Web Tool (https://arcg.is/0r8qm0), which features Town and City of Ithaca projects located close to campus. Here are a few items of note from her presentation: • Work on the Martin Y. Tang Welcome Center at Noyes Lodge is nearing completion. • East Avenue will be closed from Tower Road to Campus Road for a major utility update. When it re- opens, there will be two full bus stops, broader concrete sidewalks, and a traffic light at East Avenue and Campus Road. The left-hand turn lane at that intersection will also be removed. • Mui Ho Fine Arts Library should be finished by summer’s end. 3 • Maplewood is close to fully leased, with construction finished on the Mitchell Avenue side of the project. Announcements The North Campus project is entering the municipal approval stage with sketch plan reviews at the Town and City of Ithaca and Village of Cayuga Heights. SEQR documents will be submitted to all 3 municipalities in June, and site plan review is scheduled for completion by end of summer. Adjournment: Chair David Herrick declared the meeting adjourned at 10:30 am.